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{{Quote|Building better worlds.|Company slogan}}
  
{{Quote|Building better worlds.|Company slogan}}
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{{Organization Infobox
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[[File:Weyland-Yutani_Coporation_Logo.png|thumb|275px|The Weyland-Yutani Corporation logo.]]
  
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|image= Weyland-Yutani Coporation Logo.jpg
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The '''Weyland-Yutani Corporation''', often shortened to '''Weyland-Yutani''' and commonly referred to as '''Wey-Yu'''<ref name="ACM">{{cite video|title='{{ACM}}'|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=[[Gearbox Software]]|date=[[2013]]}}</ref> or simply "'''The Company'''",<ref name="A2">{{cite video|people=[[James Cameron]] (writer and director)|title='{{A2}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=1986}}</ref><ref name="A3">{{cite video|people=[[Vincent Ward]] (writer) and [[David Fincher]] (director)|title='{{A3}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=1992}}</ref> is a large British/Japanese<ref name="Space">{{cite web|title=Strange Shapes - Space, 2122 – 2179|url=http://alienseries.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/space-2122-2179/|accessdate=2013-05-10}}</ref> multinational conglomerate. It is primarily a technology supplier, manufacturing [[Synthetic]]s, spaceships and computers for a wide range of industrial and commercial clients, making them a household name.<ref name="BradyACM40">{{cite book|title=''[[Aliens: Colonial Marines Official Strategy Guide]]''|author=[[BradyGames]]|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=[[2013]]|page=40}}</ref> Weyland-Yutani also has numerous non-manufacturing interests; the company has extensive assets in interplanetary shipping and transport, and is one of the corporations that operates human colonies outside the solar system through the [[Extrasolar Colonization Administration]],<ref name="A2" /> which it owns or controls.<ref name="BradyACM40" /> The company also has a seat in the [[Interstellar Commerce Commission]]'s Company Review Board, and owns or controls the [[United States Colonial Marine Corps]].<ref name="BradyACM40" /> and also has a large presence on [[Earth]]. They hold their main offices in Tokyo, London, San Francisco, the Sea of Tranquillity on [[Luna]] and on [[Thedus]].<ref>''Alien Anthology'' Blu-ray</ref>
  
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|caption= "Building better worlds"
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|name= Weyland-Yutani
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|headquarters=Tokyo, London, San Francisco, Sea of Tranquillity, [[Thedus]]
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|founded by=
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|years active=[[2099]]-present
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|territory=
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|ethnicity=[[Human]]
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|membership=[[Carter Burke]]<br>[[Michael Bishop]]<br>[[Karl Bishop Weyland]]
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|activities=Research and development, deep space transport, synthetic manufacture, terraforming, extrasolar colonization, weapons manufacture, {{Xeno}} procurement and research
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|allies=
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|rivals=[[Seegson]]<br>[[Lasalle Bionational]]}}
  ⚫
The '''Weyland-Yutani Corporation''', often shortened to '''Weyland-Yutani''' and commonly referred to as '''Wey-Yu'''<ref name="ACM">{{cite video|title='{{ACM}}'|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=[[Gearbox Software]]|date=[[2013]]}}</ref> or simply "'''The Company'''",<ref name="A2">{{cite video|people=[[James Cameron]] (writer and director)|title='{{A2}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=1986}}</ref><ref name="A3">{{cite video|people=[[Vincent Ward]] (writer) and [[David Fincher]] (director)|title='{{A3}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=1992}}</ref> is a large British/Japanese<ref name="Space">{{cite web|title=Strange Shapes - Space, 2122 – 2179|url=http://alienseries.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/space-2122-2179/|accessdate=2013-05-10}}</ref> multinational conglomerate. It was founded in [[2099]] by the merger of [[Weyland Corp]] and the [[Yutani Corporation]].<ref name="AWYR8">{{cite book|title={{AWYR}}|author=[[S. D. Perry]]|publisher=[[Insight Editions]]|year=[[2014]]|page=8}}</ref> Weyland-Yutani is primarily a technology supplier, manufacturing [[synthetic]]s, spaceships and computers for a wide range of industrial and commercial clients, making them a household name.<ref name="BradyACM40">{{cite book|title=''[[Aliens: Colonial Marines Official Strategy Guide]]''|author=[[BradyGames]]|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=[[2013]]|page=40}}</ref> Weyland-Yutani also has numerous non-manufacturing interests; the company has extensive assets in interplanetary shipping and transport, and is one of the corporations that operates human colonies outside the solar system through the [[Extrasolar Colonization Administration]],<ref name="A2" /> which it owns or controls.<ref name="BradyACM40" /> The company also has a seat in the [[Interstellar Commerce Commission]]'s Company Review Board, and owns or controls the [[United States Colonial Marine Corps]].<ref name="BradyACM40" /> They hold their main offices in Tokyo, London, San Francisco, the Sea of Tranquillity on [[Luna]] and on [[Thedus]].<ref>''Alien Anthology'' Blu-ray</ref>
   
 
Weyland-Yutani is consistently portrayed as exhibiting the worst aspects of corporate profiteering, willing to sacrifice decency and life in the endless pursuit of profits.<ref name="A3" /><ref name="AVP2010">{{cite video|title='{{AVP2010}}'|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=Rebellion|date=2010}}</ref> As such, it is a modern example of the longstanding trope of the evil mega-corporation in science fiction. In various portrayals within the ''Alien'' universe, the corporation has its hands in all aspects of space colonization and research. The corporation has consistently driven its employees and agents to obtain a living sample of the species they designate [[Xenomorph XX121 (Alien)|Xenomorph XX121]], often without regard for the lives of anyone involved in said attempts, so that the creatures may be exploited as biological weapons or otherwise for financial gain.<ref name="A2" /> According to Weyland-Yutani employee [[Karl Bishop Weyland]], one of the corporation's primary goals behind capturing the Xenomorphs and creating weapons out of their biology is to ensure humanity remains the elite species in the universe, and not just because of monetary profits.<ref name="AVP2010" />
  
Weyland-Yutani is consistently portrayed as exhibiting the worst aspects of corporate profiteering, willing to sacrifice decency and life in the endless pursuit of profits.<ref name="A3" /><ref name="AVP2010">{{cite video|title='{{AVP2010}}'|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=Rebellion|date=2010}}</ref> As such, it is a modern example of the longstanding trope of the evil mega-corporation in science fiction. In various portrayals within the ''Alien'' universe, the corporation has its hands in all aspects of space colonization and research. The corporation has consistently driven its employees and agents to obtain a living sample of the species they designate [[Xenomorph XX121 (Alien)|Xenomorph XX121]], often without regard for the lives of anyone involved in said attempts, so that the creatures may be exploited as biological weapons or otherwise for financial gain.<ref name="A2" /> According to Weyland-Yutani employee [[Karl Bishop Weyland]], one of the corporation's primary goals behind capturing the Xenomorphs and creating weapons out of their biology is to ensure humanity remains the elite species in the universe, and not just because of monetary profits.<ref name="AVP2010" />
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==History==
  
==History==
 
===Origins and growth===
  
===Origins and growth===
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The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has had several different origins in various media. While it was not the first to be portrayed, the origin established in {{Pro}} is now considered the canonical version. In the film, the company is preceded by [[Weyland Corp]], established by [[Peter Weyland]] on October 11, 2012. Sometime after [http://www.projectprometheus.com/ Project Prometheus], Weyland Corp would acquire the [[Yutani Corporation]], thus forming the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. The company would go on to buy out numerous other businesses, investing in almost every sector, and had a controlling stake in a vast number of diverse corporations. According to some, Weyland-Yutani owned "pretty much everything".<ref name="OOTS50">{{cite book|title=''[[Alien: Out of the Shadows]]''|author=[[Tim Lebbon]]|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year=[[2014]]|page=50}}</ref> Many of the companies wholly or partly owned by Weyland-Yutani continued to operate under their own brand, such as the [[Kelland Mining Company]].<ref name="OOTS50"/>
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The Weyland-Yutani Corporation was formed when [[Weyland Corp]] absorbed the [[Yutani Corporation]] in a hostile takeover in [[2099]].<ref name="AWYR8"/> Following the merger, Weyland-Yutani opened with the largest share value ever recorded on the Systems Exchange.<ref name="AWYR8"/> The company would go on to buy out numerous other businesses, investing in almost every sector, and had a controlling stake in a vast number of diverse corporations. According to some, Weyland-Yutani owned "pretty much everything" by the 2150s.<ref name="OOTS50">{{cite book|title=''[[Alien: Out of the Shadows]]''|author=[[Tim Lebbon]]|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year=[[2014]]|page=50}}</ref> Many of the companies wholly or partly owned by Weyland-Yutani continued to operate under their own brand, such as the [[Kelland Mining Company]].<ref name="OOTS50"/>
   
 
Other origin stories for the company have been given in other media, although these have now been rendered largely defunct by the production of ''Prometheus''. Nonetheless, prominent references to Weyland-Yutani include:
  
Other origin stories for the company have been given in other media, although these have now been rendered largely defunct by the production of ''Prometheus''. Nonetheless, prominent references to Weyland-Yutani include:
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===Activities===
  
===Activities===
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From the start, even the lowliest of Weyland-Yutani's employees were aware of the corrupt nature of the conglomerate. It was common knowledge amongst the company's commercial haulage fleet that senior management routinely bribed and paid off inspectors rather than submit to thorough safety inspections and reviews of their vessels.<ref name="Alienbook208">{{cite book|title=[[Alien (novel)|''Alien'' novelization]]|author=[[Alan Dean Foster]]|publisher=Warner Books, Inc.|year=1979|page=208}}</ref>
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From the start, even the lowliest of Weyland-Yutani's employees were aware of the corrupt nature of the conglomerate. It was common knowledge amongst the company's commercial haulage fleet that senior management routinely bribed and paid off inspectors rather than submit to thorough safety inspections and reviews of their vessels.<ref name="Alienbook208">{{cite book|title=[[Alien (novel)|''Alien'' novelization]]|author=[[Alan Dean Foster]]|publisher=[[Warner Books]]|year=1979|page=208}}</ref>
   
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Some time prior to [[2122]], the Weyland-Yutani Corporation detected the signal being broadcast from the [[Derelict (LV-426)|derelict]] on [[Acheron (LV-426)]], the middle moon of 3 orbiting the ringed planet [[Calpamos]]. While the language was unknown, the company succeeded in deciphering enough of the message to learn it was a warning regarding the deadly {{Xeno}} species.<ref name="Alienbook201">{{cite book|title=[[Alien (novel)|Alien novelization]]|author=[[Alan Dean Foster]]|publisher=Warner Books, Inc.|year=1979|page=201}}</ref> They subsequently dispatched the {{USCSS|Nostromo}} to investigate, without the crew's knowledge, leading to initial human contact with the Xenomorph, the death of all but one of the ship's crew and the loss of the ''Nostromo'' itself.<ref name="A1">{{cite video|people=[[Dan O'Bannon]], [[Ronald Shusett]] (writers) and [[Ridley Scott]] (director)|title='{{A1}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=2003}}</ref> While the incident and the existence of the Xenomorph was apparently covered up by those involved, in a twist of irony the company later coincidentally established the [[Hadley's Hope]] terraforming colony on LV-426.<ref name="A2" />
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Some time prior to [[2122]], the Weyland-Yutani Corporation detected the signal being broadcast from the [[Derelict (LV-426)|derelict]] on [[Acheron (LV-426)]], the middle moon of 3 orbiting the ringed planet [[Calpamos]]. While the language was unknown, the company succeeded in deciphering enough of the message to learn it was a warning regarding the deadly species [[Xenomorph XX121 (Alien)|Xenomorph XX121]].<ref name="Alienbook201">{{cite book|title=[[Alien (novel)|Alien novelization]]|author=[[Alan Dean Foster]]|publisher=[[Warner Books]]|year=1979|page=201}}</ref> They subsequently dispatched the {{USCSS|Nostromo}} to investigate, without the crew's knowledge, leading to initial human contact with the Xenomorph, the death of all but one of the ship's crew and the loss of the ''Nostromo'' itself.<ref name="A1">{{cite video|people=[[Dan O'Bannon]], [[Ronald Shusett]] (writers) and [[Ridley Scott]] (director)|title='{{A1}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=2003}}</ref> While the incident and the existence of the Xenomorph was apparently covered up by those involved, in a twist of irony the company later coincidentally established the [[Hadley's Hope]] terraforming colony on LV-426.<ref name="A2" />
   
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By [[2179]], Weyland-Yutani was heavily involved in the colonization of extrasolar planets, including the terraforming of suitable bodies with inhospitable atmospheres through the construction of [[Atmosphere Processor]]s.<ref name="A2" /> Over its history, the corporation constructed and administrated numerous colonies across the galaxy, including Hadley's Hope on LV-426 and [[Freya's Prospect]] on [[BG-386]].<ref name="AVP2010" /> Weyland-Yutani was also involved in non-civilian colonies, notably overseeing the [[Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit|Class C Work Correctional Unit]] and the associated industrial penal lead foundry on [[Fiorina "Fury" 161]].<ref name="A3" />
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By [[2179]], Weyland-Yutani was heavily involved in the colonization of extrasolar planets, including the terraforming of suitable bodies with inhospitable atmospheres through the construction of [[Atmosphere Processing Plant]]s.<ref name="A2" /> Over its history, the corporation constructed and administrated numerous colonies across the galaxy, including Hadley's Hope on LV-426 and [[Freya's Prospect]] on [[BG-386]].<ref name="AVP2010" /> Weyland-Yutani was also involved in non-civilian colonies, notably overseeing the [[Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit|Class C Work Correctional Unit]] and the associated industrial penal lead foundry on [[Fiorina "Fury" 161]].<ref name="A3" />
   
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The company also operated numerous research and development facilities throughout the galaxy, often pursuing top-secret research into illegal or dangerous fields, focussing in particular on the study of the Xenomorph species. Major Weyland-Yutani laboratories included installations on [[LV-1201]]<ref name="AversusP2">{{cite video|title='''[[Aliens versus Predator 2]]'''|medium=Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X|publisher=Monolith Productions|date=2001}}</ref> and BG-386,<ref name="AVP2010" /> and the [[Origin Facility]] on LV-426.<ref name="ACM">{{cite video|title='{{ACM}}'|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=Gearbox Software|date=2013}}</ref> These labs often operated under particularly amoral conditions, especially where Xenomorph research was concerned; humans were frequently used as unwilling hosts for the creatures, while some teams were even known to deliberately sacrifice low-level Weyland-Yutani employees as live prey in Xenomorph tests.<ref name="AVP2010" /> On BG-386, inhabitants from the planet's civilian colony were apparently abducted for use in research, often under the pretence of being "promoted" to a new position elsewhere on the planet.<ref name="AVP2010">{{cite video|title='''[[Aliens vs. Predator (2010 video game)|Aliens vs. Predator]]'''|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=Rebellion|date=2010}}</ref>
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The company also operated numerous research and development facilities throughout the galaxy, often pursuing top-secret research into illegal or dangerous fields, focussing in particular on the study of the Xenomorph species. Major Weyland-Yutani laboratories included installations on [[LV-1201]]<ref name="AversusP2">{{cite video|title='''[[Aliens versus Predator 2]]'''|medium=Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X|publisher=[[Monolith Productions]]|date=2001}}</ref> and BG-386,<ref name="AVP2010" /> and the [[Origin Facility]] on LV-426.<ref name="ACM">{{cite video|title='{{ACM}}'|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=Gearbox Software|date=2013}}</ref> These labs often operated under particularly amoral conditions, especially where Xenomorph research was concerned; humans were frequently used as unwilling hosts for the creatures, while some teams were even known to deliberately sacrifice low-level Weyland-Yutani employees as live prey in Xenomorph tests.<ref name="AVP2010" /> On BG-386, inhabitants from the planet's civilian colony were apparently abducted for use in research, often under the pretence of being "promoted" to a new position elsewhere on the planet.<ref name="AVP2010">{{cite video|title='''[[Aliens vs. Predator (2010 video game)|Aliens vs. Predator]]'''|medium=Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|publisher=Rebellion|date=2010}}</ref>
   
 
Despite tight security, typically enforced by Weyland-Yutani manufactured [[Combat Android]]s, these research facilities were notorious for their containment failures and outbreaks, events that usually led to huge loss of life amongst staff (and any civilians unlucky enough to be caught in harm's way) and the involvement of the [[United States Colonial Marine Corps]].
  
Despite tight security, typically enforced by Weyland-Yutani manufactured [[Combat Android]]s, these research facilities were notorious for their containment failures and outbreaks, events that usually led to huge loss of life amongst staff (and any civilians unlucky enough to be caught in harm's way) and the involvement of the [[United States Colonial Marine Corps]].
   
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===Collapse and Reemergence===
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===Collapse and re-emergence===
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By the 2290s, Weyland-Yutani began experiencing serious financial and political pressures. Its colony at Nu Indi successfully sued for independence, effectively removing itself from the company's influence, and two years later Weyland-Yutani lost out to rival conglomerate Ridton on a contract to supply the [[United Systems Military]] with FTL drives, severely affecting the company's financial performance.<ref name="AWYR9">{{cite book|title={{AWYR}}|author=[[S. D. Perry]]|publisher=[[Insight Editions]]|year=[[2014]]|page=9}}</ref> Finally, in [[2349]], megacorporations such as Weyland-Yutani were outlawed altogether; the company appealed, but after three years of costly litigation the ban was upheld and Weyland-Yutani formally folded.<ref name="AWYR8"/> Many of the company's weapons and R&D interests were taken over by the USM.{{Citation needed}}
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Weyland-Yutani eventually collapsed and was superseded an interstellar military force called the [[United Systems Military]]. Many of the company's weapons and R&D interests were taken over by the USM.
  
   
−
However, Weyland-Yutani eventually reemerged as a powerful corporation following the fall of the USM.<ref name="SOS35">{{cite book|title=''[[Alien: Sea of Sorrows]]''|author=[[James A. Moore]]|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year=[[2014]]|page=35}}</ref> In the aftermath of the destruction wrought upon Earth by the crash of the [[USM Auriga|USM ''Auriga'']], Weyland-Yutani united other corporations and, through means such as cleaning up the pollution on Earth, the company gained massive public approval and support and eventually instigated a coup against the USM. The coup led to the downfall of the USM and the reemergence of super powerful corporations, similar to the days prior to the creation of the USM.<ref name="SOS35"/>
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However, even during this time, agents of Weyland-Yutani continued to operate in secrecy. The company utilized contacts within the USM who passed them information about their various research projects.<ref name="AWYR157">{{cite book|title={{AWYR}}|author=[[S. D. Perry]]|publisher=[[Insight Editions]]|year=[[2014]]|page=157}}</ref> Following the crash of the {{USM|Auriga}} on Earth, Weyland-Yutani seized upon much of the information collected about the Xenomorphs by the USM, incorporating it into {{AWYR}}, an extensive report on the species Xenomorph XX121 and humanity's historical encounters with it. Following the fall of the USM, Weyland-Yutani eventually re-emerged as a powerful multinational corporation, a resurgence partly fuelled by the company's role in cleaning up the heavily polluted and damaged Earth, and the corresponding surge in public approval and support that went with it.<ref name="SOS35">{{cite book|title=''[[Alien: Sea of Sorrows]]''|author=[[James A. Moore]]|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year=[[2014]]|page=35}}</ref>
   
 
==Divisions==
  
==Divisions==
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===Reverse-Engineering Division===
  
===Reverse-Engineering Division===
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The Reverse-Engineering Division was mainly focussed on the study and implementation of recovered {{Pred}} technology. The department was largely built upon the work carried out by [[Borgia Industries]]<ref name="PCJ">{{cite video|title='{{PCJV}}'|medium=PlayStation 2, Xbox|publisher=Vivendi Universal Games|date=2005}}</ref> and the [[Yutani Corporation]],<ref name="AvP2">{{cite video|people=[[Dan O'Bannon]], [[Ronald Shusett]], [[Jim Thomas]], [[John Thomas]] (writers) and The [[Brothers Strause]] (directors)|title='{{AVP2}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=2007}}</ref> both of which were incorporated into Weyland-Yutani through business mergers (with the Yutani Corporation being a major partner and partial originator of the company's name).
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The Reverse-Engineering Division was mainly focussed on the study and implementation of recovered {{Pred}} technology. The department was largely built upon the work carried out by [[Borgia Industries]]<ref name="PCJ">{{cite video|title='{{PCJV}}'|medium=PlayStation 2, Xbox|publisher=Vivendi Universal Games|date=2005}}</ref> and the [[Yutani Corporation]],<ref name="AvP2">{{cite video|people=[[Shane Salerno]] (writer) and [[Brothers Strause|The Brothers Strause]] (directors)|title='{{AVP2}}'|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=2007}}</ref> both of which were incorporated into Weyland-Yutani through business mergers (with the Yutani Corporation being a major partner and partial originator of the company's name).
   
 
As with the company's Bio-Weapons Division, Weyland-Yutani's reverse-engineering projects were generally run with little regard for morals, although owing to the research being based primarily on the study of appropriated technology, the scope for appalling breaches of human rights was less open. Even so, the division ruthlessly captured and exploited alien tech, stealing Predator and [[Engineer]] technology with little thought as to how the species that created it may react. As a result, the company often ran afoul of the Yautja, who were fiercely protective of their advanced technology and considered the slaughter of any who would attempt to steal it a cultural necessity.<ref name="AVP2010" />
  
As with the company's Bio-Weapons Division, Weyland-Yutani's reverse-engineering projects were generally run with little regard for morals, although owing to the research being based primarily on the study of appropriated technology, the scope for appalling breaches of human rights was less open. Even so, the division ruthlessly captured and exploited alien tech, stealing Predator and [[Engineer]] technology with little thought as to how the species that created it may react. As a result, the company often ran afoul of the Yautja, who were fiercely protective of their advanced technology and considered the slaughter of any who would attempt to steal it a cultural necessity.<ref name="AVP2010" />
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==Behind the Scenes==
  
==Behind the Scenes==
  ⚫
[[File:Weyland-YutaniOriginalLogo.png|thumb|The original logo for "Weylan-Yutani" in ''Alien''.]]
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The company's original name was Weylan-Yutani, briefly seen on a monitor and [[Aspen Beer]] can in the film ''Alien''; this name was created by Ron Cobb, one of the designers of the ''[[USCSS Nostromo|Nostromo]]'' and its crew's uniforms. In the film, the company's logo consisted of a winged sun emblem, based on Egyptian architecture. The original Weylan-Yutani name notably reappeared in [[Alien III (David Twohy)|David Twohy's script]] for {{A3}}, in which the company was repeatedly referred to using its pre-''Aliens'' name.
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The company's original name was Weylan-Yutani, briefly seen on a monitor and [[Aspen Beer]] can in the film ''Alien''; this name was created by Ron Cobb, one of the designers of the ''[[USCSS Nostromo|Nostromo]]'' and its crew's uniforms. In the film, the company's logo consisted of a winged sun emblem, based on Egyptian architecture. The original Weylan-Yutani name was also used by [[James Cameron]] in his [[Alien II (original treatment)|initial treatment]] for a sequel to ''Alien'', and later reappeared in [[David Twohy]]'s [[Alien III (David Twohy)|unproduced script]] for {{A3}}.
   
 
{{Quote|One of the things I enjoyed most about ''Alien'' was its subtle satirical content. Science fiction films offer golden opportunities to throw in little scraps of information that suggest enormous changes in the world. There's a certain potency in those kinds of remarks. Weylan Yutani for instance is almost a joke, but not quite. I wanted to imply that poor old England is back on its feet and has united with the Japanese, who have taken over the building of spaceships the same way they have now with cars and supertankers. In coming up with a strange company name I thought of British Leyland and Toyota, but we couldn't use "Leyland-Toyota" in the film. Changing one letter gave me "Weylan", and "Yutani" was a Japanese neighbor of mine.|Ron Cobb on conceptualizing Weylan-Yutani}}
  
{{Quote|One of the things I enjoyed most about ''Alien'' was its subtle satirical content. Science fiction films offer golden opportunities to throw in little scraps of information that suggest enormous changes in the world. There's a certain potency in those kinds of remarks. Weylan Yutani for instance is almost a joke, but not quite. I wanted to imply that poor old England is back on its feet and has united with the Japanese, who have taken over the building of spaceships the same way they have now with cars and supertankers. In coming up with a strange company name I thought of British Leyland and Toyota, but we couldn't use "Leyland-Toyota" in the film. Changing one letter gave me "Weylan", and "Yutani" was a Japanese neighbor of mine.|Ron Cobb on conceptualizing Weylan-Yutani}}
   
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When [[James Cameron]] was assigned to write and direct an ''Alien'' sequel, the role and significance of the company increased greatly. Cameron added a "d" to the first part of the company's name, and also scrapped the original winged sun emblem, replacing it instead with a new corporo-industrial interlocked W/Y logo of his own design. This logo can be viewed in various places throughout the movie, most obviously in the extended [[Aliens Special Edition|Special Edition]], where it is seen on crates and the front of a child's tricycle at the [[Hadley's Hope]] colony before the Xenomorph outbreak.<ref name="A2DC">{{cite video|people=[[James Cameron]] (writer and director)|title='{{A2}}' Special Edition|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=1992}}</ref> Cameron has gone on record as saying that the way in which [[Carter Burke|Burke]] accompanies the Colonial Marines on their mission to LV-426 was supposed to invoke the conspiracy of America's involvement in Vietnam being for purely corporate interests. The prominent use of the company in the film propelled it to being an indispensable element the ''Alien'' universe.
 +
When Cameron was assigned to write and direct ''Aliens'', the role and significance of the company increased greatly. Cameron eventually added a "d" to the first part of the company's name, and also scrapped the original winged sun emblem, replacing it instead with a new corporo-industrial interlocked W/Y logo of his own design. This logo can be viewed in various places throughout the movie, most obviously in the extended [[Aliens Special Edition|Special Edition]], where it is seen on crates and the front of a child's tricycle at the [[Hadley's Hope]] colony before the Xenomorph outbreak.<ref name="A2DC">{{cite video|people=[[James Cameron]] (writer and director)|title='{{A2}}' Special Edition|medium=DVD|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=1992}}</ref> Cameron has gone on record as saying that the way in which [[Carter Burke|Burke]] accompanies the Colonial Marines on their mission to LV-426 was supposed to invoke the conspiracy of America's involvement in Vietnam being for purely corporate interests. The prominent use of the company in the film propelled it to being an indispensable element of the ''Alien'' universe.
   
 
In ''Alien<sup>3</sup>'', Weyland-Yutani's logo appears on the furnaces at the [[Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit]], and can also be seen stencilled across the shirts, prison jackets and caps worn by various characters in the film, including [[Ellen Ripley]]. It is also seen on screen several times written in Japanese; it appears on a box of supplies as ウェイランド湯谷. The first six Kana of this are part of the Japanese syllabary Katakana which is used to spell foreign words, and here they spell ''weirando'' (Weyland). The second part is the Japanese name Yutani written with two kanji, which literally means "hot-water valley" in English. The corporation's name also appears in a newspaper headline where the last four kanji (株式会社) read ''kabushiki gaisha'' which means "joint-stock corporation".
  
In ''Alien<sup>3</sup>'', Weyland-Yutani's logo appears on the furnaces at the [[Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit]], and can also be seen stencilled across the shirts, prison jackets and caps worn by various characters in the film, including [[Ellen Ripley]]. It is also seen on screen several times written in Japanese; it appears on a box of supplies as ウェイランド湯谷. The first six Kana of this are part of the Japanese syllabary Katakana which is used to spell foreign words, and here they spell ''weirando'' (Weyland). The second part is the Japanese name Yutani written with two kanji, which literally means "hot-water valley" in English. The corporation's name also appears in a newspaper headline where the last four kanji (株式会社) read ''kabushiki gaisha'' which means "joint-stock corporation".
Line 76: Line 89:
 
==Trivia==
  
==Trivia==
 
*While James Cameron cemented Weyland-Yutani as an integral part of the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' franchise]] with {{A2}}, ironically his [[Alien II (original treatment)|initial treatment]] for the film stated that the company had in fact been bought out by another, unnamed conglomerate prior to the events of the movie, and that Weyland-Yutani no longer existed.<ref name="A2Treatment">[[Alien II (original treatment)|"''Alien II''" (original treatment)]] by [[James Cameron]]</ref>
  
*While James Cameron cemented Weyland-Yutani as an integral part of the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' franchise]] with {{A2}}, ironically his [[Alien II (original treatment)|initial treatment]] for the film stated that the company had in fact been bought out by another, unnamed conglomerate prior to the events of the movie, and that Weyland-Yutani no longer existed.<ref name="A2Treatment">[[Alien II (original treatment)|"''Alien II''" (original treatment)]] by [[James Cameron]]</ref>
−
*Despite the fact that the company is portrayed as almost entirely ruthless, they appear to let [[Robert Morse]] live at the end of ''Alien<sup>3</sup>'', even though he is a witness to the events on [[Fiorina "Fury" 161|Fiorina 161]] and what the company attempted to do there. Since Morse is a convict, it is possible the company simply rationalised people would be unlikely to believe anything he could say to damage them. The [[Alien Resurrection (novel)|novelization]] of {{A4}} reveals that Morse later wrote a book about the Fiorina 161 incident, but it was banned.<ref name="AlienResbook99">{{cite book|title=[[Alien Resurrection (novel)|Alien Resurrection novelization]]|author=Ann Crispin|publisher=Warner Books, Inc.|year=1997|page=99}}</ref>
 +
*Despite the fact that the company is portrayed as almost entirely ruthless, they appear to let [[Robert Morse]] live at the end of ''Alien<sup>3</sup>'', even though he is a witness to the events on [[Fiorina "Fury" 161|Fiorina 161]] and what the company attempted to do there. Since Morse is a convict, it is possible the company simply rationalised people would be unlikely to believe anything he could say to damage them. The [[Alien Resurrection (novel)|novelization]] of {{A4}} reveals that Morse later wrote a book about the Fiorina 161 incident, but it was banned.<ref name="AlienResbook99">{{cite book|title=[[Alien Resurrection (novel)|Alien Resurrection novelization]]|author=[[A. C. Crispin]]|publisher=[[Warner Books|Warner Aspect]]|year=1997|page=99}}</ref>
−
*In [[Aliens vs. Predator (Peter Briggs)|Peter Briggs' script]] for {{AVP1}}, a "Yutani-Templin" company is mentioned, implying that the [[Yutani Corporation]] was involved in other corporate mergers in addition to its merger with Weyland-Yutani, and that these other conglomerates are still in operation. However, the exact nature of the company is never elaborated upon, and the script was never produced.
 +
*In [[Peter Briggs]]' unproduced ''Alien vs. Predator'' script, titled ''[[The Hunt: Alien vs. Predator]]'', a "Yutani-Templin" company is mentioned, implying that the [[Yutani Corporation]] was involved in other corporate mergers in addition to its merger with Weyland-Yutani, and that these other conglomerates are still in operation. However, the exact nature of the company is never elaborated upon, and the script was never produced.
−
*Supplemental materials on the {{Pro}} Blu-ray suggest the Tyrell Corporation from [[Ridley Scott]]'s film ''Blade Runner'' is one of Weyland-Yutani's competitors.<ref name="Trends">{{cite web|title=Digital Trends - Prometheus Blu-ray links Alien, Blade Runner universes|url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/prometheus-blu-ray-links-alien-blade-runner-universes/|accessdate=2013-05-28}}</ref> Fans have often theorized that ''Blade Runner'' may be set in the same universe as {{A1}} owing to the two films' similar style and design, but this oblique reference remains the only suggestion of such a link in official media (furthermore, the information on the Blu-ray seems to be more of an Easter Egg than hard fact).
 +
*Supplemental materials on the {{Pro1}} Blu-ray suggest the Tyrell Corporation from [[Ridley Scott]]'s film ''Blade Runner'' is one of Weyland-Yutani's competitors.<ref name="Trends">{{cite web|title=Digital Trends - Prometheus Blu-ray links Alien, Blade Runner universes|url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/prometheus-blu-ray-links-alien-blade-runner-universes/|accessdate=2013-05-28}}</ref> Fans have often theorized that ''Blade Runner'' may be set in the same universe as {{A1}} owing to the two films' similar style and design, but this oblique reference remains the only suggestion of such a link in official media (furthermore, the information on the Blu-ray seems to be more of an Easter Egg than hard fact).
 
*The corporate/military collaboration in pursuit and protection of commerce isn't unprecedented, dating back to the 16th cenutry Dutch Empire's West Indies Trading Companies explicit charter to colonize territories using the Dutch Navy. [[James Cameron]] referenced this historical model in the ''Aliens'' directors commentary as the basis of the Weyland-Yutani/USCM relationship.
  
*The corporate/military collaboration in pursuit and protection of commerce isn't unprecedented, dating back to the 16th cenutry Dutch Empire's West Indies Trading Companies explicit charter to colonize territories using the Dutch Navy. [[James Cameron]] referenced this historical model in the ''Aliens'' directors commentary as the basis of the Weyland-Yutani/USCM relationship.
 
*In 2013, multinational professional services firm Ernst & Young rebranded their corporate slogan to "Building a better working world"; the similarity to Weyland-Yutani's slogan is likely just a coincidence.
  
*In 2013, multinational professional services firm Ernst & Young rebranded their corporate slogan to "Building a better working world"; the similarity to Weyland-Yutani's slogan is likely just a coincidence.
−
*Weyland-Yutani has been referenced in several other films and television series since ''Aliens'':
 +
*Weyland-Yutani has been [[Alien references in popular culture|referenced]] in several other films and television series since ''Aliens'':
  ⚫
**In the 2002 pilot episode of ''Firefly'', Mal Reynolds is seen using a machine gun turret in a flashback sequence, and at the top of the turret's targeting system, the [[Weyland-Yutani]] logo can be seen. ''Firefly'' was created by ''Alien Resurrection'' writer [[Joss Whedon]].
−
**In the episode "Harm's Way" of TV series ''Angel'', Weyland-Yutani is revealed to be a client of evil interdimensional law firm Wolfram & Hart. As co-creator [[Joss Whedon]] had written the original draft to ''Alien Resurrection'', this was most likely an in-joke aimed at Whedon himself.
 +
**In the 2004 episode "Harm's Way" of ''Angel'', Weyland-Yutani is revealed to be a client of evil interdimensional law firm Wolfram & Hart. ''Angel'' was also co-created by Whedon.
⚫
**In the pilot episode of ''Firefly'', another Whedon television series, Mal Reynolds is seen using a turret gun in a flashback sequence. At the top of the targeting system, the Weyland-Yutani logo can be seen.
  
  ⚫
**In the "Sniper" series of novels by Alan D. Altieri, a prominent villain to hero Russel Kane is a megacorporation known as Gottschalk-Yutani, which fills a similar role to Weyland-Yutani in the ''Alien'' franchise.
−
**While Weyland-Yutani does not feature, a similar conglomerate known as the Resources Development Administration (RDA) appears in James Cameron's later film ''Avatar''. In the film, the RDA takes on a similar role (that of an amoral mega-corporation interested solely in profits) and is often referred to using the same moniker of "The Company".
  
  +
**The 2009 film ''Avatar'' (directed by James Cameron) features a corporation known as the [[w:c:james-camerons-avatar:RDA|RDA]], which at one point is referred to as "the Company", similarly to Weyland-Yutani. The two corporations bear notable similarities beyond this nickname, including resource-mongering and a lack of ethical concerns.
−
**In the episode "We Can't Win" of the television series remake ''V'', Weyland-Yutani is seen written on a name plate at a presentation of alien technology to various companies on Earth.
 +
**In the 2010 episode "We Can't Win" of the television series remake ''V'', Weyland-Yutani is seen written on a name plate at a presentation of alien technology to various companies on Earth.
⚫
** A prominent villain to Russel Kane in the "Sniper" series of books by Alan D. Altieri is a megacorporation known as the Gottschalk-Yutani, that has a role similar to Alien's franchise Weyland-Yutani
 
  +
**In the 2010 film ''The Rig'', the company that owns the titular oil rig is called Weyland Drilling Corp, in reference to the ''Alien'' series. The company also uses a similar logo. Both ''Alien'' and ''The Rig'' deal with a small group of blue-collar workers trapped in a restricted space being stalked by a voracious killer monster.
−
*Despite the can in ''Alien'' naming the company as "Weylan Yutani", the Laserdisc release of ''Alien'' says "Also notice another prop that is seen only discreetly in the film: a can of beer manufactured by the other-wise un-named "Company" that employs the ''Nostromo'' crew - "Weyland- Yutani.<sup>[sic]</sup>" and "Ripley enjoys a can of Weyland-Yutani Beer".
 +
*Despite the can in ''Alien'' naming the company as "Weylan Yutani", the LaserDisc release of ''Alien'' says "Also notice another prop that is seen only discreetly in the film: a can of beer manufactured by the other-wise un-named "Company" that employs the ''Nostromo'' crew - "Weyland- Yutani.<sup>[sic]</sup>" and "Ripley enjoys a can of Weyland-Yutani Beer".
   
 
==Appearances==
  
==Appearances==
Line 101: Line 115:
 
*''[[Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt]]''
  
*''[[Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt]]''
 
*{{AVP2010}} (2010 video game)
  
*{{AVP2010}} (2010 video game)
−
*''[[Aliens: Berserker (comic)|Aliens: Berserker comic]]''/''[[Aliens: Berserker|novel]]''
 +
*''[[Aliens: Berserker]]''/''[[Aliens: Berserker (novel)|novel]]''
−
*''[[Aliens vs. Predator: War (comic)|Aliens vs. Predator: War comic ]]''/''[[Aliens vs. Predator: War (Novel)|novel]]''
 +
*''[[Aliens versus Predator: War]]''/''[[Aliens vs. Predator: War (novel)|novel]]''
 
*''[[Alien vs. Predator: Sand Trap]]''
  
*''[[Alien vs. Predator: Sand Trap]]''
 
*{{ACM}}/{{ACMSI}} (video game)
  
*{{ACM}}/{{ACMSI}} (video game)
Line 108: Line 122:
 
*''[[Alien: Sea of Sorrows]]''
  
*''[[Alien: Sea of Sorrows]]''
 
*''[[Prometheus: Fire and Stone]]''
  
*''[[Prometheus: Fire and Stone]]''
  +
*{{AI}}
−
*''[[Alien: Isolation]]''
  
   
 
==Gallery==
  
==Gallery==
 
<gallery>
  
<gallery>
⚫
Weyland-YutaniOriginalLogo.png|The original logo for "Weylan-Yutani" in ''Alien''
  
 
Alien-anthology-20101027022210927-000.jpg|A screen from the 2012 ''Alien Anthology'', listing the locations of main Weyland-Yutani offices.
  
Alien-anthology-20101027022210927-000.jpg|A screen from the 2012 ''Alien Anthology'', listing the locations of main Weyland-Yutani offices.
 
</gallery>
  
</gallery>
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[[Category:Articles Needing Cleanup]]
  
[[Category:Articles Needing Cleanup]]
 
[[Category:Aliens: Colonial Marines organisations]]
  
[[Category:Aliens: Colonial Marines organisations]]
−
[[Category:Articles Needing Fact Cleanup]]
  
 
[[Category:Alien: Out of the Shadows organizations]]
  
[[Category:Alien: Out of the Shadows organizations]]
  +
[[Category:Weapons manufacturers]]

Revision as of 11:49, 5 February 2016

"Building better worlds."
―Company slogan

The Weyland-Yutani Corporation, often shortened to Weyland-Yutani and commonly referred to as Wey-Yu[1] or simply "The Company",[2][3] is a large British/Japanese[4] multinational conglomerate. It was founded in 2099 by the merger of Weyland Corp and the Yutani Corporation.[5] Weyland-Yutani is primarily a technology supplier, manufacturing synthetics, spaceships and computers for a wide range of industrial and commercial clients, making them a household name.[6] Weyland-Yutani also has numerous non-manufacturing interests; the company has extensive assets in interplanetary shipping and transport, and is one of the corporations that operates human colonies outside the solar system through the Extrasolar Colonization Administration,[2] which it owns or controls.[6] The company also has a seat in the Interstellar Commerce Commission's Company Review Board, and owns or controls the United States Colonial Marine Corps.[6] They hold their main offices in Tokyo, London, San Francisco, the Sea of Tranquillity on Luna and on Thedus.[7]

Weyland-Yutani is consistently portrayed as exhibiting the worst aspects of corporate profiteering, willing to sacrifice decency and life in the endless pursuit of profits.[3][8] As such, it is a modern example of the longstanding trope of the evil mega-corporation in science fiction. In various portrayals within the Alien universe, the corporation has its hands in all aspects of space colonization and research. The corporation has consistently driven its employees and agents to obtain a living sample of the species they designate Xenomorph XX121, often without regard for the lives of anyone involved in said attempts, so that the creatures may be exploited as biological weapons or otherwise for financial gain.[2] According to Weyland-Yutani employee Karl Bishop Weyland, one of the corporation's primary goals behind capturing the Xenomorphs and creating weapons out of their biology is to ensure humanity remains the elite species in the universe, and not just because of monetary profits.[8]

History

Origins and growth

The Weyland-Yutani Corporation was formed when Weyland Corp absorbed the Yutani Corporation in a hostile takeover in 2099.[5] Following the merger, Weyland-Yutani opened with the largest share value ever recorded on the Systems Exchange.[5] The company would go on to buy out numerous other businesses, investing in almost every sector, and had a controlling stake in a vast number of diverse corporations. According to some, Weyland-Yutani owned "pretty much everything" by the 2150s.[9] Many of the companies wholly or partly owned by Weyland-Yutani continued to operate under their own brand, such as the Kelland Mining Company.[9]

Other origin stories for the company have been given in other media, although these have now been rendered largely defunct by the production of Prometheus. Nonetheless, prominent references to Weyland-Yutani include:

Activities

From the start, even the lowliest of Weyland-Yutani's employees were aware of the corrupt nature of the conglomerate. It was common knowledge amongst the company's commercial haulage fleet that senior management routinely bribed and paid off inspectors rather than submit to thorough safety inspections and reviews of their vessels.[10]

Some time prior to 2122, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation detected the signal being broadcast from the derelict on Acheron (LV-426), the middle moon of 3 orbiting the ringed planet Calpamos. While the language was unknown, the company succeeded in deciphering enough of the message to learn it was a warning regarding the deadly species Xenomorph XX121.[11] They subsequently dispatched the USCSS Nostromo to investigate, without the crew's knowledge, leading to initial human contact with the Xenomorph, the death of all but one of the ship's crew and the loss of the Nostromo itself.[12] While the incident and the existence of the Xenomorph was apparently covered up by those involved, in a twist of irony the company later coincidentally established the Hadley's Hope terraforming colony on LV-426.[2]

By 2179, Weyland-Yutani was heavily involved in the colonization of extrasolar planets, including the terraforming of suitable bodies with inhospitable atmospheres through the construction of Atmosphere Processing Plants.[2] Over its history, the corporation constructed and administrated numerous colonies across the galaxy, including Hadley's Hope on LV-426 and Freya's Prospect on BG-386.[8] Weyland-Yutani was also involved in non-civilian colonies, notably overseeing the Class C Work Correctional Unit and the associated industrial penal lead foundry on Fiorina "Fury" 161.[3]

The company also operated numerous research and development facilities throughout the galaxy, often pursuing top-secret research into illegal or dangerous fields, focussing in particular on the study of the Xenomorph species. Major Weyland-Yutani laboratories included installations on LV-1201[13] and BG-386,[8] and the Origin Facility on LV-426.[1] These labs often operated under particularly amoral conditions, especially where Xenomorph research was concerned; humans were frequently used as unwilling hosts for the creatures, while some teams were even known to deliberately sacrifice low-level Weyland-Yutani employees as live prey in Xenomorph tests.[8] On BG-386, inhabitants from the planet's civilian colony were apparently abducted for use in research, often under the pretence of being "promoted" to a new position elsewhere on the planet.[8]

Despite tight security, typically enforced by Weyland-Yutani manufactured Combat Androids, these research facilities were notorious for their containment failures and outbreaks, events that usually led to huge loss of life amongst staff (and any civilians unlucky enough to be caught in harm's way) and the involvement of the United States Colonial Marine Corps.

Collapse and re-emergence

By the 2290s, Weyland-Yutani began experiencing serious financial and political pressures. Its colony at Nu Indi successfully sued for independence, effectively removing itself from the company's influence, and two years later Weyland-Yutani lost out to rival conglomerate Ridton on a contract to supply the United Systems Military with FTL drives, severely affecting the company's financial performance.[14] Finally, in 2349, megacorporations such as Weyland-Yutani were outlawed altogether; the company appealed, but after three years of costly litigation the ban was upheld and Weyland-Yutani formally folded.[5] Many of the company's weapons and R&D interests were taken over by the USM.[citation needed]

However, even during this time, agents of Weyland-Yutani continued to operate in secrecy. The company utilized contacts within the USM who passed them information about their various research projects.[15] Following the crash of the USM Auriga on Earth, Weyland-Yutani seized upon much of the information collected about the Xenomorphs by the USM, incorporating it into Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, an extensive report on the species Xenomorph XX121 and humanity's historical encounters with it. Following the fall of the USM, Weyland-Yutani eventually re-emerged as a powerful multinational corporation, a resurgence partly fuelled by the company's role in cleaning up the heavily polluted and damaged Earth, and the corresponding surge in public approval and support that went with it.[16]

Divisions

Bio-Weapons Division

Weyland-Yutani's Bio-Weapons Division was a special department that dealt with the research and development of biological and viral weapons. One of their primary goals was to obtain a viable specimen of the species they designate Xenomorph XX121, whether it be in the form of a Facehugger, a Chestburster or a mature adult; in some cases an immature Chestburster sample was considered preferable due to the ease with which one could be passed through quarantine undetected within their hosts.[2] Weyland-Yutani believed that biological self-replicating weapons such as the Xenomorph could form a ubiquitous component of distant force projection operations, which were otherwise vulnerable to unforeseen threats capable of exhausting traditional security personnel and ammunition stores that may not be easily replenished across the vast distances of space.

WY Bioweapons Division

Weyland-Yutani Bio-Weapons Division personnel during a Xenomorph retrieval mission.

The company's attempts to obtain Xenomorphs frequently involved subterfuge and the sacrifice of human life. Ellen Ripley inevitably became a major enemy of Weyland-Yutani's Bio-Weapons Division after surviving the company's first attempt to capture a live Xenomorph aboard the USCSS Nostromo. Ripley would subsequently uncover (and defeat) numerous other attempts made by the company in this regard. Following Weyland-Yutani's collapse, much of the Bio-Weapons Division's work was appropriated and continued by the United Systems Military. The USM's own research would later fall foul of Ripley 8, a clone of the original Ellen Ripley.

Reverse-Engineering Division

The Reverse-Engineering Division was mainly focussed on the study and implementation of recovered Yautja technology. The department was largely built upon the work carried out by Borgia Industries[17] and the Yutani Corporation,[18] both of which were incorporated into Weyland-Yutani through business mergers (with the Yutani Corporation being a major partner and partial originator of the company's name).

As with the company's Bio-Weapons Division, Weyland-Yutani's reverse-engineering projects were generally run with little regard for morals, although owing to the research being based primarily on the study of appropriated technology, the scope for appalling breaches of human rights was less open. Even so, the division ruthlessly captured and exploited alien tech, stealing Predator and Engineer technology with little thought as to how the species that created it may react. As a result, the company often ran afoul of the Yautja, who were fiercely protective of their advanced technology and considered the slaughter of any who would attempt to steal it a cultural necessity.[8]

Special Services Division

Little is truly known about Weyland-Yutani's Special Services Division, with the only confirmed contact being through employee Carter Burke, who acted as Special Projects Director within the department.[2] However, it is thought to be an umbrella division that oversaw and managed various other aspects of the company's research programs.

Weapons manufacture

Apart from the company's bio-weapons projects, Weyland-Yutani was also heavily involved in the manufacture of conventional weaponry, and was a major supplier for the United States Colonial Marine Corps.[8] Weyland-Yutani products include the VP78 Pistol and the NSG 23 Assault Rifle.

Manufactured weapons list

Other divisions

Weyland-Yutani held numerous other divisions of interest, most notably a large stake in interplanetary cargo transport.[12] It also operated departments focussed on media and manufacturing, and worked in close conjunction with the Extrasolar Colonization Administration. Weyland-Yutani's terraforming efforts were frequently portrayed as being benevolent in nature, but almost always carried a hidden agenda, or at least a substantial profit margin for the company. Weyland-Yutani also manufactured Aspen Beer in the early 22nd century.

Relationship to the USCM

Weyland-Yutani owns or controls the United States Colonial Marine Corps.[6] Weyland-Yutani employee Karl Bishop Weyland alluded that the corporation may have played a massive part in the actual formation of the USCM, stating that he and the Corps were "old friends" and that it was effectively just another "corporate asset".[8] Regardless of the truth in these statements, Weyland-Yutani did manufacture many of the Corps' weapons and vehicles, particularly their large spacecraft, including the Conestoga-class vessels. USCM equipment, including vehicles and firearms, were often used by Weyland-Yutani themselves.[3]

Weyland-Yutani frequently oversaw the deployment of USCM forces in operations where it held a significant stake, including the initial mission to investigate Hadley's Hope. While Weyland-Yutani may not have had actual ownership of the Corps itself, the company at least held stock and/or partially financed the Corps, essentially allowing them to make the Corps available for their own personal use.

Behind the Scenes

Weyland-YutaniOriginalLogo

The original logo for "Weylan-Yutani" in Alien.

The company's original name was Weylan-Yutani, briefly seen on a monitor and Aspen Beer can in the film Alien; this name was created by Ron Cobb, one of the designers of the Nostromo and its crew's uniforms. In the film, the company's logo consisted of a winged sun emblem, based on Egyptian architecture. The original Weylan-Yutani name was also used by James Cameron in his initial treatment for a sequel to Alien, and later reappeared in David Twohy's unproduced script for Alien3.

"One of the things I enjoyed most about Alien was its subtle satirical content. Science fiction films offer golden opportunities to throw in little scraps of information that suggest enormous changes in the world. There's a certain potency in those kinds of remarks. Weylan Yutani for instance is almost a joke, but not quite. I wanted to imply that poor old England is back on its feet and has united with the Japanese, who have taken over the building of spaceships the same way they have now with cars and supertankers. In coming up with a strange company name I thought of British Leyland and Toyota, but we couldn't use "Leyland-Toyota" in the film. Changing one letter gave me "Weylan", and "Yutani" was a Japanese neighbor of mine."
―Ron Cobb on conceptualizing Weylan-Yutani

When Cameron was assigned to write and direct Aliens, the role and significance of the company increased greatly. Cameron eventually added a "d" to the first part of the company's name, and also scrapped the original winged sun emblem, replacing it instead with a new corporo-industrial interlocked W/Y logo of his own design. This logo can be viewed in various places throughout the movie, most obviously in the extended Special Edition, where it is seen on crates and the front of a child's tricycle at the Hadley's Hope colony before the Xenomorph outbreak.[19] Cameron has gone on record as saying that the way in which Burke accompanies the Colonial Marines on their mission to LV-426 was supposed to invoke the conspiracy of America's involvement in Vietnam being for purely corporate interests. The prominent use of the company in the film propelled it to being an indispensable element of the Alien universe.

In Alien3, Weyland-Yutani's logo appears on the furnaces at the Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit, and can also be seen stencilled across the shirts, prison jackets and caps worn by various characters in the film, including Ellen Ripley. It is also seen on screen several times written in Japanese; it appears on a box of supplies as ウェイランド湯谷. The first six Kana of this are part of the Japanese syllabary Katakana which is used to spell foreign words, and here they spell weirando (Weyland). The second part is the Japanese name Yutani written with two kanji, which literally means "hot-water valley" in English. The corporation's name also appears in a newspaper headline where the last four kanji (株式会社) read kabushiki gaisha which means "joint-stock corporation".

Trivia

  • While James Cameron cemented Weyland-Yutani as an integral part of the Alien franchise with Aliens, ironically his initial treatment for the film stated that the company had in fact been bought out by another, unnamed conglomerate prior to the events of the movie, and that Weyland-Yutani no longer existed.[20]
  • Despite the fact that the company is portrayed as almost entirely ruthless, they appear to let Robert Morse live at the end of Alien3, even though he is a witness to the events on Fiorina 161 and what the company attempted to do there. Since Morse is a convict, it is possible the company simply rationalised people would be unlikely to believe anything he could say to damage them. The novelization of Alien Resurrection reveals that Morse later wrote a book about the Fiorina 161 incident, but it was banned.[21]
  • In Peter Briggs' unproduced Alien vs. Predator script, titled The Hunt: Alien vs. Predator, a "Yutani-Templin" company is mentioned, implying that the Yutani Corporation was involved in other corporate mergers in addition to its merger with Weyland-Yutani, and that these other conglomerates are still in operation. However, the exact nature of the company is never elaborated upon, and the script was never produced.
  • Supplemental materials on the Prometheus Blu-ray suggest the Tyrell Corporation from Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner is one of Weyland-Yutani's competitors.[22] Fans have often theorized that Blade Runner may be set in the same universe as Alien owing to the two films' similar style and design, but this oblique reference remains the only suggestion of such a link in official media (furthermore, the information on the Blu-ray seems to be more of an Easter Egg than hard fact).
  • The corporate/military collaboration in pursuit and protection of commerce isn't unprecedented, dating back to the 16th cenutry Dutch Empire's West Indies Trading Companies explicit charter to colonize territories using the Dutch Navy. James Cameron referenced this historical model in the Aliens directors commentary as the basis of the Weyland-Yutani/USCM relationship.
  • In 2013, multinational professional services firm Ernst & Young rebranded their corporate slogan to "Building a better working world"; the similarity to Weyland-Yutani's slogan is likely just a coincidence.
  • Weyland-Yutani has been referenced in several other films and television series since Aliens:
    • In the 2002 pilot episode of Firefly, Mal Reynolds is seen using a machine gun turret in a flashback sequence, and at the top of the turret's targeting system, the Weyland-Yutani logo can be seen. Firefly was created by Alien Resurrection writer Joss Whedon.
    • In the 2004 episode "Harm's Way" of Angel, Weyland-Yutani is revealed to be a client of evil interdimensional law firm Wolfram & Hart. Angel was also co-created by Whedon.
    • In the "Sniper" series of novels by Alan D. Altieri, a prominent villain to hero Russel Kane is a megacorporation known as Gottschalk-Yutani, which fills a similar role to Weyland-Yutani in the Alien franchise.
    • The 2009 film Avatar (directed by James Cameron) features a corporation known as the RDA, which at one point is referred to as "the Company", similarly to Weyland-Yutani. The two corporations bear notable similarities beyond this nickname, including resource-mongering and a lack of ethical concerns.
    • In the 2010 episode "We Can't Win" of the television series remake V, Weyland-Yutani is seen written on a name plate at a presentation of alien technology to various companies on Earth.
    • In the 2010 film The Rig, the company that owns the titular oil rig is called Weyland Drilling Corp, in reference to the Alien series. The company also uses a similar logo. Both Alien and The Rig deal with a small group of blue-collar workers trapped in a restricted space being stalked by a voracious killer monster.
  • Despite the can in Alien naming the company as "Weylan Yutani", the LaserDisc release of Alien says "Also notice another prop that is seen only discreetly in the film: a can of beer manufactured by the other-wise un-named "Company" that employs the Nostromo crew - "Weyland- Yutani.[sic]" and "Ripley enjoys a can of Weyland-Yutani Beer".

Appearances

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1  Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013), Gearbox Software [Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360]. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ACM" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 James Cameron (writer and director). Aliens (1986), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Vincent Ward (writer) and David Fincher (director). Alien3 (1992), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  4. ↑ "Strange Shapes - Space, 2122 – 2179". Retrieved on 2013-05-10.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 S. D. Perry. 'Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report', p. 8 (2014), Insight Editions.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 BradyGames. 'Aliens: Colonial Marines Official Strategy Guide', p. 40 (2013), Dorling Kindersley.
  7. ↑ Alien Anthology Blu-ray
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8  Aliens vs. Predator (2010), Rebellion [Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360]. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "AVP2010" defined multiple times with different content
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tim Lebbon. 'Alien: Out of the Shadows', p. 50 (2014), Titan Books.
  10. ↑ Alan Dean Foster. Alien novelization, p. 208 (1979), Warner Books.
  11. ↑ Alan Dean Foster. Alien novelization, p. 201 (1979), Warner Books.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett (writers) and Ridley Scott (director). Alien (2003), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  13. ↑  Aliens versus Predator 2 (2001), Monolith Productions [Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X].
  14. ↑ S. D. Perry. 'Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report', p. 9 (2014), Insight Editions.
  15. ↑ S. D. Perry. 'Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report', p. 157 (2014), Insight Editions.
  16. ↑ James A. Moore. 'Alien: Sea of Sorrows', p. 35 (2014), Titan Books.
  17. ↑  Predator: Concrete Jungle (2005), Vivendi Universal Games [PlayStation 2, Xbox].
  18. ↑ Shane Salerno (writer) and The Brothers Strause (directors). Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  19. ↑ James Cameron (writer and director). Aliens Special Edition (1992), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  20. ↑ "Alien II" (original treatment) by James Cameron
  21. ↑ A. C. Crispin. Alien Resurrection novelization, p. 99 (1997), Warner Aspect.
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