The animorphs' most unethical choices.

[Chad32]

Who's to say it wasn't their war? Was Earth not their homeworld now? did they not have a responsibility to the Pamelite's essences in the dogs? Or the Pamelite's ideals of life and peace?

[TobiasMasonPark]

Who's to say it wasn't their war? Was Earth not their homeworld now? did they not have a responsibility to the Pamelite's essences in the dogs? Or the Pamelite's ideals of life and peace?

     The Pemalite world was their home world. Earth was a new home, sure, but it can't be considered a homeworld. Sure, the Chee feel a connection to the dogs, but is that to say they feel the same way towards the violent humans? Was it not a Chee named Ionos who told Erek that they should butt out of the Yeerk-Andalite war?

[Chad32]

Just because you're a spectator doesn't mean you're unaffected by what you're watching. You can either hide away and hope things turn out ok, or you can try to do something about it. Though I guess they could have taken their ship and run, but running away from your problems is usually a bad thing.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     If they were to be involved in any war it should have been the one that was brought to the Pemalite home world.

[LisaCharly]

Erek knew the Howlers were children. In the scene where Jake asks if he did, his only response is 'they slaughtered my masters'.

[NateSean]

On the matter of the Chee, there are eleven books worth of stuff they could have done to help the Animorphs that didn't involve fighting. As far as I'm concerned, treating the Earth like it's the couch of the galaxy for a billion years and not making a greater effort to keep it safe from the Yeerks is a pretty weak move.

They could have projected a hologram to hide the Earth completely. Screwed with the Yeerk computers so that Earth appeared to be uninhabited or heck with it. Since we know the Chee knew about the invasion long before Elfangor arrived on Earth, the Chee could have assisted with the escape of the involuntary human and Hork-Bajir controllers so that everyone could have survived it instead of a non-descript woman.

So the collective excuse about not being able to interefere but wanting to doesn't sit with me. We know the Chee have freewill, or they wouldn't have been able to choose to leave the Pemalite homeworld.

As for unethical decisions, I can't add anything to the current batch that hasn't all ready been mentioned. So I'll go with some characters who haven't been mentioned.

Elfangor: Jettisoning a Yeerk in stasis close to a sun.

Seerow: Dismissing the Hork-Bajir because of his own bad experiences with the Yeerks.

Alloran: Do I need to go there with this one?

Aldrea: Acting high and mighty about the Andalites and how they acted on the Hork-Bajir homeworld but treating Cassie like a hand puppet.

[Morilore]

They could have projected a hologram to hide the Earth completely.

How do you know that's within their capabilities?  Just because you can project a hologram the size of a valley doesn't mean you can hide an entire planet.

Screwed with the Yeerk computers so that Earth appeared to be uninhabited or heck with it.

How do you know they could do that without being on Yeerk ships?  And once they are on Yeerk ships, Yeerks already know Earth is inhabited.

Since we know the Chee knew about the invasion long before Elfangor arrived on Earth, the Chee could have assisted with the escape of the involuntary human and Hork-Bajir controllers so that everyone could have survived it instead of a non-descript woman.

How do you know they didn't?  They might just have not succeeded very visibly.
Post Merged: January 30, 2011, 04:29:06 PMOn the subject of Erek: It isn't quite a "choice," but I thought it was pretty funny how he got all up in Jake's face about manipulating his programming after the Animorphs blew up their own hometown and Erek didn't give a rip.  I mean, come on, jackass: your precious programming is not more important than the thousands of innocent lives of our neighbors we just ended.

About the crystal: if you remember, he didn't throw it away; he gave it back to the Animorphs and they threw it away.  Which was a real "derp" moment, I think: here you have a computer more powerful than anything the Yeerks have ever seen, and you just toss it into an ocean.  You could have used it for other things, geniuses.  And what if another Chee, reviewing Erek's experiences, decides that he or she could deal with being a killer and wanted to help the Animorphs out?

Joe Chee: Hey guys, I know this is kind of sudden, but I want to rewrite my programming.  I want to fight the Yeerks.

Animorphs: Um...

Joe Chee: I know it's a terrible thing I'm agreeing too.  I know I can't even imagine how hard it's going to be.  But I've lived for ten thousand years in the background, and you know, I think it's about time I stepped up to the plate.

Animorphs: Well....

Joe Chee: I've spent months pouring over Erek's memories.  They were horrible, and in the end, experiences like that might just destroy me.  But that doesn't matter.  My creators had the best of intentions, but the best intentions didn't save them from being ruthlessly murdered.  I know that it's people like you, people who are willing to fight and kill, that lets people like me go on living in peace.  If other people have to deal with being helpless slaves and victims, then I can deal with being a killer.  That's the choice I want to make.

Animorphs: You know...

Joe Chee: So, if you could give me the Pemalite crystal, I can join your team.

Animorphs: Yeah, about that...

Joe Chee: What?

Animorphs: We kind of... threw it in the ocean.

Joe Chee: ...

[Chad32]

Yeah, I'm not sure why they threw it away either. Not like the Chee are capable of changing their minds or anything. On the other hand, they've probably sat in the back and watched thousands of wars by the time the series started. Good thing the Yeerks never found it again, as well.

It's also odd that Erek never said anything about the Anis blowing up the pool.

[NateSean]

How do you know that's within their capabilities?  Just because you can project a hologram the size of a valley doesn't mean you can hide an entire planet.[/quote]

There's a good deal more than one Chee on the planet. It's fair to say that they can collectively create a convincing enough illusion that would make David Blain wet himself.

How do you know they could do that without being on Yeerk ships?  And once they are on Yeerk ships, Yeerks already know Earth is inhabited.

For the most part Yeerk technology is heavily inspired by or outright taken from either the Andalites or some other species. And whatever original inventions they came up with themselves were weak enough to be trashed or thwarted by five humans using Andalite technology and an Andalite aristh who thought a satellite communication program was an educational game.

The Pemalites were building Z-space ships when the Andalites were just barely discovering fire.

That said, it's fair to say the Chee could sneaky, sneaky aboard a Yeerk ship during the early stages of the invasion and create just a teensy bit of mischief without being noticed and without causing harm. Drain the weapons like they did in book 53, cause a ton of poltergiest like mischief and freak them out enough to consider the invasion just not worth it.

[Morilore]

There's a good deal more than one Chee on the planet. It's fair to say that they can collectively create a convincing enough illusion that would make David Blain wet himself.

"Fair" based on what?  Do you know how Chee hologram technology works?

For the most part Yeerk technology is heavily inspired by or outright taken from either the Andalites or some other species. And whatever original inventions they came up with themselves were weak enough to be trashed or thwarted by five humans using Andalite technology and an Andalite aristh who thought a satellite communication program was an educational game.

The Pemalites were building Z-space ships when the Andalites were just barely discovering fire.

Technology isn't magic, and it doesn't necessarily advance in a linear fashion (look at our own history).  Without direct indication of a specific capability, it is unreasonable to assume that someone possesses that capability based only on how old the civilization is.  And the only time I recall Erek helping the Anis with computer stuff was when the Andalite rejects landed on Earth and he hacked their computer: he was physically there when he did so.

That said, it's fair to say the Chee could sneaky, sneaky aboard a Yeerk ship during the early stages of the invasion and create just a teensy bit of mischief without being noticed and without causing harm. Drain the weapons like they did in book 53, cause a ton of poltergiest like mischief and freak them out enough to consider the invasion just not worth it.

Any "mischief" they try to create has to be balanced against the possibility that they would get caught and then everyone would be even more screwed than they were before.

[NateSean]

We are getting off topic. But I will answer this post and then lets move on. You believe the Chee were right, I believe not so.

"Fair" based on what?

Based on the fact that they tricked the crew of an Empire One Nova ship into believing that they were incinerating the free Hork-Bajir. Titles may not sound all that impressive, but Empire One sounds like it's run by fairly competent branches of the Yeerk Empire. So it'd be even fairer to assume that the Chee could project an equally convincing hologram that would likewise flummox the Yeerks and make them turn tail and run.


 

Do you know how Chee hologram technology works?

Are you saying you do?

Technology isn't magic, and it doesn't necessarily advance in a linear fashion.

Never said it was. Never said it did.

Without direct indication of a specific capability, it is unreasonable to assume that someone possesses that capability based only on how old the civilization is.

The Pemalites built a ship that could withstand the strength of the deepest part of Earth's ocean. They created a sentient race of Androids that can obviously choose to at some point rewrite their programming if the opportunity arises.

That's not assuming it's advanced because it's older. It's taking what is presented to us and forming a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence. We see that the Chee can choose for themselves. We see that they debate amongst each other and have varying degrees of opinion.

So you're telling me the Chee who can choose to put the Animorphs in harms way by asking them to get the crystal that will change their programming, can't also choose to hop aboard a Bug fighter and run loose once they get to the Mother Ship? Oh, and the Chee who act as Controllers can fool the Gleet Biofilters. The devices that won't even let a fly through. That's a fraction of how well the Chee can screw with Yeerk technology, which is again, stolen from the Andalites. As Ax tells us, not as I'm imagining.

And the only time I recall Erek helping the Anis with computer stuff was when the Andalite rejects landed on Earth and he hacked their computer: he was physically there when he did so.

And that was actually the Chee playing Erek's father, Mr. King. They "rescued" Mr. King from interrogation by the Yeerks and he hacked the ship as a favor to Ax.

[Morilore]

We are getting off topic. But I will answer this post and then lets move on. You believe the Chee were right, I believe not so.

Nope.  You can't order me to stop posting.  I don't think the Chee were "right," I think they were not capable of some of the things that you are suggesting.

Based on the fact that they tricked the crew of an Empire One Nova ship into believing that they were incinerating the free Hork-Bajir. Titles may not sound all that impressive, but Empire One sounds like it's run by fairly competent branches of the Yeerk Empire. So it'd be even fairer to assume that the Chee could project an equally convincing hologram that would likewise flummox the Yeerks and make them turn tail and run.

You missed the point.  The point is scale.  One human can throw a ball ten feet in the air with his arm.  Can six billion humans throw a ball into orbit with just their arms?

The Pemalites built a ship that could withstand the strength of the deepest part of Earth's ocean. They created a sentient race of Androids that can obviously choose to at some point rewrite their programming if the opportunity arises.

You are listing capabilities that have nothing to do with the capability you claimed: disguising the entire Earth.  500 years ago, no human-built heavier-than-air craft could fly.  Also, 500 years ago, no one could fly to another star.  Now we can do one of those things, but not the other.  Disguising a valley a couple of km^2 is a million times less impressive than disguising the whole surface of the Earth.  500 years ago, no one could hack a modern computer.  Also, 500 years ago, no one could hack a modern computer from ten miles away with no physical or wireless connection.  Now we can do one of those things, but not the other.  Hacking an Andalite computer while you are physically there is less impressive than hacking a computer in orbit.

As for sneaking on board the Yeerk ships and messing things up: yeah, maybe they could do that.  I don't know.

[TobiasMasonPark]

    We had computers 500 years ago?

[Morilore]

No; that's part of the point.

[Aquilai]

    We had computers 500 years ago?

Making it even more impressive if someone could do that! Stretching imagination, hacking, from the past, to what we call now a modern (2011) computer wirelessly. Sorry to carry on the derailing of the original topic XD

As a group decision (rather than the assumed individual character by OP) maybe trapping David as a rat (the bottom rung of the food chain) or enlisting the help of what is perceived as society's undesirables with full knowledge that there is an undeniably high possibility of certain death.