Character Theories

Character Theories

These are theories about various characters from the show.

Click on a name to jump to theories for that character.

Claudia Parker
Owen Blackwood
Leanna (aka Jennifer Coleman)
James Atherton

Michael Theories

Why did Michael set off Brody�s pentagram device but Max didn�t?

In the episode 'Ask Not', Max discovers that Brody has a pentagram device in his office. He reaches for it, but Brody stops him, and Max goes on his merry way.

But later when Michael sneaks into the UFO Center, the pentagram device goes off, sending out some kind of power that knocks Michael to the ground.

Over the years there has been much speculation of why the device would respond to Michael but not to Max. Here are some of the theories.

- Some people speculated that Michael is a different type of alien than Max and Isabel, and the pentagram reacted to his genetics. Certainly possible. We know practically nothing about their original lives.

- Some people speculated that the pentagram device 'senesed' Michael's destructive powers, but could tell that Max's powers were basically defensive. Also possible, but there is really no evidence for this.

- My personal theory is that Brody was messing with the pentagram device, turning the controls and he just happened to do it when Michael was in the building, and its power affected him. Any of the aliens who were in the building would have experienced the same thing, it just happened to be Michael.

There is a little evidence for this. When Michael is thrown back, crashing into something and making noise, we see Brody holding the device. So he certainly could have been playing with it.

Zan & Ava Theories

Did the original Zan and Ava have a great love?

We hear a lot, mainly from Tess, about this great love that she and Max had in their other life. Is this true, or a load of hooey?

I tend to think it is completely untrue. Here's why.

Max was not drawn to Tess, and didn't love her or claim to love her even when she was carrying his child. Neither did dupe Zan love Ava. Ava said he was always looking for someone else.

But Max was drawn to Liz the first time he saw her and loved her from afar for years, even risking his life to save her.

Even after Max started remembering Tess from their other life it really doesn't seemed to have changed much between them. And if he remembered her at all, you would think he would have remembered this 'great love' between them and immediately jumped into a relationship with her. But it didn't happen.

Just the opposite, Max told Tess that the idea of them together scared him, but if he remember loving Tess, why would he be scared of being with her? If he remembered their relationship and 'great love' it would be familiar and comforting to be with her.

Even after they were together, Max was filled with regret. Doesn't seem like a man in love to me.

So did Max remember that he didn't love Tess in their last life? Or maybe he did love her, but those feelings just aren't there any more, like getting back together with an ex and then remembering why you broke it off in the first place. Or maybe she is a different person now, or he is, and he just doesn't have those feelings anymore. Or maybe he thought he loved her, but now that he's loved Liz, he sees that it wasn't love with he had with Tess in their last life.

I think the original Zan was probably fond of his wife, but as for the 'great love' that transcended death and spanned the universe, I think it is just a fairy tale.

Vilondra Theories

Did the original Vilondra betray her family on Antar?

Whitaker tells Isabel that in her last life, she betrayed her brother for her great love, Khivar. Lonnie tells Max that Vilondra loved Khivar so much that she betrayed her family and caused everyones' deaths.

Lonnie also mentions that she remembers her other life, so maybe this is the truth.

Certainly Lonnie had no trouble killing her brother Zan, so it isn't out of the realm of posibility. We even saw a bit of that type of behavior in Isabel, when she was 'rebeling' against Max in late season 2.

So it seems even though Isabel was mostly a loving and supportive sister, she could be pushed to do it under the right circumstances.

Or perhaps the original Vilondra just trusted the wrong people and they used it against her. Certainly you could make an argument that a girl in love could be manipulated to do things she wouldn't normally do, or tricked into doing something that she didn't realize would harm her family.

Did Vilondra love Rath in their last life?

Although there really isn't a lot of evidence for this, I would say it was possible.

When Isabel and Michael started having the dreams of being together, they were a little freaked out at first, granted, but that was because they had grown up thinking of each other as brother and sister. But neither of them seemed opposed to the idea at all. They were ready to fall in and go with what the dreams were telling them. Michael even wondered if they had a choice.

When Max was told he was supposed to be with Tess, he said he would choose his own way, not just go along.

You could also make the argument that possibly Vilondra did have some feelings for Rath, but we have also been told by several people that her great love was Khivar. So if that is true, was she seeing Khivar while she was engaged to Rath?

Possibly the marriage with Rath was arranged and she really didn't have feelings for him, so kept seeing her love Khivar.

It was also mentioned that Vilondra was having a bit of a flirtation or possibly an affair with Nicholas too. That seems really stupid on Nicholas' part to be going after his leader's lover. But maybe it was the danger that was exciting to them.

So did Vilondra love anyone? Or was she just sharing her 'favors' around to get what she wanted?

Rath Theories

How could Rath have saved Antar?

Courtney tells Michael that she supports him in a political way, and that if he was on the throne instead of Zan, he could have pulled together the warring factions to bring the planet into a golden age.

How?

Would Rath have been a better leader? In what way?

Was he more open to compromise perhaps? Seems unlikely given Rath and Michael's behavior. They are both more the 'act-rashly-and-deal-with-fallout-later' kind of guys.

Would he have been more ruthless than Max and crushed the opposing sides? Seems likely, especially given Rath's behavior, but that would be unlikely to lead to a golden age. Maybe Courtney just meant it would have been a golden age for the winning side.

Perhaps he was related to one or more of the warring sides? Pure speculation, but possible.

Or maybe Courtney and the other Michael worshippers are just delusional. lol

Maria's Father Theories

Who was Maria's father?

Some fans started to wonder who Maria's father was, and why he was never mentioned or seen on the show. And some of them started to speculate that possibly he was an alien, maybe even one of the shapeshifters.

So of course that would make Maria half alien herself.

There is absolutely no proof of this. Maria never exhibited any kind of powers or otherworldly abilities, and nothing was ever mentioned about her father being anything out of the ordinary. I think it was mostly Maria fans wishful thinking that she was something more than just human.

It is pure speculation on my part, but I think a guy that Jim Valenti mentioned could be Maria's father. Valenti said he nearly ran over Amy and Curt Pressman with his dirtbike because they were laying together on a mesa. This was before Amy was 18 and we know she was married at 17, so possibly he is Maria's father (ARCC)

Khivar Theories

Khivar is Tess & Max's Son

This is from my own little twisted mind. lol There is not any real evidence, but it would explain why Khivar was so jazzed that Tess get pregnant.

And with time travel possible, Khivar could have grown up, used the Granolith to go back in time, and ursurp his own father!

There are some paradox problems with this one, but I am sure some enterprising writer could work them out. ;)

Khivar is Alex

This is a more obscure theory, but it does make a bit of sense. Remember how Alex was different when he came back from 'Sweden'? He was cool and much better able to control himself around Isabel. He exuded confidence, and his behavior made Isabel notice him and be attracted to him.

Then when she asked him to the prom, he actually turned her down. Something the old Alex would never have done, and it was behavior that was sure to make her want him more. It was like he suddenly knew about women, or about Isabel specifically and how to attract her.

Well this wasn't like Alex, and some people wondered if it wasn't Alex at all. What if when he came back, he had been possessed by Khivar, or replaced by Khivar. It would certainly explain his transformation.

Khivar is Jesse

When Isabel fell for Jesse so quickly, a lot of people were suspicious. She was always so guarded, so careful with the guys she dated in the past, never letting anyone close. But then she meets and falls for a guy in a few months, and gets married to him.

Why would she do that? Why would she let him close?

A lot of people thought she must have sensed something in him to trust him so quickly, or possibly he had her under some kind of spell, and the obvious candidate was her past love Khivar.

Nicholas Theories

Why was Nicholas in a child's body?

Maybe Khivar does have a thing for young women & men. lol Khivar would have to be at least 70, probably older, and he was making passes at Isabel.

As for Nicholas, I have a few theories about why he is in that body.

1. Maybe it is a punishment for something.
Maybe Khivar found out that Nicholas was sleeping with Vilondra behind his
back, or maybe something else we don't know about.

2. Maybe it is a glimpse of Khivar's sense of humor, or his evil. Perhaps he
just thought it was funny that his second in command be stuck in a child's
body. Or perhaps he knew how uncomfortable or humiliated Nicholas would be, and
liked the idea of causing him pain.

3. Or maybe, and I think most likely, Nicholas is in the child's body as a form
of protection and camouflage. A child would be the last one you would suspect,
and the one you would worry the least about. A child would be easily
overlooked, and put the enemy off guard.

Claudia Parker Theories

Did Liz's grandmother have a connection to the aliens?

A lot of fanficiton has been written showing a connection between Liz' grandmother and the aliens in the crash.

And that was fueled even more by the article she wrote about the Navajo, Lost Treasures, making the alien/native american connection stronger.

Many fics had her stumbing on knowledge of the aliens because of her study of the Navajo or other tribes.

Here are some additional explanations by Zanity.

This idea originally sparked from:
From Pilot:

Liz: My grandmother took this picture at the crash sight right before the government cleaned it up.

Granted that was a lie for a tourist but it sparked the idea that Liz's Grandma might have been at the crash site... then you add to that the fact that when Max helped Liz say goodbye while Grandma Claudia was dying the only thing she says in regard to the situation is:

GRANDMA: Let me guess...Max.

No... How is this happening... no what did you do to me.... not even any shock or surprise that it happened on her face or in her demeanor. She

Owen Blackwood Theories

Who was Owen Blackwood?

In case you don't remember, Owen Blackwood was the Native American deputy early in the series. He was at the Crashdown shooting, at the Crash Festival when Valenti was 'arresting' Max, and he was even at the Evan's house after the break in.

I've always wondered if he was more than he seemed, and my friend River Dog independently had some of the same specualtions.

What if Owen was one of the shapeshifters or another helpful alien?
Crazy? Well, you can decide.

Think about it. If he was a shapeshifter what would be a better place to gather information than to be a deputy? If he knew where the kids were, he could keep an eye on them. If he didn't know where they were, he could use the power, resources and equipment of the Sheriff's office to look for them.

And there were a few times he seemed helpful or protective of the kids.

- At the Crash Festival, he seemed to be defending Max, asking the Sheriff what Max had done.

- When Isabel had the flat tire to distract the Sheriff, he offered to change it for her. Possibly to keep her away from the already suspicious Sheriff.

- He was at the Sheriff's station when Michael came in 'selling candy for charity', and told him to get out. Perhaps trying to keep Michael out of trouble.

(this one was pointed out by my friend River Dog)
- There is also the curiousity of Owen's appearance when Michael broke into the UFO Center in 285 South. How did he even know Michael had broken in? Is there an alarm on the pipe Michael slid inside in? I'm thinking not. Even if there was an alarm, Owen was there so quickly, it doesn't seem possible. So was Owen following Michael for some reason?

And how did Owen get into the UFO Center? Surely it was locked up that time of night. So did Owen have a key, break in, pick the lock, maybe he happened to see Michael on the roof and went down the same pipe? They all seem pretty unlikely. Or did he use some otherwordly power to get in?

- And maybe the most interesting to me, was that Owen was the person who noticed the symbol on Isabel's necklace and told her it was from the reservation, where they eventually found River Dog and the cave writing.

Then Owen was gone, never to be seen again on the show. Interestingly, it was about the same time that the shapeshifter known as 'Tic Tac' showed up. So maybe he was Tic Tac, or another helpful alien, maybe even the dupes protector who came to help look for or protect the real royal four.

Sure, maybe it was all simply coincidence, but it makes you wonder.

Leanna (aka Jennifer Coleman) Theories

Who was Leanna (aka Jennifer Coleman)?

Leanna is first introduced as Alex�s Swedish girlfriend, but we learn that Leanna doesn�t really exist at all. She is really a university student at the University of Las Cruces named Jennifer Coleman. It is unclear exactly how much she was involved in the whole Alex fiasco. Perhaps she was not involved at all, and was impersonated, or maybe she was involved a little but didn�t really know what was going on, or maybe she was in it up to her neck, although I doubt that.

It is my theory that someone, a shapeshifter, a Skin, a dupe, was impersonating the real Jennifer Coleman and posed as Leanna.

Let�s look at the facts.

Leanna/Jennifer runs away from Maria and Liz when they see her in the University of Las Cruces quad at the Nelly Furtado concert. If she wasn�t involved, how would she know who Liz and Maria even were? And why would she run?

And if Leanna/Jennifer was not involved wouldn�t she wonder about this weird email that �Ray� sent to her with the translation in it? And wasn�t Leanna/Jennifer concerned about the rental property bills coming to her?

It also always seemed likely to me that Tess had a local accomplice in Las Cruces. Someone needed to keep Alex in line, and he broke out of the mind warp at least once we know of, when he created the �Leanna is not Leanna� document.

Also I find it highly unlikely that the computer and crystal just sat in that rental property for four months waiting for someone to find them. It seems much more likely that someone set that up for Liz to find and led her there.

I am thinking it is whoever impersonated Leanna/Jennifer.

And one more piece of evidence - Leanna/Jennifer didn�t recognize Liz when she saved her from the fire that Max was starting.

So Leanna/Jennifer did recognize Liz when she ran away from her and Maria a few days before, but not when Liz pounds on her dorm room door. Making it seem to me that it was the real Leanna/Jennifer in the room that Liz tried to save, but a different person when they saw her before.

All of that seems to point to the fact that someone was impersonating Leanna/Jennifer. Who it was we can only guess.

James Atherton Theories

Who was James Atherton?

James Atherton wrote the book "Among Us: " that Milton gives to Max.

Milton describes him and the book briefly to Max. "James Atherton was the first to publish on the '47 crash. He authored several books, most notably 'Among Us' published in 1955. A bit on the alternative side."

Supposedly Atherton was on to something amazing, possibly direct contact. Legend has it that he was abducted by aliens because he disappeared in 1959.

Later we find out that Atherton was the corpse with the silver handprint on the chest, in the photos that Valenti shows to Liz in the Pilot. The photo is marked Nov 16, 1959.

James Atherton somehow knew Nasedo and River Dog from the Mesiliko reservation. River Dog said Atherton was a friend of Nasedo. Nasedo trusted Atherton and gave him his necklace. But later River Dog saw Nasedo kill Atherton.

So what did happen? Why did Nasedo kill Atherton who was supposedly a friend he trusted?

We know that Nasedo didn't generally value humans but he did value things. It seems like Atherton must have been a good friend to Nasedo if the shapeshifter gave him one of the only things from their planet, the necklace. So what would have turned Nasedo against him?

Unfortunatley, it is never discussed in the show, but there have been many specualtions.

- Some have wondered if Atherton was in the area to do research on the crash and didn't tell Nasedo he was an author of alien books. When Nasedo found out he thought Atherton would betray him.

- Perhaps Atherton discovered the truth about Nasedo somehow, and was going to expose him.

- Perhaps Atherton followed Nasedo to the pod chamber, or the crash site, or to the cave and saw the map, and Nasedo thought he was too much of a threat.

- Perhaps the Native American elders told Atherton they thought Nasedo was not of this world and Atherton realized Nasedo was an alien and confronted him about it. Nasedo didn't want to take the chance that Atherton might tell someone.

- Some have wondered if Atherton was a skin, enemy shapeshifter, or an FBI agent posing as a UFO nut.

Or maybe it is something simple, like Nasedo didn't really give Atherton the necklace, Atherton stole it to use as proof or as a souvenir, and Nasedo found out.

- Some have even speculated that Atherton was helping Nasedo 'cover up' the crash. There is a little evidence for this if you remember the quote from Atherton's book that Max reads to Michael and Isabel.

"He says...this guy is nuts...that aliens wouldn't possess the lung capacity or brain capacity for more than short-term survival on Earth."

That is a very strange thing to write in a book about aliens considering the amount of technology it would require to get here from their planet. It made some fans wonder if Atherton was downplaying the threat that aliens on Earth would pose.

- Some have even wondered if Nasedo wrote the book and published it under Atherton's name.

Serena Theories

Who was Serena?

The only thing we know about Serana was that she was a friend of Liz's in the future who figured out how to alter the granolith to send Max through time. Other than that she is a complete mystery.

Over the years many have speculated about who she could be even though there is no evidence in the show. The theories generally fall into two groups - she is a human who was able to figure out the alien technology, or she was an alien. I have even wondered if perhaps she was Max and Liz's daughter who inherited her mother's talent for science.

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