Earth’s Morrow is a ‘Ronin’ cyborg with a ‘Zen state of dark enlightenment’

“It’s almost a Zen state of dark enlightenment,” Ceesay tells Polygon.

Noah Hawley, who created Alien: Earth, also sees Morrow as a character operating by his own moral code.

“I always like the idea of a sort of Ronin character,” Hawley says. “He’s a bit of a wild card. He has his own agenda, but his loyalty is there forever.”

As revealed in Alien: Earth episode 5, Morrow owes a massive debt to the Weyland-Yutani corporation after Yutani herself rescued him off the street as a child and replaced his paralyzed arm with a powerful robotic limb. As the season continues, we’ll see how those allegiances play out and Morrow’s plans to take down Weyland-Yutani’s corporate rival begin to coalesce.

Morrow is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, including blackmail and murder, and he’s doing it all in the name of a giant corporation that Alien fans know is pretty damn evil. According to Hawley, that’s exactly what makes him so thrilling to watch.

“I think we have a fascination with bad men who follow a code,” he says. “There’s something romantic about that idea: Yes, you kill people or whatever, but you don’t lie about it. That’s where Morrow lives for me.”

With three episodes remaining in Alien: Earth, whether Morrow continues to live up to his own code remains to be seen. But in the meantime, Polygon connected with Ceesay over Zoom to discuss his character’s tragic backstory, the meaning behind one of his most intriguing quotes so far, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. You can also read the rest of our interview with Noah Hawley here.

Polygon: You’re playing the first cyborg in the Alien franchise. How did you figure out how to play the role? Were you inspired by any other cyborgs in pop culture?

Babou Ceesay: I talked to Noah, and he tried to get me to understand that yes, Morrow is a cyborg, but fundamentally, he is also a man — a man with goals, emotions, all the foibles, all the feelings and all the power of being human.

As for other references, I tried to look, but in the end I settled on references in the real world. Neil Harbisson is an artist who’s colorblind. He’s essentially a cyborg. He has an implant on the back of his neck that vibrates, letting him feel and hear sound. That’s how he creates his art. When he made a comment about being more than human, I thought, okay, that’s a jumping-off point.

Morrow is human, but he’s more than human. There are things he can do that a human being can’t do physically. That gives him an extra edge. I wondered: What does that do to you if you’re enhanced? I held onto that and thought. He’ll deploy it when he needs to.

The character is very cold at times. But we get a look at his inward life in episode 5, where it’s revealed that he had a daughter on Earth who died during his mission. How does that define Morrow for you?

It’s now the biggest definition of this character. I have children — my daughter actually played the character — so it’s very profound. What would have happened if he’d been there? Could he have saved her? Would it have been a different outcome?

So not only is there his grief of losing someone he loves, there’s also the pain of never being able to reach out to her. If he doesn’t stick to his mission and do what he needs to do, then it would have all been for nothing, including the loss of his daughter. It adds to his drive. That moment was a linchpin for me.

Do you think Morrow’s cold personality comes more from the human side or the robot side?

I went down the path that it’s mainly from the human side. He understands he is not all machine. He has enhanced functionality, but he’s not all machine. He wishes he was. What would a machine do? It would be cold, calculated, efficient. There’s a part of him that wants to be like that. It’s almost a Zen state of dark enlightenment.

Image: FX

Morrow also has an interesting dynamic with the Hybrids. You’re both part human, part machine. Does he feel any kinship with them?

There has to be a connection. As far as he can see, they’re still human in their consciousness, and he is too, but they’re physically as enhanced as possible. So there’s affection for them. Maybe some envy. Maybe a need to be more like them.

But what he knows is his goal needs to be achieved, and if these hybrids can help him achieve it, then so be it.

There’s been a lot of analysis around one thing that Morrow says to the Hybrids: “When is a machine not a machine?” What does that mean to you?

I looked at it from the point of view of its purpose. There are many different answers to that riddle. But if you ask someone a riddle, you force them to think. In the moment I thought: When is a machine not a machine? Well, when it stops serving its function, when it becomes conscious. You could come up with a thousand reasons.

But for him, asking that entity the question and seeing how it responds — it’s a way into its brain. It’s a way to connect deeply. It’s an opportunity to connect. It’s an icebreaker, but way more than that, obviously.

Your relationship with Yutani is also really interesting. She rescues you off the street as a child, and all these decades later you’re still totally devoted to the company. How did you figure out that dynamic?

It came down to one thing. I asked myself: What would it take to leave your child on Earth at age 11, knowing by the time you return they’ll be 76? It would have to be for someone you cared deeply about, or for a sense of duty greater than anything else.

Yutani must represent a huge debt of gratitude. He says the line, “A palsy, a feral boy on the streets, with a palsied arm.” So what’s the sense of debt you have for this person? Where was Morrow’s real mother? What does Yutani represent for him? There’s a sense of duty. It’s something I’d love to explore more in future seasons, should we have the opportunity.

Alien: Earth airs weekly each Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on FX and Hulu.