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"Come on, you. Get going."
―A Weyland-Yutani Commando to Robert Morse (from Alien3)
Weyland-Yutani Commando

Two Weyland–Yutani Commandos on Fiorina 161

The Weyland–Yutani Commandos, also known as Alien Handlers or Company Troops, were elite special forces troops privately owned and deployed by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. A detachment of these commandos was dispatched to Fiorina 161 aboard the USCSS Patna in 2179 under the command of Michael Bishop, in an unsuccessful attempt to recover a live Xenomorph specimen from the Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit.

Overview[]

Also referred to as 'Gorillas' by Colonial Marines due to their Ape-like suits,[1] Wey-Yu commandos served as a full-time security force under the wing of the Company.

The 'Dog Catchers' were a special subgroup of the Weyland-Yutani commando corps specially trained in Xenomorph procurement.[2][3] Units generally consisted of four commandos, two animal containment specialists, a science team and a chief surgeon (such as Dr. Matsushita). Despite their training, they were very inexperienced with Xenomorph encounters, as most of their information regarding the species was based on second-hand reports.[4] In reality, these units were largely ill-equipped when facing the actual threat of a Xenomorph.[5]

History[]

Weyland-Yutani began employing private military companies early on in its history. Finally, after years of outsourcing, Weyland-Yutani came to the decision to buy these companies outright, thereby creating an entire branch that would be fully dedicated to protecting the company's assets.[6]

USCSS Patna[]

The commandos provided security for Michael Bishop and his team of Weyland-Yutani Bio-Weapons Divison researchers and scientists, sent to the Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit aboard the Patna with the intention of capturing the Runner Xenomorph that was loose there. However, they arrived too late, and the Runner had already been killed by Ellen Ripley and the lone surviving prisoner, Robert Morse.

Knowing of the Queen embryo inside Ripley, Bishop sought to acquire her cooperation, but his plans were essentially undone when the commandos opened fire on Robert Morse, hitting him in the leg. Another survivor, guard Francis Aaron, subsequently attacked Bishop with a metal bar and before Bishop could call his men off the commandos gunned Aaron down for his actions, killing him. Ripley ultimately committed suicide to prevent Bishop acquiring the Xenomorph.

Shortly after, the USCM vessel Il Conde docked with the Patna, and the ship was attacked by Captain Marcel Apone and his Marines. The Marines quickly overpowered the defenders and secured the vessel, and commandos Kostas Macrae and William Raby were captured. Macrae was pumped for information relating to Bishop and the eponymous synthetic; however, both had previously absconded aboard the Chinese warship Xinjiang.

USCSS Boreas[]

A number of Weyland–Yutani commandos were aboard the USCSS Boreas during a scientific expedition to the ice world of LV-695.

Equipment[]

Apesuits[]

Main article: Apesuit
DPR?A3

A commando firing their M41A Pulse Rifle.

The Weyland-Yutani Commandos on Fiorina 161 were clad in full-body Apesuit body armor, designed to protect them from Xenomorph attack and the creature's acidic blood in particular.

M41A Pulse Rifles[]

Main article: M41A Pulse Rifle

Several of the commandos were armed with M41A Pulse Rifles finished in black.

Catch poles[]

The "Dog Catchers" carried more rudimentary catch poles with nooses to help them capture the Runner.

Trivia[]

  • The backpacks worn by the commandos were made by Simon Atherton, better known as the man who constructed the practical Pulse Rifle props used in the filming of Aliens (and subsequently reused in Alien3),[7] while the helmets were designed by Terry English, better known as the man who created the armor worn by the Colonial Marines in Aliens.
  • The more lightly armored Commandos armed with nooses (presumably to help them capture the Runner) seen in the 1992 film are often referred to as "Dog Catchers" by fans.
  • In the 1992 film, the names "ANIMAL" and "BOSS" appear to be written across the backside of at least two commando helmets. Additionally, the NECA Commando figurine comes with a sticker pack that includes the names Animal, Boss, Hunter, and Cruncher.
  • In the 1992 novelization of Alien3, the commandos are armed with Smartguns instead of Pulse Rifles.[8]
  • In the 1996 video game Alien Trilogy, the W-Y Commandos are referred to as Alien Handlers in the game's manual.
  • In the 2001 video game Aliens versus Predator 2, Weyland-Yutani commandos served as heavily-armed security forces at Weyland-Yutani outposts on LV-1201.
    Android1

    A combat android from Aliens vs. Predator with his helmet.

  • In the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator, the armored helmets worn by some of the combat androids were very similar to those worn by the Commandos seen in Alien3, was most likely an homage to the original character design.
  • In the single-player DLC expansion for the 2013 video game Aliens: Colonial MarinesStasis Interrupted, the ending of Alien3 is recreated in a cutscene. However, the Weyland-Yutani PMCs are used to stand in for the commandos. Additionally, the PMCs use green M41A Pulse Rifle MK2s instead of the black M41A Pulse Rifles seen in the film. This was presumably done to avoid having to make a new character model for the Commandos and is not intended to be a retcon of Alien3.
  • In the 2023 comic book series Alien: Thaw, the black M41A Pulse Rifles carried by the Commando security unit had green ammo counters while the rifles in the 1992 film did not have ammo counters at all.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

Concept art[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. Colonial Marines Operations Manual P.48
  2. Alien: The Roleplaying Game P.237
  3. Aliens: Fireteam Elite
  4. Alien: The Roleplaying Game P.237
  5. Alien: The Roleplaying Game P.237
  6. Aliens: Dark Descent
  7. Paul Taglianetti, Geoff Topping, Bob Gould. Sci-Fi & Fantasy FX #48, p. 40 (2000), Next Millennium Publishing.
  8. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 177 (2014), Titan Books.
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