Sky People

Lore & Background

The Sky People's presence on Pandora is defined by their resource extraction goals and their complex relationship with the Na'vi. In 2146, eight years before Jake Sully's arrival, the RDA established the Ambassador Program (TAP) under Dr. Alma Cortez and Director John Mercer to train five Na'vi children—Tamtey, Ri'nela, Aha'ri, Teylan, and Nor—as human-Na'vi ambassadors. The program ended in tragedy when Mercer killed Aha'ri to terrorize the others into submission. By 2154, following the RDA's defeat by Jake Sully's forces, Mercer attempted to execute the surviving students as liabilities, but Alma defied him, placing them in cryogenic suspension. Sixteen years later, in 2162, these students were awakened by resistance fighters. The Sky People returned to eliminate them, leading to a series of conflicts across Pandora's Western Frontier. Mercer's forces launched raids on Na'vi hideouts and used chemical weapons that afflicted the Resistance with illness. A traitor within the Kame'tire clan exposed the massacre of the Sarentu, revealing that Mercer had raised surviving children as loyal soldiers. Ultimately, the Sky People's attempt to detonate explosives beneath Pandora's surface to extract oil failed when Tamtey and Teylan sabotaged the bomb, trapping Mercer in the explosion. The RDA subsequently retreated from the region.

In Their Own Story

In 2146, five Na'vi children were abducted by the RDA for the Ambassador Program. They remembered their abduction and resented Director John Mercer's strict curriculum. When they attempted to escape, Mercer shot and killed Aha'ri to force compliance. Eight years later, in 2154, the RDA evacuated Pandora after losing to Jake Sully's army. Mercer ordered the execution of the now-adult students, but Dr. Alma Cortez defied him, hiding them in a cryogenic chamber. Sixteen years later, in 2162, resistance fighters awakened the students. They narrowly escaped an RDA force led by Mercer who returned to eliminate them. Tamtey reunited with their friends and joined Alma's team of ex-RDA personnel. After destroying an energy mining operation, Tamtey connected with Eywa and learned about the extinct Sarentu clan. The RDA retaliated with a raid on Alma's hideout. Tamtey held them off long enough to gain the attention of the Aranahe clan. As tensions rose, Mercer launched chemical attacks that sickened the Resistance. Teylan appeared to desert but later switched sides back to the Resistance after initially siding with Mercer. Nor, resentful of Alma's failure to protect them from Mercer, fatally stabbed her Avatar body before abandoning the group. Before dying, Alma revealed she had helped Mercer massacre the Sarentu clan out of a desire for the TAP program's success, a decision she deeply regretted. The RDA intensified oil extraction plans, intending to detonate explosives under Pandora's surface. Tamtey and the united Na'vi clans assaulted Mercer's base while Tamtey infiltrated from below. Working together with the defected Teylan, they sabotaged the bomb and trapped Mercer, leaving him to die in the explosion. The RDA retreated, allowing Tamtey, Ri'nela, and Teylan to begin rebuilding the Sarentu clan.

Reader's Guide

The Sky People are represented by specific factions and individuals within the RDA during the events of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Key antagonists include John Mercer, who leads aggressive military operations, and Dr. Alma Cortez, a scientist who initially cooperated with the TAP program but later defected to protect the Na'vi children. The Sky People's tactics involve heavy weaponry, chemical warfare, and strategic deception. They utilize assault rifles, shotguns, and explosive devices against both the Na'vi and their own dissidents. The RDA established the Ambassador Program in 2146 to train five Na'vi children as ambassadors, a plan that ended violently with the death of Aha'ri by Mercer's hand. Defectors within the Sky People play crucial roles. Alma Cortez saved the students from execution in 2154 by placing them in cryosleep. In 2162, Billy Nash, an ex-RDA lieutenant, rescued Tamtey at the cost of his own life. Teylan, one of the trained Na'vi who initially sided with Mercer due to being raised as a loyal soldier, eventually switched back to the Resistance. The conflict culminates in 2162 when the Sky People attempt to detonate explosives to extract oil from Pandora's surface. This plan is thwarted by Tamtey and Teylan, leading to Mercer's death and the RDA's retreat from the Western Frontier.

Did You Know?

• John Mercer killed Na'vi child Aha'ri to terrorize the other four TAP students into submission.
• Dr. Alma Cortez defied her superior John Mercer in 2154, saving the TAP students by placing them in cryogenic suspension.
• The RDA used chemical weapons that caused an illness affecting many Resistance members, including Alma's Avatar form.
• Teylan, one of the original TAP students, was raised by Mercer as a loyal soldier before switching sides back to the Resistance in 2162.
• Mercer was left to die in an explosion after Tamtey and Teylan sabotaged his plan to detonate explosives under Pandora's surface.