Michael Bishop

Michael Bishop was an employee of Weyland-Yutani in their bio-weapons division and designed the Bishop series of androids which were modelled on his appearance.

After learning about Ripley crashlanding on Fiorina 161 in 2179, he was sent there to retrieve the Chestburster that she harboured. He also looks very similar to Charles Bishop Weyland, the co-founder of Weyland Industries. He appears in 1992’s Alien 3 and is played by Lance Henriksen.

Biography

Early Career

Michael Bishop was employed at Hyperdyne Systems and designed the Bishop line of androids modelled after himself.

Fiorina 161

Upon learning that Ellen Ripley had crashed onto Fiorina 161 in an EEV and a Xenomorph subsequently was on the loose, a team from Weyland-Yutani including Michael Bishop, Dr. Matsushita, scientists and commandos were dispatched to the planet on the USS Patna to retrieve the Xenomorph specimen.

Michael Bishop was specifically selected for the mission due to Ripley’s relationship with the Bishop android and he was their best chance of gaining her cooperation.

When Ripley suspected she was carrying a Chestburster, she went to the EEV and performed a bioscan of herself. This medical data was sent back to Weyland-Yutani alerting them to the fact that Ripley was carrying a Queen Chesburster.

Bishop and his team reached Fiorina 161 and was greeted by Prison Officer Aaron who told them they were in the furnace with the beast. The team arrived too late and Ripley and the prisoners managed to kill the Xenomorph.

Michael Bishop tried to convince Ripley to come with them and they could remove the Chestburster. When they failed to convince Ripley, Aaron hit Bishop with a wrench, causing significant injuries to his left ear. The Weyland-Yutani Commandos opened fire on Aaron and killed him against Bishop’s wishes.

As Ripley moves away from Bishop, one of the Commandos shoots Morse in the leg. Bishop begs Ripley to reconsider and think about all they could do with the creature. Ripley refused to listen and threw herself into the furnace, killing herself and the Chestburster.

The mission was a failure and Michael Bishop and his team left Fiorina 161, taking the last surviving inmate Morse with them and the remains of the Bishop android.

Personality and Traits

Michael Bishop is a highly intelligent individual, having designed the Bishop line of androids. He is seen to be very manipulative. When he first spoke to Ripley, he said he wanted to save Ripley and take that creature out of her and destroy it. This was all an act. When Ripley refuses to believe him, his mask slips and his true intentions are revealed. He wanted the creature for Weyland-Yutani’s bioweapons division.

Behind-The-Scenes

Human vs Android

Fans have long debated after the release of Alien 3, whether or not Bishop was really human or just another android, as Ripley thought. There still isn’t a definitive answer but it is thought that Michael Bishop is human. Even in the early scripts for Alien 3, the writers wrote the character as if he were human and bleeds real blood. In an early version, Golic, who survived until the end, actually killed him.

Actor Lance Henriksen said in the 2003 audio commentary, that Michael Bishop was human while after the release of 2004’s AvP, he said he thought it was an advanced model of android.

The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 expands the scene with Michael Bishop a bit more and he is seen to be in more pain and screams “I’m not a droid!!!!” when Aaron attacks him. There are definitely arguments for and against whether he is human or an android.

Arguments for Human

• Michael Bishop himself said he was human.
• He bleeds red blood when he was attacked. Even the android Call in Alien Resurrection still had white fluid inside of her and Resurrection was set 200 years after the events of Alien 3.
• The novelization of the film says he bleeds real blood.
• He shows a lot more emotion when he is attacked and when Ripley falls into the furnace.

Arguments for Android

• Michael Bishop suffered significant head injuries as a result of Aaron’s attack and he is still conscious.
• The red blood could just be colouring of the white fluid normally found in androids.
• If he was an advanced model of android, he could show a wider range of emotions.
• He is credited in the film as “Bishop II” which implies he is another android.
• When 2004’s AvP was released, Lance Henriksen appeared as Charles Bishop Weyland who is definitely human. This could be explained that Michael Bishop is a descendant of Charles Bishop Weyland.
• Karl Bishop Weyland, voiced and modelled after Lance Henriksen, appears in 2010’s Aliens vs Predator who is an android posing as a human.

Other Media

Alien 3 Novelization (1992 Novel)

In the Alien 3 novelization by Alan Dean Foster, Bishop appears as in the film. The novelization mostly follows the same path as the Alien 3 Assembly Cut. The novelization makes it clear that it is real blood that he is bleeding. In Ripley and Bishop’s exchange, Ripley mentions Burke and Bishop says he was a poor choice to accompany her in her previous mission. He says he was only interested in profiting from it himself rather than thinking of the company’s interests.

Alien 3 Comic (1992 Comic)

The Alien 3 Comic is a mixture of the theatrical and assembly cut with some new additions.

Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013 Game)

The same character appears in the Aliens Colonial Marines DLC Stasis Interrupted and serves as a prequel to the events in the main game which sees Corporal Hicks escaping the Sulaco before the EEV crashes on Fiorina 161. Michael Bishop is actually called Michael Weyland in the DLC. He was dispatched to LV-426 to investigate what happened on Hadley’s Hope and was hoping to obtain a Xenomorph specimen to study.

He failed to capture Corporal Dwyane Hicks on the Sulaco who had escaped. Bishop goes to Fiorina 161 to convince Ripley to go with them. Hicks and Samwell Stone arrive just as Ripley falls into the furnace and Bishop captures them. Bishop returns to LV-426 with the prisoners. He interrogated them on the Resolute vessel and later had Samwell Stone killed. The construction of the Origin Facility was started after the derelict ship was discovered on LV-426. Bishop and Weyland-Yutani scientists began breeding Xenomorphs using the eggs in the derelict.

His team later captured a second Alien Queen in the caves under the moon’s surface. After the USS Sephora arrived, the Origin Facility was destroyed by Colonial Marines and Michael Bishop escaped LV-426. He left behind a synthetic double of himself which was later killed by Corporal Hicks. Hicks says he knew it was an android because this Michael Weyland wasn’t breathing like the one that interrogated him.

Alien: The Roleplaying Game (2019 Board Game)

In Alien: The Roleplaying Game, in the Heart of Darkness module released in 2022, Michael Bishop appears in a hologram welcoming the player and says that he is the company director of special projects for Weyland-Yutani.

Aliens: Bishop (2023 Novel)

Michael Bishop appears in the 2023 novel Aliens Bishop which takes place after the events of Alien 3.

Trivia

• The Weyland-Yutani Report book states that Michael Bishop was born in 2127 in New York, UA and was a synthetic designer at Hyperdyne Systems. It says he later died in 2194 due to complications from surgery.
• In the film, the character is credited as “Bishop II”. In the 2013 Aliens Colonial Marines DLC, he is called Michael Weyland while in the 2016 Weyland-Yutani Report book and 1992 Alien 3 Trading Card Set, he is called Michael Bishop.
• The final boss at the end of the arcade game Alien 3: The Gun bears a similar resemblance to Michael Weyland. In the game, he is known as An Unidentified Man.
• Actor Lance Henriksen played the role of Michael Bishop in Alien 3. Henriksen previously played Bishop in Aliens and went on to play Charles Bishop Weyland in Alien vs Predator. He lent his voice and likeness to the character Karl Bishop Weyland in 2010’s Aliens vs Predator and lent his voice and likeness to the character Michael Bishop in 2013’s Aliens Colonial Marines.
• Since the release of 2004’s AvP which featured Lance Henriksen playing the role of Weyland Industries founder Charles Bishop Weyland, it is thought that Michael Weyland could be a direct descendent of Charles Bishop Weyland.

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