Why was Jake so important to Crayak?

[wotw2112]

Maybe I completely missed it but could someone clue me in on what made Jake so special to Crayak?

Sure his brother was a Yeerk.  I doubt Crayak cared.

Was it only because the Ellimist took an interest in him?  That seems stupid.

Or are we just supposed to accept that Jake "just is" the crucial player?

[morfowt]

It's because Jake was responsible for ruining Crayak's Howlers, or at least that's one of the reasons.

[Chad32]

Jake is the leader of the group that beat his Howlers, which I'm sure were his pride and joy. Much like the Pamelites were to the Ellemist.

[wotw2112]

Ok, so he didn't particularly care until they went head-to-head and Jake ruined the howlers.  That makes perfect sense.  Can't believe I missed that.  Thanks all. 

[Kelran-Isthinar]

Right, my guess is the Ellimist saw qualities in Jake he liked and decided to make him a focal piece in his strategy, and it was only after the elimist used him and his friends with rgeat succes directly against the Cryak's Howlers that he began to take real notice.

[Phoenix004]

Originally Crayak was just interested in Jake because he was the leader of the resistance against the Yeerks and a part of the Ellimist's plans. After book 26, he started to really hate Jake because he was responsible for destroying the Howlers.

[Kelran-Isthinar]

Well one does wonder if eventually there was more to it...

If somehow Jake unwittingly became *the* pivotal piece in the entire 'game'

[Terenia]

I always wondered why Jake saw Crayak in book #6, before we even met Ellimist, when the Yeerk was dying in his head.

[RYTX]

I think  that has to due with the Ellimist role in "stacking the deck", (which I live in denial of). Even if Jake was more or less random, the Ellimist role with the group was there at the beginning, back to Elfangor. I forget the whole thing something about "he saw that I made myself know to you"
[back to denial]
I always think it's cool that even though the Ellimist is a bigger presence, we were made actively aware of Crayak first

[Kelran-Isthinar]

The Ellimist and I have that hobby in common, messing with space-time anomalies and paradoxes.   

Its a marvelous story device....

[Yorick Brown]

I always wondered why Jake saw Crayak in book #6, before we even met Ellimist, when the Yeerk was dying in his head.

The Ellimist explained that when the Yeerk died in Jake's haed, he crossed the point of life and death and was able to see Crayak

[wotw2112]

Awesome answers, all. 

[Kelran-Isthinar]

I always wondered why Jake saw Crayak in book #6, before we even met Ellimist, when the Yeerk was dying in his head.

The Ellimist explained that when the Yeerk died in Jake's haed, he crossed the point of life and death and was able to see Crayak

That in itself is a terrifying question about the Cryak's position in the grand scheme of things.

[RYTX]

The Ellimist explained that when the Yeerk died in Jake's haed, he crossed the point of life and death and was able to see Crayak

Why Jake though? I would imagine that would make anyone who starves out a Yeerk fall to that condition, but I've never thought of the thing being starved out as:agony agony, quick view of Crayak, agony death.
Have to think there's more to it

[wotw2112]

agony agony, quick view of Crayak, agony death.

Lol.  Well put.

It's probably a combination of things.  Maybe Crayak was paying closer attention to the Yeerk that just happened to infest the leader of the opposition.

[Phoenix004]

Why Jake though? I would imagine that would make anyone who starves out a Yeerk fall to that condition, but I've never thought of the thing being starved out as:agony agony, quick view of Crayak, agony death.
Have to think there's more to it

How many people have we met that have been infested and then starved out their Yeerk? Jake is the only confirmed case we have met. The crazy old lady from Megamorphs #1 may also count, but maybe that's part of the reason she was insane! 

[Essam 293]

Originally Crayak was just interested in Jake because he was the leader of the resistance against the Yeerks and a part of the Ellimist's plans. After book 26, he started to really hate Jake because he was responsible for destroying the Howlers.

That pretty much sums it up. I don't think there was anymore to it than that. Once he realized that he couldn't get to Jake (MM#3), he tried to get the Drode to play devil's advocate with Rachel instead (#27, #48, etc).

[Phoenix004]

That pretty much sums it up. I don't think there was anymore to it than that. Once he realized that he couldn't get to Jake (MM#3), he tried to get the Drode to play devil's advocate with Rachel instead (#27, #48, etc).

Exactly, thanks Truth. Crayak and Drode clearly approved of the darker side of Rachel's personality and tried to use it against Jake; clearly without success.

[Shock]

Crayak is the animorph's version of the devil. he wanted to make jake have a pact with him and therefore having the fate of humanity firmly in his hands and snubbing the Ellminist at the same time.

i am surpised however that Applegate didn't go darker. have one of the animorphs die in the serise and have Crayak offer jake to bring him/her back at a price...

but of course this kinda of way of thinking fits the end of the serise where Rachel dies and jake either make the deal with the Devil to bring her back or simply leave thing as they are.

[RYTX]

How many people have we met that have been infested and then starved out their Yeerk? Jake is the only confirmed case we have met. The crazy old lady from Megamorphs #1 may also count, but maybe that's part of the reason she was insane!

Fair enough, but I still won't buy that that's standard Yeerk dying events if for no other reason then Ellimist is on the same plane of existence as Crayak, so either 1) you'd see them both or 2(and more likely)it had to be deliberate by Crayak cuz in that plane there is shouldn't be a physical form, Crayak had to project his giant Clearisil ad dream form for someone to see to see. Doubt he'd do that regularly

[Phoenix004]

Well it wasn't just the Yeerk dying that made Jake see Crayak, it was also the fact that Crayak knew Jake was involved in the Ellimist's plans (even though the Ellimist hadn't revealed himself to the Animorphs yet, but he did in the following book).

[RYTX]

yeah but I still don't think it's clear that the yeerk dying had anything to do with seeing Crayak as a dependent event. I'd say he chose that moment chose it was already tramatic, so lets add an eyeball to really freak out the kid, but the Yeerk dying isn't what causes it.

And I remember now there is one other confirmed starvation: book 8 as they leave the theater, the guy is screaming and hollering about Yeerks being here and freedom; nothing about "get out get out, oh no, eyeball of doom; freedom!"
Yes!

[Yorick Brown]

The former controller probably shrugged it off as a hallucination like Jake did and concerned himself with the fact that he was free.

[wotw2112]

The former controller probably shrugged it off as a hallucination like Jake did and concerned himself with the fact that he was free.

I don't know.  It seems more probably that Crayak intended to be seen.  I doubt it'd be good for business to be seen by every host of every Yeerk that is starved out.  And that assumes a lot of things about Yeerks including that each and every one ends up getting a visit from (or at least see) Crayak when they die.  I doubt that's the case.

I'd guess Crayak used the momentary opening to show himself to Jake.

[Duff]

maybe he just used the fact that he was on some kind of middle ground between life and death to pop up without breaking the rules by appearing in the real world

no im sure he wants to be seen by as many people as possible, he wants to be feared and all that, and its not like appearing to everybody is a waste of his time, hes omnipresent, he can appear to every dying being in the universe and watch sanford and son all at the same time