Changes: Peter Weyland

Revision as of 09:24, 18 June 2014

"For those of you who do not yet know me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Peter Weyland, and if you'll indulge me, I'd like to change the world."

―Weyland (from the TED Talk)

Sir Peter Weyland was a CEO and founder of Weyland Corp in early to late 21st century. He is portrayed by actor Guy Pearce in the 2012 film Prometheus.

Biography

Early History

Sir Peter Weyland was born in Mumbai, India on October 1, 1990, to his mother, an Oxford-educated Professor of Comparative Mythology, and his father, a self-taught engineer. At the age of 14, he was granted a Method Patent for a synthetic trachea constructed entirely of synthetically-engineered stem cells, becoming his twelfth registered patent to date. On October 11, 2012, Peter Weyland founded the eponymous Weyland Corp.

The Rise of a Maverick

Peter-weyland001-460x250 — Peter Weyland during the 2023 TED Talk.

On March 27, 2025, Peter made his first billion thanks to the renewable energy gathered following the installation of solar panels that align and move in Earth’s orbital plane but at an axial tilt, imitating a perpetual summer solstice. This is the first successfully industrialized space mission of the Weyland Corporation, who receives funding from a trio of major venture capital firms. On February 2, 2016, he effectively ended global warming by generating a localized synthetic atmosphere above the polar ice cap using a precursor to the atmospheric processor of his own invention. Three months later, at the age of 26, Sir Peter Weyland, becomes one of the youngest people ever to achieve a knighthood.

On December 10, 2017, Sir Peter Weyland is honored with the Nobel Prize in Science for his extraordinary atmospheric work over the polar ice cap. Using capital from his 2015 success, Weyland acquires copyrights to technology developed by NASA’s innovative but poorly funded Project Prometheus . On December 19, 2017, and with significantly augmented funding for the project, JIMO became a reality and proves the existence of simple life in Europa’s ocean.

Sir Peter Weyland is awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his cancer cure on February 4, 2023. During his TED Talk, on February 28, he clarifies his vision for the Weyland Corporation, laying the groundwork for the next fifty years of Building Better Worlds. In January 7, 2024, Weyland manufactures the first advanced android prototype model of its kind. He is affectionately called David, a name Sir Peter Weyland had initially reserved for his own human son. At some point, the Japanese start-up Yutani Corporation lawsuit attempts to sue Sir Peter Weyland for the patent of the android. During 2026, Weyland acquires Genentech, significantly bolstering the company’s biotech holding and privatizes NASA’s famous Kepler mission, increases its funding tenfold and within the year discovers 6,546 more bio-compatible planets.

After years of litigation, Weyland wins the David patent lawsuit against the Yutani Corporation, in December 12, 2029, effectively protecting the investments of both Weyland Corp and its shareholders. Three years later, in 2032, Weyland acquires Northtop Grumman, Boeing, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, significantly bolstering its multinational defense, security, and aerospace technology holdings.

In June 23, 2065, the Sir Peter Weyland Memorial Library is built in Washington, DC.

Events of Prometheus

During the events of Prometheus, Peter Weyland is secretly in hypersleep on board the ship with only David, Vickers, his bodyguards and doctor knowing of his presence. In truth, he is the one giving David orders to take samples and bring them back, which leads to Holloway being infected in order to produce a specimen inside Elizabeth Shaw. He is eventually awakened, and tells Shaw that he wants to find a way to avoid death and that the Engineers along with their technology are the key. He later suits up with an exoskeleton equipped space suit that enables his fragile body to stand on its own and goes to the Engineers' ship as David has successfully found a live hypersleeping Engineer. However, upon awakening, the Engineer decapitates David and hits Weyland with David's decapitated head, leaving him mortally injured. Weyland dies from his injury, along with the entire party save Shaw, who manages to escape.

Personality

"There's... nothing..."
"I know. Have a good journey, Mr. Weyland."

―Peter Weyland and David 8 (from {{{1}}}

)

Peter Weyland was a determined man who even after all his success with his company, was still not satisfied as he wanted to extended his life even further if not indefinitely. After hearing what Shaw and Holloway had to say, he became convinced that the Engineers could save him from death, something which he clearly feared greatly. Unlike other company members depicted in the franchise, Peter does not seem to care or obsess about the Xenomorphs or the similar life-forms seen in Prometheus. He is not concerned that Shaw is not frozen (which David had told the medical team to do) or that she removed the Trilobite that was growing within her, as he seems more obsessed with extending his own life rather than bring hostile life-forms back to earth for studying. It is not known if he gave the order for Holloway to be infected or if it was just David's choice but he may have asked David to bring back the samples to see if they had what was necessary to extend his life, showing a possible disregard for the health and safety of the crew as the black liquid was secretly brought back on board without going through scans or quarantine procedures.

Trivia

The theme of a dying man seeking out their creator in the hope of securing an extended lifespan was also key to another Ridley Scott film, Blade Runner.
In Jon Spaihts' original script for {{{1}}}

, titled Alien: Engineers, Weyland's role was little more than a cameo — he never leaves Earth (or, rather, the space station orbiting it on which he resides) and does not accompany the expedition in search of the Engineers.^[1]

Images

Discussion about him

"Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade.

Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow."

Peter Weyland speaks at Ted 2023 - http://blog.ted.com/TED2023/
Weyland Industries Official Website
It was not revealed in the film whether Sir Peter is related to Charles Bishop Weyland.

References

↑ "Alien: Engineers" by Jon Spaihts

[Engineers-1] "Alien: Engineers" by Jon Spaihts

[1]

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ===The Rise of a Maverick===
 [[File:Peter-weyland001-460x250.png|thumb|left|Peter Weyland during the 2023 TED Talk.]]
+On March 27, 2025, Peter made his first billion thanks to the renewable energy gathered following the installation of solar panels that align and move in Earth’s orbital plane but at an axial tilt, imitating a perpetual summer solstice. This is the first successfully industrialized space mission of the Weyland Corporation, who receives funding from a trio of major venture capital firms. On February 2, 2016, he effectively ended global warming by generating a localized synthetic atmosphere above the polar ice cap using a precursor to the atmospheric processor of his own invention. Three months later, at the age of 26, '''Sir Peter Weyland''', becomes one of the youngest people ever to achieve a knighthood.
-On March 27, 2025
-, Peter made his first billion thanks to the renewable energy gathered following the installation of solar panels that align and move in Earth’s orbital plane but at an axial tilt, imitating a perpetual summer solstice. This is the first successfully industrialized space mission of the Weyland Corporation, who receives funding from a trio of major venture capital firms. On February 2, 2016, he effectively ended global warming by generating a localized synthetic atmosphere above the polar ice cap using a precursor to the atmospheric processor of his own invention. Three months later, at the age of 26, '''Sir Peter Weyland''', becomes one of the youngest people ever to achieve a knighthood.
 On December 10, 2017, Sir Peter Weyland is honored with the Nobel Prize in Science for his extraordinary atmospheric work over the polar ice cap. Using capital from his 2015 success, Weyland acquires copyrights to technology developed by NASA’s innovative but poorly funded [http://www.projectprometheus.com/245409/ Project ''Prometheus''] . On December 19, 2017, and with significantly augmented funding for the project, JIMO became a reality and proves the existence of simple life in Europa’s ocean.