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177-532: Dune is a science fiction media franchise that originated with the 1965 novel of the same name by American author Frank Herbert . Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history, and won the 1966 Hugo Award as well as the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel . Herbert wrote five sequels before his death in 1986: Dune Messiah (1969), Children of Dune (1976), God Emperor of Dune (1981), Heretics of Dune (1984) and Chapterhouse: Dune (1985). Dune follows Paul ,

354-513: A feudal interstellar empire known as the Imperium, run by several Great Houses that oversee various planets. Of key interest is the planet Arrakis , known to the native population as "Dune". A desert planet with barely any precipitation , it is the only planet where a special life-extending drug, melange (or "the spice"), can be found. In addition to life extension, melange enhances the mental capacity of humans through prescience , allowing

531-445: A novelization written by Joan D. Vinge , and The Making of Dune (December 1984, ISBN   0-425-07376-9 ), a making-of book by Ed Naha . In May 1992, Ace Books published Songs of Muad'Dib ( ISBN   0-441-77427-X ), a collection of Dune -related poems written by Frank Herbert and edited by his son Brian. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson released The Road to Dune on August 11, 2005. The book contains

708-675: A trilogy of Dune prequel novels that would come to be called the Prelude to Dune series. Using some of Frank Herbert's own notes, the duo wrote Dune: House Atreides (1999), Dune: House Harkonnen (2000), and Dune: House Corrino (2001). The series is set in the years immediately prior to the events of Dune . This was followed with a second prequel trilogy called the Legends of Dune , consisting of Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002), Dune: The Machine Crusade (2003), and Dune: The Battle of Corrin (2004). These were set during

885-432: A Hugo Award. Children of Dune became the first hardcover best-seller ever in the science fiction field. Parts of these two first sequels were written before Dune was completed. In 1978, Putnam published The Illustrated Dune , an edition of Dune with 33 black-and-white sketch drawings and eight full color paintings by John Schoenherr , who had done the cover art for the first printing of Dune and had illustrated

1062-474: A Limited Series or Movie and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects . A 2003 sequel miniseries titled Frank Herbert's Children of Dune continues the story, adapting the second and third novels in the series (1969's Dune Messiah and its 1976 sequel Children of Dune ). Both miniseries are among the highest-rated programs ever to be broadcast on the Syfy Channel. Acquiring

1239-594: A Martyr " (2004), " Dune: Sea Child " (2006), " Dune: Treasure in the Sand " (2006), " Dune: Wedding Silk " (2008), and " Dune: Red Plague " (2016). These eight short stories were published together in the 2017 collection Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition . The four novellas include " Dune: The Waters of Kanly " (2017), " Dune: Blood of the Sardaukar " (2019), " Dune: The Edge of a Crysknife " (2022), and " Dune: Imperial Court " (2022). The four novellas were published together in

1416-711: A bloody jihad subsequently unleashed across the universe in Paul's name but out of his control, the Bene Gesserit, Tleilaxu, Spacing Guild, and House Corrino conspire to dethrone him in Dune Messiah (1969). Though the plot fails, the Atreides Empire continues to devolve in Children of Dune (1976) as the religion built around Paul falters, Irulan's sister Wensicia conspires to place her son Farad'n on

1593-515: A capable leader of his small military. The new Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV, both admires Leto and dislikes him as a political rival. Leto's military victory over the Tleilaxu forces occupying Ix, and his role in the subsequent political censure of Shaddam, ensure Leto a vengeful enemy in the emperor. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the ruthless and cunning head of House Harkonnen, centuries-old enemies of House Atreides. The Baron's intent to exterminate

1770-419: A certain reserved calm that works for the character." Leto is portrayed by Oscar Isaac in the 2021 film. Chaim Gartenberg of The Verge wrote, "Isaac exudes a sense of righteous honor, and it’s easy to see both why his men would follow him to a forsaken desert world and why he falls so thoroughly into the political traps." In 2020, Funko produced a Duke Leto figure as part of their POP! Television line. It

1947-462: A character who attains godlike status through scientific means. Frank Herbert said in 1979, "The bottom line of the Dune trilogy is: beware of heroes. Much better [to] rely on your own judgment, and your own mistakes." He wrote in 1985, " Dune was aimed at this whole idea of the infallible leader because my view of history says that mistakes made by a leader (or made in a leader's name) are amplified by

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2124-406: A character who plays little part in the plot of the first novel. Harrison felt the need to expand Irulan's role because she played such an important part in later books, and epigraphs from her later writings opened each chapter of Dune . Additionally, the character gave him a window into House Corrino . Besides the final scene, the only one of Irulan's appearances based on an actual excerpt from

2301-566: A collective orgasm" (drawing on Norman Walter's 1950 The Sexual Cycle of Human Warfare ). These themes reappear in God Emperor of Dune 's Scattering and Leto II Atreides 's all-female Fish Speaker army. Brian Herbert wrote that " Dune is a modern-day conglomeration of familiar myths, a tale in which great sandworms guard a precious treasure of melange...[that] resembles the myth described by an unknown English poet in Beowulf ,

2478-430: A drugged Salusan bull so she can rule Caladan as Leto's regent. He exiles his mother to a distant convent to avoid the scandal of a public execution, and as duke takes Kailea Vernius of the industrial planet Ix as his concubine. They have a son, Victor, but grow apart, and Kailea's resentment and insecurities build. Threatened by Leto's attraction to the Bene Gesserit acolyte Jessica, Kailea attempts to kill him, but in

2655-646: A group of ambitious, militant humans calling themselves the Titans use this widespread reliance on machine intelligence to seize control of the entire universe. Their reign lasts for a century; eventually they give too much access and power to the AI program Omnius , which usurps control from the Titans themselves. Seeing no value in human life, the thinking machines—now including armies of robot soldiers and other aggressive machines—dominate and enslave nearly all of humanity in

2832-472: A life or death test of his humanity: he is inflicted with excruciating pain, but must exert control over his survival instinct and withstand it, or be killed instantly with a poisoned needle. Paul passes the test, having sustained more pain than anyone before him. Mohiam, though still furious at Jessica for disobeying the Sisterhood's command that she bear a daughter for their breeding scheme, is intrigued by

3009-464: A lust for power sure to destroy the Atreides empire from within. Eventually realizing that Harkonnen's consciousness has surpassed her abilities to contain him, Alia commits suicide. Baron Harkonnen is portrayed by Kenneth McMillan in the 1984 film, and by Ian McNeice in the 2000 miniseries and its 2003 sequel. Stellan Skarsgård portrays the character in the 2021 film and its 2024 sequel. Chani

3186-529: A mass diaspora of humankind which will come to be known as The Scattering . Fifteen hundred years later, the Bene Gesserit become the consumers of Duncan gholas in Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune . The Sisterhood suspect that the Tleilaxu have implanted the gholas with some secret purpose, and when latest Duncan regains his memories, he agrees. The Honored Matres , a violent matriarchal order with

3363-620: A military and religious leader among the Fremen. Previously underestimated by the Harkonnens, the Fremen overcome the Imperial and Harkonnen forces that control Arrakis thanks to Paul's military strategy, their own ferocity and their ability to use sandstorms and the giant sandworms to their advantage. In Dune Messiah , Stilgar is a staunch supporter and protector of Paul, and one of his inner circle of advisors. In Children of Dune , Stilgar

3540-704: A monopoly on spice and thus total control of its use). Personal violence is banned, as is nearly all space travel, creating a pent-up demand for freedom and travel. The Bene Gesserit, Ixians, and Tleilaxu seek ways to regain some of their former power or unseat Leto altogether. Leto also conducts his selective breeding program among the descendants of his twin sister Ghanima, finally arriving at Siona , daughter of Moneo , whose actions are hidden from prescient vision. Leto engineers his own assassination, knowing it will result in rebellion and revolt but also in an explosion in travel and colonization. The death of Leto's body also produces new sandtrout, which will eventually give rise to

3717-495: A novelette called Spice Planet (an alternative version of Dune based on an outline by Frank Herbert), a number of the Brian Herbert/Anderson short stories, and letters and unused chapters written by Frank Herbert. In the 1999 gazetteer The Stars and Planets of Frank Herbert's Dune: A Gazetteer (1999), Joseph M. Daniels estimates the distance from Earth in light-years (ly) for many Dune planets, based on

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3894-500: A period of tyrannical misrule by his brutish elder nephew, Glossu Rabban , making Feyd appear to be the savior of the people. A crisis on Arrakis begins when the mysterious Muad'Dib emerges as a leader of the native Fremen tribes, uniting them against Harkonnen rule. Eventually, a series of Fremen victories against Rabban threaten to disrupt the trade of the spice, attracting the attention of Shaddam IV himself. The emperor arrives on Arrakis with several legions of his Sardaukar, and he and

4071-552: A population of sandworms and a new cycle of spice production. In the aftermath of the fall of the God Emperor, chaos and severe famine in many worlds caused trillions of humans to set off into the freedom of unknown space and spread out across the universe. This diaspora is later called the Scattering and, combined with the invisibility of Atreides descendants to prescient vision, assures that humanity has forever escaped

4248-476: A proposal sent to publishers, Brian Herbert had discovered his father's 30-page outline for a sequel to Chapterhouse Dune , which the elder Herbert had dubbed Dune 7 . After publishing their six prequel novels, Brian Herbert and Anderson released Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007), which complete the original series and wrap up storylines that began with Frank Herbert's Heretics of Dune . The Heroes of Dune series followed, focusing on

4425-462: A relationship with the mysterious native Fremen of Arrakis, people tempered by the planet's harsh conditions who Leto realizes are an underestimated and untapped resource. Leto allows Duncan, impressed with the Fremen and their ways, a dual loyalty to both the Atreides and Stilgar, but he is later killed helping Paul and Jessica escape from the Harkonnens. Duncan is revived by the Bene Tleilax as

4602-512: A relationship with the mysterious native Fremen of Arrakis, people tempered by the planet's harsh conditions who Leto realizes are an underestimated and untapped resource. Leto allows Duncan, impressed with the Fremen and their ways, a dual loyalty to both the Atreides and Stilgar. When Leto's son Paul and his Bene Gesserit mother, Lady Jessica, flee a Harkonnen attack, they find refuge with Stilgar's tribe of Fremen. Paul, believed to be their prophesied messiah, comes to be known as Muad'Dib and rises as

4779-426: A series of Duncan gholas provided by the Tleilaxu have served the seemingly immortal God Emperor Leto II Atreides one after the other. Most of these have been killed by Leto himself, as the serial Duncans, pledged to the Atreides in a time when justice reigned, tend to rebel against the hallmark tyranny and oppression of Leto's rule. The newest Duncan is as disillusioned as his predecessors, and after falling in love with

4956-464: A son. This seemingly minor misstep puts the Atreides bloodline on a collision course with events that will ultimately change the fate of the universe. Pregnant with Alia, Jessica flees into the desert with Paul as House Atreides is all but destroyed by the forces of the wicked Baron Vladimir Harkonnen . Finding refuge with the native Fremen, she and Paul take advantage of the legends planted there by Bene Gesserit religious engineering, casting themselves as

5133-662: A son—unintentionally producing the Kwisatz Haderach a generation early. "Human computers" known as Mentats have been developed and perfected to replace the capacity for logical analysis lost through the prohibition of computers. Through specific training, they learn to enter a heightened mental state in which they can perform complex logical computations that are superior to those of the ancient thinking machines. The Bene Tleilax are amoral merchants who traffic in biological and genetically engineered products such as artificial eyes, "twisted" Mentats, and gholas . Finally,

5310-499: A theoretical superhuman male they call the Kwisatz Haderach . When Dune begins, the Sisterhood is only one generation away from their desired individual, having manipulated the threads of genes and power for thousands of years to produce the required confluence of events. But Lady Jessica , ordered by the Bene Gesserit to produce a daughter who would breed with the appropriate male to make the Kwisatz Haderach, instead bears

5487-889: A two-hour movie." Around the same time Rubenstein was first developing the material, the Sci Fi Channel's president, Bonnie Hammer , was spearheading a campaign for the channel to produce "blockbuster miniseries on a regular basis". The Dune miniseries was greenlit in November 1999. Released in 2000, Frank Herbert's Dune was the first of the Sci Fi Channel's miniseries, followed by Steven Spielberg 's miniseries Taken in 2002, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune and Battlestar Galactica in 2003. Rubenstein called his two Dune miniseries "science fiction for people who don't ordinarily like science fiction" and suggested that "the Dune saga tends to appeal to women in part because it features powerful female characters". Though

List of Dune characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

5664-622: A two-part film series with the first film in 2021 and a sequel in 2024. Herbert wrote five sequels, the first two of which were concomitantly adapted as a 2003 miniseries . Dune has also inspired tabletop games and a series of video games . Since 2009, the names of planets from the Dune novels have been adopted for the real-world nomenclature of plains and other features on Saturn 's moon Titan . Frank Herbert died in 1986. Beginning in 1999, his son Brian Herbert and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson published several collections of prequel novels, as well as two sequels that complete

5841-415: A vast number of worlds. However, a great reaction against computers has resulted in a ban on any "thinking machine", with the creation or possession of such punishable by immediate death . Despite this prohibition, humanity continues to develop and advance other branches of technology, including extrasensory perception (ESP) and instruments of war. At the time of the first book's setting, humanity has formed

6018-567: A violent and corrupt matriarchal society known as the Honored Matres , who they suspect may be descended from some of their own sent out in the Scattering. As a bitter and bloody war erupts between the orders, it ultimately becomes clear that joining the two organizations into a single New Sisterhood with shared abilities is their best chance to fight the approaching enemy. The sequels Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson complete

6195-430: A widespread rebellion of the native Fremen on Arrakis creates a disruption in the production of the all-important spice melange, bringing Shaddam and his court, including Irulan, to the planet to impose order. Paul Atreides leads the Fremen in an overwhelming victory over the combined Harkonnen and Imperial Sardaukar forces and seizes control of Arrakis, the only known source of the spice. Paul demands that Shaddam relinquish

6372-559: Is " Mudir Nahya ", which translates as "Demon Ruler" or " King Cobra ". Rabban is killed by the Fremen and the people of Arrakeen when Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides retakes Arrakis using Fremen forces. Travis Johnson of Flicks.com.au describes Rabban as "the Baron's murderous and notably less Machiavellian nephew". Noting that the characters in Dune fit mythological archetypes, novelist Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert's son and biographer, writes that "Beast Rabban Harkonnen, though evil and aggressive,

6549-492: Is a 4.5-inch (11 cm) vinyl figure in the Japanese chibi style, depicting Leto in armor and styled after the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film. Leto is also a primary character in the prequel trilogies Prelude to Dune and The Caladan Trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson . In Prelude to Dune , young Leto's mother, Helena , arranges for his father, expert bullfighter Duke Paulus Atreides , to be killed by

6726-523: Is a landmark of soft science fiction . Herbert deliberately suppressed technology in his Dune universe so he could address the politics of humanity, rather than the future of humanity's technology. Dune considers the way humans and their institutions might change over time. Jon Michaud of The New Yorker called the originating novel Dune "an epic of political betrayal, ecological brinkmanship , and messianic deliverance." Director John Harrison , who adapted Dune for Syfy 's 2000 miniseries , called

6903-609: Is accompanied to Arrakis by his Bene Gesserit concubine Lady Jessica, with whom he is in love but has not married to allow for the possibility of a politically advantageous marriage, and his son and heir, Paul. Threatened by Leto's growing influence among the Landsraad assembly of noble families, Shaddam has aligned himself with Leto's enemy, the Baron Harkonnen. The Harkonnens, secretly bolstered by Shaddam's fierce Sardaukar warriors and aided by Leto's own personal physician,

7080-406: Is already dead, moments before the Baron's twisted Mentat Piter De Vries kills him. The Baron escapes the poison, which only kills Leto and De Vries. Leto's son Paul flees into the desert with Jessica, aided by survival kits left for them by a compassionate Yueh. Yueh is portrayed by Dean Stockwell in the 1984 film, and by Robert Russell in the 2000 miniseries. Chang Chen plays the character in

7257-463: Is an American science fiction media franchise that originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert and has continued to add new publications. Dune is frequently described as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. It won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Hugo Award in 1966 and was later adapted into a 1984 film , a 2000 television miniseries , and

List of Dune characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

7434-414: Is aware of no cure, but correctly suggests that the disease's source may be the Bene Gesserit. The early years of Yueh as the physician to House Atreides are also explored in the novels. In Hunters of Dune , set 5,000 years after Dune , Yueh is resurrected as a ghola to aid in the coming final battle with mankind's "great enemy." In Sandworms of Dune , the finale of the original series, the young Yueh ghola

7611-556: Is balanced by the assembly of noble houses called the Landsraad , which enforces the Great Convention 's ban on the use of atomics against human targets. Though the power of the Corrinos is unrivaled by any individual House, they are in constant competition with each other for political power and stakes in the omnipresent CHOAM company, a directorship that controls the wealth of the entire Empire. The third primary power in

7788-654: Is considered to be: "Thou shalt not disfigure the soul." Early in his newspaper career, Frank Herbert was introduced to Zen , a school of Mahayana Buddhism , by two Jungian psychologists, Ralph and Irene Slattery, who "gave a crucial boost to his thinking". Zen teachings ultimately had "a profound and continuing influence on [Herbert's] work". Throughout the Dune series and particularly in Dune , Herbert employs concepts and forms borrowed from Zen Buddhism. The Fremen are Zensunni adherents, and many of Herbert's epigraphs are Zen-spirited. In " Dune Genesis", Frank Herbert wrote: Frank Herbert%27s Dune The series

7965-564: Is essentially a fool." Rabban is portrayed by Paul L. Smith in the 1984 film, and by László I. Kish  [ de ] in the 2000 Dune miniseries . The character is played by Dave Bautista in the 2021 film and its 2024 sequel. Rabban also appears in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. In the series, he kills Duncan Idaho's parents and Gurney Halleck's sister, and earns his nickname "Beast" when he strangles his own father. Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen

8142-419: Is far less painful and cruel than her possible future fates had she survived. Chani is portrayed by actress Sean Young in the 1984 film, and by Barbora Kodetová in the 2000 miniseries and its 2003 sequel. Zendaya portrays the character in the 2021 film and its 2024 sequel. Stilgar is the Fremen leader, or naib, of Sietch Tabr . In Dune , Duke Leto Atreides sends his swordmaster, Duncan Idaho , to build

8319-472: Is fiercely loyal to Paul's young heirs Leto II and Ghanima, and is conflicted as the regent, Paul's sister Alia, descends into madness. Duncan manipulates Stilgar into killing him, knowing it will force Stilgar to join the rebellion against Alia. Later, with Leto presumed dead, Stilgar helps Ghanima and Princess Irulan escape Alia's tyranny. Novelist Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert's son and biographer, wrote, "One time I asked my father if he identified with any of

8496-404: Is life-threatening) to smaller, mouse-like life-forms adapted to live with limited water. Dune was followed in its creation of complex and unique ecologies by other science fiction books such as A Door into Ocean (1986) and Red Mars (1992). Environmentalists have pointed out that Dune 's popularity as a novel depicting a planet as a complex, almost living, thing, in combination with

8673-399: Is portrayed by Siân Phillips in the 1984 film, and by Zuzana Geislerová in the 2000 miniseries and its 2003 sequel. The character is played by Charlotte Rampling in the 2021 film and its 2024 sequel. Glossu "Beast" Rabban is the violent and brutish older nephew of Baron Harkonnen. He is as cruel and sadistic as his uncle, but lacks the Baron's intelligence. The Baron tasks Rabban to rule

8850-476: Is secretly somewhat grateful to Irulan, as he has seen through his prescience that childbirth will bring Chani's death, and so Irulan has unwittingly extended Chani's life. Chani dies after giving birth to Paul's twin children, Leto II and Ghanima. Having proven their ability to do so, the Tleilaxu offer to resurrect Chani as a ghola in exchange for control of the empire, but Paul refuses. Through his oracular sight, Paul has seen that Chani's death during childbirth

9027-746: Is secretly somewhat grateful to Irulan, as he has seen through his prescience that childbirth will bring Chani's death, and so Irulan has unwittingly extended Chani's life. Chani dies giving birth to the twins Leto II and Ghanima, and a newly blinded Paul follows Fremen custom and wanders alone into the desert to die. Realizing her love for Paul, Irulan breaks ties with the Bene Gesserit and dedicates herself to his children. Nine years later in Children of Dune , Irulan's sister Wensicia plots to assassinate Leto and Ghanima to reclaim power for House Corrino through her son, Farad'n . Irulan also serves as chief advisor to Paul's sister Alia, who reigns as Holy Regent for

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9204-525: Is similarly corrupt, materially indulgent, and a sexual degenerate. Gibbon's Decline and Fall partly blames the fall of Rome on the rise of Christianity. Gibbon claimed that this exotic import from a conquered province weakened the soldiers of Rome and left it open to attack. Similarly, the Emperor's Sardaukar fighters are little match for the Fremen of Arrakis because of the Sardaukar's overconfidence and

9381-515: Is some kind of trap, but is unable to refuse. Shaddam is threatened by Leto's growing influence among the Landsraad assembly of noble families, and uses the centuries-old feud between the Atreides and Harkonnens to disguise his moves against Leto. The forces of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, secretly bolstered by Shaddam's Sardaukar and aided by a traitor in Leto's household, launch an attack that devastates

9558-484: Is styled after the 2000 miniseries. A 2003 sequel miniseries titled Frank Herbert's Children of Dune continues the story, adapting the second and third novels in the series (1969's Dune Messiah and its 1976 sequel Children of Dune ). John Harrison and Richard P. Rubinstein are credited as executive producers of the Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), the two-part theatrical film adaptations of

9735-438: Is the concubine of Duke Leto and the mother of his son Paul and daughter Alia . Jessica is one of the Bene Gesserit, a secretive, matriarchal order who achieve superhuman abilities through physical and mental conditioning and the use of the drug melange. Instructed by the Bene Gesserit to first conceive a daughter with Leto to further the order's centuries-long breeding program , she disobeyed out of love for Leto, and gave him

9912-558: Is the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, whose power is secured by his armies of fierce Sardaukar warriors and control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the all-important spice melange. In Dune , Shaddam has granted Duke Leto Atreides control of the lucrative spice mining operations on Arrakis, previously managed by House Harkonnen, longtime enemies of the Atreides. Leto is aware that this assignment

10089-519: Is the charismatic yet deadly younger nephew and heir of Baron Harkonnen. In Dune , the Baron favors Feyd over his older brother Glossu Rabban because of Feyd's intelligence and his dedication to the Harkonnen culture of carefully planned and subtly executed sadism and cruelty, as opposed to Rabban's outright brutality. The Baron's succession plan is to install Feyd as ruler of Arrakis after a period of tyrannical misrule by Rabban, making Feyd appear to be

10266-481: Is the daughter of Liet-Kynes , the Imperial Planetologist on Arrakis, and his Fremen wife Faroula. In Dune , Paul Atreides sees Chani in his prescient dreams before his family moves from Caladan to Arrakis. Later, Paul and his mother Jessica flee the Harkonnen attack that kills his father and devastates the Atreides forces, and are reluctantly taken in by a tribe of the planet's native desert people,

10443-575: Is the eldest daughter of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and the Bene Gesserit Anirul . The character serves as a de facto narrator in Dune , with excerpts of Irulan's later writings used as epigraphs before each chapter of the novel. In forms such as diary entries, historical commentary, biography, quotations and philosophy, these writings set tone and provide exposition, context and other details intended to enhance understanding of Herbert's complex fictional universe and themes. In Dune ,

10620-513: Is the planetary governor of the ocean planet Caladan who takes over the lucrative spice mining operations on the desert planet Arrakis at the behest of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. Knowing it is some kind of trap but unable to refuse the assignment, Leto proactively seeks an alliance with the native Fremen, people tempered by the planet's harsh conditions who Leto realizes are an underestimated and untapped resource. He

10797-421: Is wracked by feelings of intense guilt over the actions of the "original" Yueh. Though he does not yet possess those memories, he fears that he will repeat those mistakes. A ghola's memories are restored by subjecting the ghola to an intense personal trauma, specific to each individual, so Yueh's great fear of having his memories restored becomes the trigger used by the Bene Gesserit to unlock them. Later, Yueh kills

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10974-539: Is written in the script as less mature and observant than he is in the source novel, but she praised many members of the cast, in particular McNeice (Baron Harkonnen) and Cox (Irulan). Asher-Perrin also complimented the special effects, set design, and costuming. The series was also praised by several critics, including Kim Newman . A director's cut special edition was released on DVD featuring expanded footage and dialogue. The 2001 3D video game Frank Herbert's Dune by Cryo Interactive / DreamCatcher Interactive

11151-512: The Analog serializations of Dune and Children of Dune . Herbert wrote in 1980 that though he had not spoken to Schoenherr prior to the artist creating the paintings, the author was surprised to find that the artwork appeared exactly as he had imagined its fictional subjects, including sandworms , Baron Harkonnen and the Sardaukar . In 1981, Herbert released God Emperor of Dune , which

11328-651: The Bedouin tribes of Arabia, and the Mahdi prophecy originates from Islamic eschatology . Inspiration is also adopted from medieval historian ibn Khaldun 's cyclical history and his dynastic concept in North Africa, hinted by Herbert's reference to ibn Khaldun's book Kitāb al-ʿIbar "The Book of Lessons" as known among the Fremen. In addition to Arabic, Dune derives words and names from multiple other languages, including Hebrew , Navajo , Latin , Chakobsa ,

11505-480: The Butlerian Jihad , an element of backstory that Frank Herbert had previously established as occurring 10,000 years before the events chronicled in Dune . Herbert's brief description of humanity's "crusade against computers , thinking machines , and conscious robots " was expanded by Brian Herbert and Anderson in this series. With an outline for the first book of Prelude to Dune series written and

11682-479: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra . Frank Herbert's Dune aired in three parts, starting Sunday, December 3, 2000. The first installment achieved a 4.6 rating with 3 million homes, and the miniseries averaged a 4.4/2.9 million households over all three nights. This doubled all viewership records for Sci Fi, placing Dune among the top ten of basic cable's original miniseries in the five years previous. Two of

11859-411: The Dune universe can be said to fall into five general time periods: As explained in Dune , the Butlerian Jihad is a conflict taking place over 11,000 years in the future (and over 10,000 years before the events of Dune ), which results in the total destruction of virtually all forms of "computers, thinking machines , and conscious robots ". With the prohibition "Thou shalt not make a machine in

12036-473: The Fremen , long overlooked by the Imperium. Considered backward savages, the Fremen are extremely hardy people and exist in large numbers; their culture is built around the commodity of water, which is extremely scarce on Arrakis. The Fremen await the coming of a prophesied messiah , not suspecting that this prophecy had been planted in their legends by the Missionaria Protectiva , an arm of

12213-592: The Nahuatl language of the Aztecs , Greek , Persian , East Indian , Russian , Turkish , Finnish , Dutch and Old English . Through the inspiration from Lesley Blanch's The Sabres of Paradise , there are also allusions to the Tsarist-era Russian nobility and Cossacks . Frank Herbert stated that bureaucracy that lasted long enough would become a hereditary nobility, and a significant theme behind

12390-804: The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam , who is appalled by Paul's suggestion that he impregnate his consort in this manner. Herbert died in 1986, leaving his vision of the events of the Butlerian Jihad unexplored and open to speculation. The Legends of Dune prequel trilogy (2002–2004) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson presents the Jihad as a war between humans and the sentient machines they had created, who rise up and nearly destroy humanity. The series explains that humanity had become entirely complacent and dependent upon thinking machines; recognizing this weakness,

12567-782: The Russian conquest of the Caucasus , has also been identified as a major influence upon Dune , with its depiction of Imam Shamil , the Caucasian Imamate , and the Islamic culture of the Caucasus inspiring some of the themes, characters, events and terminology of Dune . Multiple proverbs recorded by Blanch's The Sabres as originating from the Caucasus Mountains are included in Dune , such as "polish comes from

12744-544: The Spacing Guild pilots (mutated by heavy melange use) to navigate folded space and travel the distances between planets; and triggers some of the powers of the Bene Gesserit , a religious group that secretly seeks to control the direction humanity takes. Melange is challenging to acquire due to the harsh environment of Arrakis, and the presence of giant sandworms that are drawn towards any rhythmic sounds on

12921-574: The Suk doctor Wellington Yueh , launch an attack that devastates the Atreides forces. Leto is taken prisoner by the Baron, and dies attempting to kill him. The character has been described as "regal and doomed", and "warmly protective but all-too-vulnerable". Leto is portrayed by Jürgen Prochnow in the 1984 film. Ben Sherlock of Screen Rant called Prochnow "mesmerizing" in the role, with "a commanding screen presence" that "brought slightly more grit" than subsequent portrayals. William Hurt plays Leto in

13098-408: The desert planet Arrakis , known as Dune, which is the only source of the all-important spice melange. The most valuable commodity in the known universe, the spice not only makes safe and reliable interstellar travel possible, but also prolongs life, protects against disease, and is used by the Bene Gesserit to enhance their abilities. The potential financial gains for House Atreides are mitigated by

13275-483: The ghola Mentat Hayt in Dune Messiah , and works with Paul's sister Alia to unravel the conspiracy against the Atreides. The Tleilaxu have secretly programmed Hayt to seduce Alia, weaken Paul psychologically and then kill him. The trauma of the attempt restores his memories of being Duncan. He is married to Alia in Children of Dune , but she has succumbed to the dangers of her unique birth and become possessed by

13452-621: The 1960s, there were just these two colossal superpowers duking it out. Today we're living in a more feudal, corporatized world more akin to Herbert's universe of separate families, power centers and business interests, all interrelated and kept together by the one commodity necessary to all. Novelist Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert's son and biographer, explained that "Frank Herbert drew parallels, used spectacular metaphors, and extrapolated present conditions into world systems that seem entirely alien at first blush. But close examination reveals they aren't so different from systems we know." He wrote that

13629-553: The 1960s—who are the exception among ordinary people in their respective worlds—Herbert's characters grow their powers through "the application of mystical philosophies and techniques." For Herbert, the ordinary person can develop incredible fighting skills (Fremen, Swordmasters of Ginaz and Sardaukar) or mental abilities (Bene Gesserit, Mentats, Spacing Guild Navigators). Due to the similarities between some of Herbert's terms and ideas and actual words and concepts in Arabic , as well as

13806-463: The 2000 miniseries, and is succeeded by Edward Atterton in its 2003 sequel. Jason Momoa portrays Duncan in the 2021 film. Dr. Wellington Yueh is a Suk doctor and the trusted personal physician of Duke Leto Atreides. In Dune , Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is intent on the destruction of House Atreides, who have been lured to Arrakis on the pretense of taking over the valuable spice mining operation there. Though Suk Imperial Conditioning supposedly makes

13983-440: The 2000 miniseries, and is succeeded by Steven Berkoff in its 2003 sequel. Asher-Perrin called Ochsenknecht "a wonderfully gruff Stilgar", but later wrote, "Steven Berkoff is an incredible character actor, but there is nothing about him that even remotely invokes the old Fremen leader. Instead, he reads at the beginning like the Atreides family butler before moving onto Old British Wardog Supreme." Javier Bardem portrays Stilgar in

14160-400: The 2000 miniseries. Hurt was the first actor to be cast in the 2000 adaptation. A fan of the novel, he told The New York Times , "I was a science fiction junkie ... [Director John Harrison ] captured Herbert's prophetic reflection of our own age, where nation-states are competing with the new global economy and its corporate elements." Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com wrote that Hurt "brings

14337-422: The 2021 film and its 2024 sequel. In 1984, toy company LJN released a line of Dune action figures, styled after David Lynch 's film, which included a figure of Stilgar. McFarlane Toys released a 7" articulating action figure of Stilgar in 2020, styled after the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film. In 2022, Super7 released a 3.75" articulating Stilgar action figure as part of its Dune ReAction line, also styled after

14514-490: The 2021 film. The character also appears in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and is resurrected as a ghola in Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune , the Brian Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series. In Prelude to Dune , a younger Baron Harkonnen consults with Yueh seeking a cure for the debilitating disease which is slowly but surely rendering him obese. Yueh

14691-431: The Atreides forces. Leto is killed, and his Bene Gesserit concubine Lady Jessica, and heir Paul, flee into the desert and are presumed dead in a sandstorm. Years later, a rebellion of the native Fremen on Arrakis creates a disruption in the production of the all-important spice melange, bringing Shaddam and his court to the planet to impose order. Paul Atreides is alive, and has risen as a military and religious leader among

14868-432: The Atreides line seems close to fruition as Duke Leto is lured to Arrakis on the pretense of taking over the lucrative spice mining operation there, previously controlled by the Harkonnens. The Baron has coerced Leto's own physician, the trusted Suk doctor Wellington Yueh, to be his agent in the Atreides household. Yueh disables the protective shields around the Atreides palace and the Harkonnen forces (secretly supplemented by

15045-429: The Atreides palace on Arrakis, and the Harkonnen forces (secretly supplemented by the seemingly unstoppable Imperial Sardaukar warriors) attack. Yueh takes Leto prisoner, but desiring to slay the Baron in defiance of his conditioning, Yueh provides the captive Leto with a fake tooth filled with poisonous gas as a means to kill the Baron, though Leto would die as well. Upon delivering Leto, Yueh confirms his belief that Wanna

15222-432: The Baron are shocked to discover that the Fremen warlord Muad'Dib is actually Paul Atreides. The Fremen, previously underestimated by the Harkonnens, overcome the Imperial and Harkonnen forces thanks to Paul's military strategy, their own ferocity and their ability to use sandstorms and the giant sandworms of Arrakis to their advantage. Paul's sister Alia, four years old but born a fully aware Fremen Reverend Mother, reveals to

15399-432: The Baron that he is her grandfather before she kills him with a poisoned needle called a gom jabbar . In Children of Dune , Alia succumbs to the dangers of her unique birth and is possessed by the persona of the deceased Baron Harkonnen. As he promises his assistance in quelling the multitude of other ancestral voices assailing her, Alia gradually relinquishes control of herself to the Baron, and descends into depravity and

15576-435: The Bene Gesserit dedicated to religious manipulation to ease the path of the Sisterhood when necessary. In Dune , the so-called "Arrakis Affair" puts unexpected Kwisatz Haderach Paul Atreides in control of first the Fremen people and then Arrakis itself. Absolute control over the spice supply allows Paul to depose Shaddam and become ruler of the known universe, with Shaddam's eldest daughter Princess Irulan as his wife. With

15753-458: The Bene Gesserit his victory, or to risk his life against Feyd in a "fair" fight. Paul manages to defeat Feyd without the command, killing him, and goes on to accede to the Imperial throne. Feyd is portrayed by Sting in the 1984 film, and by Matt Keeslar in the 2000 miniseries. The character does not appear in the 2021 film, but is played by Austin Butler in its 2024 sequel. Princess Irulan

15930-497: The Bene Gesserit pursue their goal to better the human race by subtly and secretly guiding and manipulating the affairs of others to serve their own purposes. By the time of Dune , they have secured a level of control over the current emperor, Shaddam IV , by marrying him to one of their own who intentionally bears him only daughters. The Bene Gesserit also has a secret, millennia-long selective breeding program to bolster and preserve valuable skills and bloodlines as well as to produce

16107-508: The Bene Gesserit's plans into turmoil and established an irreconcilable tension between Feyd and Paul as the scions of their bitterly opposed noble houses. The risk of one or both of these young men being killed, destroying thousands of years of genetic engineering, is so great that the Bene Gesserit send an envoy, Margot Fenring , to seduce Feyd and conceive a child, salvaging his genetic material. Margot also uses an imprinting technique to condition Feyd to be vulnerable to Bene Gesserit control in

16284-653: The Bene Gesserit, the Mentats, the Suk doctors , the Spacing Guild and the Navigators, as well as the solidifying of the Corrino Imperium." Sisterhood of Dune was released in 2012, followed by Mentats of Dune in 2014. In a 2009 interview, Anderson stated that the third and final novel would be titled The Swordmasters of Dune , but by 2014 it had been renamed Navigators of Dune . The novel

16461-421: The Emperor has succeeded. Feyd agrees, but as punishment for the failed assassination attempt, the Baron forces Feyd to single-handedly slaughter all the female slaves who serve as his lovers so that Feyd will learn the price of failure. As Paul seizes control of the all-important planet Arrakis and makes his final bid to usurp the Padishah Emperor's power, he is challenged by Feyd, the current Harkonnen leader after

16638-546: The Emperor's order to kill Paul, Shaddam capitulates. Twelve years later in Dune Messiah , Irulan is Paul's consort and trusted advisor, but he has sworn that only his beloved concubine Chani will bear his children. Paul and Chani remain childless, however, because a resentful Irulan, Bene Gesserit-trained and doing their bidding, has been secretly feeding Chani contraceptives to prevent her from conceiving an Imperial heir. The Sisterhood are desperate to regain control of Paul's bloodline for their breeding program, and are fearful of

16815-437: The Fremen rebellion against Alia's tyranny. Though the other rebels are massacred, Irulan and Stilgar are imprisoned upon their capture, and presumably freed when Leto deposes Alia. Irulan is portrayed by Virginia Madsen in the 1984 film, and by Julie Cox in the 2000 miniseries and its 2003 sequel. The character does not appear in the 2021 film, but is played by Florence Pugh in its 2024 sequel. Shaddam IV of House Corrino

16992-482: The Fremen's capacity for self-sacrifice. The Fremen put the community before themselves in every instance, while the world outside wallows in luxury at the expense of others. The decline and long peace of the Empire sets the stage for revolution and renewal by genetic mixing of successful and unsuccessful groups through war, a process culminating in the Jihad led by Paul Atreides , described by Herbert as depicting "war as

17169-477: The Fremen. Chani, a fierce warrior, is assigned to protect and guide Paul in the Fremen ways. They soon become lovers, and Paul, now known as Muad'Dib, rises as a military and religious leader among the Fremen. Their rebellion against the Harkonnens intensifies, and Paul and Chani's infant son is murdered in a Sardaukar raid. The Fremen overcome the Imperial and Harkonnen forces thanks to Paul's military strategy, their own ferocity and their ability to use sandstorms and

17346-560: The Fremen. He leads them in an overwhelming victory over the combined Harkonnen and Imperial forces and seizes control of Arrakis. Paul demands that Shaddam relinquish the Imperial throne to him or he will destroy all spice production and plunge the universe into chaos. Shaddam resists, but is forced to capitulate after Paul defeats Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in single combat, and Count Fenring refuses Shaddam's order to kill Paul. Paul intends to take Shaddam's daughter, Princess Irulan, as his consort, and exile Shaddam. Dune (franchise) Dune

17523-523: The God Emperor Leto II Atreides, has ruled the Empire for 3,500 years from the verdant face of a transformed Arrakis; melange production has ceased. Leto has forced the sandworms into extinction, except for the larval sandtrout with which he had forged a symbiosis , transforming him into a human-sandworm hybrid. Human civilization before his rule had suffered from twin weaknesses: that a single authority could control it and that it

17700-407: The Imperial throne to him or he will destroy all spice production and plunge the universe into chaos. Shaddam bristles at Paul's suggestion that he marry Irulan, but she immediately recognizes the inevitability of the situation Paul has orchestrated, and tells Shaddam, "Here's a man fit to be your son." Once Paul defeats the treacherous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in single combat, and Count Fenring refuses

17877-522: The Ixian ambassador Hwi Noree (who is engaged to Leto), he joins Atreides descendant Siona in her plot to assassinate Leto. He allows them to succeed, and as he dies, Leto reveals that his millennia-long plan for humanity's ultimate survival—called the Golden Path —has come to fruition. Siona and her descendants will be invisible to prescient sight, and the end of his millennia of oppression will spark

18054-471: The Ixians produce cutting-edge technology that seemingly complies with (but pushes the boundaries of) the prohibitions against thinking machines. The Ixians are very secretive, not only to protect their valuable hold on the industry but also to hide any methods or inventions that may breach the anti-thinking machine protocols. Against this backdrop, the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) chronicles

18231-578: The Lynch film. Stilgar's early life is explored in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and he is resurrected as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Anderson conclusion to the original series, Sandworms of Dune . The character also appears in the prequel novels Paul of Dune and The Winds of Dune . Duncan Idaho is the Swordmaster of House Atreides, and one of Paul's teachers. In Dune , Leto sends Duncan to build

18408-554: The Priesthood of the Divided God, control the sandworms and their planet, now called Rakis, but the Tleilaxu have discovered how to produce melange using their axlotl tanks in quantities that greatly exceed natural melange harvests. This balance of power is shattered by a large influx of people from the Scattering, some fleeing persecution by an as-yet-unknown enemy. Among the returning people, the Bene Gesserit finds its match in

18585-566: The Sisterhood's acceptance of his decision to father no heirs with Irulan, Paul offers something of the utmost value: his sperm . This is a complicated proposition for Mohiam, because artificial insemination is forbidden in the wake of the anti-technology Butlerian Jihad , and the idea of it is as horrific to the Sisterhood as the loss of the precious Atreides genes. The conspiracy ultimately fails, and Paul kills Scytale. Edric and Mohiam are executed on orders from Paul's sister Alia, despite Paul's previous instructions to spare Mohiam's life. Mohiam

18762-538: The ability to enslave men using their unique sexual talents, have arrived from the farthest reaches of the universe, wreaking havoc and destruction, and obliterating Tleilaxu worlds. An attempt by the Honored Matre Murbella to sexually imprint Duncan triggers the hidden Tleilaxu purpose: to conquer the Honored Matres by using a better version of their own sexual techniques. All the memories of

18939-592: The aristocratic families in Dune was "aristocratic bureaucracy" which he saw as analogous to the Soviet Union . Brian Herbert called the Dune universe "a spiritual melting pot", noting that his father, Frank Herbert, incorporated elements of a variety of religions, including Buddhism , Sufi mysticism and other Islamic belief systems, Catholicism , Protestantism , Judaism , and Hinduism . He added that Frank Herbert's fictional future in which "religious beliefs have combined into interesting forms" represents

19116-458: The art of war, and by his mother in some of her Bene Gesserit disciplines. Paul also possesses burgeoning prescient abilities, which are further unlocked by the inescapable exposure to melange on Arrakis. House Atreides is soon betrayed and scattered, with Leto killed, his forces devastated, and Paul and Jessica forced to flee into the open desert. They are taken in by the native Fremen , a secretive population of fierce fighters who thrive despite

19293-577: The author's solution to eliminating arguments between religions, each of which claim to have "the one and only revelation." Frank Herbert writes that, in the aftermath of the technology-purging Butlerian Jihad, the Bene Gesserit composed the Azhar Book, which "preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths". Soon after, an ecumenical council created a syncretic religion defined by the Orange Catholic Bible , which would become

19470-410: The characters in his stories, and to my surprise he said it was Stilgar, the rugged leader of the Fremen   ... Mulling this over, I realized Stilgar was the equivalent of a Native American chief in Dune —a person who represented and defended time-honored ways that did not harm the ecology of the planet." Stilgar is portrayed by Everett McGill in the 1984 film. Uwe Ochsenknecht plays the role in

19647-680: The city, wisdom from the hills," becoming "polish comes from the cities, wisdom from the desert" for Arrakis. The environment of the desert planet Arrakis is similar to the Middle East, particularly the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf , as well as to Mexico . The novel also contains references to the petroleum industries in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf as well as Mexico. The Fremen people of Arrakis were influenced by

19824-620: The collection Sands of Dune , which released on July 28, 2022. In 1984, Herbert's publisher Putnam released The Dune Encyclopedia . Approved by Herbert but not written by him, this collection of essays by 43 contributors describes in invented detail many aspects of the Dune universe not found in the novels themselves. Herbert's estate later confirmed its non- canonical status after Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson had begun publishing prequel novels that directly contradict The Dune Encyclopedia . The 1984 Dune film spawned The Dune Storybook (September 1984, ISBN   0-399-12949-9 ),

20001-466: The compelling tale of a fearsome fire dragon who guarded a great treasure hoard in a lair under cliffs." Paul's rise to superhuman status follows the hero's journey template; after unfortunate circumstances are forced onto him, he suffers a long period of hardship and exile, and finally confronts and defeats the source of evil in his tale. As such, Dune is representative of a general trend beginning in 1960s American science fiction in that it features

20178-477: The costumes by Theodor Pištěk . Director John Harrison has described his adaptation as a "faithful interpretation" in which any changes he made served to suggest what Herbert had explained subtly or not at all. The miniseries introduces elements not found in Herbert's novel, but according to the director, these serve to elaborate rather than to edit. Hurt was the first to be cast in the 2000 adaptation. A fan of

20355-483: The creation of the universal Orange Catholic Bible and the rise of a new feudal pan-galactic empire that lasts for over 10,000 years before Herbert's series begins. Several secret societies also develop, using eugenics programs, intensive mental and physical training, and pharmaceutical enhancements to hone human skills to an astonishing degree. Artificial insemination is also prohibited, as explained in Dune Messiah (1969), when Paul Atreides negotiates with

20532-450: The dangers of her unique birth and become possessed. Jessica escapes an assassination attempt by Alia, and trains Farad'n , the grandson of Shaddam IV, in the Bene Gesserit way. Lady Jessica is portrayed by Francesca Annis in the 1984 film. Saskia Reeves plays the role in the 2000 miniseries, and is succeeded by Alice Krige in its 2003 sequel. Rebecca Ferguson portrays Jessica in the 2021 film and its 2024 sequel. Duke Leto Atreides

20709-408: The deaths of the Baron and Rabban. Though famed for his prowess in single combat, Feyd intends to guarantee victory by breaking the formal rules of kanly (which govern this type of challenge) and using a hidden poison spur in his fighting outfit. He nearly succeeds in killing Paul in the ritualized fight, as Paul struggles with whether to try the paralysis word-sound given to him by his mother, and owe

20886-400: The desire to be as close to the written text as possible." She wrote that "the story naturally drags at certain points in the book that work in prose but not on screen", and added that "the narrative gets over-explained in an effort to be sure that no one watching is left behind." Asher-Perrin suggested that Harrison's choice to cast adult actor Newman as Paul is problematic because the character

21063-421: The effect Chani's "wild" genes may have on their offspring. But when Chani begins an ancient Fremen fertility diet high in melange, Irulan loses her ability to interfere, and Chani becomes pregnant. Chani ultimately discovers not only Irulan's role in her infertility but the fact that the contraceptives have caused permanent damage and will jeopardize her pregnancy. Chani seeks to kill Irulan, but Paul forbids it. He

21240-421: The effect Chani's "wild" genes may have on their offspring. But when Chani begins an ancient Fremen fertility diet high in melange, Irulan loses her ability to interfere, and Chani becomes pregnant. Chani ultimately discovers not only Irulan's role in her infertility but the fact that the contraceptives have caused permanent damage and will jeopardize her pregnancy. Chani seeks to kill Irulan, but Paul forbids it. He

21417-426: The ensuing accident her brother Rhombur is critically injured and Victor is killed. Kailea commits suicide, and Leto takes Jessica as his concubine. Though instructed by the Bene Gesserit to bear the mourning Leto a daughter, Jessica intentionally conceives the son he desires, Paul. Leto surrounds himself with loyal and capable individuals, and comes to be known as an effective politician, a fair and just statesman, and

21594-414: The fact that mining melange from the desert surface of Arrakis is an expensive and hazardous undertaking, thanks to the treacherous environment and constant threat of giant sandworms that protect the spice. In addition, Leto is aware that Shaddam, feeling threatened by the rising power and influence of the Atreides, has sent him into a trap. Failure to meet or exceed the production volume of his predecessor,

21771-516: The first images of Earth from space being published in the same time period, strongly influenced environmental movements such as the establishment of the international Earth Day . Lorenzo DiTommaso compared Dune 's portrayal of the downfall of a galactic empire to Edward Gibbon 's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , which argues that Christianity allied with

21948-496: The focus back on people. It also allows for the presence of a religious mysticism uncommon in science fiction." The originating novel Dune has been called the "first planetary ecology novel on a grand scale". After the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962, science fiction writers began treating the subject of ecological change and its consequences. Dune responded in 1965 with its complex descriptions of life on Arrakis , from giant sandworms (for whom water

22125-416: The future, the saga chronicles a civilization that has banned all " thinking machines ", which include computers, robots , and artificial intelligence . In their place, civilization has developed advanced mental and physical disciplines as well as advanced technologies that adhere to the ban on computers. Vital to this empire is the harsh desert planet Arrakis , the only known source of the spice melange ,

22302-620: The future. It is also later noted that Feyd's encounter with Lady Fenring produced a daughter. Feyd's ambition and impatience to inherit the Baron's title and power spur him to attempt his uncle's assassination. The attempt fails, prompting the Baron to reveal to his nephew the lofty plans he has for him, possibly to even have him ascend the throne as Emperor. The Baron explains that the elevation of House Harkonnen means more to him than power in his own lifetime, so if Feyd promises to forego any further assassination attempts, he will voluntarily step down and let his nephew succeed him—after his plot against

22479-522: The gestating ghola of Leto, having been tricked into believing that it was De Vries, and ultimately also kills the ghola of the Baron Harkonnen. Eleven years later, Yueh lives on the original Atreides homeworld Caladan, helping the Jessica ghola restore it to its former glory. Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam is Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV's Truthsayer , and Lady Jessica's former teacher. In Dune , Mohiam subjects 15-year-old Paul Atreides to

22656-623: The giant sandworms of Arrakis to their advantage. With his absolute control over Arrakis and the spice, Paul deposes Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, marrying his daughter Princess Irulan to secure the throne. He vows that Chani will always be his only love, and mother of his children. Twelve years later in Dune Messiah , Paul and Chani remain childless. Irulan, Bene Gesserit-trained and doing their bidding, has been secretly feeding Chani contraceptives to prevent her from conceiving an Imperial heir. The Sisterhood are desperate to regain control of Paul's bloodline for their breeding program, and are fearful of

22833-412: The inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966, and the 1966 Hugo Award . The novel has been translated into dozens of languages, and has sold almost 20 million copies. Dune has been regularly cited as one of the world's best-selling science fiction novels. A sequel, Dune Messiah , followed in 1969. A third novel called Children of Dune was published in 1976, and was later nominated for

23010-430: The intensifying effects of global warming, the spectre of a worldwide water shortage, and continued political upheaval in the oil-rich Middle East, it is possible that Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published." Praising Herbert's "clever authorial decision" to excise robots and computers ("two staples of the genre") from his fictional universe, he suggested that "This de-emphasis on technology throws

23187-679: The invaluable drug melange "represents, among other things, the finite resource of oil". Michaud explained, "Imagine a substance with the combined worldwide value of cocaine and petroleum and you will have some idea of the power of melange." Each chapter of Dune begins with an epigraph excerpted from the fictional writings of the character Princess Irulan . In forms such as diary entries, historical commentary, biography, quotations and philosophy, these writings set tone and provide exposition, context, and other details intended by Herbert to enhance understanding of his complex fictional universe and themes. Michaud wrote in 2013, "With daily reminders of

23364-419: The likeness of a human mind," the creation of even the simplest thinking machines is outlawed and made taboo , which has a profound influence on the socio-political and technological development of humanity in the Dune series. Herbert refers to the Jihad several times in the novels, but does not give much detail on how he imagined the causes and nature of the conflict. Critical analysis has often associated

23541-436: The most valuable substance in the universe. For the similarities between some of Herbert's terms and ideas and actual words and concepts in the Arabic language , as well as the series' " Islamic undertones " and themes, a Middle Eastern influence in Herbert's works has been widely noted. The Dune saga is set thousands of years in humanity's future. Faster-than-light travel has been developed, and humans have colonized

23718-494: The next five years researching, writing, and revising what would eventually become the novel Dune , which was initially serialized in Analog magazine as two shorter works, Dune World (1963) and The Prophet of Dune (1965). The serialized version was expanded and reworked—and rejected by more than 20 publishers—before being published by Chilton Books , a printing house best known for its auto repair manuals, in 1965. Dune won

23895-490: The novel a universal and timeless reflection of "the human condition and its moral dilemmas", and said: A lot of people refer to Dune as science fiction. I never do. I consider it an epic adventure in the classic storytelling tradition, a story of myth and legend not unlike the Morte d'Arthur or any messiah story. It just happens to be set in the future... The story is actually more relevant today than when Herbert wrote it. In

24072-598: The novel is her visit to Feyd-Rautha . However, in the book it is a different Bene Gesserit , Margot Fenring , who visits the Harkonnen heir, on assignment from the Bene Gesserit to "preserve the bloodline" by retrieving his genetic material (through conception) for their breeding program . The miniseries does not suggest this as Irulan's motive. A soundtrack album for the miniseries was released by GNP Crescendo Records on December 3, 2000. It contains 27 tracks composed by Graeme Revell and Tim Simonec and performed by

24249-647: The novel was adapted as a 2000 television miniseries, Frank Herbert's Dune , and the first two sequels were also adapted as a single miniseries, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune , in 2003. Since 1999, Frank Herbert's son Brian Herbert and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson have published 15 prequel novels , collected in the series Prelude to Dune (1999–2001), Legends of Dune (2002–2004), Heroes of Dune (2008–2023), Great Schools of Dune (2012–2016), and The Caladan Trilogy (2020–2022). They have also released two sequel novels— Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007)—which complete

24426-540: The novel, he told The New York Times , "I was a science fiction junkie ... [Harrison] captured Herbert's prophetic reflection of our own age, where nation-states are competing with the new global economy and its corporate elements." Herbert's novel begins with lead character Paul Atreides being 15 years old and aging to 18 over the course of the story. Harrison aged the character to adulthood in order to draw upon an adult acting pool for this crucial role. The miniseries invents an extensive subplot for Princess Irulan ,

24603-444: The numbers who follow without question." Juan A. Prieto-Pablos says Herbert achieves a new typology with Paul's superpowers, differentiating the heroes of Dune from earlier heroes such as Superman , van Vogt 's Gilbert Gosseyn and Henry Kuttner 's telepaths. Unlike previous superheroes who acquire their powers suddenly and accidentally, Paul's are the result of "painful and slow personal progress." And unlike other superheroes of

24780-428: The original Dune series ( Hunters of Dune in 2006 and Sandworms of Dune in 2007), partially based on Frank Herbert's notes discovered a decade after his death. As of 2024, 23 Dune books by Herbert and Anderson have been published. The political, scientific, and social fictional setting of Herbert's novels and derivative works is known as the Dune universe or Duniverse . Set tens of thousands of years in

24957-422: The original series and wrap up storylines that began with Heretics of Dune . Herbert's interest in the desert setting of Dune and its challenges is attributed to research he began in 1957 for a never-completed article about a United States Department of Agriculture experiment using poverty grass to stabilize damaging sand dunes , which could "swallow whole cities, lakes, rivers, and highways." Herbert spent

25134-424: The original series. In Dune , Paul is the teenage son and heir of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica , whose family is thrown into the dangerous political intrigues centered on the inhospitable desert planet Arrakis , only known source of the oracular spice melange , the most important and valuable substance in the universe. Paul has been trained by his father and several Atreides attendants in fighting and

25311-417: The outcome. Paul is victorious in the duel, and in seizing control of Arrakis, the only source of the all-important spice melange, gains insurmountable power over all civilization. Seeing the inevitability of the situation Paul has orchestrated, Mohiam compels Shaddam to give in to Paul's demands and relinquish the Imperial throne to him. Twelve years later in Dune Messiah , Mohiam joins a conspiracy to topple

25488-462: The persona of the deceased Baron Harkonnen. As Alia becomes more power-hungry and attempts to assassinate her mother Jessica, Duncan spirits Jessica and Paul's children Leto II and Ghanima away. He manipulates Fremen naib Stilgar, a loyal Atreides advisor, into killing him, knowing that the act will force Stilgar to join the rebellion against Alia or be executed by her out of political necessity. Thirty-five hundred years later in God Emperor of Dune ,

25665-517: The planet Arrakis for a time in the most brutal way possible, so that when his favored nephew Feyd-Rautha takes over, Feyd will be welcomed as a hero by the populace. After the Baron seizes the planet back from Atreides control, Rabban tells his uncle that the Harkonnens have woefully underestimated both the numbers and threat of the Fremen population there. Known as "the Beast Rabban" on Arrakis for his aggression and cruelty, his Fremen nickname

25842-419: The potential she sees in Paul and his nascent prescient abilities. Years later on Arrakis, Mohiam is shaken by her encounter with Paul's four-year-old sister Alia, who by misadventure had been born a fully aware Reverend Mother. Mohiam is further alarmed by the ritual battle-to-the-death between Paul and the Harkonnen heir, Feyd-Rautha, which could prove catastrophic for the Bene Gesserit breeding program no matter

26019-400: The previous Duncans are unlocked in the current one as he and Murbella imprint each other. Addicted to each other, they are confined to a no-ship on the Bene Gesserit homeworld, Chapterhouse . There, Duncan trains other men to enslave Honored Matres, until he and Sheeana escape in the untraceable ship. Duncan is portrayed by Richard Jordan in the 1984 film. James Watson plays the role in

26196-594: The primary orthodox religious text in the universe. Its title suggests a merging of Protestantism ( Orange Order ) and Catholicism. Herbert writes in the glossary of Dune : Orange Catholic Bible: the "Accumulated Book," the religious text produced by the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. It contains elements of most ancient religions, including the Maometh Saari, Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni Catholicism and Buddislamic traditions. Its supreme commandment

26373-710: The production initially scouted filming locations in Morocco , these proved unfeasible. Dune was shot entirely in the Czech Republic at Barrandov Studios in Prague , with post-production taking place at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy . The miniseries was shot by Oscar -winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in his proprietary Univisium (2.00:1) aspect ratio , although it was broadcast in 1.78:1. The sets were designed by production designer Miljen Kljaković , and

26550-738: The profligacy of the Roman elite led to the fall of Ancient Rome . In "History and Historical Effect in Frank Herbert's Dune " (1992), DiTommaso outlines similarities between the two works by highlighting the excesses of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV on his home planet of Kaitain and of the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in his palace. The Emperor loses his effectiveness as a ruler through an excess of ceremony and pomp. The hairdressers and attendants he brings with him to Arrakis are even referred to as "parasites". The Baron Harkonnen

26727-554: The prophesied messiah and his mother. Jessica undergoes the Fremen version of the Bene Gesserit spice agony ritual, becoming a Reverend Mother and unlocking Other Memory , the personas and memories of all her female ancestors. But doing so while pregnant subjects the unborn Alia to an onslaught of heightened awareness for which her fragile consciousness is not prepared. Jessica returns to Arrakis in Children of Dune and recognizes that Alia, who serves as regent for Paul and Chani's twin children, Leto II and Ghanima , has succumbed to

26904-506: The real-life distances of the stars and planetary systems referenced by Frank Herbert when discussing these planets in the glossary of the novel Dune . Though Herbert used the names of actual stars and planetary systems in his work, there is no documentation supporting or disputing the assumption that he was, in fact, referring to these real-life stars or systems. The Science of Dune (2008) analyzes and deconstructs many of Herbert's concepts and fictional inventions. The Dune series

27081-446: The return from obscurity of House Atreides, whose role in the Butlerian Jihad is all but forgotten. The Imperial House schemes to gain full control of the Empire through the control of melange, precisely at the time that the Bene Gesserit breeding program is nearing fruition. As Frank Herbert's Dune (1965) begins, Duke Leto Atreides finds himself in a dangerous position. The 81st Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV, has put him in control of

27258-695: The rule of Paul Atreides that includes the Tleilaxu Face Dancer Scytale , the Spacing Guild Navigator Edric , and even Paul's embittered consort Princess Irulan, Shaddam's daughter. Paul has sworn that only his Fremen concubine, Chani, will bear his children. Knowing that the Bene Gesserit are desperate to regain control of his bloodline for their breeding program, and are fearful of the effect Chani's "wild" genes may have on their offspring, Paul makes Mohiam an offer. In exchange for Chani's guaranteed safety, and

27435-479: The sands of the desert. Feudal control over the fiefdom Arrakis, its spice production, and the impact on humanity's development become the centerpoints of a millennia-long conflict that develops through the series. The Dune universe, set in the distant future of humanity, has a history that stretches thousands of years (some 15,000 years in total) and covers considerable changes in political, social, and religious structure as well as technology. Creative works set in

27612-444: The savior of the people. Like Paul Atreides, Feyd is also the product of a centuries-long breeding program organized by the Bene Gesserit, who planned to breed a Harkonnen son with an Atreides daughter with the expectation that their offspring would have a high probability of being their hoped-for super-being, the Kwisatz Haderach . For this reason, Lady Jessica's decision to defy the Sisterhood and to produce an Atreides son, Paul, threw

27789-402: The scarcity of water and presence of aggressive, giant sandworms . Paul rises to lead the planetwide Fremen forces against the Imperial stranglehold over Arrakis, ultimately seizing control of the planet and deposing Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV . In Dune Messiah , Paul's empire is challenged by the conspiracies of various factions hoping to destroy him, while a jihad in his name rages across

27966-461: The scion of House Atreides , as his family is thrown into the dangerous political intrigues centered on the desert planet Arrakis , only known source of the oracular spice melange , the most important and valuable substance in the universe. The series spans 5,000 years, focusing on Paul and then his various descendants. Dune was adapted as a 1984 film , and again in two parts, the films Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024). Additionally,

28143-422: The seemingly unstoppable Imperial Sardaukar warriors) attack. Yueh gives a captive Leto the means to assassinate the Baron, who survives the attempt as Leto dies. Escaping into the desert and later presumed dead, Leto's son Paul reveals to his mother, Lady Jessica, that the Baron is her father. The Baron's succession plan is to install his charismatic yet deadly younger nephew, Feyd-Rautha , as ruler of Arrakis after

28320-489: The series' " Islamic undertones " and themes, a Middle Eastern influence on Herbert's works has been noted repeatedly. As a foreigner who adopts the ways of a desert-dwelling people and then leads them in a military capacity, Paul Atreides' character bears many similarities to the historical T. E. Lawrence , whose 1962 biopic Lawrence of Arabia has also been identified as an influence. Lesley Blanch 's novel The Sabres of Paradise (1960) about Muslim resistance to

28497-417: The subject incapable of inflicting harm, the Baron has taken Yueh's Bene Gesserit wife Wanna prisoner, threatening her with interminable torture unless Yueh complies with his demands. Aware of Yueh's conditioning and believing Wanna was killed by the Harkonnens, Leto's Mentat Thufir Hawat and concubine Lady Jessica are assured that the doctor is not a Harkonnen spy. Yueh disables the protective shields around

28674-473: The television rights to Frank Herbert's original six Dune novels, executive producer Richard P. Rubinstein envisioned the complex material adapted in a miniseries format, as he had done previously with Stephen King 's The Stand and The Langoliers . He told The New York Times in 2003, "I have found there's a wonderful marriage to be had between long, complicated books and the television miniseries. There are some books that just can't be squeezed into

28851-461: The term with Samuel Butler and his 1863 essay " Darwin among the Machines ", which advocated the destruction of all advanced machines. In Herbert's God Emperor of Dune (1981), Leto II Atreides indicates that the Jihad had been a semi-religious social upheaval initiated by humans who felt repulsed by how guided and controlled they had become by machines. This technological reversal leads to

29028-563: The threat of total extinction. At the time of Heretics of Dune (1984) and Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)—1500 years after Leto's death—the turmoil is settling into a new pattern; the balance of power in the Old Empire, as it is now called, rests among the Ixians, the Bene Gesserit, and the Tleilaxu. The Spacing Guild has been forever weakened by the development of Ixian machines capable of navigation in foldspace, practically replacing Guild Navigators. The Bene Gesserit, through manipulation of

29205-399: The three installments also rated among the year's top 10 original cable movies. As of 2007, the 2000 Dune miniseries and its 2003 sequel were two of the three highest-rated programs ever to be broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel. Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com deemed the miniseries a better adaptation than the 1984 Lynch film , but wrote that "it doesn't reach spectacular heights due to

29382-444: The throne, and Paul's twin heirs Leto II and Ghanima rise to power. The Heroes of Dune series (2008–2009) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson chronicles the major events that take place between Dune: House Corrino (2001) and Dune: The Duke of Caladan (2020), between Dune (1965) and Dune Messiah (1969), and between Dune Messiah and Children of Dune (1976). At the time of God Emperor of Dune (1981), Paul's son,

29559-409: The time periods between Frank Herbert's original novels. The first book, Paul of Dune , was published in 2008, followed by The Winds of Dune in 2009. The next two installments were to be called The Throne of Dune and Leto of Dune (possibly changing to The Golden Path of Dune ), but were postponed due to plans to publish a trilogy, Great Schools of Dune , about "the formation of

29736-400: The twins. Irulan attempts to serve as a guide and confidante to Ghanima, but is often flustered by the adult consciousness the twins possess as a result of being pre-born and having access to Other Memory. Ghanima cares for Irulan, but Alia never trusts the princess, due to Irulan's Corrino heritage and Alia's own increasing paranoia. Irulan flees into the desert with Ghanima and Stilgar during

29913-608: The universe for 900 years, until a jihad is ignited. This crusade against the machines lasts for almost a century, with much loss of human life but ultimately ending in human victory. The ancient Battle of Corrin —occurring 20 years after the end of the Butlerian Jihad—spawns the Padishah Emperors of House Corrino, who rule the known universe for millennia by controlling the Sardaukar , a brutally efficient military force. Ten thousand years later, Imperial power

30090-494: The universe is the Spacing Guild , which monopolizes interstellar travel and banking. Mutated Guild Navigators use the spice drug melange to successfully navigate " folded space " and safely guide enormous heighliner starships from planet to planet instantaneously. The matriarchal Bene Gesserit possesses almost superhuman physical, sensory, and deductive powers developed through years of physical and mental conditioning. While positioning themselves to "serve" humanity,

30267-468: The universe. Children of Dune finds Paul's heirs trying to maintain the already declining empire he has abandoned. Paul is portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan in the 1984 film adaptation Dune , and by Alec Newman in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its 2003 sequel, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune . The character is played by Timothée Chalamet in the 2021 film Dune and its sequel, Dune: Part Two (2024). In Dune , Lady Jessica

30444-499: The villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen , will harm the position of House Atreides in CHOAM, which relies on spice profits. Further, the very presence of the Atreides on Arrakis inflames the long-simmering War of Assassins between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, a feud ignited 10,000 years before when an Atreides had a Harkonnen banished for cowardice after the Butlerian Jihad. The little-understood native population of Arrakis are

30621-450: Was dependent upon melange, found on only one planet in the known universe. Leto's prescient visions had shown that humanity would be threatened by extinction in any number of ways; his solution was to place humanity on his " Golden Path ," a plan for humanity's survival. Leto governs as a benevolent tyrant, providing for his people's physical needs, but denying them any spiritual outlets other than his compulsory religion (as well as maintaining

30798-448: Was first broadcast in three installments, beginning on December 3, 2000. It was released on DVD in 2001 by Artisan Entertainment , with an extended director's cut appearing in 2002. It received generally positive reviews, and was praised by both critics and audiences for its faithfulness to Herbert’s novel. The series was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and won two, for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for

30975-572: Was published on September 13, 2016. A third Heroes of Dune novel, Princess of Dune , was released on October 3, 2023. In July 2020, Herbert and Anderson announced a new trilogy of prequel novels called The Caladan Trilogy . The first novel in the series, Dune: The Duke of Caladan , was published in October 2020, and the second, Dune: The Lady of Caladan , was released in September 2021. The third novel, Dune: The Heir of Caladan ,

31152-400: Was ranked as the #11 hardcover fiction best seller of 1981 by Publishers Weekly . Heretics of Dune , the 1984 New York Times #13 hardcover fiction best seller, was followed in quick succession by Chapterhouse: Dune in 1985. Herbert died on February 11, 1986. Over a decade after Herbert's death, his son Brian Herbert enlisted science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson to coauthor

31329-724: Was released on November 22, 2022. In 1985, Frank Herbert wrote an illustrated short work called " The Road to Dune ", set sometime between the events of Dune and Dune Messiah . Published in Herbert's short story collection Eye , it takes the form of a guidebook for pilgrims to Arrakis and features images (with descriptions) of some of the devices and characters presented in the novels. Brian Herbert and Anderson have written eight Dune short stories and four Dune novellas, most of them related to and published around their novels. The eight short stories include " Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas " (2001), " Dune: Hunting Harkonnens " (2002), " Dune: Whipping Mek " (2003), " Dune: The Faces of

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