The Weyland-Yutani logo on an interactive display for the Alien Anthology Blu-ray box set at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Weyland-Yutani is a fictional corporation in the motion picture Alien and its sequels, often referred to simply as "The Company". It is one of the corporations that runs the human colonies outside the solar system through the Extrasolar Colonization Administration, has a seat in the Interstellar Commerce Commission's Company Review Board, and also has a large presence on Earth.
Weyland-Yutani is consistently portrayed as exhibiting the worst aspects of corporate profiteering, willing to sacrifice decency and human life in the pursuit of profit. In various portrayals of the Aliens universe, the corporation has its hands in all aspects of space colonization and research. The corporation has consistently ordered its employees and agents to attempt to obtain living xenomorphs so that they can be exploited as a biological weapon, without regard for their obtainers' lives.
Weyland-Yutani is a modern example of the longstanding trope of the evil megacorporation in science fiction.
History[]
Alien[]
The compound word "Weylan-Yutani" appears on the display screen during the ship awakening sequence and at the bottom left of a badly vibrating display screen during the planetoid landing sequence in Alien. It was also printed on the prop beer cans in the film, where it is partially visible in some scenes ("Original and Genuine Weylan-Yutani Aspen Beer - Extra Strong - Aspen Colorado").
Aliens[]
When James Cameron was assigned to write and direct the sequel, the role and significance of Weyland-Yutani increased greatly, becoming an indispensable element in Alien lore. The original Weyland-Yutani logo was an Egyptian winged-sun emblem; it was modified to its current corporo-industrial interlocked W/Y for Aliens.
It can be viewed in various places, most prominently on the front of a big-wheel tricycle in a scene from the director's cut.
Alien³[]
In Alien³, Weyland-Yutani's name for the first time appears on screen written in Japanese, as ウェイランド湯谷 (on a box of supplies). The first six kana of the name are rendered in katakana syllabary characters, used to phonetically transcribe foreign words: here they spell weirando (Weyland). They are followed by the two kanji of the word "Yutani," "hot-water valley." The corporation's name also appears in a newspaper headline, here with the addition of four kanji reading kabushiki kaisha or "joint stock corporation." The company logo can be seen stenciled across articles of prison-issue clothing worn by various characters in the film, including Ripley.
Alien Resurrection[]
In the Special Edition release of Alien Resurrection, the character of Dr. Wren (played by J.E. Freeman) states Weyland-Yutani had been bought out by Wal-Mart decades before the start of the film. Consequently an interstellar military force called "United Systems Military" now controls all the weapons and R&D interests previously held by Weyland-Yutani.
Alien vs. Predator[]
In Alien vs. Predator, the founder of the company (then known as Weyland Industries) is shown to be Charles Bishop Weyland. He is played by Lance Henriksen, the actor who played the android Bishop in Aliens and Alien³. In Alien³, Bishop II says the android Bishop was modeled after him. In the novelization of Alien³ (released before Alien vs. Predator), it is said that the Bishop android was created by a Weyland-Yutani employee named Michael Bishop.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem[]
In the finale of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, the man who called himself Colonel Stevens meets with a character named Ms. Yutani, offering her a Predator gun recovered from the survivors of the explosion in Gunnison, Colorado.
Non-Aliens appearances[]
- The Angel episode "Harm's Way reveals that Wolfram & Hart has ties to Weyland-Yutani.
Origins of name[]
The name "Weylan-Yutani" was created by Ron Cobb, one of the designers of the Nostromo and its crew's uniforms.
- "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
The original spelling of the Company's name was Weylan Yutani. At no time in Alien nor in the portfolio was the name of the Company spelled with a D. This was changed to "Weyland-Yutani" in Aliens.