How might Neytiri react to Tom Sully?

[Raptor]

Tom is obviously a very intelligent individual, a person who earned a Ph.D. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your interpretation) he was murdered and his avatar became Jake's new body. In my mind, I can't help but wonder how Neytiri would react to Tom if he were to arrive at Pandora. Would he be just another scientist? Or would he take actions similar to Jake? He doesn't have a "hole blown through the middle of his life," so his reaction to being in an avatar may be significantly different.

Depending on how smart Tom really is, Neytiri may appreciate the humans more. But would he act as a more effective diplomat than Jake was?

[Taronyu Eywa]

Well, its a good question but I don't think we will ever truly find an answer to that, it will all be speculation as there are so many events that occured that lead Jake to the Navi and most were "chance". It would have to depend if Tom went through the exact same thing as Jake.

We know little of Tom's personality, but I think that even though he may come to love the forest, he'd still know his job and would not have the same recklessness as his brother. We know that Jake has a rich, deep and troubled personality, but we can speculate that Tom has not experienced life in the Army or being disabled from waist down. I would say that he is very studious and smart. No doubt his extensive training and research in the particular area of Avatars means he would have not have as much trouble getting used to the Avatar body.

I think he would be an effective diplomat, presuming the Navi did not kill him. However, I do not think Neytiri would see any real....depth in Tom's personality or heart that she would be attracted to. I think she would see him (as you said) as just another scientist who loves the forest. Then who knows, if the events of the film unfolded, and Tom was sitting in the lab and with no Toruk to bring the people out of sorrow, the ending would have been a sad one for Avatar fans.

But as stated before, this is all speculation and I have no idea what Tom is like nor if Neytiri would like him or not. Just my thoughts

[Advent]

Well, he might have the brains to not be part of both WARRING factions. That's a recipe for destruction.

Or in Jake's case, imprisonment.

[Isard]

Originally Posted by Advent

Well, he might have the brains to not be part of both WARRING factions. That's a recipe for destruction.

Or in Jake's case, imprisonment.

Not the right thread buddeh.

[Advent]

Well, it's a bad mistake. Seriously. In the Avatar game, you stick with one faction. That actually works, you see.

I'm just saying, he should have made up his mind.
Anyways, they may look the same physically, but their personality would likely make a very large difference.

And somehow, Hunter/Princess Neytiri might prefer a army vet to a scientist running with her in the forest.

At least a scientist would know a little more about them.

[Isard]

Not the right thread buddeh.

[Patrice Maire]

(Basing my reply on what I know from the movie...not the game)
Neytiri was following Jake, Grace and Ron as soon as they landed most likely, what attracted her to Jake was that 'he showed no fear'. She followed him after he got separated from Grace and Ron. Tom wouldn't have been on guard duty, he would have been with Grace studying the trees.
So, from that one incident, the story, and Neytiri's reactions would have been different. If he decided to go investigate the Helicordia out of curiosity.. maybe the same situation would have happened...
We'll never know unless someone writes a fanfic about it!

hehehehe.

You are definitely right that it was a certain set of 'accidents' that propelled the story through Jake's actions alone. Tom likely didn't have a warriors heart,

[Human No More]

He wouldn't be such a skxawng early on... I think that Tom would have needed a lot less convincing than Jake and definitely wouldn't have agreed to help Quaritch... On the other hand, he might not have had contact with the Na'vi the same way as Jake (although if Eywa did truly choose Jake and was influencing happenings even back then, he probably still would have encountered them, but in a different way, I think)
Overall though, I don't see anything that Jake did that Tom definitely couldn't have done, with the POSSIBLE exception of how it happened.

[Gunny]

I do not think that Neytiri would have fallen in love with Tom. He may have helped the Na'vi like Jake did but possibly would not have been able to fight off the RDA.

Also, I guess we do not know for sure but had Tom wondered out into the forest would Eywa have saved him? We know that Jake had a good heart, and I would assume that Tom would also since he was their to study the Na'vi. Questions we will never really know lol. Hopefully we can find out more about Tom in the novel.

[EywaBlessMe]

An interesting question extending the conversation might be how Tom was a PhD candidate, and Jake chose not to go to school and get an education, but instead become a jarhead and get injured.

[Tiberius]

Tom Sully was not the chosen one. Jake was. That's why Eywa had Tom killed. Eywa needed Jake, who was a marine and whose abilities as a marine would serve her purposes. When Jake became Toruk Makto he used his skills as a marine to help the Na'vi destroy the RDA. Tom could not have done that.
The fact that Tom had a PhD does not necessarily mean he is more intelligent, it just means he was more accademic, there is a difference, I also doubt that he would have the courage, bravery and boldness necessary to achieve what Jake did.
Neytiri would never have fallen in love with Tom Sully.

[Human No More]

Ah... Tom died on Earth.

Jake had no idea what to do as a Na'vi at first either. He had to learn their ways, not apply his human skills.

[Elyannia]

I don't think Neytiri would have been as attracted to Tom as she was Jake. Jake was so unusual to her, he didn't know how to navigate Pandora, All the Atokirina' swarmed him, and he had a strong heart.

I also agree with Tiberius

[Human No More]

Tom could have done it the same as Jake... He would have cared MORE about the Na'vi at first.

Neytiri was not instantly attracted to Jake, she thought he was a total skxawng at first, and it took a long time for that to change.

[electrosphere11]

Thats a good question. Though if it were Tom on Pandora and Quaritch got him to live with the Omatikaya, I don't know if he would embrace it as openly as Jake had.

And Neytiri can't live without her skxawng