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Avatar: The Way of Water has just hit theaters, and it's brought along a bevy of new information about Pandora with it. Avatar was famous for its worldbuilding - James Cameron spared no expense and took his time crafting the world of the Na'vi. One of its main points of praise was its photorealistic CGI; besides the human characters, nearly all of the setpieces and characters were constructed using special effects. Cameron even went so far as to create a language for the Na'vi to speak.

It's safe to say that Avatar: The Way of Water took so long because Cameron was really honing in on the finer details. The world is even bigger than it was in Avatar: there's more characters, more creatures, and deeper worldbuilding. In fact, the movie makes a conscious effort to spend more time on the Sully family learning a new Na'vi way than the first did.

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Humans Have Officially Destroyed the Earth

Avatar The Way of Water Human Ship

When humans land on Pandora in the opening moments of Avatar: The Way of Water, it's revealed that they're doing so because the Earth is dying. This doesn't come as much of a shock: the first Avatar makes several references to the Earth not being in the best shape. Jake (Sam Worthington) even tells the Na'vi that humanity "killed its mother", while deleted scenes depict Earth as an overpopulated mess. In the first Avatar, though, humans are only interested in Pandora's resources. Now, they want to claim Pandora as a new homeworld.

The colonization process begins with a new city being constructed, known as Bridgehead City. Various robots are helping humans build a new foothold on the planet, and the process involves a clear cutting of Pandora's forests. The area around Bridgehead is barren and scarred. Humans have also invented a new kind of Avatar, known as Recombinants. Recombinants are Avatars imbued with a deceased human's DNA and memories. It's through this process that Stephen Lang's character, Colonel Quaritch, returns to Avatar: The Way of Water.

As mentioned at the end of the first film, some human scientists stayed behind on Pandora and became allies of the Na'vi. For many years, they held the military base as their home on Pandora, but when other humans returned to the planet, these scientists went into hiding with the Na'vi. Some of these scientists still have access to their Avatars.

The Metkayina Clan

Avatar The Way of Water Metkayina

Early on in the film, Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) end up moving away from the Omaticaya Clan. In a new ritual, Jake transfers leadership of the Clan to another Na'vi. He's devastated he has to leave the Clan behind, but he reasons that his family is the main target of the humans. The Omaticaya are simply in too much danger if they stay. The Sullys then travel over the ocean and meet with the Sea Peoples of Pandora. They're Na'vi of another kind - where the Omaticaya are Forest Peoples, the Metkayina support the way of water while they live on their thousands of islands.

The clan's leader or Olo'eyktan is Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) while their spiritual leader or Tsahik is his pregnant mate, Ronal (Kate Winslet). They have a son named Aonung (Filip Geljo) and a daughter named Tsireya (Bailey Bass). Their clan frequently ventures into the water, just as Avatar: The Way of Water's set photos and concept art promised.

The Sea Peoples look noticeably different from Forest Na'vi. They have lighter skin, and are capable of holding their breath underwater for far longer than a Forest Na'vi (though the Forest Na'vi can eventually acclimate to their ways). Their bodies are also better suited towards swimming; they have longer, thicker, webbed hands, and thicker tails. They also appear to be a bit taller than their forest counterparts.

The Sully Children

Avatar 5 James Cameron

At the end of the last movie, the Omaticaya were left to live peacefully. In the years since, Jake and Neytiri have welcomed four children. The first of their children is Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), a true warrior and obedient son. He tries follow in his father's footsteps while also trying to lead his siblings, though they are often willful regardless of his words.

The second of their children is their adopted daughter, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). Kiri is actually the daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), whom she had with an unknown man while in her Avatar. Although she isn't biologically Jake and Neytiri's daughter, she's part of the family regardless. She calls Jake "dad" and Neytiri "mom", while also affectionately referring to Dr. Augustine as "ma".

Their third and fourth children are Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss). Lo'ak wants to prove himself just like Neteyam does, but he feels inferior to his older brother. He's something of an outcast, though Tsireya takes a liking to him. Tukitrey, also known as Tuk, is the youngest child. She's precocious and wants to tag along with her older siblings, but isn't ready to take on the world just yet.

Then there's Spider (Jack Champion). His real name is Miles Socorro; he was unable to make the trip back to Earth when humans evacuated, as infants are too young for the cryo-sleep required for the journey. He plays a pivotal role in the evolution of Colonel Quaritch's (Stephen Lang) character. He's actually Quaritch's son, but he identifies more with the Na'vi. He was raised among the human scientists left behind on Pandora, and also grew up alongside the Sully kids. Though Jake appears to willingly take a fatherly role in his life, Neytiri disapproves of him, as she still harbors ill feelings towards humans.

The five of them all view each other as family, however. Jake tells them, "Sullys stick together." They take that message to heart.

Tulkuns

Avatar The Way of Water Tulkun

Tulkuns weren't present in the first fim, but are very important to the sequel. They're whale-like creatures, but they are also sentient creatures. They're capable of communicating with the Na'vi, and the Metkayina Clan form bonds with them, referring to the creatures as their "spirit brother" or "spirit sister". They're incredibly gentle - their own way means that they cannot kill.

Their pacifism is absolute. They won't attack even to protect their own lives, and a tulkun can be exiled from their pod if they break this law. The tulkuns even consider the responsibility for any deaths in a war party to lie on the shoulders of the individual who organized it, and they therefore don't engage in warfare. The Metkayina are very protective of the species, and they go to war for the tulkuns if they're threatened.

Humans have been hunting tulkuns for an unknown amount of time. The Metkayina only allow them to do so because it is far out of their territory; if the humans were to hunt a tulkun within their waters, they would go to war with their ships. But tulkuns have special properties: their minds contain a fluid which can halt aging in a human. It's this industry which supports the human settlements on Pandora.

One tulkun plays an especially important role in the film: Payakan. Payakan is an outcast tulkun, and he bonds with Lo'ak. The two of them understand what it's like to feel alone: Lo'ak isn't accepted by most Metkayina because they view him as a demon, tainted with human blood, while Payakan broke the tulkunss' sacred laws.

Avatar: The Way of Water shows off more of Pandora, and reveals some new depths for the franchise. This was according to Cameron's plan - he's even stated that the long runtime of the film is due the creative decision to focus more on character development this time around. Fans will have to wait for more sequels before they learn more about Pandora, but in the meantime, the sequel gives them plenty of fodder for fan works and discussions.

Avatar: The Way of Water is now in theaters.

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