To this end, the RDA establishes a colony on the extrasolar moon Pandora, where it employs both scientific and military means to extract resources, often clashing with the indigenous Na'vi population.
In the fictional universe, prior to the events in the film, the RDA constructs on Earth a global rapid transit system using the maglev transport method to commute people around the world for work.
[3] Cynthia Erb, writing in Journal of Film and Video, describes Hell's Gate as a "gray, metallic, depressive world" with emphasis on strip mining and de-emphasis on nature, with the only visible green being the artificial turf used by RDA's CEO Parker Selfridge for putting in golf.
[4] Kyla Schuller, writing in Discourse, said the RDA's compound had a "muted gray military-bureaucratic palate" that was in sharp contrast with "the verdant hues of blue and green" landscape of Pandora.
[5] In the 2022 sequel film Avatar: The Way of Water, the RDA establishes a new installation on Pandora called Bridgehead, described as significantly larger and more advanced than Hell's Gate.
Built by numerous subcontractors drawn by lucrative contracts, the settlement represents a pivotal step in the RDA's long-term plans for Pandora, embodying its motto, "Building Tomorrow.
"[12] Tim Nieguth, writing in The Politics of Popular Culture: Negotiating Power, Identity, and Place, said some commentators said the film was a critique of colonialism, "They point out that Avatar portrays RDA and some of its key personnel as self-interested, violent, and ecologically destructive, while painting Na'vi society as community-minded, peaceful, and attuned to its natural environment."
Nieguth said other commentators disagreed and found the film to have a regressive message with the Na'vi depending on the protagonist as a white savior to defeat "the forces of colonialism" represented by the RDA.
[13] The book Masculinity and Monstrosity in Contemporary Hollywood Films defines the Resources Development Administration (RDA) as the central antagonist in Avatar, embodying the destructive force of corporate and neoliberal expansionism.
Selfridge's and Quaritch's partnership exemplifies the marriage of corporatism and militarism, where economic desperation, as seen in Jake's initial mercenary role, feeds into a system that commodifies individuals.
By destroying Hometree and later targeting the Tree of Souls, the RDA disregards the principle of sparing noncombatants, committing acts of cultural and civilian destruction integral to their strategy.
Guided by a fiduciary duty to increase shareholder value, the RDA pursues the extraction of unobtanium, an invaluable mineral, leading to the destruction of the Na'vi's sacred Hometree.
The Na'vi's connection to Hometree, deeply rooted in culture, labor, and tradition, qualifies as de facto property rights, making the RDA's actions morally and ethically reprehensible.
While Milton Friedman's shareholder theory defends profit maximization within legal and ethical boundaries, the RDA's actions involve coercion and arguably fraud, bypassing even minimal moral constraints.
The portrayal of the RDA's efforts to displace the indigenous Na'vi population for access to natural resources is compared to historical events such as the genocide of Native Americans and the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
[17] The book The Post-2000 Film Western: Contexts, Transnationality, Hybridity draws a metaphorical comparison between the Resources Development Administration (RDA) in Avatar and the United States Department of the Interior, particularly in its role overseeing federal land management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).