Pandora is an exomoon within the fictional universe of Avatar. Slightly smaller than Earth, Pandora is inhabited by native Na'vi and Tulkun, among many other species who call the planet home. Pandora is covered in dense bioluminescentforest, oceans and floating mountains. Appearing across different media, it first appeared as the setting of Avatar (2009) and its sequels, along with the video games Avatar: The Game (2009) and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023), various graphic novels, a stage show and a theme park. In the film series, Pandora is a source of a large amount of unobtainium present beneath the surface, which humanity from a future Earth attempt to exploit. In later movies, humanity shift their focus onto hunting the Tulkun, hosts to amrita, a substance that stops humans aging.
Pandora is a natural satellite of the gas giant Polyphemus, which orbits Alpha Centauri A in the fictional universe of Avatar.[1] Due to the atmospheric composition containing carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, humans are unable to safely breathe on the moon, requiring the use of breathing equipment or avatars.[2] The moon harbours vast natural resources, with untouched ecosystems spanning the surface, lacking all traces of technology.[3] These natural resources include unobtainium, a type of "thundering rock", dubbed "lingtskxe" in Na'vi ("ling" from "floating" and "skxe" for "rock"),[4] and a superconductor that is worth millions per kilogram.[5][6] This large quantity of unobtainium causes chunks of land to be ripped from the ground, creating magnetically aligned "skyborne icebergs" of rock.[7] The moon has expansive landscapes, the rainforests in particular home to alien cycads, ferns and "zooplantae" (lifeforms that are scientifically placed between plants and animals),[8] such as "helicoradian", that respond by physically withdrawing when touched.[9]
Populated by multiple species, the Na'vi, species such as direhorses, thanators and the intelligent Tulkun, and plants all share a larger spiritual connection with Pandora itself, through a god known as Eywa.[10][11] These connections are described in the movies as being more advanced than the human brain.[12] Known as "The Great Mother", Eywa hosts memories of all beings who live on the moon, including those who have passed on.[13] Using a neural queue (also known as a "kuru")[14] located in their hair, the Na'vi can connect to Eywa at locations of sacred importance, such as the "Tree of Souls".[15] There are multiple known Na'vi clans, these consisting of the Anurai, Aranahe, Hulanta, Hyuticaya, Kame'tire, Kekukan, Li'ona, Mangkwan, Metkayina, Ni'awve, Olangi, Omatikaya, Rey'tanu, Sarentu, Tawkami, Tayrangi, Tipani, Tla'lim, Tomac'ta and Zeswa.[16][17] The Omatikaya live in a large tree, known natively as "Kelutral", and to humans as "Hometree". This tree served as the home of the clan and was a significant part of the clans specific culture and identity.[18] Unlike Earth, where species, for example mammals, are quadrupeds, those found on Pandora are primarily six-legged due to the moon's low gravity and high atmospheric density combination. To be able to accumulate traction, species evolved a third pair of limbs. A real-world comparison being the Mars rovers, which use six-wheel platforms instead of four.[19] Similarly to having multiple pairs of limbs, Pandoran animals, with the exception of Na'vi and their evolutionary link prolemuris, has antennae and two pairs of eyes.[20] Lifeforms of Pandora, including both plants and animals, are bioluminescent. Some species of plants light up when interacted with. The single celled Earth lifeform dinoflagellates, that briefly glow when agitated, are used as the foundation for the concept. Water found in the oceans and rivers also glow when experiencing physical motion.[21]
An 80-page screenplay was originally developed by James Cameron for Avatar and its fictional universe in 1994.[22] Upon analysing the planets within the universe of Star Wars, such as Tatooine and Dagobah, Cameron "figured that's not how complex worlds work", referring to Earth specifically.[23] At the age of nineteen, Cameron dreamt of a "bioluminescent forest" with trees resembling "fibre-optic lamps". A glowing bioluminescent river was also present in the dream. These among other visions of flying lizards resembling frisbees and purple moss, led Cameron to begin drawing the world and wildlife of Pandora.[24] Cameron applied his time observing underwater coral reef ecosystems and deep marine life whilst submarining into the first draft of Pandora.[25] According to designer Neville Page, early on Cameron wanted the designs for Pandoran species to be "super-slick and aerodynamic, like a racecar with racing stripes". Working with Page and fellow designer Wayne Barlowe, Cameron found it difficult to match the design he was hoping for with what was being realised. Page noted that racecars themselves were styled after animal features such as turtle shells or insects, meaning Cameron's vision was circular.[26] The planet was named after the first woman created by the Greek GodHephaestus, under the influence of Zeus.[27] The woman, named Pandora, overwhelmed by curiosity, opened a forbidden box, releasing a plague upon the planet. This box became known as Pandora's box.[28]
Stan Winston Studio was hired in 2005, by which time multiple artists such as Jordu Schell had contributed hundreds of pencil concepts to Cameron's team.[29] The earliest design for Neytiri, originally named Zuleika,[30] is traceable back to 1978 in the original Xenogenesis pilot, where an image of a blue woman can be observed.[31] Schell initially began working on 3D models of Neytiri, but switched to maquettes at Cameron's request, eventually producing fifteen until a finalised version materialised. Cameron was inspired by the facial appearance of Q’orianka Kilcher, whilst Schell had images of ethnic women including Mary J. Blige.[32] Once Cameron had approved the general design of Neytiri and the Na'vi, artists from Stan Winston Studio led by John Rosengrant began transforming them using Photoshop, applying skin texture with stripes and patterns featuring bioluminescence, prioritising organic looking flesh over artificial.[30] Stan Winston Studio hired digital artist Scott Patton eight months into their production. Using ZBrush, Patton created detailed digital sculpts of Page's designs, specifically focusing on "a fleshy feel" directive from Cameron.[33] A similar process was followed for creatures such as the viperwolf, direhorse and banshee, with Cameron approving a drawing, followed by Photoshop rendering and finally 3D sculpturing with ZBrush.[29]
Cameron was inspired by multiple Earth locations when conceptualising the world of Pandora.[34] The Huangshan Mountains in the Anhui Province of China were remodelled for Pandora by Cameron, who said they "had to simply re-create them in outer space." Locals identified the models created by Cameron were actually not the Huangshan mountains due to them being formations of granite, and were instead the Zhangjiajie pillars. Designers Dylan Cole, Steve Messing and their production team visited the mountains for photography during the initial creation of Avatar.[35][36] The Zhangjiajie pillars were eventually used as the basis for the Hallelujah Mountains on Pandora.[37] The mountains on Pandora are seen to float, the explanation being that superconductors float when in the presence of a magnetic field, with Pandora acting as a powerful superconductor due to the large amount of unobtainium beneath the surface, allowing the mountains to float as they do.[38] The Hawaiian tropical rainforests of Kauai was another area that Cameron visited alongside cast members for experience, camping, cooking using underground fire pits and learning to traverse through areas that would appear very similarily in the films.[39] Areas such as Kalalau and Nā Pali were used as the inspiration for the rainforests and landscapes of Pandora,[40] with non-CGI scenes filmed at Wailua.[41]
Set in 2154, Avatar opens with the Resource Development Administration (RDA) on Pandora, a natural satellite of the gas giant Polyphemus which orbits Alpha Centauri A.[42] A native species called the Na'vi (a blue, cat-like humanoid and intelligent species)[43] occupy the moon and have a peaceful, strong connection with Pandora itself, and are against the presence of humans. Using genetically engineered Na'vi bodies, humans working for the RDA, including Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), attempt to ingratiate themself with the natives in an attempt to eventually convince them to leave their Hometree (the sacred home of the Omatikaya tribe),[18][44] which the RDA plan to destroy to extract valuable unobtainium from beneath the moon's surface.[45] Protagonist Jake Sully is seen bonding with the apex predator Great Leonopteryx after the destruction of Hometree, earning himself the title of Toruk Makto.[46] The atmosphere of Pandora is not breathable to humans,[47] however almost all natural structures and organisms of Pandora's ecosystem resemble those on Earth.[48]
Humans return to Pandora years after the conclusion of the first movie, with the oceans of Pandora becoming the primary setting.[49] The movie introduces the Tulkun, an aquatic human-level intelligent and pacifistic species, with them also having an independently evolved language, emotions and spirituality.[50] The Tulkun become a target of the RDA due to a yellow substance called "Amrita", which is produced by the species' brain. Amrita, when extracted after the death of a Tulkun, stops aging in humans, making the substance very valuable as a result.[51] A new ocean tribe known as the Metkayina allow the family of Jake Sully to integrate into their way of life, with the tribe themself inhabiting an island with a coral reef.[52] Species in the coral reefs and atolls of Earth have equivalents on Pandora, these including amalgams of Earth species including pufferfish and lionfish. Extinct Earth species such as plesiosaurs also have Pandora equivalents in the ilu. Other species such as skimwings resemble Earth's gar and flying fish, whilst Tulkuns are most similar to whales.[53]
This film introduces the volcano-dwelling Mangkwan tribe,[54] and the Tlalim clan, also known as the Sky traders, who travel on blimp-jellyfish creatures called Medusoid.[55][56] It is shown that Pandora has the ability to adapt biology, specifically that of Spider in the film, so that species that would never normally be able to breathe on Pandora, are subsequently able to.[57] It is believed that a fungus allowed for this biological change, with further changes showing the growth of a Na'vi specific "kuru" (a neural connection located within Na'vi hair that gives the ability to communicate with other species),[14] along with psychic visions.[58] In The Way of Water, Kiri experiences epileptic symptoms, described in the film as frontal lobe impairment, when connecting with a spiritual tree.[59][60] Kiri's family reveal to her that she is the "literal child of Eywa", being an immaculate conception of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) from the first movie.[61][62] Kiri, with the help of Spider and Tuk, connect to the underwater tree of the Metkayina tribe, and unlock the power of Eywa, directing the Pandoran ecosystem to attack the hostile RDA and Mangkwan alliance.[61]
Developed and published by Ubisoft in 2009, Avatar: The Game takes place on Pandora, with a story that mirrors the 2009 film, except with a character named Ryder taking the place of Jake Sully as the main protagonist. Dependent on choices the player makes throughout the story, different locations on Pandora can be seen in the game. The game gives the player access to large explorable regions on the moon, with areas featuring jungles, waterfalls, with a very heavy dark green centred colour palette. Choosing RDA options exposes the player to "monstrous" plants that can spit poisonous fumes and attack with leaf swipes.[63] Writing for Gamereactor, Jonas Elfving described Pandora as "lush, magical and fascinating from the get-go", though reasoned that whilst exploration of the moon was a "pleasant experience", some of the nature was "menacing", such as plants that consume limbs.[64]
Developed and published by Ubisoft in 2023, Frontiers of Pandora places players in the role of a Na'vi orphan who lacks experience of the Na'vi culture and Pandoran world. The game takes place in a previously unseen area of Pandora known as the "Western Frontier".[65] Western Frontier is split into the Clouded Forest (an area that can only be reached by ikran and home to the Kame'tire clan),[66] Kinglor Forest (a rainforest home to the Aranahe clan, who harvest silk from a moth creature known as Kinglor)[67] and Upper Plains (multicoloured hills and valleys, home to the Zeswa clan),[68] with an estimated total explorable area size of 255km².[69] Game map structure shares similarities with Far Cry 6 (2021), with an exploration mode that provides hints as a toggleable option over traditional POI markers.[70]
Other appearances
The front cover of Avatar: The High Ground, depicting Jake Sully and Neytiri in the foreground on the surface of Pandora, with Polyphemus in the background.
Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path(2019): Written by Sherri L. Smith and published by Dark Horse Comics, Tsu'tey's Path tells the story of Omaticaya clan leader-in-training, Tsu'tey. The book takes place on Pandora concurrently to the first Avatar movie.[72]
Avatar: The Next Shadow(2021): Written by Jeremy Barlow and published by Dark Horse Comics, with illustrations by Josh Good and Gui Balbi, The Next Shadow returns to Pandora following the events Avatar and the destruction of Hometree. The novel tells the story of Jake Sully's immediate role as the new Omaticaya clan leader and the threat he faces in the face of a coup.[73]
Avatar: Adapt or Die(2022): Written by Corinna Bechko and published by Dark Horse Comics, with illustrations by Beni R. Lobel and colouring from Wes Dzioba, Adapt or Die serves as a prequel to the first Avatar movie, focusing on Dr. Grace Augustine and Mo'at's fight to find a cure for an illness affecting Na'vi children, upon visiting an RDA base.[74] Augustine hopes to open a school for the children with the aim of improving relations between the Na'vi and humanity.[75] The book takes place in the jungles of Pandora and reintroduces the Tawkami clan, who first appeared in the Nintendo DS version of Avatar: The Game (2009).[74]
Avatar: The High Ground(2022-23): A multipart series written by Sherri L. Smith and published by Dark Horse Comics, with illustrations and colouring from multiple artists including Gui Balbi.[76] Originally written by James Cameron and intended as a direct sequel to the first Avatar movie, it was eventually scrapped due to Cameron and Jon Landau deciding it was not a good fit for a second movie, despite being "a hell of a read", according to Cameron.[77] Set just before The Way of Water, The High Ground takes place on Pandora and primarily focuses on Jake and Neytiri's children.[76] Set across three volumes, The High Ground focuses on Jake Sully's attempts to stop the RDA and rescue the Na'vi children from a base located in orbit.[78]
The novels were released together as Avatar: Tales from Pandora Omnibus in 2025.[79]
In 2016, a theatrical adaptation of Avatar named Toruk – The First Flight written by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, with production by Cirque du Soleil,[80] began premiering at venues such as the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.[81] The story, set approximately 3000 years before the events of the first Avatar movie,[82] focuses on two Na'vi children of the Omaticaya clan,[80] named Ralu and Entu,[83] Both Ralu and Entu undertake a coming-of-age ritual, which Ralu passes and Entu fails. A prophecy is foretold that lava will destroy the Tree of Souls (a tree used by Na'vi to connect to Eywa).[82] With an Omatikaya tailsman bestowed upon Ralu, the pair seek the remaining four talisman, one from each clan,[82] to summon the great leonopteryx (also known as Toruk),[80] who is the only one able to save the tree.[82]
Toruk – The First Flight was developed in collaboration with James Cameron.[84] The production used large puppets designed by Patrick Martel,[85] controlled by puppeteers, with Toruk the largest, weighing 112 kilograms and measuring twelve metres wide. Cirque du Soleil were given creative freedom,[84] multiple Na'vi clans featuring including the Anurai, Kekunan, Tawkami and Tipani.[82] Human actors playing as Na'vi went through extensive makeup routines, taking two hours to complete, this time reducing to forty-five minutes with practice. Custom-fit unitards were worn, along with headpieces, shoes and gloves. A specific act required actors to wear large pink flowers that took up the entire stage, which itself was estimated to be larger than five IMAX screens.[84] Actor Raymond O'Neill narrated the production in English, whilst the Na'vi followed a script written in their native language only, with no subtitles available to the audience.[86] Pandora's bioluminescence was adapted for the stage by costume designer Kym Barrett, who incorporated glow-in-the-dark bodysuits and makeup, which worked in tandem with the purple and turquoise floor lights to create a complete experience comparable to the films.[84] The stage used projectors to create a colourful environment, which assisted with transforming backdrops into various Pandoran landscapes, such as red deserts, volcanoes and waterfalls.[82] Set designer Carl Filion made methodical design choices to keep the production as aligned with Na'vi culture as possible, including an absence of straight lines, a duel-revolving structure for Hometree and ninety-seven unique remotely controllablepneumatic traps that allow for easy transitions between different scenes.[84]
As a global touring production, Toruk – The First Flight featured at many well established venues around the world.[87] A critic writing for Recommend.ru felt that Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia was not suitable due to perceived boredom from younger children and a lack of space. An interactive downloadable phone application that gave instructions to signed-up audience members also failed to function early on during a performance. Despite these drawbacks, they described the lighting and special effects as "magical", with metamorphoses "impressive" and "the world of Pandora" providing greater interest "than the performers."[88]The O2 Arena in London served as the final venue before the show finished touring indefinitely in 2019.[83]Microbiologist Dr. Tim Sandle praised the choreography of the performers at the London showing, referring to them as "impressive, engaging in a mix of tumbling, climbing an angled grid frame, swinging from trees, swinging from poles, and performing daring literal maneuvers at great height", however found the pre-recorded narration segments to be cliché.[89] With so much going on, the Luzhniki critic found "it hard to tell who to watch", citing the most memorable moments being "tightrope walkers on Palulukan's skeleton, the giant flowers, the collective attempt to put out the fire, and one of the characters' interactions with a tree."[88]
Opened in 2017, as part of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida,[90] Pandora – The World of Avatar is an attraction that was first announced in 2011 by the resort,[91] with construction, headed by Disney Imagineer designer Joe Rohde,[92] commencing in 2014.[91] Costing half a billion dollars to complete, the park is set after the movies where Pandora has been opened as a conservation park by an intergalactic travel agency known as Alpha Centauri Expeditions.[90] Rohde architecturally referenced the work of Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the design of the foundational structures of the park.[92] Instead of relying on photos of architecture from cities such as Bangkok, Rohde implemented a team of people who could draw architectural influences from places they had each visited in person to help improve the "physicality of the experience".[93] Notable rides include the Avatar Flight of Passage, a three dimensional ARflying simulator that positions riders atop a bike, which is a mountain banshee (a Pandoran flying predator) in the simulator, flying across Pandora's biomes. The ride includes stimuli such as wind, water and "earthy" scents.[90] Another is the Na'vi River Journey, a dark ride where people travel by boat down the fictional Kasvapan River,[90] which is located within a bioluminescent rainforest. The ride includes physical recreations of foliage and twirling fan lizards, with predators such as viperwolves instead projected. An audio-animatronic known as the "Shaman of Song" concludes the ride.[94]
Praise was given to the park from visiting critics. Reporting for ETtoday on a 2024 visit, Tsai Wen-Chun described the parks Pandoran aesthetic and landscape as a "photographer's paradise".[95] Both Wen-Chen and Mekado Murphy of The New York Times lauded the cascading waterfalls of the floating mountains.[95][96] The mountain rock was distinguished as being carved out by over sixty artists, whilst being "surrounded by various Pandora-specific plants and rocks"[95] with "nature pouring out".[96]
↑Higgins, Jeanne (1 February 2017). "TORUK: The First Flight". New Orleans Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
↑"这个暑假，让我们携手走进奇幻美丽的潘多拉星球！". Yule (in Chinese (Simplified)). China Entertainment Network. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
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