History of Alien Starfinder

The Yutani Corporation is founded in Tokyo, Japan, by Yu Tani, a genius quadruple graduate (Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics) at the University of Kyoto. Her interests lie in advancing the fields of cybernetics, zero-gravity propulsion engines, and artificial intelligence.

Peter Weyland, after experimenting privately for years, realizes that he will need additional support if he is to advance science further than its current state. To achieve this support, Weyland founds the company that will bear his name: Weyland Corporation, in San Francisco, California.   Often shortened to Weyland Corp, sometimes referred to simply as "The Company", Weyland Corporation is specifically founded to research advanced technologies such as holographics, off-world colonization, FTL travel, cybernetics, transportation, and healthcare.   The Yutani Corporation manages to compete evenly with the upstart Weyland Corporation for its first six months. However, quickly Yutani fell behind Weyland, especially in artificial intelligence, and would resort to industrial espionage, among other methods such as corporate mergers, to catch up with them.

Peter Weyland leads a team at Weyland Corporation to investigate methods of atmosphere modification. After multiple research and development cycles, the team uses an atmospheric processor of Weyland's own design to generate a localized synthetic atmosphere above the polar ice caps, which essentially ends global warming.   This method would undergo further research and development and lead to further breakthroughs in atmospheric processing technology.

Sir Peter Weyland manufactures the first advanced android prototype model of its kind. He is affectionately called David, a name Weyland had initially reserved for his own human son.

The Outer Veil, hypothesized to contain vast quantities of minerals and other resources, is confirmed to exist as Weyland Corporation ships carry out extensive scanning operations offworld. The region of space beyond the Outer Veil and including it becomes known as the Frontier.

In a joint effort, the UK and Japan pioneer the establishment of settlements on Mars and Titan. Terraforming operations are contracted to Weyland Corporation and expected to wrap up in 2040. The settlements grow slowly but consistently as more jobs open up off of Earth.

Weyland Corporation is contracted to build and run the first offworld penal colony, HD85512 B. Prisoners from earthbound facilities are transferred there in large numbers.   Various other corporations, including Yutani Industries and Kellend Mining Company, begin to capitalize on the space age. Corporate-run mining colonies on the moons of Saturn and Jupiter become a reliable source of the raw materials necessary for FTL travel.

Weyland Corporation launches the infamous USCSS Prometheus on a mission to "find the origins of humanity". The mission is reported to cost over one trillion dollars. The ship is lost with all hands and presumed destroyed. With the deaths of both company founder Peter Weyland and CEO Meredith Vickers, the Weyland Corporation is left in financial ruins.

Yutani Corporation's long-term strategy comes to fruition as Hideo Yutani supervises a buy out of the financially wrecked Weyland Corporation. As part of the merger negotiations, the name Weyland-Yutani Corporation is agreed on by the two boards.

The USCSS Covenant, Earth's first long distance large-scale colonization effort, is announced. A fanatical group known as the Earth Savers repeatedly fails attempts to sabotage the mission. The Covenant is successfully launched from Earth orbit, carrying over 2,000 colonists and embryos bound for planet Origae-6 in the distant Sector 87.

Tensions flare on the Frontier as factions accuse each other of foul play during the Hadley's Hope incident. Mistrust escalates as rumors of deadly alien lifeforms and company bioweapons spread across the Frontier.

Robert Morse's Space Beast is transmitted throughout the colonies and subsequently banned.