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“We’re not only protecting you from them. We’re protecting them from you.”
The quote supports Humans’ Impact on Ecosystems by establishing the importance of humans protecting vulnerable species from diseases that can harm and or kill them. Carrying an unfamiliar disease to a creature with no immunity can potentially kill entire species and disrupt whole ecosystems. The KPS works to avoid carrying diseases to the kaiju and killing them, protecting Kaiju Earth with vaccinations and item restrictions. This is also an example of The Importance of Conservation and Environmental Stewardship.
“It’s named for Ishiro Honda. He directed the original Godzilla movie in 1954. All the North American bases are named for the people who made the movie. Tanaka Base, Chuko-Kita Base, Nakajima Base, and so on.”
The quote incorporates historic kaiju narratives into the novel, showing its influences. The KPS names its bases after the people involved in the classic kaiju film Godzilla, showing the research the KPS members perform and reflecting their passion for the kaiju. The references also appeal to readers who are familiar with kaiju narratives and reflect the KPS’s delighted embrace of kaiju.
“Their biology is different from anything we have back home. Very different. Don’t think of them in terms of kingdoms of life. Think of them as biological systems. Kind of ecosystems in themselves.”
This quote, in which Tom explains the kaiju’s complex biology, is a bit of early world-building. It helps the new recruits understand the science of the kaiju and the world they are entering, challenging their notions of the creatures and forcing them to understand kaiju differently.