Plumber Badge

A Plumber's Badge is a device used by the Plumbers (and sometimes given to their children so they are not thought as alien invaders and captured by other plumbers by mistake). Introduced in Ben 10 Returns: Part 2, they serve as communicators and can generate a signature allowing them to locate their owners. Its "face" is the galactic peace symbol.

In season 1 of Ben 10: Alien Force, Kevin took Magister Labrid's Plumber's badge after he died. It was then used by them to find allies against the Highbreed, allowing them to locate Plumber's kids like Alan Albright and Michael Morningstar. Kevin's badge was taken from him by Magister Prior Gilhil in Darkstar Rising, but at the end of the same episode, he eventually named the three of them honorary plumbers, giving Kevin and Gwen their own badges.



The Omnitrix is mentioned to act as a Plumber's badge, explaining why Ben doesn't have or need one. This is the reason why the Omnitrix takes the form of a Plumbers' badge when in alien form. The Ultimatrix, while still functioning like a Plumbers' badge, is not recognized as one. Because of this, Ben now has his own Plumbers' badge for identification and communicating with other Plumbers.

Description
A Plumber's badge looks like a circular, disk-like object marked with a green and black symbol. The green part is shaped like an hourglass. This symbol is actually the intergalactic symbol of peace, and was used too by Azmuth on the Omnitrix and Ultimatrix. When in use it glows and is manipulated by tapping different parts. The badge can be used on Ben's or Kevin's car. Some DNAliens have them and Agreggor has one, too, which would mean they were most likely stolen. Azmuth uses the badges symbol to show the Omnitrix and the Ultimatrix as devices meant for peaceful purposes to help other aliens to understand each other.

In Omniverse, it looks more like a light gray circular disc shaped like a circular hourglass with a red dot in the middle of it. Like real-world badges, most appear attached to a wallet, but standalone versions have been shown.

Features

 * Locator : Creates a holographic map that can pin-point the location of another Plumber's Badge with a flashing dot. It can even track other badges in space.
 * Communicator : It has a two-way communication system with the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix and any other Badge.
 * Universal Translator : Translates any language into any other.
 * Radiation Detector : Plumber's Badge will flash red and produce sounds when radiation is detected.
 *  Extranet Access : Gwen used her badge as a modem to connect her laptop to the Extranet (an intergalactic version of the Internet.)
 *  Weapon Enhancement : In The Ultimate Enemy: Part 1, Kevin puts his badge on a gun taken from a Forever Knight and it enhanced the gun's laser blasts and changed their color to green.
 *  Electronic Lock Override : Max uses this function to gain access to the DNAlien base in Max Out to rescue Ken.
 *  Plumber Override : Kevin uses this in Prisoner Number 775 is Missing in an attempt to deactivate the automated self-destruct on board Cooper's ship.
 *  Self Destruct : Three plumber badges can set a Self destruct mode in Plumber spaceship as shown in Above and Beyond.

Trivia

 * In Above and Beyond, Alan holds out his Plumber's Badge but he still had one on his chest. This is an animation error.
 * For some reason, the badges never appeared in the original Ben 10 series, but the Omnitrix had it in the series.
 * In Escape From Aggregor, Galapagus didn't have a Plumber's Badge. But when he was on the computer the moment he turned around he had a badge on his chest. It was an animation error.
 * In Eye of the Beholder, Ben pulled out a Plumbers Badge to locate Rust Bucket 3 in space.
 * The Omnitrix/Ultimatrix assumes the form of a Plumber' Badge when the user is transformed.
 * The Omnitrix and Ultimatrix can be used as Plumber's Badges (The Ultimatrix to a lesser extent).
 * Due to the complexity of their language, the Plumbers' Badges are incapable of translating what a Vulpimancer is saying into a different language, like English.
 * According the Derrick the hourglass symbol used on Plumbers' badges is actually the symbol of Galvan technology.
 * A red dot is the Plumbers' badge in Omniverse.
 * If one listens closely in A Jolt from the Past when Rook started talking to Ben, a Star Trek communicator sound effect can be heard.