: Re: The concept of "Exotic Culture" and the necessity of a new world A personal point of view on the necessity of a new culture in fiction "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away",

@Smith147

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Frame Challenge: Sci-Fi and Fantasy (often) REQUIRE a new World
Let's run with your example of the Na'vi. As you point out, they are stand-ins for various indigenous cultures that have been impacted by colonialism.
That's the whole point.
They are stand-ins.
When you say "Native Americans" or "African Tribes" or any of a dozen other common terms for various indigenous cultures, readers immediately conjure up their preconceived notions of those cultures. They see interactions through the lens of their previous experiences.
By creating a new culture from scratch, readers cannot fall back on some previous understanding of the topic. They have to follow where the author leads. This makes it easier for the author to create empathy and make the characters real.
Sci-Fi often seeks to explore the familiar by first making it exotic, and then revealing the commonality. You are meant to see that the Na'vi are Native Americans. And the intent was that this would change how you view the indigenous / colonial interactions that really occurred in our world.

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