Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Alien Vol. 4 #4! Despite being the centralized villain of every single Alien installment, there are still plenty of mysteries surrounding Weyland-Yutani. And now, a new one has just presented itself in Alien lore, as the company introduces an all-new type of synthetic model, one that is operating under a top-secret initiative designated “Operation Descendant”.
In 20th Century Studios’ Alien Vol. 4 #4 by Declan Shalvey and Andrea Broccardo, readers are given the conclusion of a storyline that began in Alien Vol. 3 and Alien Annual 2023 #1. Zasha has reunited with Dayton – her synthetic father figure – but the surrounding scene is far from idyllic. Not only are they on the ice moon of LV-695 that’s infested with Xenomorphs and white Xenomorph hybrids, but Zasha and Dayton are also stuck in a room with Jun Yutani and his synthetic assassin.
While Zasha is able to beat the synthetic assassin with relative ease, Jun presents an entirely different kind of danger, as he’s a member of the Yutani family, and is therefore connected to the most powerful corporation in the galaxy. However, Dayton quickly pulls down that proverbial curtain, as he reveals Jun actually isn’t a member of the Yutani family – he isn’t even human. Jun Yutani was a synthetic, and he was sent to this world to covertly collect information about (and possibly samples from) the Xenomorphs as a part of the mysterious Operation Descendant.
Alien’s Horrific New Kaiju Gets Official Name in Franchise Canon
The latest addition to Alien lore introduced a horrific kaiju arguably even deadly than the Xenomorphs themselves, and it has officially been named!
Weyland-Yutani Has Synthetic ‘Family Members’ in Alien Canon – Why?
The name “Operation Descendant” was revealed at the end of the comic, when the real Jun Yutani logged into his personal computer and proceeded to delete a number of files the operation held. Based on the information in this issue, it seems Operation Descendant involved creating replicants of high-ranking members of Weyland-Yutani, giving them false identities as extended relatives, and then sending them on missions to collect data that’s then uploaded remotely into this file.
In many ways, Operation Descendant is ingenious. It gives these people unlimited access to dangerous areas under the company’s control without requiring them to put themselves in danger to gain said intel. Truthfully, Operation Descendant seems pretty straightforward, with the real mystery being why Yutani seemingly chose to end it. Perhaps this latest failure could have exposed the entire operation, and the company deemed it necessary to scrap the whole thing? Or maybe it was just this particular mission that was deleted, and the operation is still going strong?
This is Far From the 1st Time Weyland-Yutani has had Synthetic ‘Family Members’ in Alien
The first one chronologically was David, Peter Weyland’s ‘son’, from 2012’s Prometheus.
Synthetics representing family members for higher-ups within Weyland-Yutani has been something of a mainstay for the franchise for many years. The first one chronologically was David, Peter Weyland’s ‘son’ from Prometheus (whose backstory was fleshed out in Alien: Covenant). But the first in order of movie release (which actually lines up better with Operation Descendant) was Bishop from 1986’s Aliens. Alien 3 revealed that Bishop was a replica of Michael Bishop, who many consider to be a descendant of Charles Bishop Weyland from 2004’s Alien vs Predator. Does that mean Bishop was also a part of this “Operation Descendant”?
Weyland-Yutani has been using synthetics for the company’s own gain at the expense of anyone in their way since the dawn of the Alien franchise, and in some cases, the synthetics are considered members of the family (in one sense or another). In the case of Operation Descendant, there is plenty that can be surmised about it – including the alleged inclusion of Bishop – but as of now, there’s just not enough information to go off of to reach a definitive conclusion, making this setup a huge Alien franchise mystery.
Alien Vol. 4 #4 by 20th Century Studios is available now.
Alien (1979)
- Summary:
Alien is a sci-fi horror-thriller by director Ridley Scott that follows the crew of a spaceship known as the Nostromo. After the staff of the merchant’s vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, its landing on the source moon finds one of the crew members attacked by a mysterious lifeform, and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.
- Release Date:
- 1979-06-22
- Budget:
- $11 million
- Cast:
- Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto
- Director:
- Ridley Scott
- Genres:
- Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
- Rating:
- R
- Runtime:
- 117 minutes
- Writers:
- Dan O’Bannon
- Story By:
- Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
- Studio(s):
- 20th Century Fox
- Distributor(s):
- 20th Century Fox
- Sequel(s):
- Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant
- Franchise(s):
- Alien
