The DNAliens are an interesting and neat concept in Alien Force...except for one thing
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I'm pretty sure that this is a topic that I've already covered on here before. Regardless, I'm trying to get back into posting stuff on the Ben 10 Club website again. I also want to try and provide more updated views on what I've covered before along with trying to make new topics as well. I started a new job over a year ago (don't ask me what it is because I prefer to not have it go public for a while) and things have been quite busy since. Anyways, let's do this.
As the title says, the DNAliens are indeed a rather interesting concept in Alien Force; especially when it was revealed that they aren't actually aliens but instead human beings that were placed under the control of alien parasites. This opens up a rather interesting situation for the main characters to have to deal with. The DNAliens are really innocent everyday people that were kidnapped and forced against their will to help the Highbreed. Killing them is out of the option. Non-lethal alternatives would have to be used in order to stop them and turn them back into humans.
Here's where that "except for one thing" part of the title comes in though. That's not what happened (well, at least not until the Alien Force season 2 finale but I'll get back to that later). What ended up happening instead is that A LOT of DNAliens were killed through the actions of the main characters and other heroic characters. Highbreed ships full of DNAliens were blown up. Max set off his Null Void projector, sending a building full of DNAliens to the Null Void where they would be met with an unfortunate fate. As shown in the video link below, Gwen willingly sends a large group of DNAliens to attack Michael Morningstar, leading to the deaths of many DNAliens. This scene took place some time after Ben, Gwen, and Kevin discovered that the DNAliens were actually humans (and from what I recall, the characters weren't even shocked and horrified by this discovery...or at the very least, they were a little shocked).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9spUT27F8Ek
Now I think some people would come out to say how stopping the eventual Highbreed invasion of Earth and therefore saving the lives of billions takes priority over saving the lives of the DNAliens. Here's the thing though. One, Tyler in the season 2 episode, Inside Man. Tyler is a human being that was turned into a DNAlien but managed to regain control of himself. When the DNAliens were retrieving the Oscillator Key for the Hyperspace Jump Gate and were retrieving Tyler, Ben had a choice. Destroy the ship to prevent the DNAliens from getting the Oscillator Key but Tyler dies or save Tyler but the DNAliens get the Oscillator Key. Of course, as the episode showed, Ben chose the latter option. He saved ONE individual at the cost of allowing the Highbreed to continue with their plan to invade and destroy Earth. Two, during the season 2 finale where the Highbreed are about to activate the jump gate and Earth was mere moments away from being invaded by the Highbreed fleet, Ben AT THAT MOMENT decided to prioritize not killing the DNAliens and instead turn them all back into humans. Again, the invasion was moments away from happening and the characters at that moment decided to take the time and effort to turn the DNAliens back into humans.
That's really my biggest issue with the DNAliens here. Again, I really like the concept of them. I just also think that the writers didn't do well on that very concept that should make the heroes' encounters with them more interesting. Ben is a hero. He became a hero because he wanted to help good people. The circumstances in regards to the DNAliens could've worked well into Ben as a character. Show how being a hero isn't so black and white. At first, the heroes would kill the DNAliens thinking that they're just evil aliens doing evil things. Then the revelation would come in that the DNAliens are really human beings. Good, innocent people being controlled against their will by the Highbreed to fulfill their goal of invading Earth. People that Ben should be trying to save. It could've worked as something that would pretty much traumatize Ben. Have him realize just how far evil can go. I'm pretty sure that I've discussed before how the franchise should've focused on Ben's transition towards becoming Ben 10,000 and the possibility of the future that he witnessed in the Original Series becoming a reality to him. This could've acted as a significant contributor to build Ben up towards that very direction.
It would've been interesting and neat to see the characters adapt to this info about the DNAliens. To employ non-lethal methods of combating them. To keep the DNAliens apprehended somewhere until a proper method of turning them back to humans is found. The Omnitrix can turn them back into humans. Therefore, Ben should utilize that more often. Cooper was able to make the DNA guns out of his own mech suit in the matter of seconds after merely observing Ben use the Omnitrix's DNA repair function and they work perfectly well. This is something that could've been done immediately after Ben, Gwen, and Kevin rescued him from the Highbreed. There are plenty of ways that this could've been approached in a way that feels better written and fitting to the characters and story here. To make the action scenes more interesting and intense because the heroes have to hold back and limit themselves on their capabilities to avoid killing the DNAliens as much as they can. To make the decisions more difficult for the characters to make because there may be situations where sacrifices have to be made for the greater good even if making those tough decisions and sacrifices don't feel good and right. Again, this could've been used to show that being a hero isn't so black and white. Sometimes, it can really suck to be a hero because there's so many tough decisions that have to be made and things don't always work out well in the end. That's the reality of being a hero and I think that this is something that could work well with Ben as a character. That something like this could really give him some really good character development.
I think that's all that I have for now on this. If anyone has any thoughts on this topic themselves, feel free to leave a comment on here.
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I think I remember you talking about the DNA Aliens before but I'm not sure if my memory serves well. There has been lots of writers that hasn't really paid attention to the overall story of the season and what would happen before and later in the story arc. They most certainly didn't taken a look at the original series because if they have then I think Alien Force and onwards would been a very different show. None the less UAF still do hold a higher spot for me then the original series in my opinion.
Yeah on top of all the people Micheal knowingly murdered then got sent to the null void with the plumber re-awarding Kevin and Gwen their plumbers badge back. Except Ben didn't got his badge back meaning he was able to stop the rooters a year later as a result. So at least that paid off. However around 2 months later Gwen made Cooper free Darkstar/Micheal out of the null void to seek his aid on stopping the highbreed invasion in return he'd be free. He ratted out and Kevin , Gwen and Ben. Just let it drift aside after all the humans he MURDERED and they didn't took it seriously. Micheal would later be formally arrested again when rook stop micheal from evading custody at Friedkin University. This can't go unnoticed they let Darkstar continue his activities.
Also Remember in Ulimate Alien how Gwen wanted to save Kevin when he went insane after absorbing all that power from the omnitrix while begging Ben not to kill Kevin. Because Ben wanted to save many other lives that are under threat by "Ultimate Kevin". Irony here.
