Richard's Animorphs Forum

Animorphs Section => Animorphs Forum Classic => Topic started by: warren_bearclaw on September 27, 2010, 10:29:26 AM

Title: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: warren_bearclaw on September 27, 2010, 10:29:26 AM
Why do you guys think that the Animorphs never used the Time Matrix during the war, or any other time? They knew where to find it, right? Maybe they could have used it to un-meet David, or stop Tom from getting the morphing cube... maybe let Rachel have another chance to take over the Blade Ship (take an auxiliary Animorph with her?).

And as another point, why did they let the Helmacrons run off with the Shrinking Ray? I mean, COME ON, it's a shrinking ray!?! You could just shrink an entire army of Controllers - Hork Bajir, Taxxon, Andalite, human, whatever - and put them in a tackle box or something. We know that Ax could operate it... Wouldn't that make it so much more convenient to starve out a yeerk? What bad thing(s) would have happened if they'd just stepped on the Helmacrons?

A Time Machine and a Shrinking Ray... matched with there morphing powers... things could've gone differently, don't ya think?
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Estelore on September 27, 2010, 10:34:16 AM
I agree 100% regarding the shrinking ray; it's useful, operable, and could potentially help save the planet and its sentient species.

The time matrix... not so much. I think the Animorphs learned through experience that it's more risk than the reward is worth to mess with causality. :P
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Liz on September 27, 2010, 10:42:20 AM
The Anis made a deal with the Helmacrons to get the morphing cube back, didn't they?  I guess they didn't have the opportunity to steal the shrinking ray, though it would have been useful...however, it could also be used against them just like the morphing cube was.  So there's some risk there.

The Time Matrix was also too risky to use.  Now if they had a Time-Turner... :P
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Chad32 on September 27, 2010, 02:28:26 PM
Did they know where the Time Matrix was? I think when they redid time so that Visser Four never found it, they also lost knowledge of it. Though I may be wrong. Either way, that MM book shows us that Ellemist and crayak don't want mere mortals using it.

Though again if they can both alter time themselves, then why have the machine anyway? If it can't be destroyed, then put it somewhere that mortals can't reach it.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Dameg on September 27, 2010, 02:45:51 PM
I think the Ellimist and Crayak didn't want that anybody use the Time Matrix. Maybe they took it...?
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: CounterInstinct on September 28, 2010, 09:22:37 AM
^
It was part of their deal, as far as i remember. Marco even points out that no one trusts the other to keep it, because they might give them to their allies. And the Animorphs happen to be Ellimist's allies. :P
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: warren_bearclaw on September 30, 2010, 08:20:16 PM
I don't remember all the details about the Time Matrix... I haven't read those books for a while. About the deal they made with the Helmacrons though... who cares :huh:? Maybe their were more of a threat than I figured, but I just thought of them as a nuisance.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Josh (J) on October 01, 2010, 10:21:02 AM
I don't remember all the details about the Time Matrix... I haven't read those books for a while. About the deal they made with the Helmacrons though... who cares :huh:? Maybe their were more of a threat than I figured, but I just thought of them as a nuisance.

I think they were a nuisance too...they were a pain in the butt. I don't see a REAL threat...
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: warren_bearclaw on October 01, 2010, 01:12:31 PM
so SQUISH 'EM  and run off with the shrinking ray!

"Take that, Visser Three!!! Hahahahah!!!"
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: CounterInstinct on October 03, 2010, 08:12:42 AM
Helmacrons? No REAL THREAT? Are you kidding? What if they somehow shrink the Earth into Helmacron size.... then squish us? With technology like that, they could conquer the very universe! With a proper leader, they're even deadlier than Andalites and Yeerks combined.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Liz on October 04, 2010, 02:35:41 AM
Helmacrons? No REAL THREAT? Are you kidding? What if they somehow shrink the Earth into Helmacron size.... then squish us? With technology like that, they could conquer the very universe! With a proper leader, they're even deadlier than Andalites and Yeerks combined.

I never thought of that, but it makes sense...Too bad their egos got in the way.  I guess they're similar to V3 in that regard...
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Aermin on October 07, 2010, 01:55:29 AM
I think they need to make absolutely certain that the Helmacrons don't somehow find the Time Matrix.  Oh gawd.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: warren_bearclaw on October 07, 2010, 10:47:41 AM
...yikes! Yeah, I definitely agree there.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Josh (J) on October 07, 2010, 12:42:17 PM
....Ditto! That is sorta spooky...
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Magdaleen on October 07, 2010, 01:43:15 PM
...but the Time Matrix doesn't give off "morphing energy", does it?
That's what the Helmacrons are after. And if it's still just dug down in the ground where Elfangor put it, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just stumble upon it by random. ::)
Still, Helmacrons getting hold of the Time Matrix is a pretty scary thought. :o
Helmacrons? No REAL THREAT? Are you kidding? What if they somehow shrink the Earth into Helmacron size.... then squish us? With technology like that, they could conquer the very universe! With a proper leader, they're even deadlier than Andalites and Yeerks combined.
I never thought of that, but it makes sense...Too bad their egos got in the way.  I guess they're similar to V3 in that regard...
They need that morphing box to be able to shrink things. Right? Or do they have some other kind of shrinking technology back at their tiny homeworld?
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Aermin on October 07, 2010, 03:17:34 PM
...but the Time Matrix doesn't give off "morphing energy", does it?
That's what the Helmacrons are after. And if it's still just dug down in the grounwd where Elfangor put it, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just stumble upon it by random. ::)

This is true, but I don't think we know enough about the Escafil Device to say what powers it, much less the type of energy used for the Time Matrix.  I know it's probably wrong to lump them together as "advanced technology", and assume they're similar...but what's also to say they're not?  Also, how adaptable are the Helmacrons?  If you think about it, it's kinda weird that they can power their entire ship with morphing energy.  You'd think that if they have the right voltage conversion, time-space energy would run a lot greener and more fuel-efficient.

Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Magdaleen on October 10, 2010, 06:47:24 AM
...but the Time Matrix doesn't give off "morphing energy", does it?
That's what the Helmacrons are after. And if it's still just dug down in the ground where Elfangor put it, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just stumble upon it by random. ::)

This is true, but I don't think we know enough about the Escafil Device to say what powers it, much less the type of energy used for the Time Matrix.  I know it's probably wrong to lump them together as "advanced technology", and assume they're similar...but what's also to say they're not?  Also, how adaptable are the Helmacrons?  If you think about it, it's kinda weird that they can power their entire ship with morphing energy.  You'd think that if they have the right voltage conversion, time-space energy would run a lot greener and more fuel-efficient.


You've got a point there. Maybe the "morphing energy" is an alternate energy source, when they don't have access to their usual source of energy?

And I can't really think of any other major opportunities missed right now...
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: abcxyz1020 on November 29, 2010, 05:40:18 AM
Speaking of the Helmacrons and missed opportunities, if the Helmacrons has a shrinking ray, which can also be used as an unshrinking ray, wouldn't it logically follow that they could use it as an enlarging ray?  In which case, wouldn't it be more efficient to simply enlarge themselves than to go around shrinking all of their enemies?  Imagine that - Helmacrons large enough to be a real threat, with Dracon beams that can actually inflict more damage than a hangnail.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: CounterInstinct on November 29, 2010, 08:21:43 AM
^
It's because the Helms were proud of their size. :)
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: warren_bearclaw on November 29, 2010, 11:07:41 AM
While I've seen it done in a roleplay, I don't think their shrinking ray could enlarge something unless it had been previously shrunken. That would be awfully useful for them though....

Does anyone think it would have been too totally impossible for the 'Morphs to steal a dracon beam or two on a Yeerk Pool raid? 'Cuz that would have been handy, too.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: A ghost you know on November 29, 2010, 10:16:31 PM
Yeah, I think it would have been really difficult. Most, if not all, of the missions to the Pool ended with the Anis in frantic retreat. The only one who could have held a Dracon would have been Marco, and he usually needed his hands for something else.

Maybe the oatmeal mission, though? If I recall correctly, Marco had a Dracon in his hand at one point, and for once it was the Yeerks in total confusion. That would have been an ideal time to try stealing one.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: TobiasMasonPark on December 04, 2010, 10:18:40 PM
     To be honest, I think it's irrelevant. I'm sure the thought has crossed all of their minds eventually (Rachel could have used it to prevent Tobias' nothlitism, Jake could use it to save Tom, Cassie would probably just go back and tell herself to skip the mall that night, and Marco probably would have used it to test his dating skills [ask a girl out, and reverse it if and when he got rejected]). But I doubt that they would have been "allowed" to change time willy-nilly. If the Visser wasn't allowed, the Animorphs definitely wouldn't have been pardoned; esecially with Crayak and the Ellimist watching their every move--really, they have nothing better to do with their time?

     Sure, they could have prevented David from joining the group. They could have done a whole lot of things. But I think the Ellimist would have shown them the consequences of their actions and reverse time to the moment they decided to use the Time Matrix.

     My question, though, would be this: If the Ellimist and Crayak are manipulating--or "not manipulating, as they would have us believe-- the lives of the Animorphs (and we assume that everything, in the Animorphs universe, is causally determined, then what was the point of David' finding the blue box in the first place? To teach the Animorphs to hide their important plot devices in better places? To show us that new Animorphs simply wouldn't work?


     Well, that doesn't work, since they ADD NEW ANIMORPHS LIKE THIRTY BOOKS LATER!
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: A ghost you know on December 04, 2010, 10:24:59 PM
Quote from: TobiasMasonPark
     My question, though, would be this: If the Ellimist and Crayak are manipulating--or "not manipulating, as they would have us believe-- the lives of the Animorphs (and we assume that everything, in the Animorphs universe, is causally determined, then what was the point of David' finding the blue box in the first place? To teach the Animorphs to hide their important plot devices in better places? To show us that new Animorphs simply wouldn't work?


     Well, that doesn't work, since they ADD NEW ANIMORPHS LIKE THIRTY BOOKS LATER!

I think the point is that adding new Animorphs isn't a decision they can take lightly, since it can go so horribly wrong and the consequences are so major. They only added new Animorphs when they were really forced to.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: TobiasMasonPark on December 04, 2010, 10:29:46 PM
     Still, it doesn't change the fact that the Ellimist pretty much gave David the middle finger when "choosing" him to join the Animorphs. It's almost like these guys don't realize they're toying with people's lives. Sure, the Animorphs were--in a way-- destined to join the war (aside from Jake and Rachel, for whatever reason) but what the hell did David ever do? Poor kid gets himself into a sticky situation and spends the next few years as a rodent?
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: LisaCharly on December 05, 2010, 02:24:41 AM
Well, let's not forget that he tried to kill Tobias over whether or not he could sneak out at night and break into hotels to watch TV...
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: yunyun on December 05, 2010, 10:21:01 AM
The Anis made a deal with the Helmacrons to get the morphing cube back, didn't they?  I guess they didn't have the opportunity to steal the shrinking ray, though it would have been useful...however, it could also be used against them just like the morphing cube was.  So there's some risk there.

The Time Matrix was also too risky to use.  Now if they had a Time-Turner... :P
if your talking about the Time-Turner in Harry Potter(thanks whoever reminded me to underline book titles)it's about the same thing since that Harry and Hermonine saw and heard themselfs,they were just carefull to not meet up,and inThe Andalite ChronicalsElfangor also wared about meeting their oldselfs so if you ask me they do the same things but hoe to operate is diffrent and looks.I prefer the Time Matix since you can travel places as well which the Time-Turner can't :P
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: Myitt on December 05, 2010, 08:51:06 PM
I think they missed a major opportunity with not keeping Aftran around.  If the Chee can keep Yeerks alive indefinitely, surely some sort of hidden pool-based alternative could've been found for Aftran.  Or she could've become a human nothlit and helped them. 

Lame.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: TobiasMasonPark on December 05, 2010, 09:21:51 PM
     I meant before he became an Animorph.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: LisaCharly on December 05, 2010, 09:38:42 PM
Well, it's not like he woke up in Cassie's barn trapped as a rat. He was stuck in a sticky, unfortunate situation, but he didn't exactly react with a lot of class, tact, brains or general decency. He sort of was in an awful situation and then chose the worst of all possible reactions.
Title: Re: Major opportunities missed...
Post by: sublime88stang on December 06, 2010, 12:58:01 AM
Too bad Erek the Chee decided to reprogram himself, according to the book Erek took out 20 controllers with assualt rifles, and 24 Hork Bajir, in around 10 seconds... that to me was always one of the greatest missed oppourtunities in the series. But for a peace loving (people?) that must have been awful to know what he did.