1) The book raises the question of acquiring DNA from blood alone, which Ax says is possible. Based on this, is it possible to acquire DNA from anything? Like...a dead body? A fossilized remnant?
I think there's possibly a certain time-span where DNA can be acquirable. The mosquito-idea was sound, but questionable was its efficiency. They wouldn't have extracted a large total amount of blood as mosquitos. I think the Anis were definitely desperate there.
The Andalites are certainly capable of the 'cloning from DNA' stunts with their tech, but I think with Morphing, it's not just a duplication, it's a transformation thing. So the DNA source would need to be alive for the subject's tranformation to work.
Dolphin4077, that's a question I've also had, too. It's why I think even the fossil stunt can't be done.
What about the whole idea of their z-masses being dragged along the Andalite's ship in Z-Space?!
That really spun me out.
And then the 're-coil effect' where one by one they all snap back to where they started from.
I wonder what it was like to the Anis that went before Ax.
Can't remember exactly how the book ended, now that I think of it.
2) What do you think about the events that transpire on the Ascalin? Why do you think an Andalite would decide to favor the Yeerks?
It would very much have to be a convenience thing. The Yeerks are the Andalites' sworn enemies. Little was shown on the character, but I imagine him, and quite possibly his family, would have struck some sort of a deal with the Yeerks somehow.
I think this plot was intended to further develop the enigmatic words spoken by the free-Alloran back in #8. <...They are in the Homeworld....>
Another scene I was thrown off in this topic is at the start where they are monitoring the comatose politician and the Visser pulls a Kafit bird morph on them. Ax is completely perplexed by the factor that the Abomination had an Andalite animal morph?!?!?!?! What gives?
I'm afraid none of these two ('Andalite-traitor' and 'Visser-morphs-kafit-bird') plots had much to resolve what Alloran said, so I think K.A. failed in that respect.
3) What do you think about the T.O. aboard the Ascalin?
I remember feeling like he was a cold arrogant prick early in the story, too. But much like K.A.'s style, he turns out to be a deeper and decent character when you further look. I, too, pitied it was too late for the character.
I particularly liked the scene where he broadcasts all onboard to make their respective prayers.
4) This is the first time where Ax's loyalty is tested, but it happens frequently throughout the series. What do you think Ax should have done when he realized he was reunited with his people?
It's hard to say what Ax SHOULD have done. We can only try imagining being from that culture of theirs and be faced with a reunion under the circumstances Ax did. K.A. didn't put him in a very easy spot. I can't blame Ax at all from where I am standing. The Animorphs acted well, inspite of whatever Ax opted.
5) Why don't you think the Animorphs ever re-used their Leeran morphs, especially towards the end of the war when they threw their rule about sentients out the window?
Oh! This is The gold question we get out of this stage of the series. I ALWAYS wondered WHY THE HECK they never tried morphing a Leeran to identify anyone around them to be Controllers. It's like, instead of going after disabled kids that would be vulnerable in their physical bodies, why hadn't they used the Leeran morphs to pinpoint free potentials?
I like to think that, similar to the Sario Rip shananigance, they lost the DNA of whatever they acquired during the 'pull to Leera', much like it was official how they lost whatever they acquired during the past in MM2.
I also wonder how many Leerans the Yeerks managed to preserve as hosts after their loss. And whatever happened to the Visser in command there (which Visser was it?!), which Visser One was sort of aiding.
