Roger the Alien
Encyclopedia
Roger Smith, is a character from the animated television series American Dad!
. He is a space alien
, reminiscent of the Roswell
greys, but with the body that resembles E.T., and lives with the Smith family. Roger is sarcastic, amoral
, self-centered, and hedonistic
. He speaks in a swish
intended to resemble Paul Lynde
, and has a near-obsessive childlike affinity for role-playing
various personae in his day to day life. He came to live with the Smith family after saving Stan Smith
's life in Area 51
four years prior to the show beginning.
. Although Roger has shown an affinity for the cold, has remarked that snow
reminds him of his home world and that he learned to ice-skate there. Roger's planet and species are never specifically named nor seen. The color of Roger's blood changes. It is most frequently purple or green but has also been yellow (like in season 2, episode 3) and red (in the episode "Stan's Food Restaurant" and others) He has on one occasion demonstrated to be capable of moving at superhuman speed (slowing down time and moving at normal speed).
It is also revealed that he records an individual's memories after sexual fingering. On his home planet, Roger worked as a greeter at a Wal-Mart
-style department store. Roger was tricked into coming to Earth as a crash test dummy
under the assumption that he was "The Decider" and that the fate of mankind was in his hands. In the course of learning his true purpose for coming to Earth, he learned he was very resistant to fire. Having survived the crash he has been on Earth since 1947, Roger has been a part of several important moments in recent American history. Roger had a hand in inventing disco music, was a member of the Miracle on Ice
1980 US Olympic men's hockey team, was Jerry Lewis
's tailor in 1966 and gave him the idea for the MDA Telethon
which Lewis took full credit for, fought for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War
, and was responsible for the death of Notorious B.I.G. in 1997 after angering an armed driver who cut the rapper off in traffic (Roger survived the shooting and stole the Notorious B.I.G.'s gold chain, which Stan assumed was a gift Roger made for him). He is also responsible for getting the captain of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez
drunk, leading to the Exxon Valdez oil spill
, and for creating the initial design for Jar Jar Binks
for George Lucas
for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
, as seen in flashbacks in You Debt Your Life
. He has also had several one shot jobs such as car salesman and college professor as well as showing a number of talents for things like house cleaning, cooking, bartending, wedding planning and in general, the ability to organize large scale projects; like a massive spring break blowout, very well. Additionally, he is skilled in the art of disguise; being able to pass for either a man or a woman and to adopt an accent as required.
He lived with several families before the Smiths, with varying degrees of amicability, the Smiths being the only family knowing of his true alien identity. Additionally, Roger seems adept at either identity theft and/or creating new identities for himself; many of which have Social Security numbers; so he can move freely in the world. The CIA is aware of his existence and has been attempting to capture him, succeeding once (when Stan Smith met him), and once when Roger accidentally caught himself while working at the CIA. In order to make Roger palatable to the family, Stan gave him to his son Steve as a birthday present, and Roger is now accepted as part of the Smith family.
Roger describes himself in "You Debt Your Life
" as a "fey pansexual alcoholic non-human" in a similar vein to comedian Andy Dick
. Roger spends his time watching trashy television shows (Dynasty, Sex and the City, and a fictitious season of The Simple Life that showed Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as prisoners), eating junk food and using recreational drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, heroin, cocaine
, crack cocaine
, steroids oxycodone
, ecstasy, cooked down Affron, U4EA (a.k.a. the "fake drug from 90210
"), nitrous oxide
, and methamphetamine
. His excessive consumption of alcohol would, in human terms, qualify him as an alcoholic. He shows a preference for red wine. It is suggested in "The Best Christmas Story Never Told" that he is depressed over being stranded on Earth and having no place in human society, which could be a factor in his excessive alcohol and drug use. In place of organic waste he excretes golden feces with encrusted jewels that caused random people to do deplorable things.
Roger is frequently childish, showing an affinity for character role-playing, tantrums, and pranks, as well as being quite petty, spiteful, greedy, and cruel. In one instance, he convinced Steve he was adopted in retaliation for Steve having eaten the last cookie, and in another he threatened Steve's life by having him employed in a meth lab and convincing him he is at the Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter
novels. Despite having been on Earth for over sixty years, he has a tendency to be highly naive about the way the world works. He has at one point adopted a group of foster children with the intent to use them as slave labor. When he becomes dictator of a Caribbean island, he demands extravagant and vain services from the populace, such as painting the island yellow; he also sexually abuses his male staff. It is explained in "Frannie 911" that acting in a spirit of human courteousness and general niceness is poisonous to Roger, and he needs to clear his system of unpleasantness or risk death. Roger also has a history of holding grudges as shown in "Great Space Roaster
" and Virtual In-Stanity
, the former depicting his numerous attempts to the kill the Smith family for insulting him at his Comedy roast and writing death threats to Merlin Olsen
for seven years after Father Murphy
was cancelled while the latter has him murdering five people who ripped him off with several others killed off in the process.
In the pilot episode, Roger's body creates a mucus like fluid which is regularly expelled from several otherwise invisible orifices. This trait has been largely ignored throughout the rest of the series. He also produces a mayonnaise-like substance during his reproductive cycle. This substance is apparently delicious, as evidenced in the episode Deacon Stan, Jesus Man when he uses it as a substitute for mayonnaise in Francine's potato salad.
(a split personality) in the episode "The One That Got Away
" as "Sidney Huffman", a puritanical antithesis to Roger's usual personality. He also appears to be leading entirely separate double lives from his life with the Smith Family, as his persona of "Jeannie Gold, wedding planner" has two full-grown sons named Alex and Ronnie who refer to him as "mom", and has advertisements in Argentina as both a wedding planner and prostitute in "Shallow Vows".
The only characters outside the Smith home that have been shown to see through Roger's disguises are Steve's friend Toshi and hillbilly moonshiner Bob Todd. When Steve introduces his "uncle Roger" to his friends, Toshi replies "Ah yes, the alien in the wig" albeit in Japanese, to which Steve responds "Yeah, on my mom's side." Bob Todd makes a similar remark in English upon meeting Roger for the first time.
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. He is a space alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
, reminiscent of the Roswell
Roswell UFO incident
The Roswell UFO Incident was the recovery of an object that crashed in the general vicinity of Roswell, New Mexico, in June or July 1947, allegedly an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and of...
greys, but with the body that resembles E.T., and lives with the Smith family. Roger is sarcastic, amoral
Amorality
Amorality is an absence of, indifference towards, or disregard for moral beliefs. Any entity that is not sentient may be considered amoral. In addition, it can be argued that sentient but non-human creatures, like dogs, have no concept of morality and are therefore amoral...
, self-centered, and hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
. He speaks in a swish
Swish (slang)
Swish is a slang term usually used derogatorily for effeminate behaviour and interests , emphasized and sanctioned in pre-Stonewall gay male communities. This behaviour is also described as being nelly. Wentworth and Flexner define swish as a noun meaning "a male homosexual, esp...
intended to resemble Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
, and has a near-obsessive childlike affinity for role-playing
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
various personae in his day to day life. He came to live with the Smith family after saving Stan Smith
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
's life in Area 51
Area 51
Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield...
four years prior to the show beginning.
Character
Roger was born on an unnamed planet in AD 410410
Year 410 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year after the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius...
. Although Roger has shown an affinity for the cold, has remarked that snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
reminds him of his home world and that he learned to ice-skate there. Roger's planet and species are never specifically named nor seen. The color of Roger's blood changes. It is most frequently purple or green but has also been yellow (like in season 2, episode 3) and red (in the episode "Stan's Food Restaurant" and others) He has on one occasion demonstrated to be capable of moving at superhuman speed (slowing down time and moving at normal speed).
It is also revealed that he records an individual's memories after sexual fingering. On his home planet, Roger worked as a greeter at a Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
-style department store. Roger was tricked into coming to Earth as a crash test dummy
Crash test dummy
Crash test dummies are full-scale anthropomorphic test devices that simulate the dimensions, weight proportions and articulation of the human body, and are usually instrumented to record data about the dynamic behavior of the ATD in simulated vehicle impacts...
under the assumption that he was "The Decider" and that the fate of mankind was in his hands. In the course of learning his true purpose for coming to Earth, he learned he was very resistant to fire. Having survived the crash he has been on Earth since 1947, Roger has been a part of several important moments in recent American history. Roger had a hand in inventing disco music, was a member of the Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
1980 US Olympic men's hockey team, was Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
's tailor in 1966 and gave him the idea for the MDA Telethon
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
The MDA Labor Day Telethon is an annual telethon in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association . The first MDA telethon was during the Thanksgiving Day weekend of 1952 and titled Party for MDA. It has been held annually since 1966...
which Lewis took full credit for, fought for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and was responsible for the death of Notorious B.I.G. in 1997 after angering an armed driver who cut the rapper off in traffic (Roger survived the shooting and stole the Notorious B.I.G.'s gold chain, which Stan assumed was a gift Roger made for him). He is also responsible for getting the captain of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez
Exxon Valdez
Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean is an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska...
drunk, leading to the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
, and for creating the initial design for Jar Jar Binks
Jar Jar Binks
Jar Jar Binks is a fictional character from the Star Wars Saga , and the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. His primary role was to provide comic relief, but many reacted negatively to his character...
for George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...
, as seen in flashbacks in You Debt Your Life
You Debt Your Life
"You Debt Your Life" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 20, 2011. The episode focuses on two of the show's main characters, Roger the Alien and Stan Smith. After he saves Roger from being run over by a bus, Stan has repaid...
. He has also had several one shot jobs such as car salesman and college professor as well as showing a number of talents for things like house cleaning, cooking, bartending, wedding planning and in general, the ability to organize large scale projects; like a massive spring break blowout, very well. Additionally, he is skilled in the art of disguise; being able to pass for either a man or a woman and to adopt an accent as required.
He lived with several families before the Smiths, with varying degrees of amicability, the Smiths being the only family knowing of his true alien identity. Additionally, Roger seems adept at either identity theft and/or creating new identities for himself; many of which have Social Security numbers; so he can move freely in the world. The CIA is aware of his existence and has been attempting to capture him, succeeding once (when Stan Smith met him), and once when Roger accidentally caught himself while working at the CIA. In order to make Roger palatable to the family, Stan gave him to his son Steve as a birthday present, and Roger is now accepted as part of the Smith family.
Roger describes himself in "You Debt Your Life
You Debt Your Life
"You Debt Your Life" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 20, 2011. The episode focuses on two of the show's main characters, Roger the Alien and Stan Smith. After he saves Roger from being run over by a bus, Stan has repaid...
" as a "fey pansexual alcoholic non-human" in a similar vein to comedian Andy Dick
Andy Dick
Andrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
. Roger spends his time watching trashy television shows (Dynasty, Sex and the City, and a fictitious season of The Simple Life that showed Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as prisoners), eating junk food and using recreational drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, heroin, cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
, steroids oxycodone
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
, ecstasy, cooked down Affron, U4EA (a.k.a. the "fake drug from 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
"), nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
, and methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
. His excessive consumption of alcohol would, in human terms, qualify him as an alcoholic. He shows a preference for red wine. It is suggested in "The Best Christmas Story Never Told" that he is depressed over being stranded on Earth and having no place in human society, which could be a factor in his excessive alcohol and drug use. In place of organic waste he excretes golden feces with encrusted jewels that caused random people to do deplorable things.
Roger is frequently childish, showing an affinity for character role-playing, tantrums, and pranks, as well as being quite petty, spiteful, greedy, and cruel. In one instance, he convinced Steve he was adopted in retaliation for Steve having eaten the last cookie, and in another he threatened Steve's life by having him employed in a meth lab and convincing him he is at the Hogwarts
Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or simply Hogwarts is the primary setting for the first six books of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, with each book lasting the equivalent of one school year. It is a fictional boarding school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of...
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
novels. Despite having been on Earth for over sixty years, he has a tendency to be highly naive about the way the world works. He has at one point adopted a group of foster children with the intent to use them as slave labor. When he becomes dictator of a Caribbean island, he demands extravagant and vain services from the populace, such as painting the island yellow; he also sexually abuses his male staff. It is explained in "Frannie 911" that acting in a spirit of human courteousness and general niceness is poisonous to Roger, and he needs to clear his system of unpleasantness or risk death. Roger also has a history of holding grudges as shown in "Great Space Roaster
Great Space Roaster
"Great Space Roaster" is the eighteenth episode and the season finale of the fifth season of American Dad!. It originally aired on May 16, 2010. It was written by Jonathan Fener and directed by Joe Daniello...
" and Virtual In-Stanity
Virtual In-Stanity
"Virtual In-Stanity" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 20, 2011...
, the former depicting his numerous attempts to the kill the Smith family for insulting him at his Comedy roast and writing death threats to Merlin Olsen
Merlin Olsen
Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
for seven years after Father Murphy
Father Murphy
Father Murphy is an American television drama series that aired on the NBC network from November 3, 1981 to September 18, 1983. Michael Landon created the series, was the executive producer, and also directed the show in partnership with William F...
was cancelled while the latter has him murdering five people who ripped him off with several others killed off in the process.
In the pilot episode, Roger's body creates a mucus like fluid which is regularly expelled from several otherwise invisible orifices. This trait has been largely ignored throughout the rest of the series. He also produces a mayonnaise-like substance during his reproductive cycle. This substance is apparently delicious, as evidenced in the episode Deacon Stan, Jesus Man when he uses it as a substitute for mayonnaise in Francine's potato salad.
Disguises
Roger was initially forbidden to leave the house or interact with the Smith family's visitors. This quickly changed however, as a disguised Roger would be regularly seen outside the Smith home after only a few episodes. He has an extensive collection of wigs and hundreds of costumes of both genders stored on a carousel in the Smith attic, along with a vast array of fictitious personas and a book to keep record of which persona various friends and relatives know him as. Roger greatly enjoys his roleplaying and allows himself to be completely absorbed by his character, even to the point of violence and abuse towards those he considers close to him, such as stabbing Steve in the chest while acting as an employee for one of his other personas. His many personas caused him to temporarily develop dissociative identity disorderDissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
(a split personality) in the episode "The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away (American Dad!)
"The One That Got Away" is the second episode of the fourth season of the animated television series American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Roger's credit card is maxed out and he is certain it is identity theft. He vows revenge and...
" as "Sidney Huffman", a puritanical antithesis to Roger's usual personality. He also appears to be leading entirely separate double lives from his life with the Smith Family, as his persona of "Jeannie Gold, wedding planner" has two full-grown sons named Alex and Ronnie who refer to him as "mom", and has advertisements in Argentina as both a wedding planner and prostitute in "Shallow Vows".
The only characters outside the Smith home that have been shown to see through Roger's disguises are Steve's friend Toshi and hillbilly moonshiner Bob Todd. When Steve introduces his "uncle Roger" to his friends, Toshi replies "Ah yes, the alien in the wig" albeit in Japanese, to which Steve responds "Yeah, on my mom's side." Bob Todd makes a similar remark in English upon meeting Roger for the first time.