Weyland-Yutani Corporate Timeline

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Gavin

MemberTrilobiteApril 30, 2012

I have seen lately that a lot of fellow forumers have been getting their corporate timeline mixed up regards the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation. So to educate those that don't know, and confirm to those that think they do, here is the corporate timeline of the "Company" as seen in the movies... 2004 - Weyland Industries founder and CEO Charles Bishop Weyland, recognised by Scientific American magazine as a "Pioneer of Modern Robotics" dies during and expedition to Bouvet Island, Antarctica. Weyland Industries endeavours included robotics, satelite communications and weaponry, with its CEO frequently funding archelogical digs and expeditions. 2004 - Ms Yutani (presumably founder and CEO of the Yutani Corporation) acquires advanced alien technology from the American O.W.L.F. (Other World Life Form) task force, the intention being to reverse engineer the technology to advance hum an technological advancement in the field of space travel. 2012 - Peter Weyland, at the age of 22, founds the Weyland Corporation. Weyland Corporation grand endeavours include AI synthetics, FLT deep-space travel, security, medical, terraforming and colonization. 2023 - Peter Weyland makes an appearance at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference, with grand claims of his companies abilities, history teaches us that his claims became fact... 209? - Weyland Corporations Project Prometheus - details forthcoming 2122 - Contact is lost with the Weyland-Yutani vessel the USCSS Nostromo. Computer systems onboard the Nostromo were so old the navigational displays incorrectly read out the name of "the company" as Weylan-Yutani. 2179 - The weyland-Yutani Corporation holds seats on the ICC (Interstellar Commerce Comission) and the ESCA (Extra-Solar Colonial Administration), as well as co-funding colonization endeavours and manufacturing ESCA Atmosphere Processors. Furthermore, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation also holds contracts with the USMC (United States Marine Corps), manufacturing their weapon systems and spacecraft. Finally Weyland-Yutani developed synthetics are common place aboard all vessels, both civilian and military. 233? - The Weyland-Yutani brand and name are sold to Walmart, with all Weyland-Yutani assets becoming property of the USM (United Systems Military). ...Also The name Weyland-Yutani was coined by by Ron Cobb. Weyland was in reference to the British lorry maker Leyland Motors, with Yutani being the surname of one of Ron Cobb's neighbour. Originally, Ron Cobb, viewed the company name as a double barrelled name showing the coming together of the east and the west, not as a merger of two large companies that had previously been in competition with one another. Although many fans thought this it wasn't confirmed until the appearance of Weyland Insudtries in AVP, supported by the appearance of Ms Yutani in AVPR and concreted by the corporate timeline of Weyland Corp on the website www.weylandindustries.com

kalhava
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April 30, 2012

soz yeah my bad lol i did rewatch avpr the other day i didnt see it think i just a human skull. love all the avp movies gears of war 4 with aliens init that would be cool lol

1 and 2 had a race 1 1 1 and 2 11 2. gigity

kalhava
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April 30, 2012

add me to xbox live if u wanna bust some heads on gears and when the new aliens games is out KALHAVA me gamer tag

1 and 2 had a race 1 1 1 and 2 11 2. gigity

Gavin
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April 30, 2012

@ mentos... in actually fact the difference between a partnership and a merger is worlds apart in reference to the Alien franchise. Ron Cobb was the man responsible for the name Weyland-Yutani, as mentioned in the OP. Ron saw the company as a coming together of British endeavour and Japanese ingenuity. Before AVP was made many fans that came to the franchise after Aliens, and thus not knowing of Ron Cobbs ideas imagined that a merger took place, and then in 2004 when AVp was made this was shown, in part, to be the case. A theme which has recurred in Promtheus. Furthermore, as I keep saying, all I am doing is stating the facts, with no personal entanglements whatsoever. Jim Cameron is known for saying that AVP is the third best movie in the franchise. Despite arguements to the contrary Weyland Industries first appeared in AVP, and if it was not canon, it should not appear in Prometheus. Furthermore, Ridley actually holds all 4 Alien films as canon - weylandindustries.com references Alien, Aliens and Alien 3, and before endeavouring to make Prometheus Ridley was discussing with Jim Cameron on the possibility of an Alien 5. Fox considers AVP and AVPR canon, few fans agree, most don't and the rest (like me) don't care either way. Hence why I don't get worked up about it like the naysayers do. Yeah AVP and AVPR suck, big time, but chronologically they do no lasting damaged being included.

DOLFINESQUE
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April 30, 2012

AVP is canon, Ridley and Damon would never destroy the fox franchise and Damon is also a fanboy so he wouldnt piss on his own doorstep. If you watch AVP you will notice that Bishop Weyland has lung and throat problems, if you go to Weyland industries website it states in the timelin that in 2004 at 14 years old Peter Weyland creates a synthetic larynx and throat system. Is it not a coincidence that Bishop Weyland is suffering lung and throat problems and his 14 year old son is creating a synthetic throat system. People have a hard time understanding how avp fits because they have presumed the outcome of prometheus. avp states that xenamorphs had been around for hundreds of years, people have presumed that xenos are created in prometheus which takes place about a century after avp, but prometheus is not about the xenamorph its about the xenomorphs creators, the xenamorph is an ancient creation thousands of years old by the time prometheus lands what will happen in prometheus is similiar in dna to the xenamorph but something totally different. xenamorphs are like dinasaurs in the alien franchise universe what will come from prometheus will share that ancient dna but be brand new.

Gavin
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April 30, 2012

viva la revolutione

artyoh
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April 30, 2012

@DOLFINESQUE Hooray, it that's all true. I'd [i]much[/i] prefer the xeno be ancient, than some sefl-indulgent writer's too-clever-by-half, twisty-bit: "ooh, [i]weee[/i] made teh Xen0z" nonsense.

Cypher
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May 01, 2012

*gets popcorn and a lawn chair to watch the explosions* :-D

[url=http://www.robocopmovie.net/][img]http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac89/snorkelbottom/NewRoboBanner.jpg[/img][/url] "Is it dead this time?" "I dunno, poke it with this stick and see."

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May 04, 2012

Now, I normally try to steer clear of these sort of debates, but I can't help but throw in my hopefully harmless 2 cents in this case. Yes, Fox does own the rights to the Alien franchise and is unfortunately free to do whatever the hell it wants with it, including taking seperate entities from 2 entirely different universes and shoving them together in a money-grabbing attempt that has been shamelessly utilized since the early 40's. However, while obviously all films (including Alien) are simply entertainment, why should it be assumed that the AVPs, movies that were made for cheap entertainment and cash flow, would automatically follow the same story/line of continuity/ canon as the original Alien film? just look at the James Bond franchise. That there is a series that openly embraced the fact that almost every single one of its films completely ignored any relation/ continuity with the preceding film. Essentially every one of those movies followed a different "canon," while still using the exact same character & certain plot elements. Overall, is it really that hard to understand that Ridley Scott simply wants to progress a canon/ story that has absolutely nothing to do with the seperate "universe" that Fox created with their embarassing abuse of the ALIEN license? To sum up, Ridley Scott intends to follow a canon that is linked to his original Alien, and completely overrides any other canons that claimed to be related ( therefore, AVP does not exist in the same "universe" or "canon" as Ridley Scott's ALIEN or PROMETHEUS) I hope that I have not simply confused rather than clarify. Again, I do not at all wish to offend anyone or their beliefs on this matter, and I apologize for making it so obvious my extreme disapproval of anything AVP related. I am simply one of those die hard ALIEN fans who takes it very personally.

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May 04, 2012

Now I don’t usually like to get involved in this kind of debate, but in this case I feel I must give my hopefully harmless 2 cents. Yes, Fox does unfortunately own the rights to anything ALIEN related, including those 2 endlessly embarrassing money-grabs that are the AVP movies. However, it is important to remember that all movies (including ALIEN) are simply entertainment. Fox made a brutally stupid but not at all surprising decision to take 2 completely different entities from 2 entirely different “universes,” and shove them into one “story,” in an effort to provide cheap entertainment and hopefully boosted cash flow for the rocket scientists behind the idea. Now, one must realize that just because 2 (or more) movies use the same or similar characters and ideas, does not mean that these 2 films are officially part of the same canon. Just look at the James Bond franchise. That there is a franchise that has openly embraced the fact that almost every single one of its films completely ignores any relation to the story/ line of continuity/ canon of the preceding movie, despite using the exact same characters and certain plot elements. When EON pictures would make another Bond film, they did not go around saying that it is supposed to be the same canon as the previous films. They actually would admit that they followed completely different canons. Overall, it should not be hard to understand that Ridley Scott simply wants to progress his canon/storyline that is linked to his original ALIEN but NOT in any way related to or even taking place in the same creative universe as AVP. His canon completely overrides the canon of the AVP movies. Obviously I am not suggesting that the AVP films do not exist (one can dream…), but rather that they are viewed as an entirely different “universe” that was simply created using the same License as ALIEN. Just because all of the ALIENS spinoff comic books and novels contain the “xenomorph” alien and were created under the same license, does NOT mean that they are or should be considered part of the same canon as the original ALIEN or ALIENS. Just because you can figure out that the timeline for PROMETHEUS does not necessarily cancel out or overlap with the events in AVP does not in any way define them as being part of the same CANON. To sum it up, Ridley Scott has officially decided that his canon which includes PROMETHEUS, ALIEN, and potentially ALIENS, is in a completely different “canonical universe” than AVP. If you are going to assume that Ridley Scott’s canon and the AVP canon are the same, then you may as well throw STAR TREK’s timeline in there (sometime around the 23rd century if I’m correct). Again, I do not at all wish to offend anyone or their opinions, and I apologize if I have done so. I am also very sorry for making it so painfully obvious my extreme disapproval of anything AVP related. Yes, I realize that may have turned out to be slightly more than 2 cents ;)

Derelict Jockey
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May 05, 2012

Now I don’t usually like to get involved in this kind of debate, but in this case I feel I must give my hopefully harmless 2 cents. Yes, Fox does unfortunately own the rights to anything ALIEN related, including those 2 endlessly embarrassing money-grabs that are the AVP movies. However, it is important to remember that all movies (including ALIEN) are simply entertainment. Fox made a brutally stupid but not at all surprising decision to take 2 completely different entities from 2 entirely different “universes,” and shove them into one “story,” in an effort to provide cheap entertainment and hopefully boosted cash flow for the rocket scientists behind the idea. Now, one must realize that just because 2 (or more) movies use the same or similar characters and ideas, does not mean that these 2 films are officially part of the same canon. Just look at the James Bond franchise. That there is a franchise that has openly embraced the fact that almost every single one of its films completely ignores any relation to the story/ line of continuity/ canon of the preceding movie, despite using the exact same characters and certain plot elements. When EON pictures would make another Bond film, they did not go around saying that it is supposed to be the same canon as the previous films. They actually would admit that they followed completely different canons. Overall, it should not be hard to understand that Ridley Scott simply wants to progress his canon/storyline that is linked to his original ALIEN but NOT in any way related to or even taking place in the same creative universe as AVP. His canon completely overrides the canon of the AVP movies. Obviously I am not suggesting that the AVP films do not exist (one can dream…), but rather that they are viewed as an entirely different “universe” that was simply created using the same License as ALIEN. Just because all of the ALIENS spinoff comic books and novels contain the “xenomorph” alien and were created under the same license, does NOT mean that they are or should be considered part of the same canon as the original ALIEN or ALIENS. Just because you can figure out that the timeline for PROMETHEUS does not necessarily cancel out or overlap with the events in AVP does not in any way define them as being part of the same CANON. To sum it up, Ridley Scott has officially decided that his canon which includes PROMETHEUS, ALIEN, and potentially ALIENS, is in a completely different “canonical universe” than AVP. If you are going to assume that Ridley Scott’s canon and the AVP canon are the same, then you may as well throw STAR TREK’s timeline in there (sometime around the 23rd century if I’m correct). Again, I do not at all wish to offend anyone or their opinions, and I apologize if I have done so. I am also very sorry for making it so painfully obvious my extreme disapproval of anything AVP related. I am simply one of those die hard ALIEN fans who takes it very personally.

Scruffyhightops
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June 01, 2012

Sad to say it, but the AVP films are not considered by FOX or any other company involved with the Alien canon. They are a part of both the Alien and Predator franchise, but are a story unto themselves. They were chosen over a possible sequel to the original series that has now led to Prometheus. The sequel was in development by both Cameron and Scott, but they both dropped the project when AVP was announced. It's a "VS" flick, the same as Freddy Vs Jason, it holds no continuity to the original concept. It all spawned from an 'in-joke' in the set of Predator 2. Charles Bishop Weyland was created so Paul WS Anderson could legitimise the look of Bishop in Aliens. The original script was based on a Dark Horse comic set in the Aliens timeline on another planet. Bishop was originally meant to appear in Alien 3 (as seen in the workprint).

b5historyman
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June 03, 2012

Just came into this late. Snorklebottom. I suggest you pull a chair up and listen. 1) Alien vs Predator films are [i]not[/i] canon 2) The Weyland Yutani back story devised for those films is not canon 3) I want to say thank you for at least reading what I've posted previously about how the Company got their names. Although Leyland manufactured cars and Lorries in the UK. 4) When I devised the timeline material that was used in the Aliens:Colonial Marines Technical Manual I also developed a lot of background material Lee used and actually coined the term Weyland Industries years ago in that material. I also shared this material with Scott Middlebrook too (and came up with the AvP stuff just out completeness not treating it as canon). 5) Regardless again the AvP stuff is not canon and has not been treated as such by Ridley Scott.

b5historyman
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June 03, 2012

btw I also called the ECA the Extra solar Colonial Administration.

b5historyman
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June 03, 2012

...and called Yutani 'Yutani Corporation' My real name by the way is Terry Jones. You will find me credited in the ACMTM. I've done a couple of articles for the defunct Aliens magazine and a few bits for the The Aliens Fan Club magazines.

Custodian
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July 25, 2012

this thread makes me wanna watch AVP again, that was a fun film. :)

2013 sci-fi horror novels 'Custodian' and 'Tandem' available from Amazon, B&N, iTunes etc...

Custodian
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July 25, 2012

the YUTANI logo is 'all over' those Shaw/Holloway QUIET EYE virals ... [img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hfx51LmXxbc/T7PBES-hzcI/AAAAAAAAIEs/vbp7nrosDeE/s1600/here.jpg[/img] so 'something's going on' UNQUOTE. Maybe Yutani is to Weyland Corp what Israeli Telecoms is to NSA?

2013 sci-fi horror novels 'Custodian' and 'Tandem' available from Amazon, B&N, iTunes etc...

Fan
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July 25, 2012

@snorkelbottom Nice job putting together a timeline. I giggled a little at how members immediately voice their opinions of canon. I understand now why you posted what you did on the Alien Franchise "canon" thread that I put up a week or so back. People just can't seem to get past their personal views of what canon is or what we could possibly agree it to be. I personally take your thread to be well thought out based on all the movies regardless of everyone's ideas of canon. The filmakers may never revisit AvP again, but they may also avoid contradicting the implied timeline for reasons of keeping continuity.

ALL generalizations are WRONG!

Weyland-Yutani Corporate Timeline

Gavin

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