One of the big questions Nope leaves us wondering about is why the alien transforms at the movie’s end. Jean Jacket (the name given to the UFO by the Haywoods) appears as a saucer-shaped entity throughout most of the film, but at the end, it unfurls into a jellyfish-like configuration. Fans continue to wonder what the UFO’s true form means about it.
Why does the UFO change into its true form at the end of Nope?
During the final moments of Nope, the UFO, Jean Jacket, changes from a saucer-shaped object into something much more alien. It unfurls its body and shows that its true form looks akin to a sea creature. Additionally, when it opens its “mouth” to attempt to devour something, we definitely get some Evangelion angel vibes.
The release the UFO changes into its true form is that the gloves are effectively off. It uses its quicker, more compact saucer form to nimbly attack before camouflaging itself or jetting out of sight. However, like many other predators, when confronted by multiple foes, it puffs itself up and shows its full breadth to be intimidating.
Some viewers might think that Jean Jacket disguising itself as a UFO shows some kind of intelligence. However, the more likely story is that all UFOs in Nope’s world are these creatures. In fact, it’s hinted at that it’s not alien at all but a species native to Earth. Its form is similar to the description of certain types of angel found in the bible, and the way it devours its prey would be seen by earlier civilizations as if they were “raising into heaven.”
It seems as though Jean Jacket is similar to the predators and prey that Holst was watching in his viewing room. Of course, they must be rare enough that man encounters the species very infrequently, but it’s unlikely that Jean Jacket was the last.
