EVIL/ENEMY ALIEN THEORIES

NASEDO AS AN EVIL/ENEMY ALIEN

Jim Ortlieb as Nasedo with Emilie de Ravin as Tess, courtesy crashdown.com Sure, it's easy to just say that Harding is an evil shapeshifter. Afterall, who is going to disagree. How much good has he done? He has brought the podsters more questions than he has answered. But let's look at the evidence.

Click here to see a psychological profile of Season 1 Nasedo as created by Karst and DocPaul.

And click here to read the Theory of 2 Shapeshifters

WR's Reasons To Believe That Nasedo Is An Evil Alien:

Qfanny's List of Evidence:

Most believe that Nasedo is the Podster's guardian, and that the Aliens with the bleepers at the end of Destiny are the Pod Squad's enemies. This is because Nasedo has told us so. But so many things Nasedo has said and done in the past do not make sense, such as:

1) In TLV, he is angry with Tess for bringing Isabel to their home.

2) He kidnaps Liz

3) When he lets Liz kiss him, she sees what most of us interpret to be "the evil within"

4) In M2M, he again becomes angry with Tess for bringing the other three to the Pod Chamber.

5) He also accuses her having more loyalty to the three of them than to him.

Why should Tess's loyalty to the Podsters produce such a reaction? If they are his planet's leaders, if his job is to protect them and if Tess is supposed to be Max's long lost bride, why should Nasedo be surprised that Tess feels loyalty to her 'family '? Why should be become angry that Tess brings the very people he is supposed to protect to him?

What if it is that the race we call Shapeshifters is really the enemy of the Podsters? This could fit, as Liz has seen what could be interpreted as evil within Nasedo. So what is Nasedo's game?

It cannot simply be that he desires the death of the Podsters. He could have easily achieved that task, at almost any time. I think that he is after more of a 'Control' type of deal, where he can rule the home planet through Max.

However, he needed help, but his own allies were scattered across the country, not knowing the whereabouts of the Podsters (Agents may not necessarily know the identity of fellow agents). The only way to summon help was to use the orbs to send out the signal he knew would be sent. This posed a problem as only one of the Orbs was in Max's possession. The solution Nasedo came up with was to stage a situation where the FBI would capture Max. He could then lead the others in a bold rescue bid. He would then obtain both of the Orbs, and the gratitude and trust of the Podsters. He knew that with the curiosity of the Podsters piqued, they would use the Orbs, summoning more Evil Aliens for him. His original plan probably included the death of Liz, the human that was blocking Tess's union with Max. He felt sure that once Liz was out of the way, Tess would have no obstacles. The trouble is, once he found out how close Max and Liz were, he realized (as did Pierce) that Max's attachment to Liz might come in handy if he needed some pressure to Control Max.

But after Max's escape, why would Nasedo remain behind after the rescue? Maybe being shot was part of his plan, albeit a last minute one when Valenti got involved and started taking over some of the role of "Protector," and thus also taking some of the Podsters' confidence. Nasedo's last minute 'suicide' plan at the Army Base would be based upon his trust that Tess would make sure he was revived in the Pod Chamber by only the Podsters, and then set off the Orbs. Recall how he seemed unsurprised to find himself revived there, but was displeased to find Liz.

Harding admits to going by the name Nasedo--a Native American word that means stranger. River Dog explained how they met:

RIVER DOG: Man who lived in this cave when I was a boy was not like us. Some of the elders believed he was an evil spirit, so they decided to test him. He was invited into the sweat, just like I invited your friend. His reaction was quick and severe. Within a minute, his eyes were white, and he developed a fever.

RIVER DOG: I saved his life. After the sweat, he ran out into the desert. And we were told not to follow him. But I was a boy, and I didn't listen. I found him in this cave, dying. He had to trust me with his secret so that I could heal him.

Palomino, I believe, reminded the posters on FanForum that seemingly a large group of people, the Native Americans, thought Nasedo was evil before they even knew who or what he was. Why? What did he do up until that point? They must have had a reason to think the visitor was evil. As to why, that is unanswered.

The writers have left us some facts. Hubble says that the shapeshifter killed his pregnant wife, Shelia Hubble. After a terrifying encounter Max had with Hubble, he told Michael this.

MAX: I don't think he was crazy, Michael. I think the one we've been looking for has killed people...a lot of people.

Why would anyone good kill innocent people? Particularly pregnant women.

In the White Room, Pierce gave Max a list of killings done via the silver iron on.

PIERCE: Delta, Colorado, 1962, Agent Lewis, the first head of this Special Unit was found dead. His internal organs had reached a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. A silver handprint was found on his chest. What do you know about that?

PIERCE: Union City, Tennessee, 1967 Agent del Bianco, his replacement. Ring a bell?

PIERCE: All right. How about this: May second, 1999, Agent Daniel Summers, the man who brought me into this unit, the man whose job I now have, did you kill him, too? Or was it one of the others?

Max was right. The one Michael was looking for was dangerous. He had no qualms about killing. As Liz said in Leaving Normal, there is a right side and a wrong side. Sheriff Valenti repeated this right/wrong side dilemma in Destiny. Killing is wrong. Therefore, Harding must be on the wrong side.

One theory related to Nasedo/Harding as an Enemy Alien is the possibility that he is a double agent. His escape from the Special Unit might have been accomplished by agreeing to become their double agent. Thus, by bringing in either Liz or Max, he kept his cover with the Special Unit while also creating an opportunity to reclaim the Orb. However, even if this theory is correct, we still don't know if he is getting the Orb for the benefit of the Podsters or not.

This document last modified November 5, 2000.
All images derived from the Roswell television show are reproduced solely for purposes of academic discussion. Any commercial usage is a violation of copyright. All screen caps courtesy of crashdown.com.