Weyland-Yutani

Weyland-Yutani is a fictional corporation that forms an essential part of the setting of the Alien movie, and its sequels. The corporation runs the human colonies outside the solar system, and also has a large presence on Earth. It is only referred to as The Company, and except for a brief scene in the special edition version of Aliens and a discussion in Alien: Resurrection, the name Weyland-Yutani is not spoken or shown prominently. However, the name does appear in the scripts and on movie props, and can be deciphered on-screen in Aliens and Alien³, and that is how it was found out by fans of the franchise.

In Alien vs. Predator, the founder of this company (then known as Weyland Corporation) is shown to be Charles Bishop Weyland. He is played by Lance Henriksen, the actor that played the android Bishop in Aliens and Alien³, suggesting that the android was modelled after him. However, in the novelization of Alien³ (released before Alien Vs. Predator), it is made clear that the Bishop android was created by a Weyland-Yutani employee named Michael Bishop, which the Alien Vs. Predator filmmakers either chose to ignore or didn't consider Canon. The same can be said for other changes made from the film, but at this time it is unknown.

It is found out during Alien: Resurrection that the company does not exist anymore, and a military force named "United Systems Military" now controls all the aspects of previous W-Y involvement, including projectile firing weapons (pulse rifles and smart guns) and all other weapon development contracts.

The name of Weylan-Yutani was introduced by director Ridley Scott, which was named after his old neighbors which he hated with a passion, so it resulted in him deciding to name the evil "company" after them. The name "Weylan-Yutani" can be seen briefly on several computer monitors during the early scenes in "Alien". It should be noted though, that the name of the company (inexplicably changed to Weyland-Yutani) did not make its explicit on-screen appearance until the special edition of Aliens was released.