Rebirth: “The Secret of Chromastone”
Jan. 30th, 2010 04:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameKevin and Gwen are racing down a deserted stretch of road one night, Ben curled up in the back seat under a blanket, moaning that he won’t make it. But just in time, they manage to reach…Mr. Smoothy. It turns out Ben’s sick with a bad cold, and the only way Kevin can get him to take a “Levin family cure” is to spike his drink with it. But Ben barely has time to choke down his medicine before a ship lands in the parking lot, and an armored figure steps out, his helmet retracting. It’s their old friend Tetrax, and he wants Ben to hand over Chromastone now. He tries to force Ben to become Chromastone, but when Ben becomes Diamondhead instead, Tetrax senses Chromastone within him and shatters Diamondhead to release Chromastone. Chromastone, his eye white and his body lacking the Omnitrix emblem, asks if it’s time, and Tetrax places a red crystal in his body that changes the pink coloring on him to red and then sends him into space. As the very confused team puts Ben back together, Tetrax explains that Chromastone is the only hope to revive his planet and people. When Vilgax destroyed Petropia, Tetrax discovered a prophecy stating that when the planet’s three suns were in alignment, its Guardian, Chromastone, would be able to channel the energy into a crystal containing the memories of the planet and people. This would allow everything to be reborn. But there are two major problems: one, there is a very short window of opportunity, and two, that crystal was the same one Tetrax retrieved for Vilgax years ago to destroy the planet. And Vilgax wants his property back.
The team tries to hold off Vilgax, but Kevin lets slip that Chromastone has taken the crystal across the galaxy. Vilgax flies off to Petropia, and the team takes the Resolute to try and stop him. The planet has already been restored, but Chromastone hasn’t had the chance to restore the people yet, and Vilgax is already on the attack. By the time they reach Petropia, Vilgax has taken the crystal back and uses it to attack Tetrax, but he notes that Chromastone has used all of its power and then tosses it away before leaving. Chromastone is in bad shape, and when it appears that all hope is lost, he gets up and absorbs enough power from the aligned stars to regenerate a fresh crystal. Unfortunately, it takes the last of his strength, so he breaks it off and asks Ben to do what he can’t before fading, leaving Ben with no idea what to do. However, Diamondhead apparently has some kind of genetic memory regarding the crystal, and he does know what to do. He races across the planet (crossing one of those treacherous Mordor bridges, which shatters behind him) until he reaches the highest peak. He then holds the crystal up high in the light of the suns, and the light radiates outward all over the planet. Crystals emerge from the ground and form into the lost people of Petropia. Ben returns, feeling the victory to be bittersweet—Tetrax’s people have been reborn, but not Chromastone. But that’s what he thinks. Chromastone, really Sodalite, the Guardian of Petropia, is standing among his people. After accepting the crystal and explaining to Ben that the Omnitrix variant of Chromastone is still in the watch, Sodalite thanks Ben on behalf of him and all Crystalsapiens. And Kevin and Gwen realize this is not what Ben’s ego needs right now.
Tetrax takes them home, but he’s not ready to go home himself just yet. He still has to finish things with Vilgax. Ben, concerned and this time actually taking Vilgax as a serious threat, points out that Vilgax is invulnerable, but Tetrax isn’t so sure. And back home on Vilgaxia, the monarch of evil is outraged at having caught Ben’s cold. Biological warfare for the win!
This episode ties together the destinies of Chromastone, Diamondhead, and Tetrax as their paths all cross. Diamondhead served as a vessel for Chromastone following “Vengeance of Vilgax” (something that isn’t actually explained here, unfortunately), and his destiny continues to cross with Chromastone’s as he finishes the job Chromastone started. Tetrax, who already knows Diamondhead, crosses paths with Chromastone apparently long before Ben ever put on the watch. And it is very hard to untangle those two’s fates and examine them separately.
What we know from Secret of the Omnitrix is this: Tetrax, in his troubled youth as a mercenary, once took a job for Vilgax that involved him stealing a powerful red crystal. But he didn’t realize that the crystal was the last component of a weapon that allowed Vilgax to destroy the planet. Tetrax, horrified at what he’d been complicit in, swore his revenge against Vilgax.
“The Secret of Chromastone” reveals that Tetrax recently returned to the ruins of his planet, only to find a prophecy and a secret about the crystal. The crystal held the memories and DNA of the planet and its people, right up to the moment of their destruction—like the Omnitrix. The crystal was thus considered sacred to the people of Petropia, and they created a special Guardian, Sodalite, to bear the responsibility of restoring them should anything happen to their planet. As the planet’s three suns aligned, it would provide enough energy to rebuild the planet. Sodalite, with his unique powers over energy, would act as a conduit for the crystal, giving it the power to bring everything back to life. Unfortunately, it seems that Sodalite was killed in the explosion. But his DNA was in the Omnitrix database, allowing Ben to become the alien he called Chromastone. Chromastone apparently retained his memories as Sodalite, keeping them separate from Ben’s consciousness, waiting for the day when the stars aligned and the crystal was returned to him, so he could fulfill his destiny to restore his and Tetrax’s home planet. When the crystal was returned to him, he assimilated it into his body, allowing the crystal on his forehead to grow as it took on the power. He also demonstrated the ability to fly, but it’s unclear whether or not Ben has that ability as well as Chromastone.
For Chromastone/Sodalite, the quest to save Petropia was a matter of destiny. For Tetrax, it was a matter of redemption. He has never forgiven himself for betraying his people out of his selfishness and short-sightedness, and while he has helped Ben keep the Omnitrix out of Vilgax’s hands, it’s still not enough to make up for all the harm he caused. This was his last chance to redeem himself, and he’s finally accomplished it. However, he still has a long way to go: Vilgax is still out there and will always remain a threat. Tetrax may well have completed his quest for redemption, but his quest for revenge is still ongoing.
Among Vilgax’s new powers this episode are flight and super-hearing. I’m not going to make the joke. Also notable is that Gluto is not in this episode—the Resolute has apparently been retrofitted for Tetrax and the kids to fly. Maybe he just got tired of the angst and quit.
There is one thing that really, really bothers me, though. In “Vengeance of Vilgax,” a big deal (and nearly a half-hour) was made of the fact that the alien templates that had escaped the Omnitrix were unable to survive on their own and were mindless without Ben’s guiding intelligence. Chromastone had been one of the escapees. And here, when Tetrax frees him, he retains his memories as a Guardian and goes off to fulfill his destiny, almost as if the whole thing in “Vengeance of Vilgax” never happened. I don’t get it.
And on a much more positive note, major props to the music department for the score on this. They had a beautiful, heroic theme playing for the rebirth of Petropia, and a very weighty theme as Diamondhead hurried to fulfill Chromastone’s destiny. Often, Alien Force reuses scores and cues from other episodes (like the generic fight music), but when they do add an original piece, they always do a wonderful job (such as the piece playing over Ben’s memories in “Ben 10 Returns,” which we never hear again).
“The Secret of Chromastone” was written by Rich Fogel. James Remar played Vilgax, and Dee Bradley Baker provided the voice of Sodalite. Dave Fennoy returned to play Tetrax.
The team tries to hold off Vilgax, but Kevin lets slip that Chromastone has taken the crystal across the galaxy. Vilgax flies off to Petropia, and the team takes the Resolute to try and stop him. The planet has already been restored, but Chromastone hasn’t had the chance to restore the people yet, and Vilgax is already on the attack. By the time they reach Petropia, Vilgax has taken the crystal back and uses it to attack Tetrax, but he notes that Chromastone has used all of its power and then tosses it away before leaving. Chromastone is in bad shape, and when it appears that all hope is lost, he gets up and absorbs enough power from the aligned stars to regenerate a fresh crystal. Unfortunately, it takes the last of his strength, so he breaks it off and asks Ben to do what he can’t before fading, leaving Ben with no idea what to do. However, Diamondhead apparently has some kind of genetic memory regarding the crystal, and he does know what to do. He races across the planet (crossing one of those treacherous Mordor bridges, which shatters behind him) until he reaches the highest peak. He then holds the crystal up high in the light of the suns, and the light radiates outward all over the planet. Crystals emerge from the ground and form into the lost people of Petropia. Ben returns, feeling the victory to be bittersweet—Tetrax’s people have been reborn, but not Chromastone. But that’s what he thinks. Chromastone, really Sodalite, the Guardian of Petropia, is standing among his people. After accepting the crystal and explaining to Ben that the Omnitrix variant of Chromastone is still in the watch, Sodalite thanks Ben on behalf of him and all Crystalsapiens. And Kevin and Gwen realize this is not what Ben’s ego needs right now.
Tetrax takes them home, but he’s not ready to go home himself just yet. He still has to finish things with Vilgax. Ben, concerned and this time actually taking Vilgax as a serious threat, points out that Vilgax is invulnerable, but Tetrax isn’t so sure. And back home on Vilgaxia, the monarch of evil is outraged at having caught Ben’s cold. Biological warfare for the win!
This episode ties together the destinies of Chromastone, Diamondhead, and Tetrax as their paths all cross. Diamondhead served as a vessel for Chromastone following “Vengeance of Vilgax” (something that isn’t actually explained here, unfortunately), and his destiny continues to cross with Chromastone’s as he finishes the job Chromastone started. Tetrax, who already knows Diamondhead, crosses paths with Chromastone apparently long before Ben ever put on the watch. And it is very hard to untangle those two’s fates and examine them separately.
What we know from Secret of the Omnitrix is this: Tetrax, in his troubled youth as a mercenary, once took a job for Vilgax that involved him stealing a powerful red crystal. But he didn’t realize that the crystal was the last component of a weapon that allowed Vilgax to destroy the planet. Tetrax, horrified at what he’d been complicit in, swore his revenge against Vilgax.
“The Secret of Chromastone” reveals that Tetrax recently returned to the ruins of his planet, only to find a prophecy and a secret about the crystal. The crystal held the memories and DNA of the planet and its people, right up to the moment of their destruction—like the Omnitrix. The crystal was thus considered sacred to the people of Petropia, and they created a special Guardian, Sodalite, to bear the responsibility of restoring them should anything happen to their planet. As the planet’s three suns aligned, it would provide enough energy to rebuild the planet. Sodalite, with his unique powers over energy, would act as a conduit for the crystal, giving it the power to bring everything back to life. Unfortunately, it seems that Sodalite was killed in the explosion. But his DNA was in the Omnitrix database, allowing Ben to become the alien he called Chromastone. Chromastone apparently retained his memories as Sodalite, keeping them separate from Ben’s consciousness, waiting for the day when the stars aligned and the crystal was returned to him, so he could fulfill his destiny to restore his and Tetrax’s home planet. When the crystal was returned to him, he assimilated it into his body, allowing the crystal on his forehead to grow as it took on the power. He also demonstrated the ability to fly, but it’s unclear whether or not Ben has that ability as well as Chromastone.
For Chromastone/Sodalite, the quest to save Petropia was a matter of destiny. For Tetrax, it was a matter of redemption. He has never forgiven himself for betraying his people out of his selfishness and short-sightedness, and while he has helped Ben keep the Omnitrix out of Vilgax’s hands, it’s still not enough to make up for all the harm he caused. This was his last chance to redeem himself, and he’s finally accomplished it. However, he still has a long way to go: Vilgax is still out there and will always remain a threat. Tetrax may well have completed his quest for redemption, but his quest for revenge is still ongoing.
Among Vilgax’s new powers this episode are flight and super-hearing. I’m not going to make the joke. Also notable is that Gluto is not in this episode—the Resolute has apparently been retrofitted for Tetrax and the kids to fly. Maybe he just got tired of the angst and quit.
There is one thing that really, really bothers me, though. In “Vengeance of Vilgax,” a big deal (and nearly a half-hour) was made of the fact that the alien templates that had escaped the Omnitrix were unable to survive on their own and were mindless without Ben’s guiding intelligence. Chromastone had been one of the escapees. And here, when Tetrax frees him, he retains his memories as a Guardian and goes off to fulfill his destiny, almost as if the whole thing in “Vengeance of Vilgax” never happened. I don’t get it.
And on a much more positive note, major props to the music department for the score on this. They had a beautiful, heroic theme playing for the rebirth of Petropia, and a very weighty theme as Diamondhead hurried to fulfill Chromastone’s destiny. Often, Alien Force reuses scores and cues from other episodes (like the generic fight music), but when they do add an original piece, they always do a wonderful job (such as the piece playing over Ben’s memories in “Ben 10 Returns,” which we never hear again).
“The Secret of Chromastone” was written by Rich Fogel. James Remar played Vilgax, and Dee Bradley Baker provided the voice of Sodalite. Dave Fennoy returned to play Tetrax.