Yah, TV Tropes call it Mighty Whitey, aka "What these people need is a honky". It is surprising how many points of the trope Cameron hit. The TV Trope page has already been updated putting Avatar in its list.
I believe that I did spot it with the help of my buddy David when
the pallets of explosives roll back into the shuttle as it veers off course a guy is crushed between two of them and lets loose with the infamous scream
Holy cow, I think you're right! I read the first few words of your spoiled area and could instantly hear it there! Good catch, I'll check for it when I go again.
Today's my birthday and we talked about seeing a movie, normally this would be a draw but but we won't be paying to watch it as we don't care for its political messages. So there, Cameron!
C'mon, you know you want to see it! Three-meter, blueskinned, elvish catfolk shooting ballista bolts from their bows! Spirit trees! Mentally bonded animals! Flying rocks! Dragons (well, close enough)! Attack aircraft with warpaint! Mecha!
By holding a promotional pack of Avatar-branded Coke Zero cans before a Webcam, visiting AVTR.com or taking a picture of the activating AVTR mark or Coke Zero logo with certain camera phones, consumers will be able to access the technology, which will allow them to use a computer keyboard to trigger actions such as shooting missiles or flying helicopters and firing their guns. AVTR.com will direct visitors to activate one of the above-mentioned symbols with their Webcams to start the experience.
Today's my birthday and we talked about seeing a movie, normally this would be a draw but but we won't be paying to watch it as we don't care for its political messages. So there, Cameron!
He's got several books in that series, and they're based off of a very similar notion to what you suggest.
I've haven't seen the movie yet, and so I'm not certain of the implied limitations of the process. The way Mr. Morgan handles it in the his books, it means:
A) As you suggest, interstellar travel is achieved by building a physical body on another planet, then transmitting your personality there and downloading it into the clone.
B) You can "upgrade" your body, if you can afford to purchase a better one.
C) Practical immortality, as you can transfer your personality to a new body once your old one dies.
D) Backup personalities can be stored in data banks in case the non-physical portion of yourself is destroyed.
E) Multiple (and highly illegal) copies of yourself can be made by duplicating your personality data and downloading it into additional bodies.
Incidentally, a lot of this shows up in the MMO game EVE Online.
Players take the part of "Capsuleers", people who spend most of their time hooked into a high-tech space capsule. They start out with a clone body at a friendly facility, into which their personality is automatically downloaded if their pod is ever destroyed.
As you progress through the game you accumulate skills, and will have to regularly update your backup clone to one with the download capacity to handle your current skillset, or else you'll lose skills if you die.
Later, once you're established with one or more factions, you can purchase Jump Clones. Unlike normal clones, you can transfer your mind to one of these without killing your current body, so long as you're docked at a station. Jump Clones serve as a means of instant travel between distant star systems.
But the corporation is stupid enough to over look the Supercomputer the natives have. The corporation just thinks it the biosphere.
The head scientist only tells them point blank about it. The blood thirsty Colonel had too much input to the corporate goonie.
The real world weeds out the most of blood thirsty officers from high command potions in the US military. They want officers whom will not wast the troops needlessly. When I say blood thirsty I means the ones whom just want to fight for no good reason. They make great leaders but are poor at following the commands of the Civilian leaders.
The impression I got was that they were government military, but that the company in question was sufficiently powerful and/or connected that it could effectively subcontract Government troops as its front-line defence force on alien planets - and that such an assignment was considered something of a demerit or dead-end for the troopers in question.
