1. I think his plan was solid on paper. He was doing what it took to get done what he needed done. The problem was he wasn't counting on humans actually having a mind of their own. He was acting like he already had the world and it's inhabitants at his disposal, and he didn't. This is why Visser 3 failed, suffered a massive bad ass decay, and ultimately Visser 1 was the REAL threat. SHE knew what humans would and wouldn't do and she knew how to manipulate and get around them. I guess in retrospect it was kind of a big irony. Visser 3's biggest goal throughout the series was to get an Andalite host in order to become successful, yet in the end his Andalite host was his downfall because he simply couldn't let go of it, he couldn't possibly understand the planet he was up against as his Andalite. (And his Andalite host was probably prone to the same judgement errors as him "pffft, humans...this'll be EZ mode...wait...what do you mean we CAN'T log the forest???!)
2. I think this was symbolic of Cassie just simply being unable to accept that sometimes the world isn't pretty, it isn't black and white, there is no right and wrong when it comes to survival. When she didn't have the fate of the world in her hands, it was easy for her to make judgements like "it is wrong to kill. period, no matter what." With her once friend turned carnivore, and her other best friend adapting to the idea that you have to kill to live, she couldn't handle it. Her moral compass was so strong she was blind to what she had to do, and she hated her friends for accepting it while she couldn't.
3. I personally ascribe to the "survival of the fittest" belief. You are entitled to do what it takes to preserve your species. Not be cruel or excessive, but if you cannot protect your own kind, then what is the point of even living? If Cassie had such a problem with the idea that she had to kill, then she should have simply walked away from the war. (lol termite...small wonder she didn't go vandalizing exterminator stores or something.)
There is no shame having a strong moral compass and beliefs you cannot alienate. I believe the biggest downfall of Cassie (and probably why we have the "Team Cassie" "Team Trap-her-as-a-skunk phenomena) is that she refused to exit the fight, and instead of doing what it took, she was constantly trying to enforce her beliefs on the others, crippling the group. (I believe the war would have been done much more efficiently without her...but that is for another paper.)
She would have been right to exit the war. Some people are just born not able to stomach killing others, nothing wrong with that. But she didn't, she mentally tortured herself and the rest of the group (ok, maybe not torture) throughout the series. She had several chances to exit, even chances to take a peaceful role in the war. She could have joined the Yeerk peace movement and been a spy. But she didn't because she seemed to have this obsessive need to police the actions of her friends and force her beliefs on them.
4. I think that just proves my point in 3. I would have been fine with it because, ultimately, I was protecting their lives. I would do what it took to make it happen. If Cassie couldn't, no problem. Then just don't do it, don't fight and your conscience is clean.
5. I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this...but I think ultimately Cassie was useless to the group. She held them back and held them down. Instead of them being able to speak freely, they had to treat the war with kid gloves to appease her. This is why she needed extra plot devices and super sparklies to actually justify her presence in the group. "Yeah, she's a pain in the ass...but...she has magical moments of inspiration! And she can do brain surgery! And she's a temporal anomaly! That's worth it...right?"
-_- If a character needs so much specialness to make it worth writing in then...something is wrong with the situation. If you need to justify a person's existence with magic in a non-magical novel then just throw in the towel and say "yep, she was a wet towel, they would have been better without her."
6. dont have time for this at the moment
7.I draw the line at justification. Was I justified in what I did? Did it serve the greater good? Did I make people safe? Of course, I will never be ok with killing, I would probably need therapy (or, like Cassie, I just wouldn't fight and seek to be HELPFUL instead of mentally torturing those who are probably already mentally tortured by what they have to do.)
But ultimately, I would have to help my species survive, and if I didn't, I'd be more evil than the ones actually antagonizing our existence.
8. I read it probably...a month ago? Three weeks ago? If anything, they need to make Cassie's character more reasonable, but that would need considerable rewriting.
Though I don't think this was intentional on part of K. A. Applegate, because Cassie was her favorite character, I think that she is ultimately one of the most unlikeable, because while the other Animorphs grew strong and resolute and had the well being of the human race in their mind while they were simultaneously tortured by what they did...Cassie never grew one bit. She held onto her beliefs until the end and antagonized her friends.
To me, Cassie complaining and moaning about having to kill is like walking up to a Soldier who risked his life for us on the front line and going "don't you feel bad for what you did?" Well, child, if you are so ungrateful for the sacrifices of our lives and sanity for your sake, I invite you to go live in the society of the enemy.
And to me, character growth wouldn't be her accepting killing. It would be her accepting SHE couldn't do it and exiting the war, and thanking that her friends, no matter how disturbing, COULD do it. But instead she was given her happy ending and sunshine and butter flies and never lost A SINGLE THING in the war, like the others.
Part of me wonders if HER parents were controllers, if she would have accepted that she needed to fight and would have spared the group the termite mental meltdown.
9. Sorry, I'm mean, I know it.