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"Think of all we could learn from it!"
Bishop (from Alien3)

Michael Bishop[1][5] was an executive officer of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the late 22nd century.[6] He notably designed the eponymous Bishop series of androids.[5] He also bore a striking resemblance to Charles Bishop Weyland, co-founder of Weyland Industries.[7]

Michael Bishop was originally employed as a synthetic component designer and engineer for Hyperdyne Systems, but by 2179 had assumed a senior position within the company's bio-weapons division.[6] In this role he was responsible for the Origin Facility on LV-426. He was notably dispatched to Fiorina "Fury" 161 to retrieve Ellen Ripley from the Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit.

Biography[]

Early history[]

Michael Bishop was born in 2127 in New York, UA.[1] Not much is known about his early life, except that he was a synthetic designer at Hyperdyne Systems[6] where he designed several synthetics including the eponymous Bishop series, which he modeled on his own appearance.[4]

Capturing Dwayne Hicks[]

By 2179, he was catapulted to Director of Special Projects for the Weyland-Yutani Bio-Weapons R&D Division,[6] and as such became involved in the study of the Xenomorph species. Following the Xenomorph outbreak at Hadley's Hope on LV-426, he was dispatched to the moon to investigate what had happened at the colony, his ultimate goal being the successful acquisition of a Xenomorph specimen, apparently at any cost.[2] Weyland-Yutani PMCs under Bishop's command were notably responsible for the failed attempt at capturing Dwayne Hicks aboard the USS Sulaco.[8]

Retrieval mission and failure[]

"Ripley! Think of all we could learn from it! It's the chance of a lifetime! You must let me have it. It's a magnificent specimen!"
Bishop, to Ripley (from Alien3)
I am not a droid

Michael after being assaulted by Francis Aaron.

Following Hicks' escape, Bishop was dispatched to Fiorina 161 with Dr. Matsushita and a team of scientists and Weyland-Yutani Commandos aboard the Patna to retrieve the Xenomorph specimen that was loose there for the company's bio-weapons division. He was selected for the mission due to the involvement of Lieutenant Ellen Ripley; it was thought that her previous experience with one of Bishop's android creations in the USCM would make him the company's best chance of obtaining her cooperation. He arrived on the planet too late to capture the Xenomorph, which was destroyed by Ripley and the prison's inmates.

However, medical data automatically transmitted following Ripley's scan inside the damaged EEV had told Bishop of the Xenomorph Queen gestating inside her, and consequently Bishop attempted to secure her cooperation as the best remaining means to obtain an Alien specimen. When his attempts to convince Ripley that his team of scientists could safely remove the creature and then destroy it failed, he was assaulted by Francis Aaron with a wrench and suffered serious head injuries; Aaron was shot and killed by Weyland-Yutani commandos for the incident, against Bishop's orders. As Ripley prepared to commit suicide rather than allow the Xenomorph to fall into Weyland-Yutani's hands, Michael let his cover slip and begged her to reconsider, imploring her to think of the biological and technological possibilities should they have the opportunity to study the creature. Ripley refused, and threw herself into the furnace at the foundry, killing the Chestburster along with herself. Bishop's mission was a failure, but he was able to capture Hicks and Samwell Stone, who had arrived at the prison facility at the moment Ripley sacrificed herself.[8] Bishop and his team subsequently left the facility, taking with them their prisoners and the lone survivor of the Fiorina 161 incident, inmate Robert Morse, and the remains of Lance Bishop.[9] Morse was later returned to prison.[10]

Return to LV-426[]

Hicks ACM3

Bishop interrogating Corporal Dwayne Hicks after the events on Fiorina 161.

After the events on Fiorina 161, Bishop returned to LV-426 with Hicks and Stone. He oversaw the interrogation of the two captives aboard the Resolute — although Stone was later executed — as well as the construction of the Origin Facility, which was being hastily assembled around the rediscovered derelict ship. There, under Bishop's overall command, Weyland-Yutani scientists began breeding and studying the Xenomorphs using the Eggs aboard the derelict. Bishop's team would also capture the second Acheron Queen from her Hive in the caves beneath the moon's surface.[8] However, following the arrival of the USS Sephora and subsequent events on the planet, culminating in the destruction of the Origin Facility by Colonial Marines from the Sephora, Bishop fled the moon, leaving behind a synthetic double to buy himself time.

Post LV-426[]

"W-Y XOs and corporate agents are numerous on the Frontier, but the real man in charge out there is Michael Bishop."
Alien: The Roleplaying Game

Having suffered severe head trauma on Fiorina 161, he received extensive corrective surgery and cybernetic implants to repair the damage to his skull. However, he became dependent on highly addictive painkillers because of severe migraine and red-outs that doctors were unable to control. Since then he still operated on the Frontier, his ship has been seen making several transit runs between the Frontier and Anchorpoint Station, looking for any Xenomorphic materials to weaponize, [6] he also sent "Dog Catcher" Commandos and science teams to explore the Frontier in search of Xenomorph XX121 hive worlds, archaeological ruins belonging to the Engineers, and viable alien specimens.[11]

Death[]

Bishop eventually passed away in 2194, following complications from surgery.[1]

Creations[]

Bishop LV-426 copy

One of Michael's creations.

Michael was a synthetic component designer at Weyland-Yutani in the late 22nd century. He was known to have designed at least one line of synthetics after his likeness, the 341-B model. The android Lance Bishop was one of those models.

Personality and Traits[]

"Lieutenant Ripley's death: a selfish act. The destruction of the Legato at the hands of some angry little girl: inconvenient. But let us be frank, Corporal — and please, believe me when I say this — there is nothing sacred here. Every resource I have is expendable when it comes to ensuring the further study and development of this organism."
Bishop to Hicks, regarding the Xenomorph (from Stasis Interrupted)

Michael Bishop was a highly intelligent individual,[5] often considered as a narcissistic genius but he was also manipulative, deceitful and ambitious, qualities that no doubt endeared him to Weyland-Yutani, those qualities were also responsible of his sudden ascension in Weyland-Yutani hierarchy[6]. On Fiorina 161, he openly claimed that he wanted to destroy the Chestburster inside Ellen Ripley and take her home to safety, when his real aim was to capture the Xenomorph specimen at any cost. However, Ripley saw through his claims and ultimately committed suicide to prevent him from obtaining the creature. He later became addicted to painkillers due to severe migraines.[6]

Trivia[]

  • Bishop actor Lance Henriksen is almost certainly the most prolific figure in the Alien franchise. As well as Michael Bishop, he portrayed Lance Bishop in Aliens and Charles Bishop Weyland in Alien vs. Predator, and also lent his voice and likeness to the characters of Karl Bishop Weyland and another Bishop android in the video games Aliens vs. Predator and Aliens: Colonial Marines, respectively.
  • Furthermore, Henriksen appeared as Detective Hal Vukovich in The Terminator, which was written and directed by Aliens director James Cameron. In the film, his character is killed by the titular cyborg; this, combined with his deaths in Aliens and Alien vs. Predator, makes Henriksen one of two actors who have been killed on-screen by an Alien, a Predator and a Terminator, a dubious honor he shares with fellow Aliens actor Bill Paxton.
  • In the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines and its expansion Stasis Interrupted, Bishop's name is said to be Michael Weyland.[8] However, this contradicts several other sources (including Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report), which give his surname as Bishop.
  • Henriksen was initially reluctant to appear in Alien3 (beyond providing the voice of the damaged Bishop), but did so as a favour to producer Walter Hill, with whom he was good friends. He would go on to say that he had "a lot of fun" making the movie.[12]
  • The prosthetic head piece used to show Bishop's injuries was built around an ear originally made for Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman.[13]
  • Since the release of Alien vs. Predator in 2004, the Michael Bishop character has come to be considered by some a direct descendant of Charles Bishop Weyland.
WEYLAND3

"An Unidentified Man" as seen in Alien3: The Gun.

  • In the arcade game Alien3: The Gun, a character with a very similar appearance and role to Bishop appears, known as "An Unidentified Man". He is the final boss of the game and is killed by the player(s).
  • One of the text logs that can be found in Aliens versus Predator 2 is an e-mail written by Michael Bishop, asking for a convict named Rieser to be returned to a mining facility on Io. This e-mail is dated October 3, 2230;[14] this contradicts the later Weyland-Yutani Report, which states Michael Bishop died in 2194. His date of birth given in the same book also means he would be 103 years old in 2230; perhaps not impossible, but making it seem unlikely he would still be working for Weyland-Yutani in an active capacity.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 139 (2014), Insight Editions.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Aliens: Colonial Marines, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 version, Gearbox Software, 2013.
  3. Bishop's actor's (Lance Henriksen) height at the time was 5ft 9 (175.3 cm), so that is also how tall Bishop would have been.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Vincent Ward (writer), David Fincher (director). Alien3 (1992), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Alien3 trading cards — 70. Bishop II (1992), Star Pics.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Andrew E. C. Gaska. Alien: The Roleplaying Game, p. 238 (2019), Free League Publishing.
  7. Paul W. S. Anderson (writer and director). Alien vs. Predator (2004), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Stasis Interrupted, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 version, Gearbox Software, 2013.
  9. Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual, p. 146 (2012), Titan Books.
  10. A. C. Crispin, Kathleen O'Malley. Alien Resurrection, p. 115 (2015), Titan Books.
  11. Andrew E. C. Gaska. Alien: The Roleplaying Game, p. 239 (2019), Free League Publishing.
  12. Lance HenriksenLance Henriksen Returns in Style (2010), 20th Century Fox [Blu-ray].
  13. Paul McGann, Alex Thomson, Richard Edlund, Alec Gillis, Terry RawlingsAlien3 audio commentary (2003), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  14. Aliens versus Predator 2 - text log
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