Clanners on Pandora

[Imperial528]

Well, how much damage to the planet would pulling off an exterminatus-level event with the ISV's engines do? Obviously the RDA has more than enough power to say Fuck Off to the hippies, but I wonder if the unobtanium would've survived such an event? Or if the powers back on Earth would consider such a use of spacecraft drive exhaust a WMD, which the RDA is not allowed to posses?

I would also like to note that the ISV's exhaust plume (which is apparently plasma) is visible up to around thirty kilometers or more, so I'd estimate a maximum of 60 km. After that length, presumably all of the plasma has done what plasma does best, dissipate. I'll be generous and assume that the ISV would have to be within 100km of the surface to use such a maneuver. The problem with this is that the ISV would not be able to survive getting that close, let alone aiming. Given its method of construction (its a giant string with engines on the front) it would warp and collapse before it could get in the lower orbits pandora's equivalent of LEO. So even if it could do it, the crew is toast, and the ISV would fall to the surface soon after. And I doubt that anything could survive the M/AM explosion resulting in the crash of that thing, including most of the unobtanium the RDA was supposed to collect.

Not to mention that it's far easier to mine an earth-like world than it is to mine a semi-molten rock.

EDIT: Although, dropping a spare engine might be a better solution, since by their size they're at least local extinction event asteroids.

[NecronLord]

Plague is not an issue. If the original treatment is to believed as at all representative of the end product, there is no disease on Pandora. None, nil, ziltch nada. Not even a cold. The worldmind decants antidotes in the food chain to anything that crops up, and even did so automatically for the humans upon arrival. It's not in the film as published, mind, but I would say it at least demonstrates the thinking.

Is that in some Tech Manual or something? I saw no mention of it when I gleaned through the online script.

It's actually in the Project 880 script. As I said, not canon, but definately authorial intent.

As for keeping them supplied; he has an air force. I seriously doubt the Na'vi have not worked out some way to harness loads onto those Banshees. Of which they have many, certainly hundreds. This would give him a level of transport capacity pre-TwenCen generals could only envy.

He is still limited to hunter-gatherers to amass the foodstuffs in the first place, though, and has (as far as we know) no access to real conservation techniques. And even if he has the technical ability to pull it off, just organising the logistics of keeping thousands of warriors in the same place fed every day should be far beyond what either he or the Na'vi can devise.

The special edition of the film shows the Na'vi get a substantial part of their food from hunting some very big game. The notion is (in the 880 script) that this is a large part of their staple for the year and is an annual event. In short there is every reason to think they have substantial supplies of preserved food (that lack of disease would probably help) and the ability to transport it.

[Darth Hoth]

It's actually in the Project 880 script. As I said, not canon, but definately authorial intent.

Sorry, what is Project 180? Never heard of it.

The special edition of the film shows the Na'vi get a substantial part of their food from hunting some very big game. The notion is (in the 880 script) that this is a large part of their staple for the year and is an annual event. In short there is every reason to think they have substantial supplies of preserved food (that lack of disease would probably help) and the ability to transport it.

Not having seen the re-release or knowing the source you are referring to, I cannot comment on that. Still, I would think it would be a very great logistics achievement if he was able to organise a working supply line for an army of twenty thousand when working with essentially neolithic, tribal societies none of which (probably, if the Hometree Tribe was representative) masses more than a couple of hundred individuals.

[Zor]

It's actually in the Project 880 script. As I said, not canon, but definately authorial intent.

Sorry, what is Project 180? Never heard of it.

An early draft of Avatar.

Zor

[Darth Hoth]

Ah, thank you. Is that script available online?

[NecronLord]

Not having seen the re-release or knowing the source you are referring to, I cannot comment on that. Still, I would think it would be a very great logistics achievement if he was able to organise a working supply line for an army of twenty thousand when working with essentially neolithic, tribal societies none of which (probably, if the Hometree Tribe was representative) masses more than a couple of hundred individuals.

The Ometicaya were 'a couple of hundred' after being bombed out of their home. I would imagine that 'a couple of hundred' is a lower limit to be honest. I wouldn't really think it would be the massive issue you think it is. They were able to move close to two thousand people in overnight, I have little difficulty believing that they can move food in substantial quantities too.

As far as I know Project 880's been freely released, so... linky

It has some more 'way out' ideas such as the Na'vi having a neural-interface internet and can communicate easily across the planet. I wouldn't be surprised if such ideas make it back into a sequel.

[Xon]

He is still limited to hunter-gatherers to amass the foodstuffs in the first place,

Stop thinking of Pandora as a planet with a natural ecosystem. It isn't.

It is perfectly reasonable for the Navi's food source to migrate to them, because the planet is capable of freaking remote controlling them.