Peter Weyland

Peter Weyland
Biographical Information
Rank	Chief Executive Officer
Affiliation	Weyland Corp
Status	Deceased as of December 2093
Physical Description
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair color	White (formerly black)
Other Information
Portrayed by	Guy Pearce

Sir Peter Weyland is the 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 Weyland during the 2023 TED Talk.

On March 27, 2015, 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

"Greetings everyone, I’m Mr. Weyland. I’ve prerecorded this message because my grave condition prevents me from speaking with you in person today.

My health is so poor that I financed the Prometheus mission in hopes that by searching for answers to mankind’s existence, I can find a solution to my own mortality as well. I wish I could be there in person as you all reach the next and possible final major milestone in human evolution, but I must remained confined to cryogenic sleep due to having so little time left.

However, I believe that this fruits of this journey will mend my broken body so that I may stand with you as we return to Earth with the answers to questions we have sought since the dawn of time. I wish you the best of luck as you take this next giant leap for mankind.

And all though I’m certain what we discover will be treasured by the human race, I personally will reward you with anything else you could ever want should you find a way to return my life to me. Godspeed Prometheus."

―Hologram of Peter Weyland

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 Charlie 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 agonizing. Weyland dies along with the entire party save Shaw, who manages to escape. Weyland's last words were "...There's... nothing...".

Images

Weyland and Mercenary Jackson looking at Shaw.

Peter Weyland in Deleted Scene.

David and almost dead Weyland.

Hologram showing Peter Weyland.

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.