Escafil Device

Escafil Device
Alias(es)	Blue Box Morphing Cube
Creator	Escafil
Made	c.1960s
Owners	Andalite military Animorphs (formerly) Yeerk Empire (formerly) Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill
Users	Andalites Animorphs Loren Auxiliary Animorphs Elena Yeerk Empire Arbron's Taxxons Earth Anti-Terror Forces
Status	Active
Appearances
TV Series	Animorphs
First Appearance	The Invasion
Last Appearance	The Beginning

"It was sky blue and square, maybe four inches on each side. It seemed kind of heavy for being so small."

―Jake

An Escafil device, often referred to as the blue box or the morphing cube, is the name of the blue box that grants individuals the morphing ability. It is named after the Andalite scientist Escafil, who helped create it. The Escafil Device was responsible for bestowing the Animorphs with their signature powers, as well as allowing Yeerks and Taxxons to escape their biological limitations, which played a pivotal role in ending the war.

History

Andalite Usage

"The morphing technology is so new that there are even Andalites who doubt its safety or usefulness. Fortunately, I had a friend back on the home world whose mother was one of the designers of the Escafil Device. She had shown it to me. I'd used it."

―Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan

The Escafil device was created by a group of Andalites, spearheaded by one named Escafil, in the 1960s. The device allowed for anyone who touched the box, when activated, to receive the power to morph into any individual whose DNA pattern they acquired. One of the designers working on the Escafil Device brought one of the cubes home, where her daughter showed it to her friend, Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan; Aldrea then interacted with the cube and gave herself the ability to morph.

After the technology was perfected, all members of the Andalite military were required to touch the Escafil device and obtain morphing powers in order to pass a mandatory morphing proficiency test. Despite the fact that all active duty Andalites were morph-capable, most Andalites did not morph after the proficiency test. Morphing was usually done exclusively by Andalites who worked in espionage, although there were some Andalites who secretly morphed into kafit birds for recreation purposes.

The morphing technology was also shared with select civilian Andalites, some of whom became morph dancers known as estreens. An estreen possessed the ability to control each aspect of the morphing process and thus was able to make it look elegant as a performative career.

Elfangor's Cube

Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, a famed Andalite Prince, was given his own Escafil Device. In 1997, Elfangor had the cube placed within his personal fighter. When he landed on an abandoned construction site in a town in California on Earth, Elfangor met five human thirteen year olds named Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie and Marco (who would go on to call themselves the Animorphs) and informed them of the truth behind the Yeerk Empire and their invasion of Earth.

The Animorphs touch the Escafil Device and acquire the power to morph

In order to help them fight, Elfangor asked Jake to enter his ship and retrieve the blue box. When Jake brought him the cube, Elfangor notified the children that the box would give them the ability to morph into animals and offered to transfer these powers to them. The five human teenagers then placed their hands against each side of the cube as Elfangor actived the cube, granting the five teens the morphing power. The Animorphs then ran as Visser Three arrived on the scene in his Blade ship, along with a pair of Bug fighters. When Elfangor commanded his ship to destroy one of the Bug fighters, the remaining Bug fighter and the Blade ship fired at Elfangor's fighter and destroyed it. The force of the ship's explosion propelled the Escafil Device into one of the walls of the construction site.

Aximili's Cubes

"Captain Asculan issues the following orders: Four morphing cubes will be made available to aristh Aximili to use as he sees fit. Aristh Aximili is hereby elevated to the rank of prince. Prince Aximili is appointed liaison between the Andalite fleet and the people of Earth."

―Andalite Junior Officer to the Animorphs

To be added

Human Usage

"Terrorists had begun to attack Andalite tourists and free Hork-Bajir. And the Andalites had agreed to make a single morphing cube available, on condition that it remain in Andalite custody and be used only for antiterror forces."

―Jake

To be added

Capabilities

"That blue box represented more power than half the weapons in the world combined. That little blue box could give anyone morphing power."

―Marco

To be added

Appearances

This section requires expansion

In chronological order:

• The Hork-Bajir Chronicles (mentioned)
• The Invasion
  • The Andalite Chronicles
• The Message (mentioned)
• The Discovery
• The Suspicion
• The Hidden
• The Diversion
• The Ultimate
• The Sacrifice (mentioned)
• The Answer (mentioned)
• The Beginning

Trivia

• David identifies the Escafil Device in The Discovery as being inscribed with symbols, presumably Andalite writing. However, in most official depictions of the Escafil Device it is shown as a featureless cube with no symbols or inscriptions.
• Some inconsistency exists in the series as to how the box works; while the general canon is that the box must be activated first, in The Hidden, an ant and a buffalo are able to acquire the morphing ability simply by touching the cube.

Gallery

The Andalite's Gift

Escafil device as illustrated on the inside cover of The Andalite's Gift

Inside cover; The Hidden

TV series