Originally Posted by neytirifanboy (Post 110393)

That is generally my view too. His pre-emptive raid was meant to at least partly prevent an imminent and overwhelming attack.

In saying that, he does have a panache for big explosions and over-reaction.

During the attack on home tree, after launching cannon-ball like gass canisters at the Na'vi, the Na'vi respond with some archery. Despite the fact that the arrows were causing no material damage, Quaritch decides to escalate the action by giving a further warning shot with....er...incendiaries which they fire right into the middle of the na'vi.

what I fing interesting is that they did not even bother using a mircophone asking the na'vi to move or surrender. I am sure he could have played a tape in Na'vi telling them to move. Surely before ordering a full incendiary attackn there were other options:
1) Avatars (i.e Jake and Grace)
2) Microphones warning
3) Warning shots.
4) Gas
5) Limited demonstration of incendiaries away from the Na'vi

But no, Quaritch goes from point 1 to point 4 then directly to point 10. As I say, he loves explosions and is a master of over-reaction.

Originally Posted by Human No More (Post 110487)

Or, more likely, because he's stupid.

He didn't even do his job. Remember 'my job is to keep you alive'? :P

Originally Posted by Human No More (Post 110487)

His attack was clearly not meant to be any kind of defensive move, because he would have done it anyway, he just did it as son as he could because the Na'vi were about to come to Hell's gate and kill him.

Originally Posted by Human No More (Post 110487)

There really is no reason to like him, at all.

Originally Posted by Human No More (Post 110487)

Or, more likely, because he's stupid.

Originally Posted by Ashen Key (Post 110495)

Yep, and THEN he says, "I will not succeed." He can't, because Pandora is that hostile to the humans. He'll lose choppers to the Banshees and Toruks, and there isn't anything he can do about it.

Originally Posted by neytirifanboy (Post 110510)

I don't believe he is stupid. In fact I think Quaritch is quite a complex character hidden under a cliched shell.

In fact there are aspects of Quaritch that remind me of JR Ewing of the Dallas series as he was arrogantt, cruel and opportunistic.

it is difficult to call him stupid when his tactic almost paid off. Only the intervention of Eywa (which even the Na'vi wouldn't have forseen) resulted in the RDA defeat.

Of course, whether his plan would have paid of on a strategic level, both military and political, is a different matter.

Originally Posted by Human No More (Post 110535)

All of which he should have foreseen. He knew the Na'vi were better than the marines and outnumbered them. He heard Grace explain about the interconnectedness. He heard Jake say that they would never give up. He willingly ordered everyone into a suicide mission.

Originally Posted by Woodsprite (Post 110598)

Jake bested Tsu'tey. Quaritch bested Neytiri. The marines on the ground bested the Na'vi direhorse riders with ease. I think it's pretty clear how superior the marines are in their warfare tactics. They were incredibly outbumbered, yet won against them in the first wave. It was only deus ex machina that saved the Na'vi. Without Eywa, the Na'vi didn't have a chance.

Originally Posted by Woodsprite (Post 110598)

The Na'vi technically aren't better fighters than the marines are. Jake bested Tsu'tey. Quaritch bested Neytiri. The marines on the ground bested the Na'vi direhorse riders with ease. I think it's pretty clear how superior the marines are in their warfare tactics. They were incredibly outbumbered, yet won against them in the first wave. It was only deus ex machina that saved the Na'vi. Without Eywa, the Na'vi didn't have a chance.

Not to say I'm on the mercenaries' side or anything (that I can bet a billion bucks that a certain person is going to accuse me of if I didn't write this current sentence :rolleyes:), but Quaritch isn't that dumb a guy.

Originally Posted by Aihwa (Post 110690)

Mowing down a stupid cavalry charge with automatic weapons isn't exactly strategic genius...

((I mean, c'mon, I could even plot/execute that))

Originally Posted by Ashen Key (Post 110692)

No, but CHARGING said automatic weapons is stupid. And Jake, as ex-Marine Special Forces (which is what First Recon IS) really should have known that.

Originally Posted by Aihwa (Post 110693)

Quarich is the only one who claimed "first recon", and I really think he meant it in the more literal sense, as he came to pandora as a merc not a US marine.

Originally Posted by Ashen Key (Post 110694)

"I pulled your record, Corporal. I was First Recon myself. Few years ahead of you. Maybe more than a few."

To me, that is pretty clearly saying that Quaritch used to be in First Recon, and so was Jake. They are BOTH former US Marines, from the same battalion.