In the 2009 film Avatar, the moon where the story unfolds is named Pandora. It is a fictional moon orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri star system.
James Cameron’s film uses Pandora as an alien setting filled with bioluminescent ecosystems, unusual animals, and the Na’vi people. The name echoes the Greek mythological figure but does not depict Hesiod’s jar story. The film’s central conflict concerns human resource extraction, colonial power, and the relationship between the Na’vi and their environment.
Pandora is often casually called a planet because it functions as the film’s world, but the movie identifies it as a moon. Polyphemus is the larger planet around which it orbits, making that name a frequent source of confusion.
The film premiered in 2009 and became known for extensive use of digital visual effects and performance-capture technology. Its title and setting helped give the ancient name a major modern science-fiction association.