I'm watching the Season 3 finale of "Ben 10 Alien Force", a show I've really come to like. It's a one-hour special in which Ben fights an evil doppelganger of himself, as well as a longtime nemesis, Vigilax. Looking at the opening credits, I was surprised to see that the ep is written by none other than Dwayne McDuffie! It's a pretty good show. Ben has lost the Omnitrix which is the source of his powers, having traded it to Vigilax to save his friends. Later, he determines to destroy it rather than let the villain keep it. I got a chuckle out of the self-destruct command Ben issued: it ends with "Command Code 0...0...0. Destruct 0". I laughed to realize that this is almost the exact same self-destruct final command Captain Kirk issued in the OS episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". Figures McDuffie would throw something like that in.
Ben 10 is a cut above some cartoons, with more adult themes and stakes as it goes along. What I really like is that the show has progressed. Ben and his friends have aged since season one, with their powers, relationships,and threats faced changing accordingly. Tonight, Ben even destroyed the original Omnitrix, but has a more powerful replacement , courtesy of his doppelganger. And my understanding is that the upcoming season 4 will begin with Ben's identity known to the people of Earth, and having to deal with the fact that most of them view him as a threat. Good stuff.
