Author Topic: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision  (Read 6710 times)

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Offline Terenia

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Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« on: January 05, 2009, 05:43:49 PM »
Sorry for the delay, guys. I've been bouncing from state to state and just now have managed to get my bearings. Things should be back on a fairly normal schedule now.

Summary
Ax and the Animorphs are about to have a huge problem. It starts when they decide to morph mosquitoes in order to slip by some unsuspecting Yeerks. It ends with them stuck in Zero-space with no idea how they got there, no way to get back to Earth...and no oxygen
Luckily, an Andalite scout ship finds them before it's too late. But now Ax is finally with his own people. And he doesn't know if he ever wants to go back to Earth...

Questions
1) The book raises the question of acquiring DNA from blood alone, which Ax says is possible. Based on this, is it possible to acquire DNA from anything? Like...a dead body? A fossilized remnant?

2) What do you think about the events that transpire on the Ascalin? Why do you think an Andalite would decide to favor the Yeerks?

3) What do you think about the T.O. aboard the Ascalin?

4) This is the first time where Ax's loyalty is tested, but it happens frequently throughout the series. What do you think Ax should have done when he realized he was reunited with his people?

5) Why don't you think the Animorphs ever re-used their Leeran morphs, especially towards the end of the war when they threw their rule about sentients out the window?

Next week: Megamorphs #2, In The Time of the Dinosaurs
« Last Edit: January 06, 2009, 07:23:28 AM by Teach »

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Offline morfowt

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2009, 05:50:31 PM »
1. I would think it depends on how long the body's been dead. I guess if it's dead for too long, the dna is dead or something and can't be accquired, so definitely no fossilized creatures.
4. well if it was me, I'd hesitate and think it over. I'm always hesitating in choices like these
5. I don't think they ever threw the no-sentient rule out the window. If I recall correctly, they never used a sentient creature morph unless it was necessary.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2009, 06:09:37 PM »
2) What do you think about the events that transpire on the Ascalin? Why do you think an Andalite would decide to favor the Yeerks?

Same reason why some humans might decide to switch sides.  If what's-his-name thought that the Yeerks were winning, he may have just betrayed his people for the purpose of being on the "winning side".


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Offline dolphin4077

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2009, 08:24:42 PM »
1. That DNA has to be from a living source seems sound to me, and I think some of later books prove that.  However, sorry if I'm getting into next week's discussion too soon, Ax in MM2 said it was possible to clone beings from fossils, so maybe you could aquire a dead body indirectly if someone had cloned it.  Anyways to continue being off topic, something else always bothered about the acquiring directly from blood, if you acquired someone via blood but had no clue what they looked like, could you still morph them without the mental image? 
2.  I don't think Andalites can use the "it's not personal, just business" excuse so I agree with CloakedFigure, he most likely wanted to be on the winning side.  Or he maybe he thought the Andalites weren't appreciating him enough --passed up for promotion or some other slight to his honor.   
3.  I disliked him at the beginning and felt so sorry at the end, so I thought he was great character. I loved the part where he ordered Ax to live and prove him wrong.
4.  I don't blame Ax for doing what he did, and he wasn't a total doormat.  He did point out the Animorphs actions in #15 gave the Andalites their chance for victory on Leera, and he was worried about the others wellbeing.  However, he did act way too hasty, particularly when he said Jake wasn't his Prince and when he shut out Tobias.  Btw, what do you think of Ax's statement about wondering if he had sold out to the humans?   
5.  I think at the end identifying wasn't as issue anymore; it became about doing as much damage as possible.  Also could they use Leeran morph afterwards because of the whole Z-space mass thing?
   

Offline Gafrash

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2009, 11:13:50 PM »
1) The book raises the question of acquiring DNA from blood alone, which Ax says is possible. Based on this, is it possible to acquire DNA from anything? Like...a dead body? A fossilized remnant?
I think there's possibly a certain time-span where DNA can be acquirable. The mosquito-idea was sound, but questionable was its efficiency. They wouldn't have extracted a large total amount of blood as mosquitos. I think the Anis were definitely desperate there.
The Andalites are certainly capable of the 'cloning from DNA' stunts with their tech, but I think with Morphing, it's not just a duplication, it's a transformation thing. So the DNA source would need to be alive for the subject's tranformation to work.
Dolphin4077, that's a question I've also had, too. It's why I think even the fossil stunt can't be done.

What about the whole idea of their z-masses being dragged along the Andalite's ship in Z-Space?!
That really spun me out.
And then the 're-coil effect' where one by one they all snap back to where they started from.
I wonder what it was like to the Anis that went before Ax.
Can't remember exactly how the book ended, now that I think of it.


2) What do you think about the events that transpire on the Ascalin? Why do you think an Andalite would decide to favor the Yeerks?
It would very much have to be a convenience thing. The Yeerks are the Andalites' sworn enemies. Little was shown on the character, but I imagine him, and quite possibly his family, would have struck some sort of a deal with the Yeerks somehow. 

I think this plot was intended to further develop the enigmatic words spoken by the free-Alloran back in #8. <...They are in the Homeworld....>
Another scene I was thrown off in this topic is at the start where they are monitoring the comatose politician and the Visser pulls a Kafit bird morph on them. Ax is completely perplexed by the factor that the Abomination had an Andalite animal morph?!?!?!?! What gives?
I'm afraid none of these two ('Andalite-traitor' and 'Visser-morphs-kafit-bird') plots had much to resolve what Alloran said, so I think K.A. failed in that respect.

3) What do you think about the T.O. aboard the Ascalin?
I remember feeling like he was a cold arrogant prick early in the story, too. But much like K.A.'s style, he turns out to be a deeper and decent character when you further look. I, too, pitied it was too late for the character.
I particularly liked the scene where he broadcasts all onboard to make their respective prayers.


4) This is the first time where Ax's loyalty is tested, but it happens frequently throughout the series. What do you think Ax should have done when he realized he was reunited with his people?
It's hard to say what Ax SHOULD have done. We can only try imagining being from that culture of theirs and be faced with a reunion under the circumstances Ax did. K.A. didn't put him in a very easy spot. I can't blame Ax at all from where I am standing. The Animorphs acted well, inspite of whatever Ax opted.


5) Why don't you think the Animorphs ever re-used their Leeran morphs, especially towards the end of the war when they threw their rule about sentients out the window?
Oh! This is The gold question we get out of this stage of the series. I ALWAYS wondered WHY THE HECK they never tried morphing a Leeran to identify anyone around them to be Controllers. It's like, instead of going after disabled kids that would be vulnerable in their physical bodies, why hadn't they used the Leeran morphs to pinpoint free potentials?

I like to think that, similar to the Sario Rip shananigance, they lost the DNA of whatever they acquired during the 'pull to Leera', much like it was official how they lost whatever they acquired during the past in MM2.
I also wonder how many Leerans the Yeerks managed to preserve as hosts after their loss. And whatever happened to the Visser in command there (which Visser was it?!), which Visser One was sort of aiding.

Offline Chad32

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2009, 11:30:02 PM »
I never blamed Ax for being tempted by his people, but I do resent his hastiness in this book. Suddenly just because he's with his people he needs to shut out his Human friends in their time of need?

The T.O. wound up being someone I disliked at first, but came to like later. Right before he died, I felt sorry for him. Though I wonder why an Andalite wouldn't attempt to fight back just because their tail is cut off. Don't they know how to kick and tackle?


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Offline Cloak

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2009, 11:33:56 PM »
Perhaps it was the sheer humilation of having his tail cut off, more than anything else, Nohensen.


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Offline RYTX

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2009, 05:23:06 PM »
There's something that bugs me everytime I touch this book
Captain tratior looked up to Elfangor "I'll believe he broke the rules, I'll never believe he did wrong" wasn't it?
So wtf? why would he sell out to the Yeerks
Did anyone catch a motive that I missed, I mean seriously, why captain traditor dude, why?!
Something, something, oh crap I pissed everyone off again....

Offline Gafrash

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2009, 07:55:22 PM »
Was it the Captain who said that?! I can't really remember, dude.

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2009, 07:56:57 PM »
I don't have the book on hand at the moment, but I'm 90% sure, seeing as how it always ticked me off  :-\
Something, something, oh crap I pissed everyone off again....

Offline morfowt

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2009, 09:29:04 PM »
I'm 1000% sure.

Offline Terenia

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2009, 12:03:26 AM »
I dunno, but that is odd. It's hard to get inside the Captain's head, since we only see him for like...three chapters. If that. :(

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Offline Gafrash

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2009, 10:34:48 PM »
PS: I remembered the moment Ax demorphs and little sick girl sees him and thinks him an angel or a fairy or something and then falls back to sleep. Hehehehe.

I never blamed Ax for being tempted by his people, but I do resent his hastiness in this book. Suddenly just because he's with his people he needs to shut out his Human friends in their time of need?
I interepret his hastiness as his way of dealing with the loneliness. I saw it as Ax still coming to terms with the conventional thought that your people are only the ones that look and talk like you. He was simply feeling lonely. Even at the end, where he was the last remaining of the Anis due to the 'recoil-effect' he stated finding himself alone again. By the end of the book it felt like he had reached a resolution. He felt at home back on Earth with the Anis.


There's something that bugs me everytime I touch this book
Captain tratior looked up to Elfangor "I'll believe he broke the rules, I'll never believe he did wrong" wasn't it?
So wtf? why would he sell out to the Yeerks
Did anyone catch a motive that I missed, I mean seriously, why captain traditor dude, why?!
In this case, we can only speculate. We can all come up with different motifs. But, if we go by how the series is led, the Andalite Captain would have turned bitter and resentful after seeing the detrimental effects of war, something very personal would have made him turned foot. And it would have had to have been with Visser Three, for he didn't manifest any dispise against The Abomination, I think. He stated he served as Prince Elfangor's T.O. Seeing Elfangor's little brother may have brought him back good memories, me thinks...


I find it funny how there was no comment or line remark from either adversaries on their previous encounter. Surely the Visser recognized Aximili as the young Andalite that almost fair dinkum killed him! Indeed, perhaps the 'falling-off-the-side-of-the-bulding' retreat had been more than just a tactical escape...


And, back on to the Leeran morphs topic, can one truly 'turn off' the capacities of a morph?! Like, do you think Ax could consciously 'switch off' hearing, vocal chords, etc... of his human morph? I find it really weird how they were able to do this with the psychic abilities in the Leeran form.

 

Offline Terenia

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2009, 11:50:02 AM »
Maybe Leeran's themselves have the natural ability to 'turn off' their psychic abilities. It would make sense. Especially in cities, all that mental noise would get annoying! Almost like the difference between public and private thought speech

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Offline Gafrash

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Re: Group Re-Read: Week 20, #18 The Decision
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2009, 10:44:06 PM »
Good point. So I think 'turn off' may have been used for the lack of words. Psychics use 'mental blocks' or 'shielded' for these kinds of things.
It would be annoying living in a city or being in an envriornment full of people with all their mental stuff collectivelly open at you. Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr rrgh!