Why was Quaritch upset when Jake said he was going to become part of The People?

[Ewya Ngahu]

I never understood why he was upset, as this is what he told him to do. Jake's orders were to learn the ways of the Na'vi, become trusted, and negotiate their relocation so they can extract the unobtainium. Anyone know why?

[Vauktu]

If it weren't for Jake, Quaritch would have already destroyed Hometree, but one thing became another and Quaritch's patience was beginning to draw thin.

[Ewya Ngahu]

Quaritch's patience was drawing thin. Jake kept him from destroying Hometree.
Ahh, thanks :). Hopefully you're right so this question stops bothering me.

[Txim_Asawl]

If it weren't for Jake, Quaritch would have already destroyed Hometree, but one thing became another and Quaritch's patience was beginning to draw thin.

Yes, and perhaps a bit more, too, given Quaritch's opening lines of that scene "Haven't gotten lost in the woods, have you...? I'm beginning to doubt your resolve..." - he was quite aware that Jake was indeed lost - not in the woods, but to him as the by-the-book informer, just carrying out rules and obeying orders more or less blindly. Therefore, he also was quite tight-lipped about Jake getting involved in the Na'vi life by joining the tribe... he felt the first hints of betrayal coming on (his view of betrayal, that is: Jake betraying his human team).

Wiggling toes,

~*Txim Asawl*~

[This one goes to eleven]

I agree with all of these responses. Might I also add that, personally, I felt that Quaritch was extremely disappointed because, deep down, he just wanted a fight. It was his nature. Even though the RDA was supposed to be finding a "diplomatic solution", I think he was probably always hoping that he would be able to use his stick.

[ScottWashburn]

Yes, the real reason is that Quaritch doesn't want a peaceful solution. He's a warrior at heart and a warrior needs a war. Commanding a batch of mercenaries guarding a mine on a distant planet is hardly something to bring military glory to someone who craves it. But if a war were to break out, well, that opens up a world of possibilities. So, the last thing Quartich wants is for Jake to work out a peaceful solution.

[Zapgun]

Jake wasn't trained to be an infiltrator, instead he was a retired marine who got lucky and managed to find himself with an opportunity to work with/spy on the Na'Vi.

I dont think Quaritch wanted a war so much as he stubbornly believed it was an inevitable conclusion and that diplomacy was not going to work, and so he was preparing for war, and on the off chance that a peaceful solution was found, he had done his job and made sure all his bases were covered, he wasn't a warmonger, he was a soldier and a leader whose job was the protection of the base and the safety of the miners and staff, if he wasn't preparing for war even while negotiations were supposed to be under way then he wasn't doing what he was being paid to do.

If you want peace, prepare for war. For those of you who will not understand why it is thus: Peace does not always work, and when it doesn't, you have already prepared for conflict and hopefully done all you can to ensure victory.

Keep in mind a real leader does not want a fight, if he can get what he want without expending lives, time, manpower, food, and money waging war then he is doing his job. Sun Tzu, the master of war himself says this, and I am pretty sure it was required reading for Quaritch/Selfridge, especially considering their positions. War is expensive, war is costly, not just in resources but in lives.

And on a second note, Jake himself says they arent going to move, proving Quaritchs assumptions to be correct that war and conflict are an inevitable conclusion thus validating his preparations for war.

[Dreaming Of Pandora]

Im probably repeating others here.

Quaritch was eager to slam Hometree and the Na'vi, Jake said he has to try diplomacy first, Quaritch gets angry because he's impatient and that's pretty much it.

[Svansfall]

Quaritch was eager to see some violence and wasn't about to wait for a diplomatic solution. Silly bugger, he doesn't believe in diplomacy. A stable peace can never be brought through violence or by use of weaponry. Pacifism and understanding of each others differences is the way to go.

[Zapgun]

But my point is that peace does not always work. Sun Tzu knew this, and it is the reason that the saying "If you want peace, prepare for war" exists.

The best military commander doesn't wage war, because war is expensive. If he can, the military commander accomplishes his goal through non-violent means, this leaves everyone happy and is a much more efficient approach.

Quaritch believed that war was an inevitable conclusion to these talks, even though they never even took place except for a few "RUN!" remarks at the very last minute, and so he used Jake, who was not a trained infiltrator, to prepare for war to the best of his abilities. It wasn't that he was biting at the bit to unleash a bit 'o democracy on the Na'Vi, but that he was a practical man. He was hired to oversee the military side of the RDA mining operation, and this oversight probably included helping the RDA get at large deposits of unobtanium.

Isn't it a smart thing, that lots of folks do, like NASA and others to hope for the best, prepare for the worst?

[Txim_Asawl]

Oh, and one thing I forgot - Quartich and Jake both were in the corps - so Quaritch probably also felt Jake was betraying that old corps codex, too - and that must've stung him even more than just Jake switching sides. A fellow jarhead switching sides, that must've hurt, really. You can see that by his reaction to Jake in his avatar form smashing the cameras on that robodozer.

~*Txim Asawl*~

[Doamna Pom]

Quaritch is a Marine, even if in the current context he's not fighting for "freedom" - remember Jake's voice over as he gets off the shuttle. Therefore, what he does is fighting. And he's pretty good at that seeing as he managed to stay alive. Being a colonel he may even have some background on the conflicts that ended in fighting. He probably saw all of them starting with diplomatic attempts and ending in war. He's being politically correct in pretending to give diplomacy a try. "Get them to cooperate (which they won't, but we have to try it so nobody can later lash at us for not even trying), or get me intel to hammer them hard if they won't (and they won't, as I've yet to see a conflict deflate before going to war)".

Now, I'm not saying that everywhere marines are present here on Earth a war is budding.

All I'm saying is that Quaritch looks pretty sure how this is going to end. And he's not even wrong. And seems to be the only human that realizes what a set of paralyzed legs can do to a fellow human (other than the "oh, that's just wrooooong" guy). And the only human that realizes how a set of functional legs (even if they're blue) can alter another human's most basic perceptions. He says, "I'm gonna see you get your legs back. Your real legs." (*)

So he gets Jake, another marine, first recon, even, that can and will provide intel on the hostiles, ensuring that the inevitable battle will be won with minimal casualties and loss of equipment. It is he that pulls strings and "gets it done" and get the corporate approval for Jake's spinal.

He then sees two weeks of no reports from Jake, and when he goes to see him, he gets a lukewarm enthusiasm for the "real legs", a decline from Jake to be on a shuttle the same day, more, he hears this Marine start talking about "negotiations". What negotiations? Jake didn't acquire overnight negotiation skills. Quaritch knows he's being lied to. He already feels let down, betrayed. But he cannot say "no" to negotiations - bad PR.

So, in my opinion, this is why Quaritch was upset at that point in the movie :)
_________________
(*) Note that Grace, given that "she likes plants more than people" fails to notice what happens right under her nose, while happily avataring away and is genuinely surprised/alarmed at Neytiri/Jake mating announcement. Which sadly, or happily, I can totally relate to. To Grace, I mean :)

[Avatar Fanatic]

You see, this is the part I never really understood. Jake had told Quaritch that he would negotiate the terms of the Omaticaya's relocation after being inducted into the clan and for some idiotic reason, the RDA came and attacked the clan's land anyway, destroying all the Trees of Voices and depriving Jake of any chance of negotiating a peaceful solution.

[Txim_Asawl]

That is towards the end of the aforementioned "Haven't gotten lost in the woods..." scene - Quaritch didn't look all that happy about Jake telling him that he was about to negotiate the terms of their relocation after joining the tribe, by means of the Uniltaron ceremony. Not happy at all! The deadline was almost over (in the prelude to that scene, we hear Jake say to the video log "I can't believe it's only been three months") and he didn't want to hear about negotiations - he wanted to hear that the "blue monkeys" were out of that damned big tree by yesterday.

The robodozers destroying the Trees of Voices were merely the spearhead of bureaucracy let loose - Selfridge had set a deadline, that one ran out after three months, and he had to carry out his corporate plans and orders. And certainly, he wouldn't let a few plants and fly-bitten savages get into the way of his almighty employer. I'd say, a peaceful solution never was a real option for him, but just the proverbial fig leaf to cover up the true intent: obtain Unobtainium at any cost - corporate greed running at full throttle.

As we know, art imitates life which imitates art, as well. The sad thing is, that such corporate greed is at work right here and now, too... and we have our own mini-Selfridges and mini-Quaritches on our world, as well.

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Ganesha*~

Whoo-hoo! Post no. 300 - and a nice one, too, I think! :nlol:

[tm20]

probably because he didn't want Jake to "get lost in the woods". Like Quaritch said, it had been weeks since his last report before they met so he knew Jake was having alot of fun and completely forgot why he was there in the first place.

[_Omaticaya_]

Because he's so horrible, that he couldn't wait for Selfridge to tell him "ok let's pull the trigger", he wanted to kill them even before Jake arrived because he's a total maniac. And I think he also felt how Jake was getting too involved with them and emotionally especially, he knew he couldn't rely on Jake anymore, it was all a very thin layer of ice ready to break, and it happened the morning after, the disaster... Probably when Jake was going to tell the people the truth anyway, or tell them to move... Also, Jake knew it was all wrong too, he didn't know what to do anymore, and he was clearly scared to death to ask Quaritch for that one more chance.

[MeTheGuy]

When Quaritch ordered Jake back to the base, he intended to send Jake home that night. Quaritch was finished manipulating Jake. The "reports" Quaritch was referring to was the video log entries Jake would make updating his progress. We are never told but it is unlikely that Jake ever gave Quaritch any other "information" after the first time Jake told Quaritch and Selfridge about Hometree's infrastructure. When gave out that information that was only Jake's second day and he had zero allegiance to the Na'Vi at that point. But that information alone was all the information Quaritch eventually ever needed to bring Hometree down.

Jake worked for Grace. Quaritch tried to undermine Grace and manipulate Jake with the promise of getting his "real legs" back and it was supposed to be kept secret from Grace. She found out and removed Jake from Quaritch immediately. By the time Quaritch had ordered Jake back to the base Quaritch had lost patience with diplomacy and that's when he wanted to send Jake back to earth, to get him out of the way. Quaritch feared Jake's success and new love for the Na'Vi. All Quaritch wanted was to fight. But Quaritch had to let Jake finish because he wasn't in charge. from the get go Quaritch was trying to undermine the diplomatic mission and everyone involved with it. Selfridge was still in charge of the base and Grace was in charge of the avatar program. Diplomacy was still the point with Selfridge, Grace and Jake.

One other note, since I believe Jake never gave out any other useful "military" information beyond the first time, the bulldozers arriving at the Tree of Voices was a true surprise to Jake. I think they arrived earlier than expected. In the director's extended cut (16 minutes extra) there is a scene in which Grace won't let Jake back into avatar until he eats something first. It's obvious they are clueless the bulldozer's have already arrived. Perhaps more importantly, in the when Jake and Neytiri just got back from mating to tell the tribe the bulldozer's had come, the clan was already planning for a counter attack. This counter attack is in the director's cut and it shows the Na'Vi had burned down the equipment and killed the entire crew. This was all Quaritch needed to justify his plan of blowing Hometree. Another very key point is Jake, Grace and Norm did not know the plan was to blow up Hometree because it was Trudy that told them that's what Quaritch planned to do. Now, once this unexpected development took place, Selfridge gave Jake one last chance and Jake had to face Neytiri and the Na'Vi why he had come. So Jake wasn't as traitorous as some first think.

[Wind12]

Yea Quaritch was just mad that he couldn't get Sully out of the picture to make is "smoother" for him to attack the Na'vi( also he could probably sense Sully was changing sides). Quaritch was wanting war, I dissagree with the assessment that he was just being prepared, if he didn't wan't war he would have been more vocal about things that were obviously going to lead to the war( and make it occur quicker) such as the running over the tree of voices, they may have not totally belived the significance of how the Na'vi used the trees but there is NO WAY they didn't know it was important to them, I'm sure they had seen through surveylence ect. how they connected to their environment with their queue. Also his quotes like... "It will be humane, more or less" and the way he said it, to me it is obvious he deserved the arrows given to him by the beautiful Neytiri.

[The Silver Stag]

I always reasoned it was because he wanted a fight. Even before Jake tries to convince Quaritch to let him negotiate the clan's relocation, Quaritch is adamant it's going to turn into a '**** fight'.

Funny how it goes really, had he not got the battle he wanted then he'd still be alive, as would all his mercs :p

[Wind12]

Fits with the old saying... "be careful what you wish for" :)

[exostrike]

Personally I suspect a naturally confrontational attitude, years of being worn down by casulties reports and taking Sully's defection personally conspired to drive Quaritch into a almost self-destructive attitude. Obssesive about crushing sully to the point of delusion.

Not that I couldn't see any other acceptable option left open for him.