Note: This article contains spoilers for all six episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens.
We're now six episodes into Avatar: Seven Havens and many big questions still remain a mystery. What actually caused the cataclysm? Who are the Faceless? Why are there twin Avatars?
This latest batch of episodes did, however, finally give some hints about what could have happened to modern technology. As you may remember from The Legend of Korra, Republic City was at the heart of an industrial revolution that produced cars, mechs, and even broadcast radio. So what exactly happened in the 225 years since Korra's time to destroy all that?
Before we get into theories about what could have happened, let's dig into what technology we've actually seen in the show so far.
Technology in Seven Havens So Far
The first few episodes of Seven Havens are completely devoid of any sort of technology, but we get our first glimpse of something in Episode 5 when Pavi and Nisha are digging through relics in Karthik's office. They discover an old radio that appears to still be working and receiving a transmission, presumably from members of the Order of the White Lotus in other Havens. When Chancellor Kayoko finds the radio and accuses Kathik of contacting the other havens, he writes it off as a "broken relic from the old world."
Then later at the end of Episode 6, we get a look at Chancellor Kayoko calling on the other Havens for help via a much more elaborate radio setup. While Karthik is using what appears to be a relic to covertly communicate, it's clear that the Havens have still retained basic broadcast systems to stay in touch. This very much fits the whole "apocalypse" vibe as radio signals rely on lower frequencies and minimal power to send messages across longer distances. The fact that her radio station is hidden in a concealed tower room only helps confirm that this technology is meant to be used sparingly.
The other big clue about technology also comes from Episode 6, where the benders, who appear to be afflicted by the weird red energy, run into what seems to be a generator room. On the way there, they pass a series of flickering lights that show the base is actually being powered by something, rather than relying purely on fire light. It's here that we see the mysterious red energy (which may or may not be Vaatu!) interacting with this power grid.
The generator room appears to be pretty low tech, being reminiscent of the more advanced airships we saw during Avatar Aang's time. This shows that although some form of technology is being used to power Ellora, it's not nearly as advanced as what you'd expect from a society that should be far more industrialized.
What Could Have Happened to Technology?
Now that we've gotten an idea of what kinds of technology humans are still operating with, we can start making some decent guesses about what actually happened. The most likely reason for the technological collapse goes all the way back to what happened after Korra left the spirit portals open. Giant spirit vines found their way into the world and humans, of course, started using them as a power source. This resulted in a combination of technology and spirit energy that nobody was really prepared for.
We saw the devastating power of this combination in The Legend of Korra when Kuvira harnesses tree roots to power a nuclear-level energy cannon she mounts to a giant mech suit. The only reason that cannon didn't cause the mass destruction it was capable of was because Korra was able to redirect the massive blast with some good old Spiritbending.
So why does all of this matter for Seven Havens? Well, at the end of The Legend of Korra, spirit vine energy is still very much a contentious topic. Korra makes it clear she opposes any further research into the field, and she's backed by the president of Republic City. But it certainly seems like that wasn't the end of all that. Although Seven Havens hasn't yet revealed what actually happened, it seems likely that spirit vine technology was at the heart of it.
Theorizing About the Cataclysm
At the center of every Avatar conflict, there's an issue of balance. For Aang, it was stopping the Fire Nation and bringing balance back to a world at war with itself. For Korra, it was all about bringing back balance between the spirit world and the physical world. Neither Avatar fully succeeded, but Korra's story was left pretty unfinished due to all of the uncertainties after opening up the spiritual floodgates on the world.
The prevailing theory about what caused the cataclysm in Seven Havens, and the one I believe to be most likely, is that the use of spirit vine energy got out of hand. Like any natural resource, abusing it is going to cause some problems and destabilize the balance between the spirit world and the physical world. The cataclysm, in this case, could very likely be the spirit world forcibly trying to rebalance things by destroying humanity and the technology it built.
This theory would explain why the only gadgets we're seeing in Seven Havens appear to be pretty low tech and the Chancellor is pretty careful about using the radio. It would also explain why the mysterious red energy would be some sort of electricity/spirit energy hybrid that only the Avatars can deal with.
While this theory does seem to explain why technology is noticeably absent from the series, it's still only a theory. It's unlikely we'll uncover all of the mysteries in Season 1, especially now that it’s been renewed through a fourth season. In the meantime, it's certainly enjoyable to dig into what actually happened to the world Korra left behind.