Seriously Though, Why Didn't the Animorphs Just...

[Chad32]

Okie dokie. In the last Cassie book before 50, she thinks the Yeerks getting their hands on the cube would be the worst thing ever. I really don't think anything happened between those books to change her mind. She was under stress in 50 as well as Jake, and I'm pretty sure she was only thinking of keeping Jake from going 'free or dead" on Tom. It wasn't until after she did it, and maybe saw some Yeerks willing to escape (no proof that they weren't taking involuntary hosts with them) that suddenly she thought it was a good idea. This is not how you make such important decisions.

Second, I'm not sure how it was the deciding factor at all. Or how offering nothlitism to yeerks under controlled conditions wouldn't have done the same thing if it was actually discussed beforehand. Yes it caused some Yeerks to turn traitor. I don't think they needed to hand an escafil device to v3 to do that. In the end, she's partly responsible for Rachel dying. This was not a well thought out plan that she consulted with the group over. This was a spur of the moment event, and when something remotely beneficial happened, she clung to that and made excuses about it. In the end I do believe it hurt more than it helped. It wasn't needed to get aboard the pool chip, if I remember correctly.

Even if it did make all the difference, which is debatable, it could have been done better.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     

Okie dokie. In the last Cassie book before 50, she thinks the Yeerks getting their hands on the cube would be the worst thing ever. I really don't think anything happened between those books to change her mind.

     This is a very good point that I hadn't thought of--and it bugs me that I didn't. It kind of makes Animorphs 39: the Hidden kind of pointless, doesn't it? I'll have to double check to see if she actually said that, but it's not like I don't believe you. 44: the Unexpected?

Second, I'm not sure how it was the deciding factor at all... Yes it caused some Yeerks to turn traitor. I don't think they needed to hand an escafil device to v3 to do that. In the end, she's partly responsible for Rachel dying. This was not a well thought out plan that she consulted with the group over... It wasn't needed to get aboard the pool chip, if I remember correctly.

     Here is where I have to disagree. I feel that handing the morphing cube over to the Yeerks was the game changer.

      1) It convinced a lot of Yeerks to go traitor, like you said. You were correct in saying that the Escafil device wasn't needed to do so. I'd say it made it EASIER.
 
     Think how fragile the Yeerk Invasion on Earth was with Visser Three messing things up--constantly giving his subordinates reasons to jump ship and plot his death-- and the Yeerk Peace Movement was helping the supposed Andalite Bandits. Then, of course, you have the ambition among the lower ranks and infighting between the Yeerks themselves. Image how much easier it would be for the common, low level Yeerk to prove himself when he has a morph capable host? It would be enough to convince the Council that, maybe said Yeerk would be more competent than old deranged Esplin.

     2) It convinced the Taxxons to switch over to the "good" side.

     This was crucial. If I remember correctly--from what I glimpsed at in Animorphs 54: the Beginning-- it was what let the Animorphs gain access on to the Pool Ship--along with the Auxiliaries and General Doubleday's team.

Even if it did make all the difference, which is debatable, it could have been done better.

     Agreed. It was a risky move and could have easily blown up in their faces.
     

[Chad32]

I forget how the Taxxons helped the anis get into the pool ship. I think this was the first book to show them sympathetically, and it came as a surprise to me, even after KA showing the other races the same way. Well there was the fact that the hive mound could keep them from being hunger crazy. Still, if the Anis wanted the Taxxons to help in exchange for becoming nothlits, that goes back to the idea that they could have done a better job if this idea was actually thought out and the issue discussed amongst the group.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Agreed. But, one could argue that they would never have agreed to do it if it hadn't been thought up by Cassie--or anyone-- at the last minute.

[Chad32]

I know there's less of a chance of that happening, but it's a much less risky and more reasonable choice than the alternative. I believe the Yeerk military is mostly made up of people who can either do as the Vissers say, or starve to death. It's not because they're evil and want to conquer the galaxy. Any Yeerk with any decency should defect if you say they can have whatever body they want, and live peacefully in it. People like aftran use the reasoning that being a sentient slug in a pool all your life sucks. If you take away that reasoning, and the power the Vissers hold over them, why fight?

It's not perfect, but neither is what happened. It's just that what happened was a lucky break, not a tactical success.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Which was luck--that the morphing thing worked out? Or the final battle? Because the battle was a combination of luck and having some really powerful and useful allies.

[Chad32]

That the morphing thing actually helped at all. That was pure luck. The battle wasn't all luck, though.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     I think I can agree with that.

[Chad32]

On a lighter note, why didn't they just get duck/goose morphs the first time they needed to fly long distances? It was always annoying to hear them go on about how raptors can't fly a logn way without getting tired, and they needed to fly so far apart to not draw attention. You know, there's a simple solution to that, right? Also Tobias should have gotten an owl morph, and stopped complaining about how he couldn't see well in the dark.

[MoppingBear]

On a lighter note, why didn't they just get duck/goose morphs the first time they needed to fly long distances? It was always annoying to hear them go on about how raptors can't fly a logn way without getting tired, and they needed to fly so far apart to not draw attention. You know, there's a simple solution to that, right? Also Tobias should have gotten an owl morph, and stopped complaining about how he couldn't see well in the dark.

As to the first question, would you believe they just didnt think of it? seriously, these are 13-14 year old kids with the choice acquiring a lame duck or an awesome bird of prey, what do you think they are going to choose? later on when they finally do acquire ducks, they berate themselves for not doing it sooner. as to tobias getting an owl morph, i dont know if it was ever outright stated in the books, but it seemed like it was a matter of pride for him.

[Chad32]

Tobias does seem to have strong opinions about other birds.

I can understand if they didn't think of it the first, or maybe second time they needed to fly a long distance, but it shouldn't have taken three years for it to occur to them. Yes they're teenagers. That means they're smart enough to know some birds are actually built for endurance, and travel in groups.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Not to mention the fact that they have a freaking animal expert on their team!

[donut]

Or that Tobias mentioned geese were long distance flyers at least once...

[NateSean]

Even grown ups have to stick a penny in a light socket once in awhile. I honestly believe that it just never occurred to them until that one time. Although what specifically made Marco, Ax and Tobias decide to acquire ducks that one time would be the more interesting question. (And please don't just say The Ellemist. He's becoming the Animorphs equivalent of "The Force")

[Snakie]

I realize this probably belongs in a "Seriously though, why didn't the Yeerks just...." thread, but I was reading #9 The Secret the other day where they were attempting to find Andalites by chopping down the forest they were convinced they were hiding in.

In said book, Cassie morphs a wolf and immediately recognizes an unfamiliar smell of "Andalite".  Given Andalites have a unique smell and the Yeerks have an andalite body handy as a reference, why don't they just use blood hounds to sniff out Ax's scoop?  I don't get the impression his scoop is particularly far from human civilization.

I know they always had a built in excuse that Visser 3 doesn't know anything about Earth animals, but you'd think at some point some eager to advance human controller would say "you know, Visser, humans use these blood hound creatures to track things down all the time".

Just something that hit me while I was reading.