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[Vattic]

First off, wasn't my quote; that was a quote by someone else. It's completely stupid to assume that ANY organism could violate thermodynamics in such a way that farming for energy makes sense.
Second off, I still like the wetware theory better. The robots never seemed like they were Three Laws compliant to me--why not just screw with the connections the rebels had to the Matrix?

...How did the rebels even have access to the Matrix?? Is it that hard to turn off the Wi-fi on your world simulator?

Just as an example the first law didn't do much good during the war.

I like the wetware theory better too.

The film also left me wondering why the machines didn't just switch to nuclear power.

[Sheb]

If anything, it'd be easier to imagine the tetrapods evolving from the hexapods than the other way around: it's easier to loose limbs that to gain them (We have wales, and T-rex, but never had a vertebrate with 6 limbs.)

[10ebbor10]

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

A high gravity world of carbon based life forms, and not a single snake to be seen.

WHY AREN'T THEY ALL SNAKES?!!

Where'd you get the idea that Pandora was high-gravity? I always thought it was low-gravity. It makes more sense, and explains the giant flyers, giant space-wood-elves, etc.

Yup, low gravity. It's a moon, after all.

Maybe the antimatter engines are constructed like a blackbox? Where you can't open the thing up, only use the predefined hooks into the thing. It also means that you're screwed if something happens that you can't solve without opening the engine up, but. ..

Actually, that makes sense. That much power, you don't want people playing around with the engines...

Remember, that's a matter antimatter reaction you got going there, with the approximate power of one nuclear warhead/ second. In case of an engine failure you're screwded anyway, because there isn't going to be an engine to repair.

Not evil? While amorality != immorality, it's hard to argue that the former can't be evil.
Genocide and destruction wasn't their goal, no, but they considered it an acceptable cost. Preeeety sure that falls under evil.

I can't help but notice that that colonel guy died right before the end of the movie. I imagine that with him gone, the leadership of the colony was significantly less...violent. Also, the humans had been shown that these peoples' religion just might not be superstition like ours is, and either way, they'd need to pretty much wipe out every trace of macroscopic life on the planet to avoid dying. At that point, they presumably decided it wasn't worth the cost.

Looking back at additionall data, I'm pretty sure that at least a limited amount of unobtanium is needed for the survival of the human civilazation. It's the most important component of their fusion generators, which provide the power for the limited terraforming. However, maybe the current stockpile is sufficient. Pretty sure the pesty little humans ain't going to leave them alone.

As for gunships, rockets etc., they're quite simply more expensive and less effective than a virus. Any rational board of directors would opt for the more cost effective thing.

Assuming they had an actual reason to. Which they didn't, when they were sending the expedition out. Remember, travel to Pandora isn't FTL, it's 0.7 c, meaning it takes about 6 years to reach there from Earth.

They didn't even knew the Na'vi where there when they first landed. The first expedition was a wee bit underprepared.

But the article sounds plausible. Seems pretty likely many people would go over to that. I don't think people would be poring over the article looking for discrepancies.

We are, and we're just critiquing critiques of a movie, not dealing with a major loss of life and culture of the only other known intelligent alien species. There would be much more than 10ebbor10 looking over that news story...
The real question is why the humans didn't mine the unobtanium in the floating mountains...

They tried. Turns out that the mountains aren't that strong, and can break up quickly when mined into. They didn't try again

I might also affect human behaviour, btw.

If by affect you mean "cause brain damage" yes

That changes behavior, no?

Yup. Suprisingly, reverse phrenology actually works.

whenever i see a movie with aliens and humans fighting each other on a planet , i just want to facepalm .
i think that if we would find another life in space , we would try to examine it and learn new things about the universe , instead of destroying it.
the same goes for aliens if they would find us , i think they would want to make friends and exchange knowledge instead of just slaughtering everyone and destroying the planet.
i guess the movie wouldn't be fun without slaughter or fast action , but it seems unrealistic for me.

Wait.
Your problem with this is that the humans and aliens are fighting, period?
1. There's a bit of evidence against your idea. *cough*New World*cough*Xenophobia*/cough*
2. If they did fight with them, why would it be planetside??

The primary problem with first contacts is that at first the only thing you know about them is that they'll quite probably die if you something at them real fast. There's a gigantic amount of time for translation/diplomatic and other errors. In fact, I'm pretty sure it might take decades before we could even understand each others languages. (Some sort of math's/physics based language thingy might be possible sooner, if the aliens have a similair understanding of maths/physics)

[Sergius]

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

A high gravity world of carbon based life forms, and not a single snake to be seen.

WHY AREN'T THEY ALL SNAKES?!!

Where'd you get the idea that Pandora was high-gravity? I always thought it was low-gravity. It makes more sense, and explains the giant flyers, giant space-wood-elves, etc.

Yup, low gravity. It's a moon, after all.

You can have a moon that's the same size, density and gravity that Earth. Being a moon doesn't automatically make the gravity lower. It was lower in this case, yes. If they don't say it in the movie, I'm pretty sure that Cameron has it written down somewhere (I believe he documented a LOT of canon things about this world)

[Starver]

...How did the rebels even have access to the Matrix?? Is it that hard to turn off the Wi-fi on your world simulator?

I can't remember exactly how they connect the ships' systems to the matrix data-lines, but there's some reason why they can't move (at least too far away) from the locale they're jacking-in from.  As well as the whole "can't go 'dark' until disconnected" thing.

Whether it's a physical link or a short-range (perhaps induction-based) 'remote' connection to the data cables, I can't actually recall before going and having another look at the films.


Also, as revealed in the third film

Spoiler: ...and not assuming here that everyone has (click to show/hide)

...the Matrix fully supports the existence of the people outside the Matrix plugging into it.  It's part of the cycle.  It will even help repopulate Zion from scratch after it crushes it and reboots everything (or intends to do so, exactly as it has done several times before... or so says the rambling man in the TV-room, assuming that this can be considered a reliable in-universe narrator).

[Realmfighter]

...How did the rebels even have access to the Matrix?? Is it that hard to turn off the Wi-fi on your world simulator?

I can't remember exactly how they connect the ships' systems to the matrix data-lines, but there's some reason why they can't move (at least too far away) from the locale they're jacking-in from.  As well as the whole "can't go 'dark' until disconnected" thing.

Whether it's a physical link or a short-range (perhaps induction-based) 'remote' connection to the data cables, I can't actually recall before going and having another look at the films.


Also, as revealed in the third film

Spoiler: ...and not assuming here that everyone has (click to show/hide)

...the Matrix fully supports the existence of the people outside the Matrix plugging into it.  It's part of the cycle.  It will even help repopulate Zion from scratch after it crushes it and reboots everything (or intends to do so, exactly as it has done several times before... or so says the rambling man in the TV-room, assuming that this can be considered a reliable in-universe narrator).

This is why I like the Zion is another layer of the matrix theory. All the stupid things that don't make sense in the narrative but become fully reasonable when you think of the movies as action flicks suddenly become genius, because it would be an in universe action flick.

Using glorified mining machines to fly in against people in Gatling cannon weilding mechs. instead of say, flooding the city with mustard gas? Narratively stupid. Action Movie understandable, giant fights are epic and all that. Zion as a second level of the matrix? Now everyone in Zion wins. They get to live their lives free from the tyranny of the machine. What better way of dealing with the people who would never accept the Matrix and question every glitch than giving them exactly what they want?

[Neonivek]

Using glorified mining machines to fly in against people in Gatling cannon weilding mechs. instead of say, flooding the city with mustard gas?

To my knowledge it is mostly because the machines really don't care to use such tactics because they don't have to.

[Ameablable]

I apologize if this has been said. but this in x men
Xavier gets crippled at the end of X-men first class, which is the first in the timeline so far, yet at the end of X-men origins Wolverine, he is standing and in a flashback in X-men three the last stand, he is also standing!

cmon people!!

[Starver]

I'm in the "it's just another layer out" camp, but...

"Glorified mining machines"?  As far as I can tell, the Squids aren't particularly mining-enabled.  That big boring thing (as opposed the bearded boring thing, some might say ) was quite the innovation, indeed, but the squids are the standard do-everything form.  The main computer has no imagination, and there's not even any T800 infiltrator units.  It's just a basic massed-ranks charge by loads of expendable generic units.

Of course, that's also a tactic employed by game AIs, along with the "End Of Level Boss" that also needs to be defeated.  But an actual AI could be just as 'brute-forcey'.  I don't know.  I've not encountered that many apparently malevolent AIes IRL yet.  I probably just haven't advanced my skills enough to trigger the necessary plot-events, though.

[Ameablable]

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

A high gravity world of carbon based life forms, and not a single snake to be seen.

WHY AREN'T THEY ALL SNAKES?!!

Where'd you get the idea that Pandora was high-gravity? I always thought it was low-gravity. It makes more sense, and explains the giant flyers, giant space-wood-elves, etc.

Yup, low gravity. It's a moon, after all.

You can have a moon that's the same size, density and gravity that Earth. Being a moon doesn't automatically make the gravity lower. It was lower in this case, yes. If they don't say it in the movie, I'm pretty sure that Cameron has it written down somewhere (I believe he documented a LOT of canon things about this world)

When the general is working out he says "gotta keep in shape this lower gravity makes you soft" or somehing along those lines

[Starver]

Assuming the scientific advisers weren't employed straight from kindergarten, or distracted by shiny objects at the crucial moment, it's also supported by the native life.  Spindly and tall, rather than short and squat.  And the megaflora (even just counting the individual components of it that are aboveground) is megaflora!

[Flying Dice]

Assuming the scientific advisers weren't employed straight from kindergarten, or distracted by shiny objects at the crucial moment, it's also supported by the native life.  Spindly and tall, rather than short and squat.  And the megaflora (even just counting the individual components of it that are aboveground) is megaflora!

This. If Pandora was a high-grav world, the blue space elves would have been dwarfs and there wouldn't have been any giant-fucking-trees.


I'm wondering, was there any explanation for the floating islands other than "it looks so cool"?

[Ameablable]

Assuming the scientific advisers weren't employed straight from kindergarten, or distracted by shiny objects at the crucial moment, it's also supported by the native life.  Spindly and tall, rather than short and squat.  And the megaflora (even just counting the individual components of it that are aboveground) is megaflora!

This. If Pandora was a high-grav world, the blue space elves would have been dwarfs and there wouldn't have been any giant-fucking-trees.


I'm wondering, was there any explanation for the floating islands other than "it looks so cool"?

Yea they said magnets. Hence the equipment malfunctioning. Pretty damn strong magnets.

[10ebbor10]

A certain kind of electromagnetic effect. Forgot the exact name. Sadly, they kinda dropped the ball there. In order to completely justify it, there should have been giant lightning sparks, scraps of metal flying about and all sort of stuff.

[Ameablable]

A certain kind of electromagnetic effect. Forgot the exact name. Sadly, they kinda dropped the ball there. In order to completely justify it, there should have been giant lightning sparks, scraps of metal flying about and all sort of stuff.

And metal v-tol's probably shouldnt have been able to fly there...