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[Sheb]

Isn't it a low gravity world? I though that's why they had larger animal and flying jellyfish.

[i2amroy]

The pandora wiki gives a gravity value of .8 g, so yeah, it's lower then Earth's.

[Loud Whispers]

Ah. Then that leaves the question of why their bones are so dense.

Best not to think too long on it.

[Silfurdreki]

Also, why are the Na'vi the only vertebrate that don't have a 6-legged body plan?

The Ikran are fourlimbed to.

The entire biology doesn't make much sense.  Not even going to try and defend that.

Edit: Well technically it's possible, it's just that the chance is undescribely small. I mean, the chance of their being live near alpha centauri is already astronomically small, and then we're talking about microbiological live.

Indeed, alpha centauri is a binary star, with both stars being close to the sun's size while orbiting each other as close as 11 AU (and at most 35 AU) at some point of their orbits. That's almost equivalent to the solar system having a second sun migrating between Saturn and Neptune every 80 years. Not the best place to form stable planetary systems.

Note: There's some equation which was solved by some smart scientists and a lot of guessing which suggests that there are about 20 intelligent alien civilazations in the universe.

The Drake Equation. It's less of an equation that you actually solve, and more of an equation in which you guesstimate each term and then come up with an almost completely made up answer. We have better guesses for some terms than others. We know R^* pretty well, for example, while we have vague guesses at best for f_l through L.

Sorry, the astronomy nerd in me took over, back on topic.

Something that always annoys me is when characters with the ability to fly (or otherwise move up and down in space) never use it to go above some arbitrary plane. For example, in The Fifth Element where the border to human space is marked by a line of blinking buoys in space. There's also the amazing blockade of Naboo in The Phantom Menace, wherein the trade federation blockades an entire planet using a ring of ships at the equator.

[Sordid]

There's also the amazing blockade of Naboo in The Phantom Menace, wherein the trade federation blockades an entire planet using a ring of ships at the equator.

Let's just ignore the prequels, shall we? Otherwise this thread will be seven hundred pages long before we're done listing all that's wrong with them.

[MrWiggles]

The ring of ships at the equator isn't a plot hole. The plot hole is that they had to fly anywhere near the block cade to escape the planet. There are story reasons, but its kinda of silly.

[Euld]

I'm perfectly fine with the idea of genetic memory in Assassin's Creed.  I see no reason to whine about how impossible it is.  Virtually every super high tech thing in sci-fi games and movies can't work, otherwise they'd exist today and be science fact.  Faster than light travel anyone?  Lightsabers?  Laser guns?  Hovercraft that are able to go faster than land vehicles?

1)Lightsabers are actually possible at the current time through use of ionized plasma/magnetic fields. Of course you would need to be hooked up to a large generator to power the dang thing, and you probably couldn't fight with them do to the magnetic fields interfering with each other and you losing plasma containment.
2)Laser guns fall in a similar category of "possible, but not practical". Currently the U.S. is working on a type of aircraft mounted laser that could deal substantial damage through use of a double pulse (the first ionizes the air to prevent refraction, then the second actually damages the target), but it's highly experimental currently and very prone to overheating if you fire more then one double-shot in a short period. So laser tanks are a much more probable thing then laser handguns.
3)Hovercraft can beat some land vehicles over certain types of terrain (namely swamp, ice, and sand), but generally at the point when a hover vehicle reaches speeds higher then those of a land based one we tend to call it an aircraft.
4)Faster then light hyperspace like in Star Wars? Not possible. Faster then light like found in Star Trek is theoretically possible by cheating the laws of physics though (you aren't actually moving faster then light, your just bending space so every step you take counts as several in normal space). Of course to do so you would need to be able to manipulate negative mass (possible due to the known existence of negative energy, but probably doesn't exist normally), but it's technically possible to do.
A lot of the sci-fi stuff out there isn't impossible, or even improbable, it just isn't practical. Even the "sci-fi stuff" that we can do now most of it would involve being hooked up to a big-ass generator just to power it, making handheld devices not practical; though if somebody ever comes up with a compact "super battery" then there is already a bunch of stuff out there in the sci-fi worlds that would become commonplace.
Lastly on the topic of DNA storage (ignore the first two panel rows):

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

O <-- The point
<------ Here's you missing it
I was trying to say that super advanced tech (or in this case, tech that isn't very practical) doesn't constitute a plot hole.  Sure I can understand when a movie or game really pushes it (ME3 ending space magic anyone?) but seriously, the Assassin's creed DNA memory storage doesn't push it that much.

[Sensei]

It bugs me when something seems totally impossible... except when it's addressed as part of the premise, which is pretty much the case with Assassin's Creed.

As for the planetary blockade being in the shape of a ring... well I'm not actually watching that movie again the see how egregious the visual is, but you can probably just imagine that they had ships evenly spaced around the planet so that you can't pass through without coming in somebody's weapon range.

[Lectorog]

It bugs me when something seems totally impossible... except when it's addressed as part of the premise, which is pretty much the case with Assassin's Creed.

I like to pretend it's in an alternate universe where genetic memory exists. That concept seems more possible than giant orders of Assassins and Templars engaged in a centuries-long war, the Templars taking over government positions and the Assassins assassinating them. Historical fiction is still fiction.

[kaijyuu]

We'll accept impossible things, but not improbable things!


I don't care if they make up wacky things for the premise. Genetic memory is a-ok to me. Just like warp drives in star trek, or magic in any fantasy setting. I only care if they break their own rules, or introduce a wacky impossible thing at a bad time, like the climax (deus ex machina, ahoy).

[10ebbor10]

Ah. Then that leaves the question of why their bones are so dense.

Best not to think too long on it.

Evolution doing strange and magically coming up with natural carbon fiber. 0.8 G is not enough to support such huge fauna.

I was expecting the whole gigantism to be caused by a hightened oxygen level, but apparently it's the same as on Earth. Would have explained the breathing system and such though.

2. Why are we using those fragile prop engines again?
3. The entire Na'Vi battle strategy

2)Hover capability probably, though you think they would have at least created some sort of jet hover vehicle that could work almost as well as the props did.
3)Agreed.
The real question is what happens in 7 years when Earth finds out that some alien species "Killing Human Beings! News at 10". Factoring in the few years to get the word around and the population motivated enough, and then the return trip including the further acceleration of space travel technology during this time period, I figure the Na'vi have anywhere from 15-20 years before the full might of Earth's military descend upon them and wipes them out, and then we just take all of the unobtanium anyways.

2. But they have hovering Jet engines, The Valkyrie uses them. The only reason I could come up with is that props tend to be more resilient to small debris. Explains why they can land in the jungle whitout problems.

Earth would find out much sooner. Both the ISV and Hell's gate have quantum communitcator devices. Instant communications but only 3 bit/hour. The RDA did have serious PR problems before though, so I don't know what the results 'll be. However, there are only 12 ISV's of which multiple are on their way, and whitout unobtanium they can't build more. So minimum 12 years before all ISV's are back(Assuming they come back, they need to be resuplied at Pandora(Avatar 2 ?)). Then 6 years before they arrive with the military at Pandora. Another 12 years before the first mining gear can arrive, and the another 6 years before the first unobtanium arrives on Earth. ( 36 years, assuming the ISV's fly constantly whitout pausing in orbit). I dunno if the RDA has enough financial support to survive that.

After all, unobtanium isn't needed for human survival. It's useful in fusion reactors, fancy maglevs and spaceships.
[/quote]

[Sordid]

As for the planetary blockade being in the shape of a ring... well I'm not actually watching that movie again the see how egregious the visual is, but you can probably just imagine that they had ships evenly spaced around the planet so that you can't pass through without coming in somebody's weapon range.

That would require putting the ships in a spherical arrangement, not a ring.

[Neonivek]

We'll accept impossible things, but not improbable things!


I don't care if they make up wacky things for the premise. Genetic memory is a-ok to me. Just like warp drives in star trek, or magic in any fantasy setting. I only care if they break their own rules, or introduce a wacky impossible thing at a bad time, like the climax (deus ex machina, ahoy).

Probably the most blantant Deus Ex Machina I have ever seen in a videogame is in Soul Calibur 5 when:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The main character gets possessed by the soul calibur and kills his sister, ultimately failing in his quest to save everyone he loves... But then time reverses (for no reason) and he gets a second chance. He also gets a motivational speach by someone who happens to be in the exact same location at the exactly right time by a character who has been missing (and completely uninvolved in the plot) since Soul Edge. Meaning we get TWO Deus Ex Machinas in one section.

It would be more nit picking except the story is pretty dismal and cannot be ruined further. I just listed it because I don't think any recent game or heck movie could compete with that

[Loud Whispers]

Could be worse. He could've woken up the next day, and it was all dreem nd thay live happyly evor after

[miauw62]

Anything about computers. When computers come as a subject in movies, i immediaatly see if that would be realistic.
Usually not to the point where the movie is ruined, but it always annoys me.


For example, XXX: state of the union.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

1 hour,  guy hacks into NSA database in ONE HOUR.
Gets a file where they should be going.
A while later...
OH NOEZ, EET WUZ A TRAP!