Wikia

Esplin 9466 Prime

Biographical information
Species	Yeerk
Hosts	Formerly: Alloran-Semitur-Corrass, unnamed Hork-Bajir, unnamed Gedd
Gender	"Male"
Family	Esplin 9466 Lesser (brother),
Occupation	Yeerk military officer
Affiliation	Yeerk empire
Behind the scenes
First appearance	The Invasion
Last appearance	The Beginning
Cause	Imprisoned for war crimes
Portrayer	Eugene Lipinski

Esplin 9466 is the power-hungry Yeerk better known as Visser Three, and later as Visser One.

BiographyEdit

Esplin 9466 was an officer in the Yeerk military. In his capacity as the leader of the Yeerk invasion of Earth, he served as the Animorphs' primary foe. For most of the series, he held the rank of Visser Three, but was promoted to the rank of Visser One towards the end of the war.

Birth and FamilyEdit

Esplin 9466 was born in an artificial Yeerk pool on board a captured Andalite ship shortly after the Yeerk exodus from their home world. At the time, the Yeerks had only a small number of Gedds to use as host bodies, and so each of the quarter million Yeerks on the convoy were given fifteen minutes "training" in a Gedd host. When Esplin's turn came up, he was so overwhelmed by the experiences of sight, hearing and greater mobility that he made it his ambition to be one of the few Yeerks to always possess a host body.

He had a twin brother named Esplin 9466 Lesser.

To help increase his chances of achieving his dream, he immersed himself in Andalite culture, biology, and military tactics, taking a famous Andalite saying - "Know your enemy as you know yourself" - as his axiom. He quickly became the pre-eminent expert on all affairs Andalite in the gestating Yeerk Empire. Through this initial research, Esplin fostered a deep desire to one day infest an Andalite, so that he might truly understand them.

Hork-Bajir ConflictEdit

Soon after arriving at the Hork-Bajir Homeworld, the Yeerks capture two specimens to examine for their fitness of infestation. Esplin is called to the pier, and becomes the first Yeerk to inhabit a Hork-Bajir as a permanent host. He utters the words "Yes, these creatures will be our weapons," and seals the fate of the Hork-Bajir. The Yeerks make the Hork-Bajir Homeworld their base of operations. They use the stolen Andalite technology to create Dracon weapons and Bug Fighters. They develop a system to coordinate their efforts and establish their hierarchy of Vissers and Sub-Vissers.

When the first Andalite forces arrive, Esplin, now calling himself a "Sub-Visser" (as these titles don’t seem to have had much organization in how they were dished out), leads the fighter attack against the Andalites. Using his knowledge of Andalite tactics and technology, his counter-measures prove to be effective, and he manages to survive the struggle against the then-superior Andalite forces, though most of his comrades are lost.

By the end of the conflict, Esplin has established himself as one of the most prominent Yeerks of his generation.

Andalite ChroniclesEdit

Esplin, now Sub-Visser Seven, is in charge of security on the Taxxon homeworld. He encounters Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, Arbron, and Alloran-Semitur-Corrass on the Taxxon homeworld, and their two Human charges, Loren and Chapman. Esplin conducts a little signing negotiation with Chapman, understanding that the Human race could be a useful new host species. During a skirmish with Elfangor, Esplin’s host is knocked unconscious, along with Alloran. Esplin uses the unguarded moment to acquire Alloran as a host body, becoming the first, and only (known) Andalite controller in history. He gives all his knowledge of Andalite fleet movements and modern tactics and technology to the Council of Thirteen, and they reward him for his efforts.

Esplin later arrives when it becomes known that the Skrit-Na obtained the Time Matrix, now Visser Thirty-Two. He becomes entangled with Elfangor and Loren, and the result of their meddling with the Time Matrix results in a warped universe, part Earth, part Andalite Homeworld, and part Yeerk Homeworld.

Later, when the Ellimist warps Elfangor out of his original timeline, Esplin has already reached his trademark rank, Visser Three. Elfangor rams his bladeship, and the battle ends with an Andalite victory as Esplin retreats his forces. This battle makes Elfangor a Prince.

Visser Three is given the assignment of assuming control of the invasion of Earth. It is a job he doesn’t seem to care for initially, but this reveals how important the Yeerks view the invasion.

When the Andalites finally do send a military force to Earth, Visser Three hides his bladeship in a crater on Earth’s moon. The resulting sneak attack results in the Andalites being overwhelmed and ultimately destroyed except for Elfangor, who dies shortly thereafter at the Visser's hands, and Ax.

Invasion of EarthEdit

Visser Three moves the invasion along nicely, already in the later stages. He is soon confronted by the Animorphs, whom he believes to be "Andalite Bandits". Within a few months, his main Kandrona generator is destroyed, and he gets into trouble when he captures the Animorphs and Visser One’s personal bodyguard set them free.

As time progresses he slowly escalates the invasion. Near the end of the series he becomes Visser One, and uses his new authority to turn the stealthy invasion into a true, open war. Ultimately he is defeated by the Animorphs and Andalites. He is sentenced for war crimes at the end of the series.

He does not know what a gorilla is, but he knows what a tiger is, according to The Predator. Visser One (i.e. Edriss 562) tells Visser Three more about Earth's animals, or unless Marco's mother, Eva, is explaining it.

He orders 200 Human-Controllers each month, according to The Capture in the town the Animorphs live. This included an entire hospital staff from the East Wing Hospital, writers, teachers, TV actors and hosts, and anyone in politicial power to join The Sharing. This will include the governor of where the Animorphs live, but we do not know what happened to the state's governor. It is unclear whether the governor was infested by a Yeerk from the Yeerk pool, or the governor was rescued by the Animorphs.

RelationsEdit

Esplin is a no-nonsense Yeerk, personifying the cold and heartless enemy the Animorphs are up against. He keeps subordinates in line with fear over incentive, and isn’t above the random execution, just to keep the rest in line.

Esplin is a war hero to his people in a similar way Elfangor is to his, and the two share a bitter hatred towards each other almost from the moment they meet. Though Esplin isn’t as selfless and valiant as Elfangor, he appears to be far more cunning, as demonstrated in most of the battles of wits he has with Elfangor, he emerges the victor.

He does enter a rivalry with then Visser One, and their rivalry was something of a legend, even among Andalite circles.

He apparently has something of a friendship with Visser Four, the head of the Leeran invasion, Though with Esplin’s personality it is most likely a political alliance more than friendship.

Most Yeerks possess some kind of relationship with their hosts, often not a positive one, and Alloran long ago gave up his fight with Esplin so until book 54 he remained an entire slave, not even thinking to be free once more. In book 54, however, once defeated by the Animorphs and Tom the traitor, Esplin voluntarily relinquished his hold on Alloran, favoring the Animorphs' punishment to what the Council would sentence him to, and Alloran was overjoyed to be free again, once and for all.

Books Narrated By Esplin 9466Edit

The Hork-Bajir Chronicles

ReferencesEdit

Vissers in the Yeerk Empire
Visser One	Visser One \| Visser One
Visser Two	Visser Two
Visser Three	Visser Three
Visser Four	Visser Four
Visser Thirty-two	Visser Thirty-two

Wikia

Esplin 9466

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