In Avatar, the 2009 film directed by James Cameron, the mineral mined on Pandora is unobtanium. Humans seek it because the fictional material is extremely valuable and is presented as an important solution to Earth’s energy problems.
The mining operation is a major source of conflict in the film. The Resources Development Administration establishes an industrial presence on Pandora, where extraction threatens the Na’vi community and the environment around their home. Jake Sully becomes involved with the operation while using an avatar to interact with the Na’vi.
“Unobtanium” is also a longstanding informal engineering term for a hypothetical material with exceptional or impossible properties. Avatar turns that humorous technical expression into the name of a valuable fictional resource. It should not be confused with real minerals or with “pandorium,” a name sometimes invented by fans or used in unrelated fiction. The film’s unobtanium is a story element, not a scientifically established substance.