Major opportunities missed...

[Aermin]

...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.

[Magdaleen]

...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...

[abcxyz1020]

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.

[CounterInstinct]

^
It's because the Helms were proud of their size.

[warren_bearclaw]

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.

[A ghost you know]

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.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     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!

[A ghost you know]

     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.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     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?

[LisaCharly]

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...

[yunyun]

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...

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

[Myitt]

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.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     I meant before he became an Animorph.

[LisaCharly]

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.

[sublime88stang]

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.