The secret to writing a good story with an overpowered main character is to have the tension on something other than "if the good guy will win". For instance, instead of "will they win" it's "will they win without destroying the planet in the process" or something like that. Honestly, the possibilities are endless.
My personal take on Bellicus and Serena is that they're just hanging out in the Forge of Creation or wherever and occasionally Ben just pops into their head.
This episode was a reminder of the dumbest argument against alien X I've ever heard, which is, "He was never shown manipulating time on screen." Like, bro, it was literally his first appearance.
One reason why I thought it was justified to not become Alien X is, what if Bellicus and Serena don't let him back out again? They basically override the omnitrix and at this point outclass Ben in the control department. What he means in the end by cost is literally transforming into Alien X is gambling with his life.
Totally agree, imagine being trap in there for eternity, can’t really count to Paradox to get him out (Edited) What I meant in "can't count on Paradox" is that they just met in the last episode, Ben probably wouldn't trust him that much, plus Ben didn't even know yet that Paradox can break him out.
Yep. And according to Paradox in Ultimate Alien, in another universe, Albedo wound up stuck in Alien X for 6 months. That is the thing Ben was worried about. Heck, it's why I didn't like Alien X when I was a kid. Due to the fear of that.
@@leonseuropeanislandadventu7398 six months, a year, hell even a day of my mind being stuck in the body of something else entirely would freak me the hell out.
Honestly, after thinking about this episode as an adult, I kinda have to agree with Bellacus and Serena about shooting Bens ideas down. Teleporting the incursians or disabling the conquest ray won't help. Millious can just repair the ray and teleport back, angry at the team and taking revenge on earth. That being said, Bellacus and Serena could've explained that and maybe suggest solutions on their own. So I believe Ben is still right for getting angry at them and calling them useless
That may be the case. But how about for doing something like putting a barrier around the Earth to block the ray? Or the fact Bellicus wanted to focus on old arguments now that Ben was there, instead of them realizing Ben wants to protect Earth, and for him, Earths safety comes before any of their old arguments?
@@danielwesley5051 or just let Ben ask "why?" When they say no. They're both somehow agreeing on not helping so there must be a valid reasoning other than them just not wanting to
When i was young, I was thinking the 10th alien is powerful than the rest of other aliens, as it turned out be more than that. Alien X is not just as powerful as he is, he's reality warped with nigh-omnipotent powers. I was very diappointed that Ben won’t become Alien X in Alien Force again, until one episode of Ultimate Alien and mostly Omniverse. it's cool that Belicus is Kevin Conroy, who voices Batman.
I think the reason why ben is afraid of turning into Alien X is he could be trapped in there forever. Any time he transforms, he knows there's a small chance he'll never come back. For example, like Albedo in the universe Paradox mentioned, where he stays Alien X for over a year.
@@plantainsame2049 And what are the chances they'd say yes? He's realized from this episode's interaction that Bellicus and Serena are extremely hard to deal with. They decide things on a whim, and there's no guarantee they would do anything he requests of them. Maybe asking to stop the flow of time while they talk it out is too inconsequential of a request for them, or maybe they have some other bullshit reason for not agreeing to it. Hell, their reasoning could may as well be that they just don't feel like it.
27:10 I always love when Kevin absorbs something that isn't the basic metal/stone shade of color. Like when he absorbs Seven-Seven's armor or when he absorbs the tire rubber or when he absorbs his car. Always a nice change of pace
One thing I've always wondered is: Alien X consciousnesses have always existed, or did they exist from the moment Ben first transformed, because the DNA in the omnitrix is a blank canvas that molds itself from Ben's DNA. So theoretically Belicus and Serena didn't exist until Ben transformed, and then they became independent entities.
Well remember there is only one alien X and it's DNA is shared in EVERY Omnitrix in the multiverse so the conscious of alien X existed when the first Ben turned into him
I just believe that alien x was is just living in the Omnitrix floating. Similar to og ghostfreak he wasn't a ai copy but sentient being trapped inside the device
It could be argued that Ben's character "regression" is due to the fact that he meets all these Universal level beings (Bellicus, Serena, and Prof Paradox) and the fact they take NOTHING seriously. Probably got to the point that after Ben rebuilt the Universe he was kinda just like "Fuck it"
But the character regression happens in Alien Force season 3, way before he recreates the universe in Omniverse. The in-universe justification seems to be that he just got cocky after saving the universe from the Highbreed.
>Gets tons of buildup outside the show >Appears only at the end of the first season >Uses godlike powers to fix a dam >Refuses to transform back >Refuses to elaborate >Leaves
Judging from how Seven seven reacted, that was probably the first time his armor broke. I'm also guessing that he decided to run away because he realized drawn out combat is not a good idea against someone that broke through his armor in one hit. I'm guessing with all of this, but that's just how I have interpreted it.
@@Antasma1 Never thought of that. I'm inclined to bring up Six six, considering his helmet fully broke, but there are plenty of differences between him and Seven seven. I'm adding to my original comment here, considering what it took to break Six six's helmet, and that we're told that Seven seven is far more dangerous, can we assume that his armor would be stronger? If so, then Swampfire can hit very hard.
I like how bellecus got genuinely angry at ben for making her cry. Shows that even though they rarely agree, they still care about each other. Just like an angry married couple.
Unpopular opinion: Alien x was not a disappointment and was handled in the best way possible. With a mystery like "who is this mysterious powerful alien?" Making him an all powerful god that has a clever restriction that allows him to only be used a few times per series is perfect.
I like to think that, since all of Ben's aliens are "part Ben" in a way, Bellicus and Serena are too, and already came up with the name Alien X. Or they just knew Ben would call him that anyway. The way they speak it's as if they'd been anticipating Ben for a while As for their personalities, I think it's deliberate that Bellicus and Serena will never agree with each other without Ben there. He has to be the voice of reason, because the other two aren't reasonable. They're too stubborn to do anything on their own.
i would have liked to see ben try to come to agreements with them. like, "do my homework and keep my parents out of my room and give me a good night of sleep and i'll be willing to negotiate with you for a specific amount of time". obviously that's a bit silly but you get the idea, ben requests that they take care of stuff for him, and he will give them some time they desire from him.
I honestly think that if Ben didn't live so much in the "here and now" and had a larger thought process, he could compromise with Bellicus or Serena much easier, especially during UAF's "majority rules" interpretation of his power where he only needs to get one other to agree with him.
I like the fact that you agree they won't ever agree with each other, because if they could, what would stop them from agreeing that they could leave the Omnitrix, yk?
So let's say what if? What if the other celestial sapians are controlled by their own will of emotions. How many other thoughts besides Serena, bellecus, and Ben are there? We know albedo is in it. It could be possible paradox hid himself reasoning with them as well.
This is why I prefer the Omniverse explanation of all three needing to agree, it makes the polar opposite personalities more hindering. Think about it, why waste time with both of them? Want a diplomatic solution? Just get Serena into it. Want a fight? Convince Bellicus. Majority voting here doesn’t work as a drawback.
31:20 Albedo was stuck as Alien X for almost a year, every time Ben would transform to train to debate, he risks being stuck motionless for a long time
@@muhdmat8454 In "Ben 10,000 returns", Professor Paradox says Albedo was trapped as Alien X in an alternate timeline, this references the events of the video game "Vilgax attacks"
I honestly like the way Alien X was handled here, showing that he has near unlimited power, but showing that this power comes at a price before it can be used… (And in a way it even alludes to the fact that Ben will one day be able to use the powers of Alien X without any drawbacks).
My problem with Alien X is that he takes up a spot as one of the ten aliens Ben can only for the first 2 seasons of Alien Force. So since Alien X is a situational use, it really like Ben 9 for the first 2 seasons. They should have had Alien X just be a extra alien Ben unlocked. And, with hindsight, I would have had Lodestar be apart of the Alien Force 10.
@@ksoundkaiju9256 rath, loadstar, etc showed up in season three. In hindsight Alien x ought to have been ben’s eleventh alien for AF. Like cannonbolt was for the og.
To be honest, I think doing the "Chowder" thing with Alien X would make sense. I've always imagined him as a sort of "transparent casing enveloping a small universe" as opposed to the stars just being a texture on his skin. Having the stars be static while he moves, but also making the stars rotate to resemble a 360° FOV while "the camera pans around him", would sell this idea very well I think.
I always thought his look was because hwas like a window to the universe. Like you can see the entire universe through him, so the stars moving would be a cool feature
Even if Alien X was kinda overhyped, I would say this episode served well enough for his introduction and how he works. The concept of an alien that's on the level of a cosmic being having a restriction like this is definetly interesting. It gives a reason as to why Ben can't just use Alien X for every single situation, otherwise he might have been overused. Yea a couple more appearances here and there would've been nice, but I guess the writers weren't sure what situations would absolutely demand Alien X's utility (at least until Omniverse). Sidenote: Wish Seven-Seven had a longer fight rather than just running away like a pussy.
For anybody wondering why Ben doesn't use Alien X as often as other aliens is because of how he morally uses his alien transformations. Ben experienced what is was like to essentially play God, no BE a God. That much power is a HUGE responsibility for him even with his status as savior the universe. Plus with Belacus and Serena, sorry to say this, it's no wonder Ben Prime use Alien X for serious situations that as far as we know NO other alien could do.
sounds cool but this makes that one scene in omniverse pretty disappointing where, **spoiler,** he's using Alien X to casually fling the rooters around with kevin watching
Honestly the take away that such a powerful alien could be so useless had a very lasting message for me. Reminds me of those all powerful abstract beings in comics and anime that seldom ever interfere though I’m not sure that was ever the intention. Now that ben can (potentially) use him willy nilly i really think it takes away from the over all stakes of the show. *SevenSeven and the rest of his fam are also super rad!* 29:49 (OOP! huh, well SixSix’s got more balls then him for sure.) i’m surprised ben never unlocked his species to become TenTen. 20:43 I always figured the mask were vague representations of bens own psyche, so they’d deep down have a reverence for the title he chose first hand. 20:50 going further with this head canon, I think they sort of represent all the unconscious thoughts on how ben might want to see the world be different. 23:19 YES BRING THE DINOSAURS BACK PLEASE!
My theory that I've developed is that at some point in the years of arguing, the Celestialsapien that is Alien X noticed the existence of the Omnitrix and managed to agree to give it the ability to transform into them for the SAKE of creating a third "Voice of Reason" that would be able to break their tie.
That's pretty interesting. Thinking about it, Alien X having no Voice of Reason technically makes him a disabled member of his species. It makes sense that he might agree to Azmuth's idea if it meant a possible treatment for his disability.
20:18 hard disagree, part of what makes Alien X cool is that we have no explanation for how or why it talks like a stenographer, leading the audience to grow instantly curious about what’s going on behind the scenes. If we actually saw the deliberation process beforehand, hearing the motion carried out in real time would have been way less interesting.
I actually really like how Alien X was handled here, he's kept mysterious and weird, with Bellicus and Serena never being able to agree without Ben (as they are basically complete opposites and stubborn af) and Ben not wanting to use him again made sense to me, because he could just be stuck as Alien X forever if he failed to convince Bellicus and Serena, and that worked with him being the last resort all powerful alien. Great review as always though.
I am sorry for making a joke on Creepypasta they/them's dead Guinea pig, what I did was not the best way to treat the situation. It was arrogant of me to send that picture. I'll remind myself that other people have feelings and not everything is a joke. I'm asking for forgiveness.
@FueguitoAzul too bad that just never really happens and Alien X is kept useless for two whole series until Omniverse says fuck it and decides to throw away all weaknesses and limitations and then just have Ben... not use Alien X for no reason other than plot. It just made the whole point about it being not worth the price completely null and void. But I agree, this episode left a lot of open doors for Alien X to come back and eventually do shit, and presented the Alien in an interesting way, it just really felt kinda boring overall when you take the sheer scale of what Alien X is into consideration, at least in my opinion. Like, he's supposed to be nigh omnipotent and all he does is fix a broken dam and then stand around doing nothing, that's not exactly that impressive when half of Ben's aliens could probably do the same thing. Even the time manipulation thing isn't that impressive once Clockwork rolls around. We just get told about how powerful Alien X really is, not shown. If they had shown him do something like casually flicking away the Incursian's planet busting laser- forgot it's name- with a glance or something, THAT would've been an impressive example of just how powerful he is and why there are such heavy drawbacks.
@FueguitoAzul they also should've definitely introduced Alien X in an episode about, you know, Alien X? The Incurseans had nothing to do with Alien X or the Celestialsapiens at all, the Incurseans didn't relate to Alien X in anyway or even seemed to recognize what it was, it's like they just crammed two completely different episodes together for no reason. Even if Alien X didn't do much in it, an episode exploring the Celestialsapiens themselves would've been a lot more interesting to watch and fit a lot more with it's debut.
@FueguitoAzul it probably would've, Ben could've just used Big Chill or Swampfire to stop the water somehow, Alien X being there only makes Ben useless for the rest of the episode, but I'm sure they could've found a way to include him in the main conflict and not have him immediately solve it by going Swampfire.
I think the idea of Alien X is great, a godlike being with limitless power but with a price that isn't worth paying. However, they presented it in the least engaging way possible. Just having Ben floating in the endless black void, caught in an endless bickering and arguing match, while Alien X just stands around motionlessly doing absolutely nothing.
Would of preferred them actually showing some drawbacks. Ben's idea of teleporting them away isn't bad but then let them point out that you just made them someone else's problem. Now they are in this area destroying planets that will never know life or had life beginning to start. Things like that would show how the two personalities have a much larger insight on things than ben can comprehend.
I personally disagree. The episode left me wanting more Alien X and I think that was the intention. If I got too much Alien X then I think that would ruin the alien for me.
@@steelbarber I mean “able to fix a dam” and “infinite godlike power so op ben is scared of transforming into him” don’t really fit in the same character
@@aerostrafe1075 I feel a better idea is this "Great power comes with a great amount of concentration and training in order to use it well", think of Sentry in the marvel comics In case you don't know him, despite his great power, it comes at the price that if he exerts too much, he might let out too much power by accident, and whatever he was trying to save might be destroyed in the process, making it so most of the time, it either HAS to be a world ending threat, thats far away from earth, or any life period, or you just can't use him cause he'll just end up doing whatever the villain was gonna do anyway, and destroy everything, or it has to be something so insignificant, that you could have asked any other hero to do it, AND just in case it wasn't enough, due to all his power, he has a split personality that can only be held off by him constantly focusing his power on keeping him within him, if he exerts too much power, that power being redirected from that, to doing whatever Sentry is doing, leads the the being, or even just small fractions of them being escaping, and again, reeking havoc, however, the being always has as much power as he does, its just that he doesn't hold back cause he's evil, this means that if he were to exert himself too much against say a mid level fight for him, the being would escape, and use all that power to destroy everything, however, if he's only doing small, simple shit like, saving people from a sinking boat, either the being doesn't escape, or a really insignificant fraction of him comes out, BUT it still reeks havoc Point is, I think it would have been nice to give Alien X, one or two of these weakness, after all, it already has the personalities there to "Balance" stuff, so imagine if ones like "Ok, I'll save earth, but in return, I'll destroy another planet with just as much life", or have it so the reason he has 3 personalities, is cause he has so much power, that if only Ben uses it's power, he'll just use more power than he intended by accident, and make things worse, and if only ONE agrees, the chances are lower, but the power still isn't as focused, or as potent due to all three needing to be unlocked so that the full concentrated power is used, so the only way to properly use him is to have all three agree, and BOOM, you still have the same conflict, but Ben at times thinks of using him cause "How much worse would it really be if Alien Xs power went wild at this point?", this way you can also still use Alien X in other episodes cause "Hey, not all three are agreeing, but as long as Ben focuses real hard, this small thing shouldn't cost something worse happening"
I honestly like how all this hype was for this. It's like such a genius troll. "Alien X is allmighty and all powerful!... but Ben can't use that power, lol" It's such a hilarious concept, but also like a bit of a good lesson. Don't get enamoured with power scaling, and feats and all that jazz. You don't need ungodly power to be a hero, aliens like Jetray and Swampfire are enough. Which is the message of the episode, Ben doesn't win by being Alien X, he wins by being his other aliens.
The problem with making Alien X easier to use is it opens way too many doors to easy solutions. There's a reason Alien X is only ever used one time after Ben gets the "keys" to them in Universe v Tennyson
How I interpret Alien X and Celestialsapiens as a whole: They're essentially what we perceive as "God". They were supposed to be the God of Ben 10 universe, as gods are usually represented as a vague entity, a living being with emotions and immense powers. A higher being who's thought process is beyond our understandings. A good example would be, no matter how smart a squirrel is, you can't ever make it understand why we cutting down the trees. So no matter how hard we try, we'll never understand the thought process of the Celestialsapiens. The squirrels probably see us and wonder why these giant creatures standing still around eachother and making weird noises? Like how we see Celestialsapiens just standing like a statue. And about the three personas, I think it's entirely a metaphor about how a human mind maybe able to easily get used to an arachnichimp brain or a necrofriggian brain, Celestialsapiens are a being of an entirely different level and a human mind is not capable of keeping it under control. It's as impossible as making two different personalities agree on something. And obviously these views would hurt religious people all over the world thus they backtracked and made Celestialsapiens a lot watered down in omniverse.
How’s the Celestialsapien watered down in OV? Even if that’s true, your last argument would need to be supported by examples of Alien X portrayal in UAF that made people offended. But there is none. There is no evidence to suggest that UAF Alien X needed anything to backtrack from.
@@langletprolet8378 they probably either didn't wanna start a controversy, or some religious people within the production were against it, that'd be my guess. And OV obviously watered Celestial sapiens down by humanizing them. In UAF they were this mysterious lifeform who's concept of reality is so far advanced from us that we can't even begin to fathom. In OV they wear clothes, have beards, and can be smacked sense into. Like what the hell
Celestialsapians have several weaknesses later revealed offscreen or in statements after the series ended, but they still exist and are canon. One of them is that people with energy manipulation like Aggregor or chromastone could remove and even absorb their power, with another being that the only way to truly become omnipotent would destroy their minds, and that ectomites (ghostfreak's species) can possess them and use all of their power
@@bluecario Eh it was both a water down and improvement if you ask me mate. Espeically since Ben rebooted the universe anyway so it's practically a mute point being honest canoically speaking.
From a power scaling(?) point of view there's another reason why they were nerfed later. You can't have more than one truly omnipotent being in one universe (you could even argue that in existence in general), so a whole species of omnipotent beings wouldn't make sense. Hence, they can be nigh-omnipotent at most. Actually, you could say Celestialsapiens have been nigh-omnipotent since their first appearance due to the whole split personality thing. A true omnipotent being wouldn't have that limitation.
The moment I saw this title, the first words that came to my mind were "Why would you say something so bold, but also so brave?" I haven't watched the reaction yet but I'll say this, when I watched this episode when I was younger,I never really understood how powerful Alien X was, and didn't initially like the drawbacks that came with using him,so I kinda see where you're going with this.
@@flameohotman8032 it's pretty good. And I finally saw Ghost Rider the other day with Nicholas Cage, it's awesome. Now I just need to find Ghost Rider 2.
I have a theory that Bellicus and Serena are like the way they are because their species have different standards than us humans. They are higher beings with different concepts of morality and duty, of course they’re going to be difficult to reason with.
Hey thanks a lot , unfortunately we just learned that Derrick j Wyatt has died . Regardless of what anyone thought of him he will be missed and I’m thankful for his contribution to Ben 10
Alien X is a complex character and the episode did 10/10 job showing the hopelessness of Ben inside the mind of Alien X, It is terrifying to even think your friends are about to die and you can not convince the two personalities, Brilliant episode.
As a real young kid when this episode came out I was pretty unaware of all the crazy marketing I just saw that one alien was hidden. So I thought then (and now) that this episode was awesome. Introduction of great returning characters, a unique story, unexpected twists, and Alien X was and still is the most unique transformation.
I am sorry for making a joke on Creepypasta they/them's dead Guinea pig, what I did was not the best way to treat the situation. It was arrogant of me to send that picture. I'll remind myself that other people have feelings and not everything is a joke. I'm asking for forgiveness.
I think the reason they denied every request is because they're the voices of opposition. They refuse because it's in their nature to argue. It's not the answer we want but it makes the most sense to me. Also it would have been cool to see Ben actually getting used to Alien X, it'd be training. Alien X doesn't need power because he can do anything so the problem is reason. 2 of 3 have no reason to act so they don't in a sense. Ben being the voice of reason it's up to him to give the reason to make action. The other 2 being in constant opposition means barely anything could get done. It's a cool concept for an op character.
@@LucyWest370 And they Aren't. They're literally still debating about things millions of years into the past. Without Ben And him making a really good point/argument they can't do anything.
Personally I like the idea that they present themselves as those higher beings constantly debating about important things but deep down they're just petty youtube commenters who genuinely enjoy arguing with each other about the most inconsequential random things. The kind of people to spend months arguing back and forth Goku vs Superman under a completely unrelated 4 year old video but on a cosmic scale. It makes the way Ben unlocks full power of Alien X so fitting because as the voice of reason he helps them realize that they never agreed on anything not because they didn't have a third voice but because they genuinely like debating more than actually doing anything
Blacking alien X out and making him a silhouette to make him “mysterious” for marketing was such a bruh moment. Cuz he’s literally pitch black with like a “galaxy” patter on him. So they showed him everytime they thought they were being “mysterious”
Honestly, when I first watched this episode, I was pretty disappointed that Alien X did nothing for majority of the episode But, looking back at it now, they handled him in probably the best way possible They introduced an incredibly powerfull alien with mysterious origins, even more so then others, and actually gave a REASON as to why Ben doesn't just use him all the time and win every fight by just snapping his fingers
I don't know if this has been talked about a lot, but my headcanon is that Azmuth got Alien X's DNA from Ben travelling back in time at some point and giving him the DNA. This wouldn't be impossible for Alien X to accomplish, and would explain why they've been conscious for so long. Time could be relative to them, so a timeloop wouldn't effect the two personalities.
I'm... not sure if that theory works? Time travel in Ben 10 creates a new timeline almost every time, and I can't imagine Paradox or other Celestialsapiens would be happy with Ben so casually time travelling. Granted, there are cases of time loops like Vilgax knowing the Omnitrix or Maltruant's uhhh, entire existence, but then the question would be when did the timeloop start? The earliest possible point would be the medieval era, because that's when Azmuth abandoned Ascalon and started work on the Omnitrix. According to this episode, Belicus and Serena have been sentient long enough to know about the dinosaurs, which would contradict the idea that Alien X's DNA was "created" during the medieval era. This makes the possibility of what the crew said more likely, that Azmuth just had a Celestialsapien friend who lent their DNA, because at least it's arguable that the original DNA Donor simply existed way before, and their memories transferred (?) to Belicus and Serena.
@@leonseuropeanislandadventu7398 I wanted to give the theory the benefit of the doubt lol, even though yes, writer statements have already disproved it
I feel like a way they could’ve handled Alien X would be that Ben only starts the series with nine aliens, have Ben, Gwen or Kevin wonder why there's only nine and have Ben train with his new aliens off-screen to get familiar with them, then have him unlock Alien X through a code/turning the dial of the Omnitrix in a certain way like he did in the classic series with cannonbolt, for example, and maybe have him appear a bit later on, rather than reveal him fairly quickly like they did. Maybe towards the end of season 2 or 3?
I'd like to imagine that Ben just never really practiced with alien x beforehand and just picked him in the heat of the moment because none of his other aliens would work for the situation.
It's a cool idea I think it would sort of fit but I would have two ways. One azmuth but like a safe guard on the omnitrix or the omnitrix says something like are you sure you want to transform into this alien or have a warning concerning the fact ben may not be able to turn back. Two Ben's alien x personalities haven't fully developed and there for ben cant access alien x I like the first one better
With the whole “most power being in the universe” thing I believe that the first time when they say they are “one of” they mean a member of their race as an introduction sort of deal, like “we are one member of the royal family” then later in the episode when they get frustrated with ben calling them useless they drop the formalities and confidently state that they are the most powerful being in the universe which you could argue is consistent as alien X is never even damaged by the galactic guardian who is literally the champion fighter of the celestialsapiens, so obviously the term in the universe still leaves room for extra planar and extra dimensional beings so I actually believe them especially when later a fragment of alien X DNA can pierce through a forcefield made to protect 5th dimensional beings from the anililarg which would assumably damage them bare minimum or else they wouldn’t even have a shield
I think a good secondary limitation to Alien X would be if using him made the universe a bit weak near where he was used for an unknown period of time. So trying to do big things like rewinding time and teleporting a giant ship would be more dangerous to do in quick succession than just throwing people. Like he doesn't use telekinesis or chronokinesis. He just takes the fabric of reality around a point and alters it
Speaking of which, I think one reason Alien X would be quite difficult and dangerous to use is because Ben can't necessarily control how his powers manifest. For example, when it comes to things like moving your fingers, you don't say "I want to move my fingers, so I will move them now". Such choices are instinctive in a sense, where you aren't consciously thinking about the process of doing them or how they even work. Theoretically with Alien X, presumably Ben, Serena, and Bellicus have to consciously decide everything, even if it's just as simple as raising an arm. While Alien X probably doesn't exist within the normal flow of time and space, Ben is still a human that's limited by the mental capacity of a human. He can't necessarily think in full detail at all times of how to will something into existence. As Kuro mentioned, Alien X seems to be able to make some assumptions to fill in the gaps, and in Omniverse when Ben tried to bring the universe back Alien X interpreted it as making an almost perfect carbon copy of what the universe was before. Against a regular opponent, Alien X's process of making decisions probably isn't a big deal, but against another Celestialsapien or something of significant speed this may cause more issues. Given how little Ben uses him, he would probably resort to general commands like punches, kicks, and signature moves in most fights, which may not be enough for certain opponents. He probably can't train with him much either.
Looking back on this episode makes me wish they gave Ben one of his later transformations instead, and give him Alien X later on. In fact, I would honestly prefer if he was given Water Hazard. I like that form, and feel it was underappreciated.
As someone who was NOT involved in the hype train at all, the Alien X episode was one of my favourites. Since I didn’t have some preconceived notion of just how powerful alien x was supposed to be, the idea of being able to turn any physical problem into a one where Ben just had to win mentally was interesting. While now I think I wish Ben had some deliberation over the use of Alien X in some situations, his choice to not use him made perfect sense. It was a huge gamble, especially since Ben and ourselves didn’t know JUST how much power Alien X had. If it took the full length of this episode just to convince Serena and Bellicus just to let Ben transform back and simply MOVE again. It would begged the question how much convincing would they need to let Ben do something proactive
There are so many Alien X elements that were never 100% explained, and I love that. It adds to the fact that this alien is a creature one level above all others.
I feel like Bellicus and Serena are needing Ben, as the voice of reason, to REASON with them rather than just throw out one idea after another. I’m sure they are jaded from each other just throwing out motions for eternity
Even if it’s an animation error I really like that after Alien X distorts space and time it feels like he teleports them all to a different location that’s more ideal or something. It kinda reminds me of how Paradox works in his introduction, where he seemingly teleports places through the use of camera cuts. Really makes Alien X’s powers feel mysterious cuz you never really know how they work
Alien X having the multiple personalities restriction on his powers nerfs down Alien X so Ben can’t abuse it’s power to end any conflict within seconds. This weakness is very important and clever in my opinion for course of the show.
Growing up I always wondered what was the point of giving Alien X a multiple personality restriction. Only to realize how powerful Alien X is and why they were put there
It requires serious decision making to use omnipotence, your possibilities of power use are literally endless and you need a proper guide to settle what will your next move be
The issue with Alien X is that it's so ridiculously that it can solve nearly any problem. The writers had to keep it in check or ignore its power. What's Vilgax going to do if Ben turns into X and sends him 1 billion years in the past? What's ghostfreak gonna do if X seals him away in a can for all time?
I see your point to call Alien X disappointing, and the advertising sure would leave you wanting more, but... i disagree completely. Alien X's debut is perfect, completely casual like any other alien, but right away it shows that he's NOT just any other alien. An absolute last resort that could potentially leave Ben trapped within him for all eternity (hence why "Ben is too scared to use him")
I still feel like “fixing a dam” and “infinite power” arent really the same thing, especially when he doesnt show up again even in the highbreed invasion which would totally qualify as an absolute last resort considering the entire world was at stake.
@@LucyWest370 well there's also a difference between "fixing a dam" and "literally reversing time just to fix a dam" which is what he actually did. It's like hammering a nail with a war hammer.
@@thegoblin4948 they spent the entire season hyping him up and all we see from him is fixing a dam. Like they say he has infinite power but literally all he did was do a temporal shift thing and just yeet the dam back into place. The entire scene couldve been done with several other aliens ben unlocks later on in the series, theres nothing special to the infinite power alien X has. He shouldve done something no alien could do that he had unlocked previously or in the future of the show but he does serve as an excellent dam repairman.
@@LucyWest370 that's because of Ben's ignorance on not mastering how to use him. Bellecus and Serena made it clear Ben got what he wanted first now they needed reasoning
Here's an idea for how this could have been a bit better, let's say that Gwen/Kevin die in the dam flooding and in a panic Ben uses an alien he hasn't touched yet. Using Alien X he reverses time on a larger scale than he did in the actual episode. That gives a greater emotional weight to using the power, and makes the trade off of being basically inert for the rest of episode actually good
Alright kuro a question for you then. Since the actual debut of alien x was a bust, what would you do for a worthy debut? Like what kind of story or event would you say would live upto the hype?
A better question than "can Serena and Bellicus make decisions without Ben?" (I'd say the answer is yes by the way) is: what would have happened if Ben seconded the motion to save the dinosaurs? Would they be resurrected in the present, or would all of Earth's history have been changed?
@@zacharyfrierson6972 I thought he was apart of alien x, like how in universe vs Ben episode, it required all 3 of the voices to give Ben full access to alien x, the same happened in so long an thanks for all the smoothies (I think that was the episode title)
Going by how Serena and Belicus acted in Omniverse, yeah they are just lazy and want to discuss for fun. They really just seem to just want to do what they want and don't do anything else unless really talked into it. Which is great for Ben because he eventually played into that aspect of them to gain control of Alien X. On a different note, I may have forgotten but why are we doing just an episode at the time now? Does anyone know?
I am sorry for making a joke on Creepypasta they/them's dead Guinea pig, what I did was not the best way to treat the situation. It was arrogant of me to send that picture. I'll remind myself that other people have feelings and not everything is a joke. I'm asking for forgiveness.
I have some head canon about Alien X's history, my guess is that because Alien X is the strongest/one of the more powerful Celestialsapiens, they only had two personalities so they would be at a permanent standstill and Azmuth somehow convinced them to voluntarily be in the Omnitrix with an assurance/possibility of a future user taking the natural third personality to break their permanent inability to do anything. As to why Alien X would refuse to do anything that Ben asked, it's probably ego or lack of knowing how to cooperate with a third personality
Yeah i feel like ben being 16 makes alien x only have 2 personalities, its mentioned in both ultimate and omniverse the younger an alien x the less personalities they develop hense why aggregor was trying to take a baby one before it could develop personalities and interfere with him
@@sdbzfan1 That's also a possibility, i meant that maybe Alien X was a unique case and was exceptionally powerful and thus was limited to only 2 personalities but age could be factor too
In my head l came up with the explination that alien x is a mutant in the celestial sapien standard. To me alien x (Serena & belicus) are just among the regular celestial sapien, they don't need to be the most powerful.
@@bashengatheblackmanta7003 That's also interesting, i naturally assumed that alien X would be the strongest as Ben's aliens are meant to be the prime version of that species
Imo Alien X should have been used earlier in the season to establish him and have Ben using him go rather smoothly then something bigger happens in the Finale Ben uses X again and thats when teh conflicts occur making Ben think about how much power he has and the work he has to go through in order for it to work in the future
We never had those teasers in MY country so...it didn't make it that much disappointing for me 😅... ...AND even if there were,...the fact that Ben has A REALITY WARPER.... that still means somethin at least to me :D
I think that the majority of people watching would be kids. Or at least a young audience. So it really hard for them to keep in mind that there's alien x. Or build hype. I think it was handled fine. Heck he got a freebie on infinite power and it's arguable that he could of used it for something better. He's thinking, this is awesome. Then he has to realise the limitations of great power. And the responsibility. And decided in the end he doesn't want it. He could have solved every problem. It would take him millennia, though a couple seconds in real time. If he was handled any other way, there simply wouldn't be anything to watch. Plus, when something seemed so dire, it the back of our heads there was a voice asking 'will he transform into alien x?'.
I always wondered why Ben didn't propose an agreement along the lines of "I'll be at your service for one full day every year to decide on your matters - but in return any other time I transform into Alien X, we exclusively focus on the situation I'm currently in." I get they want to keep their literal deus ex machina out of reach, but the way they did it felt like Ben just instantly gave up at the first sign of inconvenience... Also "I decide to drop all motions that would have changed my past until now." That would cut down on a lot of their clutter and gets rid potential paradoxes. Regarding names and the likes that aliens shouldn't be aware of, I just always assume that's just a matter of loose translation. When Bellicus and Serena talk about "Alien X", they're probably not actually saying the name, but transmitting whatever mental image encompasses "the specific Celestialsapien being made up of our three minds" - a unique reference akin to a name, so it is translated as the currently only name for this specific individual that can be understood by humans. Same would go for alien languages.
Come on, Kuro. You can say it. You're part of the reason people have come around on Alien X. Yeah, the lore was definitely a huge help, but don't disregard your part in it.
As someone who remembers the marketing for Alien X from Cartoon Network who wanted to see what all the fuss was about you're 100% right in saying this episode was disappointing. I really like the idea of Alien X. Having a being with limitless power capable of doing anything have the handicap Alien X did was smart. However the way they handled him in Alien Force was just bad. He appeared once, was mentioned once after that and then never again until Ultimate Alien, it's like the writers didn't know what to do with him after his introductory episode. Also if it were me I would've built the stakes of Alien X in the show by having Ben try to turn into Alien X but the Omnitrix not let him, seeing as the Omnitrix is seemingly aware of the situations Ben is in I'd have it be a thing of Ben trying to turn into Alien X but it not letting him multiple times during the season. Maybe have the Omnitrix straight up say something like "the current situation is not deemed dire enough for this transformation", have that happen in multiple episodes throughout the season just so you understand what's at stake with the Alien X transformation. Then when he does transform it's a cool moment because you as the fan are excited to see why this transformation was saved only for world ending events and then after the episode you fully understand why the Omnitrix wouldn't let him transform into Alien X. Not just because Alien X is super powerful and should only be used in world ending situations like you assumed but also to protect Ben from turning into him unnecessarily and being trapped as him.
"A Transformation So Powerful it leaves Ben Feeling Weak." I mean they didn't lie i bet Ben felt pretty Weak reverting back to Human Self after being a God.
While I do think it is a pretty good idea for Ben to transform into Alien X whenever he knows he has time off to do so and potentially get used to it and get better at talking and deliberating with the two personalities, it still does have risks. The two main ones I can see is the fact that they said that they didn't wan't Ben to transform back to human and had the power to keep him as Alien X. He managed to convince them this episode, but that doesn't mean it will always be possible. The other risk is one that comes from what you brought up earlier, Alien X's perception of time. If the other personalities really wanted to, they could make it that millions of years are passing them by like seconds and not tell Ben, or at the very least Ben might not be aware of it until he actually asks them.
Wouldn't it be better if the incurseans destroyed the earth, killed either Gwen or Kevin and do even more damage and then in the final scene Ben is able to control alien x, reverses everything, delivers the final conclusion instead of swampfire and then Ben agrees not to use him again. Wouldn't that be better than just having him be there the entire episode without doing anything at the end. Haven't watched the video yet, maybe you say this.
8:34 If I knew my favorite franchise at the time had the voice of my absolute least favorite cartoon character back then I would've had a nuclear meltdown. Also I for one thought Alien X's design was worth the hype, a pocket galaxy encased in a transparent humanoid body was the coolest shit ever to me, loved having the toy too
Another story of hype killing the moment, I actually loved the way Alien X worked, since I never saw any of the marketing for him (watching reruns in asia-pacific) it totally blindsided me. The gimmick was pretty good, and it was an opportunity for Ben to use his words instead of fists, which works with his character in UAF.
I honestly think the introduction is just fine. The idea that Ben would be frustrated and completely unsuccessful in his first attempt working with Belacus and Serena makes sense given their temperament and the fact that Ben was literally just introduced to them. I feel like the real issue is that this was never followed up on, because Ben never uses Alien X again, we never see him interact with Belacus or Serena again. We don't get to learn about them, why they argue so much, why they allow certain things and not others, what their relationship is with the "voice of reason". We never get to see Ben grappling with this either. We never see him trying to talk to them, convince them, or otherwise use clever means to work around them. We get nothing. So it's just comes off as "Why does this exist?"
10:26 This is my biggest complaint about Alien X. They keep his design a secret and then when he's revealed he looks exactly the same! They could've made him look awesome but nope. Add some white specs, call them stars and do NOTHING else. Total missed opportunity
I like the idea of Alien X but not the execution Introducing him in this filler episode, Ben never uses him before ‘just cuz’ Bellicus and Serena in concept can work as a clever limitation, in execution feel like an unreasonable wall to prevent him from doing anything, Ben gaining control in Omiverse by telling them to just F off and give him infinite power feels unearned and dumb, then he just has full control whenever?
I am sorry for making a joke on Creepypasta they/them's dead Guinea pig, what I did was not the best way to treat the situation. It was arrogant of me to send that picture. I'll remind myself that other people have feelings and not everything is a joke. I'm asking for forgiveness.
I really liked this episode lol. The idea of Alien X having restrictions is the only real way you can do a story with the protagonist this powerful and not make all threats redundant. Honestly think this is the only Alien X appearance I like. Ben not turning into all his Aliens until the finale kinda implies season 1 takes place over like a week or so. An alien making Ben weak at the cost of unlimited power is an interesting concept though. Minor correction, it's by the 3rd episode of classic that Ben's used all his aliens. We get to see Gwen and Max's reaction to seeing Four Arms for the first time, and Stinkfly names himself to Gwen, so at least Max and Gwen hadn't seen them all Seven Seven is a lot less cool spoken out loud. Should've just been Six Six. Him running away as soon as he gets punched is funny tho. Kinda funny that Pluto is just gone from now on in this world. Belicus & Seems are definitely existing without him, and implied in AF, always in a deadlock (due to their perfectly conflicting personalities). I think Azmuth got Alien X as a transformation from Alien X (with help/an arrangement with Paradox?) If you think about it. With an infinite amount of time of Belicus and Serena agreeing on all their common ground, someone from the reality they're left with, our reality, would have it seem like they're diametrically opposed regardless of how they begun. The starting reality we never see. Rubber Kevin is one of the only times that his AF powers become somewhat interesting. Some of the scores you gave the season seem suspect, like if you never give an episode a 1 in anything, even the Gauntlet, then nothings going to be, when you seemed perfectly happy to hand them out to OS episodes, I think you're probably overcorrecting with the entertainment scores, Idk. Great season for sure, I do think you're being generous and less critical though. I definitely hear Ashley Johnson in there, good catch.
I don't have a problem with how Alien X works, I have a problem with he showed up for 20 seconds and never appeared again for the rest of AF, and only got a single mention after this episode. That's very lame. I think it was episode 4 or 5 where they say it's already been a few weeks. Ben could've used Four Arms at a different point, like how he first used XLR8 without them knowing and they only caught the tail-end of his transformation. Naming Stinkfly doesn't imply it was his debut. Ben confidently chose Stinkfly as if he knew he's be perfect for the job. I agree with everything else except for the scores. People for some reason want me to be extra hard on AF, but I'm still basing everything the same way I always do. These scores would be very different if I based it on my own opinions. Thanks for always commenting something interesting Tron! Love your feedback.
i don't know if this is a hot take or something, but I actually preferred when Ben had to debate with Bellicus and Serena to perform an action as Alien X. It always seemed like a big and important event to me. Also, the reasoning to how Ben gained control over Alien X in Omniverse doesn't make sense to me. He argues that he should just be given control while Bellicus and Serena can argue all they want, when it has already been established in AF that they were TIRED off debating, and more than happy to have gained a tie breaker in Ben. So just letting Ben take over the very thing they wanted to do for eons just doesn't make a lick of sense to me. _Plus, that damn dumbass chin._
Would have loved to see them debating over whether to repair the dam or not. Because I was honestly surprised how easily they passed that motion especially when looking at Ben's mood after the event confirming that they didn't took long to debate like they did later.
I always was confused by Alien X, like how did Celestialsapien DNA get collected? What relation does The Mother Celestialsapien have to Alien X? Why is an Artificial Being tethered by any rules at all?
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT THOUGHT IN MY HEAD🤦🏽♂️ NOW I CAN'T CALL HIM ALIEN-X ANYMORE🤬 now I am just imaging vilgax and azmath calling his FUCKING TIMOTHY😭😭
I remember enjoying this episode for everything but Alien X. Thought he would look like Way Big in some way. Him being incredibly powerful but unable to do anything is just boring. Especially since they decided to drop that feature in Omniverse. Agragore spent so much time getting what he needed so he could get a Baby Celetialsapian, so he wouldn't be bothered with the voices as they hadn't formed yet. Then we find out that there are Celestialsapians that aren't locked in constant debate. Alien X was as well handled as he could be for a show like Alien Force. But just saying what he could do isn't as good as showing what he could be doing.
