Headscratchers / EarthBound Beginnings

• If George and Maria were kidnapped as a young couple, then how can they be Ninten's ancestors? This either makes Ninten's grandparent an illegitimate child with extreme Parental Abandonment (I mean, come on! When your dad finally DOES come back from outer space, he won't even talk to you!) or born on Gyiyg's planet and taken back with him, which would be odd. The former would actually make some sense, as it may have started a family trend of Disappeared Dad.
  • I always thought that they were kidnapped after their kid was born. After all, they could have been married for a year and still be considered a "young couple".
• Why does the mayor send twelve-year-old Ninten to go find Pippi and investigate the zoo situation, instead of the police or anyone else trained to deal with such situations as those?
  • Because he's corrupt. He wants to take credit for the rescue (as revealed in a Freudian Slip) and if he had sent a professional, they would of course want to be honored. On the other hand, a random kid wouldn't object too much.
  • The kid can swing a bat pretty damn well, psychic powers help too
• How does Ana manage to wear short sleeves in such a snowy place as, well, Snowman?
• If Podunk, Merrysville, and Ellay were originally called Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, and Valentine, then why weren't the towns of Reindeer, Spookane, Snowman, and Youngtown also named after holidays? Or should I ask why the former three were in the first place?
  • Spookane was named Halloween in the original Japanese, and Youngtown was named Easter. Reindeer and Snowman are probably named for the Christmas icons, as Union Station was originally Santa Claus Station.
• If Ninten has PSI Healing powers, why didn't he use it to save Teddy after the guy was critically wounded in Mt. Itoi?
  • No scrolling HP in this game.
• Why does Ana squeeze in-between Ninten and Loyd upon joining, instead of just lining up behind Loyd? If this had something to do with certain events on Mt. Itoi, I'd be surprised that the developers actually thought to anticipate that in some way, considering how primitive the game is overall.
  • Ana's the weakest party member, so Ninten and Lloyd form a defensive perimeter around her.
• How did Maria Become Queen Mary?
  • Magicant, her domain, is a product of her consciousness and Gyiyg's incredible psionic power. Between it being her subconscious and Gyiyg's high regard of her, it makes sense that she's its queen after her supposed death.
• Who is really at fault for the present situation? Was George justified in acquiring secrets to unlocking psionic potential because there really was a future plan by Gyiyg's species to conquer Earth? Or is Gyiyg really the one in the right all because of Geroge's paranoia and greed?
  • Considering what happens later on in the series, it seems to be a pretty safe bet to assume the latter. Though killing everyone is just a little over-the-top.
• Why was Ninten's home attacked by a poltergeist? Was it a result of Gyiyg's influence spurring on a malevolent spirit? Or was it just a random occurrence that was completely out of nowhere?

---