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'{{Infobox Television | bgcolour = limegreen | show_name = Ben 10: Alien Force | image = [[Image:Ben10af.JPG|200px]] | caption = ''Ben 10: Alien Force'' logo | format = [[Animation]] / [[Action genre|Action]] | runtime = 22 minutes approx. | creator = [[Duncan Rouleau]]<br />[[Joe Casey]]<br />[[Joe Kelly (comics)|Joe Kelly]]<br />[[Steven T. Seagle]] | executive_producer = | voices = [[Yuri Lowenthal]]<br />[[Ashley Johnson]]<br />[[Dee Bradley Baker]]<br />[[Greg Cipes]]<br />[[Paul Eiding]] | theme_music_composer = | country = {{USA}} | network = [[Cartoon Network]] | distribuitor = | first_aired = April 18, 2008 - present | num_episodes = 37 <!-- Please count only released/confirmed episodes. --> | num_seasons = 3 | preceded_by = [[Ben 10]] | followed_by = [[Ben 10: Evolution]] | list_episodes = List of Ben 10: Alien Force episodes | website = http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/ben10af/index.html }} '''''Ben 10: Alien Force''''' is an [[United States|American]] [[animated television series]] created by [[Dwayne McDuffie]] and Glen Murakami and the studio "Man of Action" (a group consisting of [[Duncan Rouleau]], [[Joe Casey]], [[Joe Kelly (comics)|Joe Kelly]], and [[Steven T. Seagle]]), and produced by [[Cartoon Network Studios]]. It is a [[sequel]] to ''[[Ben 10]]''. Set five years after the original series, the storyline is notable for having matured the character and taking a darker tone, with more complex plots, and sometimes more characters dying. The series premiered on Cartoon Network on April 18, 2008 in the United States, with its Canadian premiere on Teletoon on September 6, 2008. The series was originally produced under the working title of ''Ben 10: Hero Generation''. It will be followed by ''[[Ben 10: Evolution]]''. ==Plot== Five years after the events of the original series, 15-year old Ben Tennyson has returned to a normal, everyday life. His adventures done, Ben has taken off the Omnitrix and has grown from a young boy into a confident teenager. But the mysterious disappearance of Grandpa Max prompts him to wear the Omnitrix, as well as forcing Ben, Gwen, and a newly reformed Kevin Levin to search and locate him. While at the same time, enlisting the help of child Plumbers (an inter-planetary peace-keeping force, with both human & alien members) and repelling attacks from a new foe, the Highbreed. Some time after the Highbreed are defeated, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin continue their adventures dealing with various alien threats. These include facing off with some villains from Ben's past such as [[Vilgax]], [[List of villains in Ben 10#Dr. Animo|Dr. Animo]], [[List of villains in Ben 10#Zs'Skayr (Ghostfreak)|Ghostfreak]], [[List_of_villains_in_Ben_10#Charmcaster|Charmcaster]] and [[List_of_villains_in_Ben_10#Vulkanus|Vulkanus]]. ==Episodes== {{main|List of Ben 10: Alien Force episodes}} ==Characters== ===Heroes=== {{main|List of main characters in Ben 10|List of allies in Ben 10}} ; [[List of main characters in Ben 10#Ben Tennyson / Ben 10|Benjamin Tennyson]]: Ben fills the role of leader after Max disappears. The Omnitrix has been recalibrated, giving him access to a [[List of Omnitrix aliens#Ben 10: Alien Force forms|new set of alien heroes]]. Over the past few years, Ben has matured dramatically. ; [[List of main characters in Ben 10#Gwen Tennyson|Gwendolyn Tennyson]]: Gwen is much more proficient with her powers, able to manipulate energy directly as opposed to using spells (this is revealed to be due to Gwen having an alien heritage), where she can manipulate energy to create blasts, shields, and energy like grapple holds. Although she's not nearly as fiery or short-tempered as before, Gwen is still always looking out for her cousin. She also is presumed to have feelings for Kevin Levin. She also shows that she cares for him in many ways. ; [[List of main characters in Ben 10#Kevin E. Levin / Kevin 11|Kevin Ethan Levin]]: A former nemesis of Ben, Kevin is now getting by as an alien tech dealer. He unintentionally gets involved in the Highbreed plot, and joins Ben out of a desire to make up for his actions. His abilities now allow him to absorb the properties of any solid matter he touches. But in the third season premiere, Kevin is mutated into a being with a segmented body composed of several different solid substances, and as a result, he now has the power to shape-shift his limbs into any solid substance he can think of. He also holds feelings for Gwen which he tries his best to hide. ; [[List of main characters in Ben 10#Max Tennyson|Maxwell Tennyson]]: Max is a semi-retired member of the Plumbers. He disappears while investigating the Highbreed plot, leaving only a few cryptic messages for Ben to find. He is briefly reunited with his grandchildren in "Max Out", but sacrifices himself to destroy a Highbreed factory at the end of the episode. In the episode "Voided", Ben and Max reunite in the Null Void, and he promises Ben that he'll come back soon. He eventually returns in the second season finale of the show, "War of the Worlds" to aid Ben in his final assault against the Highbreed. ; [[List of allies in Ben 10#Julie Yamamoto|Julie Yamamoto]]: Julie is Ben's girlfriend. She enjoys tennis, eating chili fries, and caring for her pet, Ship (an alien Mechomorph found by her and Ben). ===Villains=== {{main|List of villains in Ben 10}} ; [[List of villains in Ben 10#Highbreed|Highbreed]]: The Highbreed believe themselves to be the purest of all species, and intend to cleanse the galaxy of impure lower life forms. It was later revealed that they were dying out, having become sterile and vulnerable to disease due to heavy inbreeding, and that they intend to destroy the rest of the universe with them. ; [[List of villains in Ben 10#DNAliens|DNAliens]]: Hybrids of humans and alien drones that serve the Highbreed, the DNAliens are able to disguise themselves as humans using special identity masks.<ref name="ben10af">{{cite web | URL = http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/ben10af/index.html | title = Ben 10: Alien Force | accessible = 2008-03-24 | publisher = Cartoon network.com}}</ref> ; [[List of villains in Ben 10#The Forever Knights|The Forever Knights]] : An organization that has worked in secret ever since their formation in the Middle Ages. The Forever Knights will trade alien technology with anyone who's willing, even the Highbreed.<ref name="ben10af" /> ; [[List of villains in Ben 10#Vilgax|Vilgax]]: Vilgax returns in Season 3 with a new look (he had new armors, weapons and abilities). He loses to Ben in the episode "Vengeance of Vilgax" and was banned from Earth, though he swore vengeance. Vilgax returns in "Ghost Town" in need of Ben's assistance when a deal with Ghostfreak became a double-cross on Ghostfreak's part and Ghostfreak takes over Vilgaxia, Vilgax's home planet. Though Vilgax appears to be a cruel villain throughout the original series, in "Ghost Town" he seems to care about his people on his planet. ==Omnitrix== {{see also|List of Omnitrix aliens}} At some point in the years between the original series and Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben managed to remove the Omnitrix by an unknown but difficult process. When Ben puts it back on, the Omnitrix reconfigures into a more watch-like shape, and recalibrates itself along with its selection of aliens, giving Ben access to a new set of more powerful alien forms and a holographic alien display, rather than merely presenting the silhouettes of the aliens. Also, Ben has lost his previous alien transformations, although it keeps the powers and adds new ones.<ref name="Ben 10 Returns Part 1">{{cite episode |title=Ben 10 Returns Part 1 |episodelink= |series=Ben 10: Alien Force |serieslink= |credits= |network= |station= |airdate=2008-04-18 |season=1 |number=101 |minutes= }}</ref>. Ben himself also retains any injuries suffered by his alien forms, although this has not been shown to be any significant problem as of yet. After the recalibration, the Omnitrix seems to grant Ben more stable control over its powers as he is successfully able to transform to a desired alien, although after Ben and Kevin tampered with the Omnitrix, it has started to malfunction from time to time like in the previous series<ref name="Inferno">{{cite episode |title=Inferno|episodelink= |series=Ben 10: Alien Force |serieslink= |credits= |network= |station= |airdate=2009-09-18 |season=3 |number=303 |minutes= }}</ref>. Ben is also now able to switch between alien forms, and revert to his human form by will without the intervention of the ten minute auto time-out; though eventually its power will deplete and Ben will revert to his original state and cannot transform until the watch has fully recharged. In addition to the new functions that have been said, the new Omnitrix has the ability to repair genetic damage, such as that caused by DNAlien mutation. It uses a previously unseen speech function to inform Ben of this feature with a synthesized voice matching that of Ben's. Also, it appears that the new Omnitrix deactivated the pulse that is sent off whenever someone tries to remove the Omnitrix from the host. It is also equipped with a translation program, which explains why Ben was able to communicate and converse with the different alien species he has encountered so far. The Omnitrix also acts as a Plumbers badge with built-in communications for other badges and a map showing other Plumbers. Azmuth revealed that the Omnitrix contains the DNA of every sentient species in the galaxy, totaling 1,000,903. He likens it to Noah's Ark, in that it could restore any of those 1,000,903 species, should they ever become extinct<ref name="War of the Worlds: Part 1">{{cite episode |title=War of the Worlds: Part 1|episodelink= |series=Ben 10: Alien Force |serieslink= |credits= |network= |station= |airdate=2009-27-3 |season=2 |number=212 |minutes= }}</ref>. If a second Omnitrix is created, and if it comes into close proximity with the other one, it will result in a cataclysmic explosion that would destroy the entire universe.<ref name="Good Copy, Bad Copy">{{cite episode |title=Good Copy, Bad Copy|episodelink= |series=Ben 10: Alien Force |serieslink= |credits= |network= |station= |airdate=2009-10-24 |season=2 |number=203 |minutes= }}</ref> Also, if the Omnitrix is hacked, it may result in some of the species within it escaping,<ref name="Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2">{{cite episode |title=Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2|episodelink= |series=Ben 10: Alien Force |serieslink= |credits= |network= |station= |airdate=2009-09-11 |season=3 |number=302 |minutes= }}</ref>, though unlike Ghostfreak, who managed to retain intellect and motive, the escaped aliens are practically mindless and seemingly limited to functioning on pure [[animal instinct]]. ==Ben 10: Alien Swarm== {{main| Ben 10: Alien Swarm}} ''Ben 10: Alien Swarm'' is a live-action film based on the series was announced by Cartoon Network at their 2008 upfront. It is a sequel to ''[[Ben 10: Race Against Time]]''. A teaser trailer was shown on October 3, 2008 during the premiere of ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'', and a full trailer was shown after the season 2 finale on March 27, 2009, and another full trailer, this time showing a preview of Humongousaur, was shown during the season 3 premiere on September 11, 2009. The film aired on November 25, 2009. According to the sweepstakes site, it was rated TV-PG. Again directed by [[Alex Winter]], the film's cast included [[Ryan Kelley]] as Ben, [[Nathan Keyes]] as Kevin, and [[Galadriel Stineman]] as Gwen. [[Lee Majors]] was offered to reprise his role as Grandpa Max, but he turned it down; the role has since been recast with [[Barry Corbin]]. The film also featured [[Alyssa Diaz]] as a new character named Elena, a childhood friend of Ben.<ref>http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/promotion_landing_page/ben10/index.html</ref> The aliens seen were Big Chill, Humongousaur, and a new alien named Nanomech. ==Ben 10: Evolution== {{main|Ben 10: Evolution}} At Cartoon Network Upfront 2009, it was announced that another series called ''Ben 10: Evolution'' will premiere right after the end of Alien Force in 2010. ==Video games== [[Monkey Bar Games]] and [[D3 Publisher]] made a game of the show. It is for [[PlayStation 2]], [[Nintendo DS]], [[Wii]] and [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]]. Playable characters in the game include Ben, Gwen, and Kevin. All versions of the game allow Ben to become Swampfire, and Humongousaur; the DS version includes Chromastone, Echo Echo, and Goop, while the console versions include Big Chill, Spidermonkey,and Jetray. A second game entitled ''[[Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks]]'' released in October 27, 2009.<ref>[http://www.ben10thevideogame.com game official website]</ref> ''[[Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall]]'' currently features this series' Ben, Gwen, Max, Kevin, and Vilgax, along with Hex and Tetrax from the original ''[[Ben 10]]'' series. ==Comics== ''Ben 10: Alien Force'' has been featured in ''[[Cartoon_Network_Block_Party#Cartoon_Network_Action_Pack|Cartoon Network Action Pack!]]'', an anthology comic book series published by [[DC Comics]], since issue #27 (September 2008 cover date). It normally alternates bi-monthly with ''[[The Secret Saturdays]]'' as the lead story. ''Ben 10: Alien Force'' stories have been published in ''Cartoon Network Action Pack!'' #27, 28, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38, 41, 42, and 43.<ref>{{comicbookdb|type=title|id=18098|title=''Cartoon Network Action Pack!''}}</ref> ==References== {{wikiquote}} {{Reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk/show/ben%2010%20alien%20force Official UK website] * {{imdb title|1192169|Ben 10: Alien Force}} * {{tv.com|74606|Ben 10: Alien Force}} * [http://tooninsider.webs.com/ben10alienforce.htm] * {{Ben 10}} {{Cartoon Network Original Series}} [[Category:2000s American television series]] [[Category:2000s American animated television series]] [[Category:2008 television series debuts]] [[Category:Ben 10]] [[Category:Cartoon Network original programs]] [[Category:American animated television series distributed by Madman Entertainment]] [[Category:American science fiction television series]] [[Category:Shapeshifting in fiction]] [[bg:Бен и космическата десетка: Извънземна сила]] [[es:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[fr:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[it:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[ms:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[nl:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[no:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[pl:Ben 10: Obca potęga]] [[pt:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[ro:Ben 10: Echipa extraterestră]] [[ru:Бен 10: Инопланетная сила]] [[fi:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[sv:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[tl:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[th:เบ็นเท็น: พลังเอเลี่ยน]] [[tr:Ben 10 Alien Force]] [[vi:Ben 10: Alien Force]] [[zh:Ben 10 外星英雄]]'