Bravo, Terenia! On getting this up!
To me #53 and #54 are kind of merged, so I gotta apologize, for I may have answered some of these with a mix of knowledge from the two books. Sorry.
1. The book begins with a depiction of all the destruction following the Yeerk Pool explosion. The Yeerks are essentially obliterating the city and, in an attempt to keep the Yeerks alive, the Pool Ship lands, stationing itself in the middle of the city. The government seems to let it - a few jets are sent in and fried by Bug Fighters, but that's about it. Do you think that the US government could have (should have?) done anything more now that the mother ship is visable? Why didn't they?
We could assume that the US would have done more hardcore attempted with some more heavy explosives off panel. Here, it could have the case of a missed opportunity on KA's part to once more highlight the agressiveness side of the humans as a race, by having Jake narrate some sort of new unseen weapon (aluding to the ones the US no doubt currently has at their disposal), that was somewhat innovative to human standards, but ultimately, lameslime in comparison to the Yeerks' alien tech.
We all know an N2 mine or H-bomb would do zero-to-nothing against a Yeerk force-field, really.
2. Arbron, Jake and Cassie come up with the ultimate solution for the Taxxons - nothlitism via anaconda morph for the entire race. Essentially, voluntary genocide.
I too had my reservations about this use of the technology. Simply because of the ethics a character like Cassie just 'conveniniently' ignored. It's probably Cassie's greatest hypocrisy act, as an Animorph. Someone who believes in Nature with such conviction, practically to an exoteric level, suddenly going with altering the way Nature dictated a species in THIS scale?!?!
But I suppose the Taxxons themselves sought this, so there was no personal gain in the Animorphs' part, really. Especially considering they didn't have posession of the Blue Cube during this instance.
...And am I the only person who sympathizes with the Taxxons? Especially after Tobias' description of their hunger. It's like, the Taxxons weren't hungry for power, they were hungry for food. And having been in some very difficult situations, I know what it's like to be so hungry that all you can think about is what you are willing to do to eat.
The Taxxons were victims to their bodies. The Yeerks exploited their weakness....
Exactly! And this is why I feel Cassie and the others were a bit harsh on their low tolerance for Taxxons in some of their clashes. The Hork-Bajirs are better only because they are herbivores who happen to be mean-looking?!?!
But if you look at this solution to the Taxxon element of the war, as the guimmick twist in their whole Yeerk hold thing, that it is, then this outcome is not so bad, me thinks.
On the subject of Arbron's appearance, I found it an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
To find out he turned into some sort of Taxxon-idol as he continued fighting in the Taxxons Homeworld, and later at some point been taken by the Yeerks. You could almost feel his helplessness and disgust dealing with the Tom-Controller, as he silently went along with the Yeerk-traitor.
To have him turn up at this stage of the series was vital to pull the Taxxon's 'voice' in this war. I supsect we wouldn't have learnt of all the Taxxons' feelings at all, otherwise.
3. While in the anaconda habitat, Jake and Cassie have a conversation about their lives after the war. Jake insists that he will be able to return to a normal life, but Cassies seems doubtful. She insists that they put their relationship on hold for at least a year. This conversation is considered one of the most important in the Jake/Cassie relationship by a lot of people, as it is one of their last as a couple. What did you think about it?
I saw this scene as a goodbye dialogue between the two characters. It just wasn't going to happen. Much like Tobias and Rachel hadn't been happening since, jeez, I can't even remember what stage in the series, now.
4. Ax reveals that the Andalie high command intends on eliminating Earth instead of saving Earth. While this move was not necessarily unexpected at this point in the series, do you think it makes sense? Are the Andalites acting rashly, or from a militaristic standpoint are they making the logical decision?
It was a bit repetitive and predictable, even, true as it was to the history of the Andalites in the war. The Andalites were never going to be the heroic figures we were led to believe at the start of the series. I actually think their role in the last book makes them more interesing as characters. Shows their military as the acidic supercilious extreme specimens of their optimistic species. Ironic, because it was the humans winning the war for them.
Poetic even, because it is the freed-Alloran (at the end), the one with the moral to oppose them.
5.What do you think about the way Jake used Erek the Chee?
It was wrong and low of him, yes, but once again, necessary.
What was with him draining the Mothership's Dracon cannons. HOW WAS HIS PROGRAM SAVING THE MAJORITY OF LIVES BY DOING THAT?!?!?!? Setting the Mothership, with the greater number of Yeerk agents, freed-hosts and members of the Earth resistance, to be destroyed by the Bladeship, with the lesse numbers?!? Doesnt' compute.
Indeed, with the Mothership still armed, a deal could have still been made. Him draining the Dracon cannons virtually sealed the whole window of opportunity Rachel had of getting out of the Bladeship with her life, in my view.
5. Jake was using everything at his disposal. The Chee were an ace in the hole and Jake played it. Again, desperate, but legitimate and almost forgivable considering the Chee now considered Earth their homeworld.
Totally agree, here, mate.
6. Do you think that Jake made the right choice in sending Rachel off on her mission without first consulting in the other Ani's?
This is a tough one. Because Jake was done with 'being on the back of his foot'. For once he had clarity of vision when he really neeeded. He saw the whole end game at this stage and knew ALL THE CHARACTERS involved and what they could potentially do and acted on it.
This was the decisive stages of the war, where in he couldn't afford to have Cassie's morals in play and Tobias' feelings for Rachel ('just for show' as they may have been at this stage). So he removed those factors for the sake of the ultimate goal: Get Tom.
They all knew what was at stake. They all knew what they were doing, especially Rachel. No one was really wrong, in this stage.
...However, using a Chee to cover her when she had to demorph might have bought her some more time after she killed Tom. But I digress...oops, did I just give away a potential Saving Rachel fanfic idea?
It begs the question. Erek wasn't THE ONLY Chee the Animorphs interacted with. They had significant numbers and now that you mentioned it, I think Jake overlooked this possibility completely.
7. Was Jake's decision to use Doubleday and the Auxillary Ani's as a diversion the most effective plan?
Now this is a tough one. Though he didn't fool any of James' or Doubleday's people he did sent them in as, quite literally, expendable pieces. The plan was sound. He knew the enemy, he knew how Visser Three-now-One thought. He had to trick him by setting up the diversions that would get their attention away from the main event! With the auxiliaries' help and the help of the military he could do the facade.
However, watching it, as he did in fly morph, would have been agonizing in itself.
Was it the most effective? That's a tough question, especially considering the Visser is on to them in engineering the moment after it's all done.
8. Jake willingly flushed over 17,000 Yeerks into the vacuum of space in a scene that parallels Elfangor's first journey when he refused to follow a similar order. What does this possibly unecessary action say about Jake at this point in the war? How has he changed?
I kind of hate how we are let to think Jake bad on this instance. But personally, no one has the right to blame, Jake, really. All this fighting, Jake knew this was going to be the final stand, being up there in the Mothership pool, it was uncharted territory. Like Cassie will state later on, "before Yeerks enslaved humans, no human came to the Yeerk-homeworld and stepped on a bug" (I'm paraphrasing).
I am probably going to get cruxified upside down for this, but I think Jake was justified. There was just no way of knowing which types of Yeerks were there and they NEEDED that distraction. Jake didn't set out to do that specifically, the opportunity rose out of nowhere when Ax brought it up.
I think in that specific instance, there were a world of emotions going through the Anis' fighting spirit, in particular Jake. They were winning onboard the Yeerks' very Mothership after so many attrocities commited to them and the humans by the Yeerks, REGARDLESS of what type of Yeerks they were.
Jake found himself knee-deep and on 'a high' with the freed-Controllers joining their forces. Opportunities were presenting themselves and he had to kee making those calls in those short spans of time (even more than usual in his life as the leader of the Anis), had to keep the ball rolling, and he made the call on a bit of a rush, as we later find out also, granted, but in the end, that's exactly what war is.
For what it's worth,
I for one, would thank Jake, and would take my hat off to him for doing what it took to save the human race. I know I wouldn't have achieved half of what he has.
