- "Tee, this is what we're going to do. I'll lure it to the truck, lock it in the cabin, and when I say when, you blow this fucker into space."
- ―Katherine Daniels to Tennessee Faris (from Alien: Covenant)
The Weyland–Yutani 6x6 Terra–Truck, also known as the terra–truck, or merely the truck, was a construction vehicle manufactured by Weyland Corp—and later the Weyland-Yutani Corporation—and used in terraforming. Several terra–trucks were supplied to the United Americas colony ship USCSS Covenant, as well as other colonization expeditions.
Overview[]
Terra–trucks aboard the USCSS Covenant
The Weyland–Yutani 6x6 Terra–Truck was a six–wheel–drive construction vehicle manufactured by Weyland Corp and its successor, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, for use in terraforming. The terra–truck was equipped with a fully pressurized armored cabin for high pressure environments and featured a front–mounted, alloy–bladed excavation fork that could be folded. Fifteen meters in length, the truck could accommodate between one and six passengers and achieve a top speed of sixty kilometers per hour. The Weyland–Yutani Model CY78.3 Affiance-class U extended range colony ship was equipped with several terra–trucks as standard.[1]
History[]
- "Slack. Tensions are fifteen percent down. Arming."
- ―Katherine Daniels resetting the restraints on a Terra–Truck aboard the USCSS Covenant (from Alien: Covenant)
The Weyland–Yutani 6x6 Terra–Truck was supplied to several colonization missions at the turn of the 22nd century, including the Affiance, Allegiance, Arceon, and Concordat expeditions.[1] Launched in advance of those missions, the United Americas colony ship USCSS Covenant carried at least two such trucks aboard its terraforming module for use on the colony world of Origae-6; the trucks were assigned to chief terraformist Katherine Daniels along with the rest of the equipment therein. Following a stellar event that damaged the Covenant in 2104, one of the terra–trucks was knocked out of position; Daniels and ship synthetic Walter reset the restraints securing the vehicle, with Daniels subsequently performing maintenance on the truck. Both trucks were later jettisoned during a successful attempt by Daniels and pilot Tennessee Faris to eject a dangerous alien creature from the Covenant.[2] As of 2186, the terra–truck could be found on colony worlds across the Frontier, at which point it carried a price tag of 400,000 United American dollars.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Ridley wanted full–sized trucks. They were huge, about 8–9 meters high and 14–15 meters long, and he wanted them to move."
- ―Neil Corbould (from The Art and Making of Alien: Covenant)
An early version of the Truck
The Weyland–Yutani 6x6 Terra–Truck first appeared in Alien: Covenant x Audi lunar quattro, a short released to promote the 2017 film Alien: Covenant,[3] in which the truck also appeared.[2] While two trucks appear in the film, only one was constructed on set; the other was recreated using CGI.[4] The vehicle received its full designation in the 2023 book Building Better Worlds.[1]
Designer Tony Drew was tasked with refining initial illustrations by Gerhard Mozsi in designing the terra–truck. An early four–wheeled version with a dozer blade and dump bed featured JCB branding, though this design was discarded. Drew then collaborated with Chris Seagers to finalize the concept, creating a six–wheeled model with a flatbed and cargo; this was further refined for a third iteration, with the dozer blade being replaced by the excavation fork seen in the film. While Drew's artwork shows the terra–truck as having articulated–frame steering,[5] Building Better Worlds depicts the truck with a rigid chassis.[1]
Appearances[]
- Alien: Covenant x Audi lunar quattro
- Alien: Covenant
- Alien: Colony War (on cover)
- Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Building Better Worlds