Consider: Many of Mew's Pokédex entries attest to it's status as a maboroshi-no-Pokémon (幻のポケモン; an "illusory Pokémon"; that is, effectively a Pokémon cryptid), as well as its ability to learn all moves. Some of its Pokédex entries state that its genome contains the collective genomes of all Pokémon (which is thought to be the reason for its ability to learn all moves). Some of said that Mew cannot learn all moves, merely most moves; it cannot learn very exclusive moves, such as Roar of Time, Conversion, Bonemerang, etc.
However, I posit that Mew can in fact learn those moves, since its Pokédex entries do clearly state that it can learn all moves. The simple reason that exclusive, signature moves cannot be learned in-game by Mew, I believe, is quite simply that no signature move could possibly be recorded in TM or HM form: the fact that there is no means by which it could learn to perform the move is not necessarily evidence that it is incapable of learning the move.
Mew's Pokédex Entries
Generation I
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Generation II
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Generation III
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Generation IV
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Generation V
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Generation VI
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It is claimed that Mew may be the ancestor of all Pokémon, because its genome contains the genetic material of all known Pokémon (and presumably unknown; consider the fact that its Pokédex entries have affirmed its genetics despite the discovery of many hundreds of Pokémon since Generation II, when it was first stated to have the DNA of all Pokémon). However, an important distinction is made: they state quite plainly that its genome contains the genetic material of all Pokémon, however, they make quite clear that the notion that it is a common ancestor of Pokémon is a simply a hypothesis. But, as a partially-trained evolutionary biologist and zoologist myself, my first instinct of course is: that's absurd, that hypothesis would require evolution to operate in reverse (i.e., that the universal common ancestral species, rather than being very simple and possessing a miniscule genome, possessed a genome containing a huge selection of DNA, from which all other species would be parceled a predetermined portion).
Speculation: There are effectively three explanations for these observations:
- Mew is an extraterrestrial species, which evolved elsewhere in the universe and came to Earth, and then served as the common ancestor of Earth life. This scenario requires Pokémon evolutionary descent to operate in an entirely different manner from the known principles of natural selection, gene flow, speciation, etc. (not an impossibility, though there is evidence to suggest that Pokémon evolve in the same, or a similar, manner as is known (this is distinct from the "evolution" which Pokémon undergo, which is more akin to a form of metamorphosis)).
- Mew is, as many believe, the common ancestor of all Pokémon: the genomes of all Pokémon contain fragments of Mew's genetic material. In this scenario, the existence of Mew on Earth is unexplained.
Or, the most bizarre possibility, and the most intriguing to me...
- Mew is in fact a universal Pokémon descendant: Mew is a Pokémon from the future, and is a sort of fusion of the genomes of all Pokémon (perhaps created through artificial means?).
Given Mew is known to be capable of surviving and traveling in outer space, it's entirely possible that Mew is an extraterrestrial Pokémon; it's not totally unreasonable to think that this scenario could have been the origin of all Pokémon. However, that would require for there to be absolutely zero mutation and/or generation of new genetic material over the course of billions of years: a virtual impossibility, or at best very unlikely, given the molecular makeup of deoxyribonucelotides and the processes of natural selection and breeding. The only argument that would stand up whatsoever I think is simply that Pokémon and their breeding and evolution is not quite the same as ordinary animals (somewhat of a cop-out, in my opinion, but reasonable; after all, Skitty and Wailord are capable of breeding and producing viable offspring; this suggests that the Egg Groups of Pokémon are indications of genetic compatibility).
Tangent: It is also theoretically possible that popular opinion is correct: Arceus (thought by some to be the creator of the Pokémon world) created Mew, and a proliferation of Mews essentially "evolved" into all other species of Pokémon. I for one am a Poké-atheist: that is, I do not believe that Arceus created the Pokémon world, or that it's a god, or anything more than a very rare and powerful Pokémon. The "Mew Problem" is one of the primary reasons why I cannot rationally accept Arceus as a creator-deity of Pokémon: if you believe in Arceus as creator, and Mew as common ancestor... then which came first? Arceus or Mew? This logical inconsistency is among the most compelling reasons why I do not believe that Arceus is a creator god. Arceus cannot be the creator of its own ancestor. But I digress...
Hypothesis: I have developed a theoretical solution to these problems of Mew's origins: one could call it the "Descendant Hypothesis". More specifically, I believe that perhaps Mew is not a common ancestor of Pokémon, but instead a common descendant: somehow (perhaps due to the aforementioned Egg Groups of Pokémon), Mew is a sort of hybrid or universal descendant of all Pokémon (including all extinct and yet-to-be-discovered species). A number of Pokémon are known to be capable of traversing different dimensions, traveling through space and time, etc.; Mew, being capable of using all techniques known by other Pokémon, would logically be able to do these things as well. Thus, hypothetically, Mew is not an ancient, ancestral Pokémon from which all others are descended, but instead a universal descendant, into which all Pokémon lineages eventually converge, at some time in the future. This is theoretically possible given the unusual nature of Pokémon breeding: namely, because of the Egg Groups. If such seemingly divergent species as Diglett and Wailord (both members of the Field Egg Group) are capable of breeding and producing viable offspring, then it is far from impossible (in fact, rather probable) that at some time in the future, the Egg Groups would essentially merge into a single reproductive category, wherein all Pokémon would be capable of breeding with any other and yielding offspring.
Speculation: Mew, being genderless and of the Undiscovered Egg Group, does not breed with any known Pokémon. However, there is an intriguing link which can theoretically be made between Mew and Ditto. Many Pokémon theorists have noted the similarities between Mew and Ditto (coloration, weight, Transform, etc.), and that Ditto was originally to be found in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island, where research and experimentation on Mew and Mewtwo was conducted. Thus, many (myself included) have reached the conclusion that Ditto was created accidentally, essentially as failed attempts to clone Mew. Thus, theoretically, Ditto is effectively a mass of slime composed of Mew cells (explaining its ability to use Transform, as Mew can, since it possesses the genetic material of all Pokémon). Why is this relevant, you ask? Because of Ditto's well-known association with Pokémon breeding and Egg Groups.
Consider: Ditto is capable of breeding with any Pokémon (despite being genderless and of the Undiscovered Egg Group; the same as Mew). I speculate that Mew is the result of interbreeding between a universal Egg Group, or effectively a descendant of all Pokémon. What sort of event would facilitate the merging of the Egg Groups, shatter the boundaries between different breeding categories of Pokémon, and allow for the emergence of a singular, universal hybrid Pokémon? Ditto. A Pokémon capable of interbreeding with all Egg Groups.
Speculation: Does this then mean that Mew is essentially descended from Ditto? But isn't that the exact opposite of what most Ditto-Mew connection theories suggest? Yes. However, I do believe there's room for both theories. Whereas Arceus cannot learn all moves, and thus cannot logically be a creator and a descendant simultaneously, Mew has no such logical difficulty. A Pokémon such as Mew, capable of traveling through time, is capable of both at once.
Hypothesis: Perhaps Mew and Ditto form a "temporal loop": that is to say, a circle in time. Mew is descended from Ditto interbreeding with all species of Pokémon, and Ditto came about because Mew travelled backwards in time from the future. A temporal loop (bizarre and mind-boggling as it is to ponder) is logically consistent.
Conclusion: Is Mew an alien? Possibly. However that explanation, and the other variant of the "Ancestor Hypothesis", raise more questions than they answer about Mew. Could it really be that Mew might be a sort of "all-in-one" super-Pokémon, descended from Ditto (and the Pokémon from which Ditto was created, at the same time)? We'll probably never know for sure. But hey, Mew is the New Pokémon, after all... Maybe it's nothing, but at the very least, it seems to fit in perfectly with the theory, yeah? As far as I think can be seen, the Descendant Hypothesis is the only theory which fully explains Mew's existence.
Tangent: It is also theoretically possible that popular opinion is correct: Arceus (thought by some to be the creator of the Pokémon world) created Mew, and a proliferation of Mews essentially "evolved" into all other species of Pokémon. I for one am a Poké-atheist: that is, I do not believe that Arceus created the Pokémon world, or that it's a god, or anything more than a very rare and powerful Pokémon. The "Mew Problem" is one of the primary reasons why I cannot rationally accept Arceus as a creator-deity of Pokémon: if you believe in Arceus as creator, and Mew as common ancestor... then which came first? Arceus or Mew? This logical inconsistency is among the most compelling reasons why I do not believe that Arceus is a creator god. Arceus cannot be the creator of its own ancestor. But I digress...
Hypothesis: I have developed a theoretical solution to these problems of Mew's origins: one could call it the "Descendant Hypothesis". More specifically, I believe that perhaps Mew is not a common ancestor of Pokémon, but instead a common descendant: somehow (perhaps due to the aforementioned Egg Groups of Pokémon), Mew is a sort of hybrid or universal descendant of all Pokémon (including all extinct and yet-to-be-discovered species). A number of Pokémon are known to be capable of traversing different dimensions, traveling through space and time, etc.; Mew, being capable of using all techniques known by other Pokémon, would logically be able to do these things as well. Thus, hypothetically, Mew is not an ancient, ancestral Pokémon from which all others are descended, but instead a universal descendant, into which all Pokémon lineages eventually converge, at some time in the future. This is theoretically possible given the unusual nature of Pokémon breeding: namely, because of the Egg Groups. If such seemingly divergent species as Diglett and Wailord (both members of the Field Egg Group) are capable of breeding and producing viable offspring, then it is far from impossible (in fact, rather probable) that at some time in the future, the Egg Groups would essentially merge into a single reproductive category, wherein all Pokémon would be capable of breeding with any other and yielding offspring.
Speculation: Mew, being genderless and of the Undiscovered Egg Group, does not breed with any known Pokémon. However, there is an intriguing link which can theoretically be made between Mew and Ditto. Many Pokémon theorists have noted the similarities between Mew and Ditto (coloration, weight, Transform, etc.), and that Ditto was originally to be found in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island, where research and experimentation on Mew and Mewtwo was conducted. Thus, many (myself included) have reached the conclusion that Ditto was created accidentally, essentially as failed attempts to clone Mew. Thus, theoretically, Ditto is effectively a mass of slime composed of Mew cells (explaining its ability to use Transform, as Mew can, since it possesses the genetic material of all Pokémon). Why is this relevant, you ask? Because of Ditto's well-known association with Pokémon breeding and Egg Groups.
Consider: Ditto is capable of breeding with any Pokémon (despite being genderless and of the Undiscovered Egg Group; the same as Mew). I speculate that Mew is the result of interbreeding between a universal Egg Group, or effectively a descendant of all Pokémon. What sort of event would facilitate the merging of the Egg Groups, shatter the boundaries between different breeding categories of Pokémon, and allow for the emergence of a singular, universal hybrid Pokémon? Ditto. A Pokémon capable of interbreeding with all Egg Groups.
Speculation: Does this then mean that Mew is essentially descended from Ditto? But isn't that the exact opposite of what most Ditto-Mew connection theories suggest? Yes. However, I do believe there's room for both theories. Whereas Arceus cannot learn all moves, and thus cannot logically be a creator and a descendant simultaneously, Mew has no such logical difficulty. A Pokémon such as Mew, capable of traveling through time, is capable of both at once.
Hypothesis: Perhaps Mew and Ditto form a "temporal loop": that is to say, a circle in time. Mew is descended from Ditto interbreeding with all species of Pokémon, and Ditto came about because Mew travelled backwards in time from the future. A temporal loop (bizarre and mind-boggling as it is to ponder) is logically consistent.
Conclusion: Is Mew an alien? Possibly. However that explanation, and the other variant of the "Ancestor Hypothesis", raise more questions than they answer about Mew. Could it really be that Mew might be a sort of "all-in-one" super-Pokémon, descended from Ditto (and the Pokémon from which Ditto was created, at the same time)? We'll probably never know for sure. But hey, Mew is the New Pokémon, after all... Maybe it's nothing, but at the very least, it seems to fit in perfectly with the theory, yeah? As far as I think can be seen, the Descendant Hypothesis is the only theory which fully explains Mew's existence.
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