maybe this has bothered you too...

[captaincommiex.livejournal.com]

i'm home for the summer, and i just started to reread the invasion. this must be the tenth time rereading this particular book, but it just occurred to me: why didn't elfangor morph into another form to save himself from dying, and then demorph to heal his andalite body of the wounds? from what i've gathered, ax (or estrid, or maybe it was aldrea, i don't remember which of the andalites) had a kafit bird morph from the andalite home world, which he had to acquire to practice morphing. he said that young andalites often acquire a kafit bird and had to pass a morphing test or something. it stands to reason that elfangor, even before his convoluted trip as described in the andalite chronicles, had at least acquired a kafit bird, if not any other animal. why didn't elfangor give the animorphs the morphing power first, then morph into a kafit bird to heal his andalite body, then in his kafit bird morph, lead the animorphs to safety away from the approaching yeerks?

Comments

[digipacopr.livejournal.com]

...

i never thought about that for some reason....

[caitieness.livejournal.com]

i have always wondered about that. but i always figured he was just too weak to morph, you know, because it takes a lot of energy?

[rem-sama.livejournal.com]

I've always considered that pure plothole. I mean, how many times have the Animorphs managed to morph while exhausted or greviously injured? The only reason I can possibly think of is that Elfangor was afraid the morphing would frighten them off and then where would he be? Still, that doesn't sound very plausible, so hence: plothole.

Having him survive would make for a great - if painfully epic - fanfiction.

[kattwoman2.livejournal.com]

"The reason why they never made a raft on Gilligan's Island is because it would end the series."--Timmy Turner.

Yes, it's a cartoon, but it makes a little sense. I think it was because he was too weak and morphing could have sucked the rest of the energy out of his body and he may have died before he even got half-way throught the morphing. That's just my guess, but you did bring up a very, very interesting question.

[amaronith.livejournal.com]

I always thought it was some horribly angsty reason like he wanted to die. I mean, he wasn't very happy with his life, and while, yeah, he didn't want to die by getting eaten, at the same time, he couldn't commit suicide or he'd bring dishonor to his whole family, and, uh, according to the Andalites, that's a bad bad thing. Being killed by Visser Three, while it wasn't the BEST of choices for his death, surely, it had to have been the easiest.

That's my theory on it anyway.

[freudian-lisp.livejournal.com]

Or maybe it was just Applegate? This was her first book after all, maybe she wasn't "used" to this morphing thing and the characters yet, I know it sounds strange. Cus that's the book is all about right?
The first book is just so different form..say...book number 48 or 32 or 42! (I know she used ghostwriters!) where it feels like she knows her characters and the stuff they do better. Meh

I've thought of that many times. But the one who commented that Elfangor was to weak or afraid to scare em is propably right.

Fell free to ignore me

[http://users.livejournal.com/_thelady_/]

Well, first and formost I think it's because having him alive would have messed everything up for KAA. But if you need a better reason...like other said he was exhausted, physically and emotionally, thought his brother was dead, separated from his love and his son yet so close...and all that. But also, let's not forget that Visser Three was minutes behind him. If Elfangor had escaped the Visser would have searched like mad to find him and with all the Controllers on hand it wouldn't be too hard to find a bird with eight wings. Bet those kind of stick out on Earth. And the kids would have been found. I think it was a bit of assisited suicide, coupled with noble sacrifice to help his son and the others escape. How very Andalite-ish of him...

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

I agree, I always wondered the same thing myself. Although, there are a few weird things in book 1. For example, Jake and Tobias communicate through thought-speak when Tobias is in morph, but Jake is not, don't they?

[frameacloud]

Agh! I never thought of that before.

In Elfangor's defense, it's probably much harder to come up with excellent plans while mortally wounded. The plan he did manage to execute was pretty sharp considering all the distraction he probably had from pain. Landing a spaceship was plenty challenging under that strain.

A lesser Andalite would probably just wuss out and lie there going "Aagh ow holy crap" until either the ship crashed or Visser Three ate him.

[owl-grove-tree.livejournal.com]

i always assumed it was because his host body was the thing that was injured... just like when Tobias broke his wing... morphing into a bird would have let him escape, but then he'd be bleeding and on the verge of death when he resumed his normal form. I don't remember him having any sort of norhit worthy form to choose either;

[esckey.livejournal.com]

I believe the reason he didn't morph is because he WANTED to stay behind and try and fight Visser as a PURE Andalite - it is a typical honourable Andalite thing to do after all...