While Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to expand James Cameron's blockbuster sci-fi saga, several of its stars are already looking forward to continuing to explore the world of Pandora. As Avatar introduces new ecosystems, cultures, and clans, such as the antagonistic Ash People in Fire and Ash, members of the cast reveal where they hope the franchise goes next.
The Avatar franchise has already introduced a variety of Na'vi clans, highlighting the diversity of Pandora. Audiences first met the forest-dwelling Omaticaya in the original Avatar, followed by the reef-based Metkayina Clan in The Way of Water. In Avatar: Fire and Ash, the fire-associated Mangkwan Clan is introduced, led by the new villain Varang (Oona Chaplin).
In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan, the cast of Avatar: Fire and Ash discussed which biomes, climates, and Na'vi cultures they would most like the franchise to explore in future installments.
Bailey Bass: I like the Tlalim clan. It's really, really exciting. We're introducing so many layers, and it's just so much. I think it's going to be interesting to see how Jim continues to explore Pandora. It's an entire planet!
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss: It feels like with the past couple films in this saga, we're only just introducing some really cool characters and really cool parts of Pandora. We've got so much deeper to dig, and it makes me so excited for the coming films in this saga.
Jack Champion: To piggyback on Bailey, I do love the Wind Traders. Their culture is so cool. They are kind of like Na'vi pirates! They're the only Na'vi, to my knowledge, that wear ponchos across the board.
They've got these crossbows on their ships, and their ships are kind of controlled by these giant jellyfish. It's just so cool. I feel like, if you're a part of that clan, you can see almost every biome, because they just travel.
Sam Worthington: Pandora's a big place. There's some cold. You're only limited by Jim Cameron's imagination!
Stephen Lang: I think that there are some polar areas, probably, in Pandora.
Oona Chaplin: There's probably some sand too. Some desert. Anything is possible, it's just about where the story wants to go.
The Na'vi clans are strongly inspired by real-world cultures. Linguist Paul Frommer created the 2,600-word Na'vi language using elements from Indigenous languages. Pandora is home to more than 20 Na'vi clans, each shaped by their environment and culture.
The clans have slowly been revealed through different types of media, such as films, video games, stage productions, and The Pandaropedia, a field guide to the moon of Pandora and the world of Avatar found on Avatar's website. Check out the 20 clans below:
|
Na'vi Clan |
First Appearance |
Key Traits |
|---|---|---|
|
Omatikaya |
Avatar |
The main Na'vi tribe in the Avatar franchise. |
|
Metkayina |
Avatar: The Way of Water |
A water-based Na'vi tribe. |
|
Ash People |
Avatar: Fire and Ash |
A fire-based Na'vi tribe that goes against Eywa. |
|
Tlalim |
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora |
Known as Windtraders, they are a nomadic Na'vi clan that travels in airships. |
|
Tayrangi |
Avatar |
Cliff-based Na'vi who specialize in aerial combat. |
|
Tawkami |
Avatar: The Game (Nintendo DS) |
A tribe of Na'vi that highly value intellectual research. |
|
Tipani |
Avatar: The Game (Nintendo DS) |
The first Na'vi tribe that made contact with humanity. |
|
Anurai |
Avatar: The Game (PSP/Nintendo Wii) |
Na'vi artisans who specialize in fashioning items from bones. |
|
Li'ona |
Avatar: The Game (PSP/Nintendo Wii) |
One of the Na'vi tribes worst impacted by the arrival of humans. |
|
Hulanta |
Avatar: Reckoning |
A Na'vi tribe who inhabit the wetlands. |
|
Huyuticaya |
Activist Survival Guide |
Warpaint wearing Na'vi who have an affinity for viperwolves. |
|
Ni'awve |
Avatar: Reckoning |
The Na'vi tribe that may not have originated on Pandora. |
|
Kekunan |
Toruk – The First Flight |
Expert Ikran riders known for colorful attire. |
|
Aranahe |
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora |
A tribe of Na'vi that are known for their expert silk-weaving skills. |
|
Zeswa |
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora |
Expert direhorse riders from the upper plains of Pandora. |
|
Kame'tire |
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora |
One of the most secretive Na'vi clans. |
|
Sarentu |
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora |
A tribe of Na'vi storytellers founded by a member of Omatikaya. |
|
Mangkwan |
Avatar: The Last Shadow |
One of the lesser-known Na'vi clans, and allies of the Omatikaya. |
|
Rey'tanu |
Avatar: Reckoning |
Agricultural Na'vi from the highlands of Pandora. |
|
Toma'ta |
The Pandorapedia |
A Na'vi tribe that's only mentioned briefly and has yet to appear properly. |
|
Olangi |
Avatar |
A nomadic, plains-based tribe of Na'vi horseriders. |
Avatar 4 is set to introduce an eight-year time jump, opening the door for major changes across Pandora and allowing the franchise to organically introduce more clans and evolve its characters and world. In particular, the nomadic Tlalim clan, or Wind Traders, who made a brief appearance on Fire and Ash, offer a compelling way to explore multiple regions of Pandora, exploring new climates and cultures that reinforce James Cameron's focus on interconnected cultures in the Avatar franchise.
Rather than narrowing its focus, the saga keeps expanding, treating Pandora as a living planet with endless narrative possibilities. As Avatar: Fire and Ash pushes the franchise into darker territory, the cast's excitement to dive deeper into the world of Pandora suggests that the most visually and thematically ambitious entries in the franchise may still lie ahead.
