The only thing in Avatar: Fire and Ash that was more interesting than Varang and the Mangkwan clan was Spider’s Na’vi conversion. Spider’s whole existence was a major conflict in the film because while he saw himself as a part of the Sullys, Neytiri wanted him gone, as she considered him to be the reason why Neteyam was dead. So, when Spider’s inconsistent oxygen supply almost jeopardized his life, Neytiri and Jake decided to relocate him to High Camp, with the help of the Tlalim Clan or the Windtraders, because there he’d never run the danger of running out of oxygen, and Neytiri won’t have to tolerate his presence. But when the Varang attacked the Windtraders’ convoy, the Sullys and Spider got separated, and Spider lost his spare oxygen supply. Before getting attacked, the oxygen levels of the mask that Spider was wearing were already low. So, when Spider, along with Lo’ak, Kiri, and Tuk, had to run away from Varang and the Mangkwans, his oxygen supply hit zero, and he lost consciousness. In a desperate bid to save Spider from dying, Kiri got in touch with Eywa and essentially turned him into a Na’vi. How was that possible? And what does this mean for the Na’vi and the humans? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Sure, this is James Cameron’s world, and we are just living in it for around 180 minutes. But even then I’m sure you were as weirded out as I was when Kiri, with the help of the Eywa and the Woodsprites, turned Spider into one of the Na’vi. In the previous movies, we had seen Eywa and the Woodsprites carrying the deceased Na’vi into the afterlife, which was actually this facsimile of Pandora created by the Tree of Souls. We had also seen the woodsprites and flora of Pandora being used to transfer the consciousness of a human into its avatar. The process was unsuccessful when it came to Grace, because her wounds were too deep, but it was pulled off successfully in the case of Jake. Now, as explained by Norm, right before Grace’s death, Eywa planted a seed in Grace’s avatar, thereby allowing her to give birth to Kiri without a father (I’ll come back to that in a bit). So, that kind of established the fact that the seed of Eywa could make certain anatomical changes that defied any kind of logic. And by logic, I only mean in-universe logic because nothing about the world of Avatar is strictly scientific or “normal.” Even then, it’s one thing to transfer a person’s consciousness into a synthetically created Na’vi body and a whole other thing to do immaculate conception, and that too in the synthetic Na’vi body that didn’t have the consciousness of its host human. While you are wrapping your head around that, Fire and Ash begins throwing around words like “endosymbiosis” and “mycelium” to explain Spider’s ability to breathe Pandora’s air without a mask.
Mycelium is basically the root-like structure of a fungus, any fungus, while an organism that lives within an organism, thereby creating a mutualistic relationship, is called an endosymbiont. Now, while reviving Spider, after he lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, Kiri thrust a seed from a Woodsprite down his throat, connected her kuru to the ground of Pandora, and partook in some kind of a spiritual ritual. On the surface, yes, Spider came back to life, but on the inside—as explained by Norm, Max, and the scientists who worked for Selfridge—the Woodsprite’s seed had spread all throughout Spider’s body like a fungus. If they tried to extract it from his body, not only would Spider die, but the endosymbiont would die as well. So, technically, Spider was not an actual Na’vi; he was a zombified human being with the ability to breathe and grow a kuru like a Na’vi. Since the Woodsprite seed is making structural changes to Spider’s cells, hence the kuru, it’s possible that the mycelium will one day fully integrate with his system and turn him blue. Until then, he has to stay away from the hands of the RDA because they’d love to replicate that transformation, apply it to humans, and leave Earth to colonize Pandora without being limited by their oxygen packs. From the looks of it, that secret is safe for now because the RDA scientists weren’t able to figure out the involvement of the Woodsprite seeds in this transformative process while they had Spider in their custody. If Spider is somehow caught again, there’ll be no stopping them because they’ll have some idea of where to look.
I think the Woodsprite seed-induced transformation of a human into a partial Na’vi introduces an interesting conundrum. You see, in an ideal world, the humans could have seen this form of evolution as a sign that they could survive on a planet without needing to mine the hell out of it. The Na’vi had lived on Pandora without over-consuming its resources, and they were fine. So, the humans could do the same. Spider clearly understood that, and he saw being a Na’vi as an honor that had been bestowed upon him, not some privilege that he should exploit. Sure, humans had made a mistake on Earth, thereby turning it into a concrete hellscape, and they could treat the Woodsprite seed transformation as a second chance to live on a planet without destroying its ecosystem. However, both Jake and Neytiri were so sure that the humans wouldn’t do any of that and they’d instead use that superpower to turn Pandora into another concrete jungle that they were ready to kill Spider and nip the problem in the bud. Of course, they couldn’t carry out that harrowing task, as they hoped that Eywa would show them an alternative that didn’t involve any bloodshed. However, by doing so, I think the Sullys have not only put Spider in danger of being experimented upon once again, but they have also put Kiri’s life at risk, as she’s seemingly integral to the Na’vi transformation. If the RDA learns about that, along with the Woodsprite seeds, it will spell danger for the entirety of the Na’vi.
You see, I have a feeling that Kiri isn’t just a case of immaculate conception. She’s Eywa in a physical form. She’s kind of like a backup drive. Eywa is aware of the fact that Pandora is being turned upside down by humans and some of her own children, i.e., the Mangkwan. So, she has transferred herself, or a part of herself, in the form of Kiri. In doing so, even if everything goes up in flames, Kiri will be able to restore the essence of Pandora on Pandora or somewhere else entirely. My primary reason for thinking so is Kiri’s use of the Woodsprite seed and the mycelium that sprouts from the planet, usually to transfer one’s consciousness into an avatar or into the Tree of Souls and completely rewrite a human being’s biology. That’s something that only a god can do, and given how Kiri instinctively did that, it makes me think that she’s actually Eywa. Of course, Kiri did that without thinking about its consequences. She just wanted to save Spider. That said, now she probably knows that the humans won’t stop until they have acquired the power to make humans breathe on Pandora. Hence, she might be compelled to not only end herself but also everything that’s connected with Eywa. If there are no Woodsprites, there won’t be any seeds. If there are no seeds, the mycelium won’t have anything to fuse with to trigger the transformation. If the transformation doesn’t happen, hopefully, some of Pandora will be spared. I know that that sounds tragic, but if you have any other alternatives in mind, feel free to share them in the comments below.
