Resident Alien season 4, episode 6, “Soul Providers,” does something I’ve wanted the show to do for years now, and it sets up an exciting run of installments in the coming weeks. While Alan Tudyk’s Harry Vanderspeigle is the show’s primary extraterrestrial, Resident Alien has introduced several other characters from beyond planet Earth. These additions to the Resident Alien cast help massively with worldbuilding.

Shows like Resident Alien can often be densely populated with members of various fictitious races, and although the Tudyk-led project does make use of this sort of character, it doesn’t prioritize them. So, when a new alien enters the fray, it always feels like a landmark occasion. However, one alien in particular debuts in “Soul Providers,” and it’s especially exciting.

“Soul Providers” Finally Introduces Another Member Of Harry’s Species

The name of Harry’s species in Resident Alien has never been officially revealed – at least, not in a way that’s decipherable to human ears. All the information the audience knows about Harry’s people has so far come from Tudyk’s character, as no other members of his race have appeared – until now. At the end of “Soul Providers,” Harry’s father makes his debut.

Played by Stephen Root, Harry’s father is only the second member of his race to appear in Resident Alien. The show has come close before to introducing another member of the species, but has always just managed to avoid it. For instance, Goliath from season 2 turned out to just be a version of Harry from an alternate future.

If Resident Alien had already introduced others from Harry’s homeworld, then the reveal of his father would still have been good, but a little less exciting.

While there is also an argument for Bridget being the second member of Harry’s race in Resident Alien, the tiny extraterrestrial is actually half-human, and so he doesn’t technically count. Another of Harry’s people was glimpsed in the show’s Cheers parody in season 1, but she turned out to be merely a part of a dream sequence.

Of course, part of the reason why another member of Harry’s species entering the fray is so exciting is because the show has resisted the urge to do it properly before now. If Resident Alien had already introduced others from Harry’s homeworld, then the reveal of his father would still have been good, but a little less exciting.

Harry’s Dad Entering The Story Will Be Great For 1 Reason In Particular

Harry is a very different character from the last time he saw his father. While their species doesn’t typically have emotions, Harry’s time on Earth has resulted in him becoming far more like humanity than his native people. He laughs, cries, gets angry, and goes through a whole host of other feelings in pretty much every episode of Resident Alien.

Harry’s dad, on the other hand, has presumably never been to Earth. If he has, then he hasn’t spent anywhere near enough time there to be influenced by humans. Inversely, his son has become a full-blooded human in Resident Alien season 4 and has been acting ever more like a member of Earth’s native species for a while now.

So, it will be interesting to see how Harry and his father interact. I’m sure the show will include some hilarious moments that zero in on how different they are, and how father/son relationships work among their race. From what Harry has explained, parenthood sounds very perfunctory among his kind, so I expect Root’s character to be a pretty no-nonsense kind of guy.

Furthermore, I’m excited to learn more about the culture of Harry’s world in general. Hopefully, his conversations with his father will reveal more about this particular piece of Resident Alien worldbuilding, which has only ever been lightly addressed by Tudyk’s character.

“Soul Providers” Also Expands The Show’s Alien Lore In Other Ways

The surprise reveal of Harry’s father at the end of “Soul Providers” is great, but it isn’t the only way the episode broadens Resident Alien’s outer space horizons. The occasionally mentioned Galactic Housing Council finally gets its debut appearance in Resident Alien season 4, episode 6, providing some compelling answers to how certain matters are handled among aliens.

The Housing Council scenes introduce multiple new alien races at once, whereas Resident Alien usually drip-feeds them into the show. While it’s fun for all this lore to land simultaneously, it’s also a little tricky to find out that much about all the new aliens because the narrative focus is on Harry rather than the newcomers.

With the increasing number of aliens making their respective debuts on the show, Resident Alien is starting to feel like the space opera it has quietly been for so long. The show has never shied away from its sci-fi genre tag, but showing outer space goings-on is far more satisfying than hearing about it all happening off-screen.

Still, I’d be surprised if this area of the lore continued to expand at its current rate. Resident Alien is an incredibly character-driven show that doesn’t tend to concentrate on worldbuilding for too long. The introduction of Harry’s father and the Housing Council makes sense for Resident Alien’s current storyline, but they can’t hang around forever.