212-467: Dune 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
424-765: A computer -like screen , computer viruses , video chat , tanning beds , home treadmills , and more. In 1963, the time travel-themed Doctor Who premiered on BBC Television. The original series ran until 1989 and was revived in 2005. It has been extremely popular worldwide and has greatly influenced later TV science fiction. Other programs in the 1960s included The Outer Limits (1963–1965), Lost in Space (1965–1968), and The Prisoner (1967). Star Trek (the original series), created by Gene Roddenberry , premiered in 1966 on NBC Television and ran for three seasons. It combined elements of space opera and Space Western . Only mildly successful at first,
636-513: 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
848-529: A hybrid of human and sandworm – still dominates the universe as the tyrant God Emperor in God Emperor of Dune (1981). Through prescience , he foresees humanity's possible destruction, and has forced humanity into what he calls the Golden Path , a plan which he believes will assure their survival. Having halted all spice production and thus making his own stockpile the only source of melange left in
1060-501: A nerve induction device ("the box") that causes the sensation of intense pain. Paul learns that he is not the only one to have tried it, but is perhaps specially resistant; this conversation points to a widespread use of it as a tool among the Bene Gesserit to measure self control, nerve control, and as Mohiam puts it, crisis and observation. Unarmed attacks are part of a specialized Bene Gesserit martial art which incorporates
1272-471: A no-ship upon Murbella's ascension to leadership. Within the Honored Matres, many admire Murbella's strength and abilities and desire Bene Gesserit training, but resist assimilation. Additionally, a number of Honored Matres refuse to acknowledge Murbella as their leader; the largest such rebel group is led by Matre Superior Hellica on Tleilax . As Murbella amasses weapons for the coming battle with
1484-439: 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
1696-428: A space opera , went on to become a worldwide popular culture phenomenon , and the second-highest-grossing film series of all time. Since the 1980s, science fiction films , along with fantasy , horror , and superhero films, have dominated Hollywood's big-budget productions. Science fiction films often " cross-over " with other genres, including film noir ( Blade Runner - 1982), family film ( E.T.
1908-439: A " sense of wonder ". According to Isaac Asimov , "Science fiction can be defined as that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology ." Robert A. Heinlein wrote that "A handy short definition of almost all science fiction might read: realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on
2120-432: A Bene Gesserit to deeply understand a person's emotional state, and manipulate it. Knowing that any schooling impresses a particular pattern in its students, they are able to use these clues to predict and anticipate actions. The Bene Gesserit can easily determine a person's origins and root language by analyzing their speech patterns, cadence, and pacing, as Jessica does when she realizes that a visiting Spacing Guild banker
2332-429: 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
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#17327930309422544-594: 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
2756-519: A Reverend Mother dies in the presence of another Reverend Mother, the second will accept the ego/memory of the first to prevent the loss of the dying Reverend Mother's experience and ancestral memories. Especially when the Mother Superior perishes, it is important to take her ego/memory so that her plans and strategies may continue uninterrupted. This is first explored in Dune , when Jessica accepts
2968-647: 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
3180-410: 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
3392-489: A child in the events of Dune . The origin of the ritual is explained in the prequel novel Dune: The Battle of Corrin (2004) when Raquella Berto-Anirul is poisoned by Rossak Sorceress Ticia Cenva with the Rossak drug . Raquella manages to internally convert the poison into a harmless substance and is thus the first to experience the awakening of Other Memory. Raquella later establishes the Bene Gesserit, presumably perfecting
3604-506: 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 ,
3816-793: A concerted effort planned and executed over millennia. Members who have acquired the breadth of Bene Gesserit abilities are called Reverend Mothers ; some outsiders call them "witches" for their secretive nature and misunderstood powers. As the skills of a Bene Gesserit are as desirable as an alliance with the Sisterhood itself, they are able to charge a fee to teach women from Great Houses, and install some of their initiates as wives and concubines to their advantage. Loyal only to themselves and their collective goals, Bene Gesserit sometimes feign other loyalties to attain their goals and avoid outside interference. The Bene Gesserit are primary characters in all of Frank Herbert's Dune novels, as well as
4028-535: A great and influential film. In 1954, Godzilla , directed by Ishirō Honda , began the kaiju subgenre of science fiction film, which feature large creatures of any form, usually attacking a major city or engaging other monsters in battle . 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey , directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the work of Arthur C. Clarke , rose above the mostly B-movie offerings up to that time both in scope and quality, and influenced later science fiction films. That same year, Planet of
4240-490: A group in Frank Herbert 's fictional Dune universe . A powerful social, religious, and political force, the Bene Gesserit is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and abilities that seem magical to outsiders. The group seeks to acquire power and influence to direct humanity on an enlightened path,
4452-643: 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
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#17327930309424664-677: A journey to the Moon and how the Earth 's motion is seen from there. Kepler has been called the "father of science fiction". Following the 17th-century development of the novel as a literary form , Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein (1818) and The Last Man (1826) helped define the form of the science fiction novel. Brian Aldiss has argued that Frankenstein was the first work of science fiction. Edgar Allan Poe wrote several stories considered to be science fiction, including " The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall " (1835), which featured
4876-509: A mass devoted following, uniting many factions in the universe under the Bene Gesserit and against the forces of the Scattering. The spice agony is an ordeal in which an acolyte of the Bene Gesserit takes a poisonous "awareness spectrum" narcotic and, by internally changing the substance and neutralizing its toxicity, gains access to Other Memory , the combined ego and memories of all her female ancestors. In Dune , Lady Jessica notes that
5088-435: A mass sharing of ego/memories with each other to spread all the ego/memories amongst everyone; thus, if one survives, they all survive. In Chapterhouse Dune , the Bene Gesserit school on Lampadas , under attack by the Honored Matres, undertakes Extremis Progressiva ; Lucilla escapes with the "Lampadas Horde", hoping to return to the Bene Gesserit with them. Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert's son and biographer, explains that
5300-438: A means "to control others merely by selected tone shadings of the voice". By modulating the subtleties of her voice, a Bene Gesserit can issue commands on a subconscious level, compelling obedience in others that they cannot resist, whether they are consciously aware of the attempt or not. This control can be as subtle as influencing thoughts and motivations, or as strong as forcing physical actions and even temporary paralysis in
5512-704: 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
5724-494: 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
5936-492: 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
6148-474: 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
6360-432: A radical spice agony, constructs an executive of benevolent ancestral egos (such as Paul and Paul's father Leto I ) who protect him; Ghanima, as part of their plan to fake Leto's death, consciously blocks the memory of Leto and their plan, inadvertently developing a mental discipline capable of protecting her undeveloped ego. She also uses the ego of her mother, Chani, as a "door guard" of her alter egos, only "peeking behind
6572-660: 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,
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6784-499: 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
6996-464: A thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method ." American science fiction author and editor Lester del Rey wrote, "Even the devoted aficionado or fan—has a hard time trying to explain what science fiction is," and the lack of a "full satisfactory definition" is because "there are no easily delineated limits to science fiction." Another definition comes from The Literature Book by DK and is, "scenarios that are at
7208-495: A total estimated readership of at least 1 million), making it the world's most popular science fiction periodical . In 1984, William Gibson 's first novel, Neuromancer , helped popularize cyberpunk and the word " cyberspace ", a term he originally coined in his 1982 short story Burning Chrome . In 1986, Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold began her Vorkosigan Saga . 1992's Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson predicted immense social upheaval due to
7420-532: A trip to the Moon . Jules Verne was noted for his attention to detail and scientific accuracy, especially in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870). In 1887, the novel El anacronópete by Spanish author Enrique Gaspar y Rimbau introduced the first time machine . An early French/Belgian science fiction writer was J.-H. Rosny aîné (1856–1940). Rosny's masterpiece
7632-622: 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
7844-415: 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
8056-582: A very palatable form... New adventures pictured for us in the scientifiction of today are not at all impossible of realization tomorrow... Many great science stories destined to be of historical interest are still to be written... Posterity will point to them as having blazed a new trail, not only in literature and fiction, but progress as well. In 1928, E. E. "Doc" Smith 's first published work, The Skylark of Space , written in collaboration with Lee Hawkins Garby , appeared in Amazing Stories . It
8268-565: 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
8480-629: A world of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state . It influenced the emergence of dystopia as a literary genre . In 1926, Hugo Gernsback published the first American science fiction magazine , Amazing Stories . In its first issue he wrote: By 'scientifiction' I mean the Jules Verne, H. G. Wells and Edgar Allan Poe type of story—a charming romance intermingled with scientific fact and prophetic vision... Not only do these amazing tales make tremendously interesting reading—they are always instructive. They supply knowledge... in
8692-476: Is Les Navigateurs de l'Infini ( The Navigators of Infinity ) (1925) in which the word astronaut, "astronautique", was used for the first time. Many critics consider H. G. Wells one of science fiction's most important authors, or even "the Shakespeare of science fiction". His works include The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of
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8904-645: Is Bene Gesserit-trained. In fact, Shaddam is kept without a male heir on specific orders from the Sisterhood, and is bound by an agreement that only a daughter will ascend his throne. The Bene Gesserit had also placed their acolyte Jessica (herself the product of a secret Bene Gesserit liaison with the Baron Harkonnen) as the concubine to Duke Leto Atreides, and married the Bene Gesserit Margot to Shaddam's close friend and minion Count Fenring . After Shaddam's eldest daughter Princess Irulan
9116-414: Is a Harkonnen agent. Bene Gesserit specifically trained as Truthsayers are able to determine whether someone is lying by analyzing their speech, body language, and physical signs like pulse and heart rate . In principle, all humans have such perception, but extensive training is required to develop this latent talent to the point of great usefulness. Truthsayers are used widely in politics and trade;
9328-704: Is a genre of speculative fiction , which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology , space exploration , time travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . It often explores human responses to changes in science and technology. Science fiction is related to fantasy , horror , and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres . Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Subgenres include hard science fiction , which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction , focusing on social sciences. Other notable subgenres are cyberpunk , which explores
9540-521: 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
9752-612: 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
9964-480: Is consequently born a full Reverend Mother with the complete Other Memory of both her female and male ancestors. The Bene Gesserit refer to children born this way as " Abominations ". Without the benefit of a fully formed adult ego of her own, Alia is susceptible to the influence of her ancestral memories. This ultimately leads to her downfall, as she is eventually possessed by the persona of her evil grandfather Baron Vladimir Harkonnen , whom she herself had murdered as
10176-690: 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: Science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi )
10388-593: Is forced into marriage to Paul to secure his claim to the Imperial throne, in Children of Dune Irulan's loyalty to the Sisterhood gives them false hope that she can help them topple Paul, or at least control his offspring. Later in God Emperor of Dune , Herbert establishes that despite Leto's many restrictions on them, the Bene Gesserit still train young noblewomen for a price. In fact, when Leto meets Hwi Noree ,
10600-554: Is her first sign that her daughter is sinking into Abomination . One of the most significant biological abilities of the Bene Gesserit is their control of their own menstrual cycles , and their ability to control (at conception) their child's sex. Jessica was ordered to bear only daughters to the Atreides, but defied her Bene Gesserit sisters (out of her love for the Duke) and had a son, Paul Atreides. The Bene Gesserit conspired against
10812-440: Is instructed by the Bene Gesserit to seduce Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in order to "preserve the bloodline" by retrieving his genetic material through conception. She also intends to "plant deep in his deepest self the necessary prana-bindu phrases to bend him", which she later refers to as the "Hypno- ligation of that Feyd-Rautha's psyche". When Paul later fights Feyd to the death, Jessica advises her son to temporarily stun him using
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#173279303094211024-458: Is less powerful than the analytical abilities of a Mentat . This simulflow can also be held with Other Memory; Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade practiced both forms in Heretics of Dune . The Bene Gesserit develop their physical abilities as well as their mental abilities. A trained Sister has full control over each muscle in her body through training known as prana-bindu . This allows her to bend
11236-403: 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
11448-705: Is not a child must be destroyed. Long were we warned against such a one and how to prevent such a birth, but one of our own has betrayed us." In Children of Dune , an adult Alia eventually succumbs to the ancestral ego of her grandfather, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen , who wants nothing more than the destruction of the Atreides , and is given another opportunity, from the inside, to realize it. Paul Atreides and Chani 's twins, Leto II and Ghanima , are also pre-born, but before they become possessed, they stumble across solutions: Leto, forced to undergo
11660-488: Is not a product of a breeding program, his multiple rebirths and deaths as a ghola throughout the series had given him the opportunity to gain experience and develop himself as no other human could. The Bene Gesserit choose to use indirect methodologies to further their goals, rather than wield overt power themselves. They have noted the Taoist principle that whatever rises must fall; and so rather than taking direct control of
11872-410: Is not possible due to interference patterns caused by their own actions. Despising the religion that has risen up around him and seeing where it will lead, Paul walks into the desert seeking death in hopes that he can change the course of the future. Paul's son Leto II is also a Kwisatz Haderach; seeing the same future, Leto decides to do what his father could not. He takes control of both the empire and
12084-635: Is often called the first great space opera . The same year, Philip Francis Nowlan 's original Buck Rogers story, Armageddon 2419 , also appeared in Amazing Stories . This was followed by a Buck Rogers comic strip , the first serious science fiction comic . Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future is a " future history " science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon . A work of unprecedented scale in
12296-626: Is one of the Sisters trusted with the records of Raquella's breeding program, which are maintained by a secret cache of forbidden computers, concealed in a cave outside the Sisterhood School on Rossak. Raquella's granddaughter Dorotea undergoes the Agony and becomes a Reverend Mother, discovering the truth about her parentage and the existence of computers. As a devout anti-technology Butlerian, she assists Emperor Salvador Corrino in his raid on
12508-512: Is one of the most influential examples of social science fiction , feminist science fiction , and anthropological science fiction . In 1979, Science Fiction World began publication in the People's Republic of China . It dominates the Chinese science fiction magazine market , at one time claiming a circulation of 300,000 copies per issue and an estimated 3–5 readers per copy (giving it
12720-482: Is pregnant when she undergoes the spice agony while among the Fremen ; her resulting daughter, Alia , is born a full Reverend Mother, the mind of an adult in a child's body. She pretends to be a child, but others notice that she is different. The Bene Gesserit are eventually outraged and horrified by Alia's existence, but she is out of their control. Mohiam says, "I've said too much, but the fact remains that this child who
12932-416: Is reserved for only the harshest environments where a Bene Gesserit would need the maximum advantage over surrounding influences. Paul's meteoric rise to power is greatly facilitated by his association with the mahdi legend. Later, in Heretics of Dune , the Bene Gesserit plan to use Reverend Mother Sheeana's ability to control the great sandworms to build her into a religious figure around whom they can fashion
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#173279303094213144-539: Is revealed that the Sorceresses of Rossak , who possess destructive telekinetic powers existing only in women and have a breeding plan to create more powerful telepaths, had been the predecessors of the Bene Gesserit. As a Sorceress is always killed when she unleashes her full power, they sacrifice themselves to destroy some of the Titans and Neo-Cymeks during the Butlerian Jihad , over 10,000 years before
13356-473: 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
13568-493: Is unavailable to her, present as a dark void that terrifies her. Until the time of God Emperor of Dune , the purpose of the Bene Gesserit breeding scheme is to breed a Kwisatz Haderach, a male with Other Memory who can see both lines, male and female. Male memory will be complete until moment of conception, when physical contact with the father is lost. Reverend Mothers may also pass their own ego/memory combination to other Reverend Mothers at will, merely by touching foreheads. When
13780-604: 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
13992-510: 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
14204-701: 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 ,
14416-413: 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
14628-409: 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
14840-473: 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
15052-420: The Honored Matres have themselves refined this ability to such an intense level that the targeted male becomes completely enslaved. The captured Honored Matre Murbella attempts this on Duncan; his own imprinting ability, secretly conditioned into him by his Tleilaxu creators, suddenly manifests itself. Murbella and Duncan imprint each other, neither having complete control over the other. In Chapterhouse Dune
15264-522: The Ixian ambassador obviously bred and trained to charm him, he realizes "that part of her education had been conducted by the Bene Gesserit. She had their way of controlling her responses, of sensing the undertones in a conversation. He could see, however, that the Bene Gesserit overlay had been a delicate thing, never penetrating the basic sweetness of her nature." With the Lady Jessica and Arrakis,
15476-590: 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
15688-645: The Oracle of Time , Norma Cenva. Thinking machine leader Omnius is wiped out of existence by the Oracle, and the Face Dancer threat eliminated. As Murbella joins Duncan Idaho in his plan to rule a universe in which humanity and thinking machines co-exist, Sheeana introduces sandworms to the former thinking machine planet Synchrony , where she will found an orthodox Sisterhood. In the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy (2002–2004) by Brian Herbert and Anderson it
15900-799: 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,
16112-482: The Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Yefremov presented a view of a future interstellar communist civilization and is considered one of the most important Soviet science fiction novels. In 1959, Robert A. Heinlein 's Starship Troopers marked a departure from his earlier juvenile stories and novels. It is one of the first and most influential examples of military science fiction , and introduced
16324-726: 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
16536-544: 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
16748-407: 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
16960-451: The information revolution . In 2007, Liu Cixin 's novel, The Three-Body Problem , was published in China. It was translated into English by Ken Liu and published by Tor Books in 2014, and won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel , making Liu the first Asian writer to win the award. Emerging themes in late 20th and early 21st century science fiction include environmental issues ,
17172-602: The prana-bindu allows the Bene Gesserit to precisely control each muscle and nerve, they also have complete conscious control over the functions of their internal organs and body chemistry. A Sister can completely control her breathing and heart rate to the degree that she can appear dead to most tests even after intense physical exertion. They can control their need for food and water to the extremes of hunger and thirst, and even commit suicide at will by simply stopping their hearts or shutting down their brains. The Bene Gesserit are therefore immune to poisons, as they can simply change
17384-415: The prana-bindu methods of optimized muscle control. These enable one to deliver powerful blows and to move with extreme precision and speed. The basic principle behind it is that, as Farad'n of House Corrino says, "My mind affects my reality." A practitioner of the art has to know that the action he or she "wants" to perform has already been performed. For example, to imagine oneself behind an opponent at
17596-475: The unknown enemy , she trains an elite force of commando troops with the combined battle talents of Bene Gesserit, Honored Matres, and even the Swordmasters of Ginaz . These "Valkyries" are able to effect Hellica's defeat, galvanizing many dissenters into finally joining Murbella's cause against the unknown enemy, now revealed to be the resurrected thinking machines thought destroyed 15,000 years before. In
17808-619: 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
18020-552: 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
18232-412: The 2007 sequel , Sandworms of Dune , the thinking machines have unleashed decimating viruses on planet after planet, while Face Dancers infiltrate human civilization in their own insidious plot to take over the universe. The New Sisterhood's fleet of warships succumbs to Face Dancer sabotage, but is saved from thinking machine attack by a host of Guild Navigators in heighliners , brought together by
18444-559: The Apes (the original), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle , was released to popular and critical acclaim, its vivid depiction of a post-apocalyptic world in which intelligent apes dominate humans . In 1977, George Lucas began the Star Wars film series with the film now identified as " Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope . " The series, often called
18656-498: The Bene Gesserit "consolidated their hold upon the sorceresses, explored the subtle narcotics, developed prana-bindu training and conceived the Missionaria Protectiva , that black arm of superstition. But it is also the period that saw the composing of the litany against fear and the assembly of the Azhar Book , that bibliographic marvel that preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths." Millennia later in Dune ,
18868-404: The Bene Gesserit and gained the full powers of a Reverend Mother, defeats the leader of the Honored Matres in combat and thus becomes Great Honored Matre. She immediately succeeds Odrade as Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit, joining the two forces under a single leader in an uneasy truce that, it is hoped, will be able to defeat the unknown enemy. In Hunters of Dune , the 2006 continuation of
19080-555: The Bene Gesserit base of power is the Mother School on the planet Wallach IX, whose graduates are fit mates for Emperors, and whose specially trained Truthsayers can detect falsehood. But beyond the outer virtues of poise, self-control, and diplomacy, Bene Gesserit training includes superior combat skills and precise physiological control that grants them total control over their bodies, including direct control over conception and embryotic sex determination , ageing , and even
19292-486: The Bene Gesserit breeding program in Children of Dune , and begins his own transformation into a human- sandworm hybrid to give himself the time he needs for his Golden Path to be fully realized. Thirty-five hundred years later, his breeding plan produces Siona Atreides , the first in a line of humans who are able to disappear from prescient sight, and Leto allows himself to be assassinated. After 1,500 more years (as chronicled in Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune ),
19504-434: 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
19716-550: The Bene Gesserit have controlled and finessed bloodlines through the ages. Also called "the one who can be two places simultaneously" or "the one who can be many places at once", the Kwisatz Haderach (defined by Herbert as "The Shortening of the Way"), with mental powers that would bridge space and time and access to both male and female lines in Other Memory, will be an overt figure in the Bene Gesserit's manipulations and thrust upon
19928-464: The Bene Gesserit have regained their power and relocated to a hidden homeworld they call Chapterhouse, and the spice cycle has been renewed on Arrakis, now called Rakis. New opposition arrives in the form of a violent matriarchal order calling themselves the Honored Matres , a ruthless and brutal force who seek domination over the Old Empire and who do not use or rely on melange for their powers. As
20140-446: The Bene Gesserit have restored their breeding program. However, they are too terrified of the consequences of producing another Kwisatz Haderach, so instead breed for special individuals of great talent and usefulness in order to amplify certain human characteristics and preserve them. Now aware of Leto's Golden Path, the Bene Gesserit widen their goals of advancing humanity and saving it from extinction. The behind-the-scenes intrigues of
20352-439: The Bene Gesserit provide some of their trained initiates as wives and concubines, and will train the daughters of noble families for a fee. In Dune , Padishah Emperor of the known universe Shaddam IV keeps the wise but calculating Bene Gesserit Truthsayer Mohiam by his side at all times. The Emperor's deceased wife, Anirul , had been a "Bene Gesserit of Hidden Rank", and Herbert notes that every one of their five daughters
20564-497: 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
20776-555: The Bene Gesserit system of sowing implant-legends through the Missionaria Protectiva came to its full fruition. The wisdom of seeding the known universe with a prophecy pattern for the protection of B.G. personnel has long been appreciated, but never have we seen a condition-ut-extremis with more ideal mating of person and preparation. The prophetic legends had taken on Arrakis even to the extent of adopted labels (including Reverend Mother, canto and respondu, and most of
20988-416: The Bene Gesserit, called Dune: Prophecy , debuted on November 17, 2024 on Max . Some of their fictional powers are analyzed and deconstructed from a real-world scientific perspective in the book The Science of Dune (2008). In Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune , the Bene Gesserit are a secretive matriarchal order who have achieved superhuman abilities through physical and mental conditioning and
21200-697: 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
21412-583: The Extra-Terrestrial - 1983), war ( Enemy Mine - 1985), comedy ( Spaceballs - 1987, Galaxy Quest - 1999), animation ( WALL-E – 2008, Big Hero 6 – 2014), Western ( Serenity – 2005), action ( Edge of Tomorrow – 2014, The Matrix – 1999), adventure ( Jupiter Ascending – 2015, Interstellar – 2014), mystery ( Minority Report – 2002), thriller ( Ex Machina – 2014), drama ( Melancholia – 2011, Predestination – 2014), and romance ( Eternal Sunshine of
21624-481: 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
21836-523: 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
22048-537: The Honored Matres begin to destroy all of the Bene Gesserit-controlled planets and enslave the populace of the other planets they conquer. The Matres themselves are hunted by a far more powerful force from out in the Scattering . The new Mother Superior Darwi Odrade recognizes that the threat of this unknown enemy is greater than that of the Honored Matres, and forms another bold plan. The captive Honored Matre Murbella , who has been assimilated into
22260-423: The Imperial throne. With Paul holding a tight monopoly on melange, a decade later the Bene Gesserit participate in a conspiracy to topple his rule in Dune Messiah (1969). Even after a blinded Paul walks into the desert to die, his sister Alia rules his empire and keeps the Bene Gesserit at bay until Paul's young son Leto II takes control himself in Children of Dune (1976). Over 3,500 years later, Leto – now
22472-524: 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
22684-548: The Matres all but exterminate the Tleilaxu race and next target the Sisterhood, Bene Gesserit Mother Superior Taraza implements a bold plan to release humanity from the oracular hold of Leto II by goading the Honored Matres into destroying Rakis. Meanwhile, the Bene Gesserit have terraformed Chapterhouse into a desert planet like Rakis and bring a single sandworm there to begin a new spice cycle. In Chapterhouse: Dune (1985),
22896-504: The Missionaria Protectiva to prepare the Empire for its Kwisatz Haderach. In Dune , Jessica and Paul take refuge among the Fremen after the attack on House Atreides. With his mother's guidance, Paul is able to make use of the planted myths by claiming to be the " mahdi ", a messianic figure from legendary material planted among the Fremen by the Missionaria Protectiva. That the mahdi legend has been planted on Dune indicates to Jessica that conditions on Dune are truly awful, since this legend
23108-514: The Old Empire; over-controlling, they have built up both resistance and rebellion, and are now on the run from their former subjects. The prequel Dune: The Battle of Corrin establishes that the first Bene Gesserit to use the Voice is Raquella Berto-Anirul, the founder of the order. Bene Gesserit are trained in "the minutiae of observation", noticing details that the common person would miss in
23320-488: The Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV 's desire to have a male heir and instructed his Bene Gesserit wife to give him only daughters, such as Princess Irulan . The Bene Gesserit are notable for their extensive skill in seduction, sex and sexual imprinting . The most talented and most highly trained are known as Imprinters . Men in a position of power or future power, or those with specific qualities that
23532-500: The Padishah Emperors are never without one. Combined with the Voice, Truthsay is also useful for interrogation and torture. Bene Gesserit also practice simulflow , the flow of several threads of consciousness at once—mental multitasking , as it were. The combination of simulflow with their analytical abilities and Other Memory are responsible for the frightening intelligence of the average Bene Gesserit, though this ability
23744-610: 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
23956-528: The Reverend Mother's mind, and is able to inject itself into her awareness at appropriate or emotional moments, though the Reverend Mother's ego is always dominant. The prequel novel Dune: The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson establishes that the first Bene Gesserit to access Other Memory had been Raquella Berto-Anirul, the founder of the order. A Reverend Mother has access only to her female lineage in Other Memory; her male line
24168-557: The Rossak school. Salvador has several dozen Sisters executed and disbands the Sisterhood, except for Dorotea's Orthodox followers, who return to the Imperial capital on Salusa Secundus to serve as court Truthsayers. Raquella has reestablished her school on Wallach IX in Mentats of Dune (2014), thanks to the help of industrialist Josef Venport. Valya, now a Reverend Mother, retrieves the hidden computers from Rossak and hopes to succeed
24380-502: The Shari-a panoplia propheticus). And it is generally accepted now that the Lady Jessica's latent abilities were grossly underestimated. The Bene Gesserit practice "religious engineering" through the Missionaria Protectiva, which spreads "infectious superstitions on primitive worlds, thus opening those regions to exploitation by the Bene Gesserit". Collectively known as Panoplia Prophetica, these myths, prophecies, and superstitions provide
24592-464: The Spotless Mind – 2004, Her – 2013). Science fiction and television have consistently been in a close relationship. Television or television-like technologies frequently appeared in science fiction long before television itself became widely available in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The first known science fiction television program was a thirty-five-minute adapted excerpt of
24804-559: The States and Empires of the Moon (1657) and The States and Empires of the Sun (1662), Margaret Cavendish 's " The Blazing World " (1666), Jonathan Swift 's Gulliver's Travels (1726), Ludvig Holberg 's Nicolai Klimii Iter Subterraneum (1741) and Voltaire 's Micromégas (1752). Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan considered Somnium the first science fiction story; it depicts
25016-576: The Voice is independent of the Reverend Mother ritual, so people outside the order may be instructed in its use. Before the events of Dune , Jessica has begun teaching it to Paul; after the Reverend Mother Mohiam tests him in the novel, she urges Jessica to "ignore the regular order of training. His own safety requires the Voice. He already has a good start in it, but we both know how much more he needs...and that desperately." Jessica herself later notes of Paul's novice attempt: "The tone,
25228-418: The Voice so that he may imprison Bene Gesserit. By the time of Children of Dune , Gurney Halleck has also been trained by Jessica to resist the Voice completely. In Heretics of Dune , Reverend Mother Odrade explains to Sheeana that planetary populations exposed to long-term Voice control learn ways to adapt to it, and can no longer be manipulated. This is why the Honored Matres have been driven back into
25440-521: The Worlds (1898). His science fiction imagined alien invasion , biological engineering , invisibility , and time travel . In his non-fiction futurologist works he predicted the advent of airplanes , military tanks , nuclear weapons , satellite television , space travel , and something resembling the World Wide Web . Edgar Rice Burroughs 's A Princess of Mars , published in 1912,
25652-434: The ability to render poisons harmless within their bodies. The Bene Gesserit power of Voice allows them to control others by merely modulating their vocal tones. Sisters who survive a ritualized poisoning known as the spice agony achieve increased awareness and abilities through access to Other Memory , and are subsequently known as Reverend Mothers. Every member of the Bene Gesserit is conditioned into singular loyalty to
25864-553: The agony while pregnant, the fetus will also experience it, acquiring full consciousness and access to Other Memory. Since the child has not yet developed a sufficiently strong ego before being exposed to her tide of ancestors, she is more susceptible to their influence, and there is a danger that she will ultimately be overcome and possessed by a strong ancestral ego. The Bene Gesserit call this " Abomination ", and such children are killed immediately. They are also referred to as " pre-born " in Children of Dune . In Dune , Lady Jessica
26076-411: The agony, but through their breeding program the Bene Gesserit seek the male Kwisatz Haderach who will be able to change an illuminating poison. The Bene Gesserit try over many generations through selective breeding to produce such a being. A Kwisatz Haderach is given abilities different from those of a Reverend Mother. During the spice agony, there are two areas of the soul that the acolyte may visit —
26288-589: 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
26500-575: 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
26712-520: The breeding program are illuminated in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) as the program nears fruition in the time immediately prior to the novel Dune . The origins of the program are explored in the Legends of Dune prequel series. Over 10,000 years before the events of Dune , the Sorceresses of Rossak had started keeping detailed breeding records circa 400 B.G., trying to improve
26924-450: The chemical makeup of any harmful substance in their body and render it harmless. It is hinted that should a Bene Gesserit wish to, she could slow her aging process dramatically, controlling every aspect of her metabolism. It is suggested that a Sister would never attempt this, as it might call attention to the Sisterhood and reveal too much of their abilities. In Children of Dune , Jessica realizes that her daughter Alia has done this, which
27136-678: 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
27348-616: 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 ),
27560-463: 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
27772-413: The concept of powered armor exoskeletons . The German space opera series Perry Rhodan , written by various authors, started in 1961 with an account of the first Moon landing and has since expanded in space to multiple universes , and in time by billions of years. It has become the most popular science fiction book series of all time. In the 1960s and 1970s, New Wave science fiction
27984-499: The concept of Other Memory is "largely based upon the writings and teachings of Carl Gustav Jung , who spoke of a ' collective unconscious ', that supposedly inborn set of 'contents and modes of behavior' possessed by all human beings". Frank Herbert was introduced to Jung's work by two Jungian psychologists, Ralph and Irene Slattery, and Jung's teachings ultimately had "a profound and continuing influence on [Herbert's] work". Bene Gesserit are trained in what they call "the Voice" –
28196-506: The creation of microrobots and micromachinery , nanotechnology , smartdust , virtual reality , and artificial intelligence (including swarm intelligence ), as well as developing the ideas of "necroevolution" and the creation of artificial worlds. In 1965, Dune by Frank Herbert featured a much more complex and detailed imagined future society than had previously in most science fiction. In 1967 Anne McCaffrey began her Dragonriders of Pern science fantasy series. Two of
28408-480: 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
28620-435: The current moment in time; when trained well, this knowledge will place you at the spot desired. To anyone witnessing, it almost appears as though the combatant has teleported. The Fremen refer to this fighting ability as the " weirding way ". In Dune , the Fremen use the word "weirding" instead of "Bene Gesserit", calling Jessica a "weirding woman" and noting "he has the weirding voice" when Paul wields this power. Just as
28832-647: The daughter she had been ordered to produce. This son, Paul Atreides, later proves to be the Kwisatz Haderach, born a generation early. Political intrigue results in Paul's rise to power as Emperor of the Known Universe, secured by his stranglehold on the melange supply. A decade later, in Dune Messiah , the Bene Gesserit are frustrated to be at the mercy of their own creation, but a conspiracy to remove Paul from power fails. He realizes, however, that while prescience grants knowledge, absolute control of outcomes
29044-679: The declining Raquella as Mother Superior. Raquella believes that the only hope for the Sisterhood to survive is for the Wallach IX sisters to reconcile with Dorotea's faction on Salusa Secundus; her health failing, she summons Dorotea to the School and forces Dorotea and Valya to put their differences aside and agree to work together for the good of the Sisterhood. Naming them co-leaders, Raquella dies; Valya however, still bitter about Dorotea's betrayal, uses her newly discovered power of Voice to force Dorotea to commit suicide. Valya declares herself to be
29256-418: The effects of melange are highly favorable, including vastly increased lifespan and mental powers, withdrawal results in death. Melange is expensive and thus is a continual drain on the Sisterhood's wealth; the most significant threat to the Bene Gesserit is the potential loss of their supply. Paul Atreides and then his son Leto II assert control over the Bene Gesserit and keep them in check by grasping control of
29468-439: The episodes, ran from 1959 to 1964. It featured fantasy , suspense , and horror as well as science fiction, with each episode being a complete story. Critics have ranked it as one of the best TV programs of any genre . The animated series The Jetsons , while intended as comedy and only running for one season (1962–1963), predicted many inventions now in common use: flat-screen televisions , newspapers on
29680-405: The events in Dune . Later, they expand their genetic program to preserve human bloodlines when humanity is endangered by a widespread plague called the "Demon Scourge", genetically engineered and unleashed by the thinking machines. Raquella Berto-Anirul becomes their leader after surviving a poisoning attempt by being the first to internally render the toxin harmless. The ordeal also makes Raquella
29892-414: 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,
30104-527: The field came to associate the term with low-budget, low-tech " B-movies " and with low-quality pulp science fiction . By the 1970s, critics within the field, such as Damon Knight and Terry Carr , were using "sci fi" to distinguish hack-work from serious science fiction. Peter Nicholls writes that "SF" (or "sf") is "the preferred abbreviation within the community of sf writers and readers." Robert Heinlein found even "science fiction" insufficient for certain types of works in this genre, and suggested
30316-515: 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
30528-762: The first science fiction novel . Some of the stories from The Arabian Nights , along with the 10th-century The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and Ibn al-Nafis 's 13th-century Theologus Autodidactus , are also argued to contain elements of science fiction. Written during the Scientific Revolution and later the Age of Enlightenment are considered true science-fantasy books. Francis Bacon 's New Atlantis (1627), Johannes Kepler 's Somnium (1634), Athanasius Kircher 's Itinerarium extaticum (1656), Cyrano de Bergerac 's Comical History of
30740-521: The first to access Other Memory and use the power of Voice; she later establishes the Bene Gesserit, instituting a similar ritualized poisoning to unlock the same abilities in others. In Sisterhood of Dune (2012), 80 years have passed since the end of the Butlerian Jihad, and an aging Raquella remains the only Sister to have survived the Agony. Ambitious young Valya Harkonnen has hopes of using her Bene Gesserit training to complete her family's vendetta against Vorian Atreides and his entire bloodline. Valya
30952-646: The first true science fiction novel . Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are pivotal figures in the genre's development. In the 20th century, expanded with the introduction of space operas , dystopian literature, pulp magazines , and the Golden Age of Science Fiction . Science fiction has been called the "literature of ideas ", and continues to evolve, incorporating diverse voices and themes, influencing not just literature but film, TV, and culture at large. Besides providing entertainment it can also criticize present-day society and explore alternatives, and inspiration
31164-494: 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
31376-416: 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 ,
31588-542: The genes they require. The Bene Gesserit super-being – whom they call the Kwisatz Haderach – arrives a generation earlier than expected in the form of Paul Atreides , who is free from their direct control though his mother is the Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica . In Dune , Paul seizes control of the harsh desert planet Arrakis , the only source of the all-important spice melange; by threatening to destroy all spice production, he maneuvers himself onto
31800-486: The genre, it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years. In 1937, John W. Campbell became editor of Astounding Science Fiction , an event that is sometimes considered the beginning of the Golden Age of Science Fiction , which was characterized by stories celebrating scientific achievement and progress . The "Golden Age" is often said to have ended in 1946, but sometimes
32012-414: The human race, they instead manipulate the social and political order with subtlety and insinuation, often using extraordinarily long-term stratagems spanning generations. The Bene Gesserit avoid appearing too rich or powerful, or revealing the extent of their powers, to prevent being seen as overtly responsible for the rise and fall of governments and empires, and to avoid any organized backlash. To this end,
32224-477: The implications of the Internet and the expanding information universe, questions about biotechnology , nanotechnology , and post-scarcity societies . Recent trends and subgenres include steampunk , biopunk , and mundane science fiction . The first, or at least one of the first, recorded science fiction film is 1902's A Trip to the Moon , directed by French filmmaker Georges Méliès . It
32436-406: 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
32648-429: 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
32860-405: The interface between technology and society, and climate fiction , addressing environmental issues. Precedents for science fiction are argued to exist as far back as antiquity, but the modern genre primarily arose in the 19th and early 20th centuries when popular writers began looking to technological progress and speculation. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein , written in 1818, is often credited as
33072-532: The intersection of other more concrete subgenres. Damon Knight summed up the difficulty, saying "Science fiction is what we point to when we say it." Forrest J Ackerman has been credited with first using the term "sci-fi" (analogous to the then-trendy " hi-fi ") in about 1954. The first known use in print was a description of Donovan's Brain by movie critic Jesse Zunser in January 1954. As science fiction entered popular culture , writers and fans active in
33284-676: 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
33496-434: The last joint in her little toe while remaining otherwise motionless, bend and contort her body in ways that most would consider impossible, or put a remarkable amount of force behind a physical blow. The mental part of prana-bindu , or prana-nervature ( prana stands for breath, bindu stands for musculature) is the precise control of the totality of nerves in the human body. In Dune , Reverend Mother Mohiam tests Paul with
33708-415: The late 1940s and the 1950s are included. In 1942, Isaac Asimov started his Foundation series , which chronicles the rise and fall of galactic empires and introduced psychohistory . The series was later awarded a one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series". Theodore Sturgeon 's More Than Human (1953) explored possible future human evolution . In 1957, Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale by
33920-410: The life experience of the dying Fremen Reverend Mother Ramallo . In Chapterhouse Dune , Darwi Odrade is Mother Superior, a contentious choice ratified by the fact that she was present at the previous Mother Superior's death, and has her in Other Memory; she represents the most continuous line of leadership. Under extreme conditions, a large community of Bene Gesserit will practice Extremis Progressiva ,
34132-416: 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
34344-491: 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
34556-491: 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
34768-490: 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
34980-478: The novellas included in the first novel, Dragonflight , made McCaffrey the first woman to win a Hugo or Nebula Award . In 1968, Philip K. Dick 's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published. It is the literary source of the Blade Runner movie franchise . In 1969, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin was set on a planet in which the inhabitants have no fixed gender . It
35192-443: 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
35404-423: The opportunity for a Bene Gesserit to later cast herself as a guide, protector, or some other figure in fulfillment of a prophecy in order to manipulate the religious subjects for protection or other purposes. These myths also exploit religion as a powerful force in human society; by controlling the particulars of religion, the Bene Gesserit have a manipulative lever on society in general. The Bene Gesserit also employ
35616-447: The order and its goals with allegiances to even family being secondary, and no goal is more paramount than the Sisterhood's large-scale breeding program . It aims to create a superbeing that can tap into abilities even the Bene Gesserit cannot, a being whom they can use in order to gain more direct control over the universe. To this end, the Bene Gesserit have subtly manipulated bloodlines for generations, using breeding sisters to "collect"
35828-526: The order has learned the Honored Matre method from Murbella and use it for their own purposes, specifically to awaken the memories within the Miles Teg ghola. Reverend Mothers are dependent on melange to give them their abilities. Any person who consumes melange regularly becomes addicted to it and requires it for survival; however, one who has gone through the agony has a far greater need. Though
36040-503: The order wishes to incorporate into their breeding program, are typical targets of a Bene Gesserit imprinter. Men seduced by an imprinter are permanently affected (imprinted) by the intense sexual experience and are thereafter consciously or subconsciously favorable to the Sisterhood. An imprinter can be successfully resisted if the subject has been psychologically pre-conditioned to do so, and the subject's automatic defensive response may even be entirely subconscious. In Dune , Lady Fenring
36252-474: 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
36464-421: 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
36676-404: The part that gives, and the part that takes; a Reverend Mother cannot access the memories of her male ancestors, and is terrified by the psychic space within her that the masculine memories inhabit. Until Paul Atreides, all men who had attempted the spice agony had died. In Dune , Jessica endures the agony while pregnant with her daughter, Alia . This has a profound effect on the unborn Alia, who
36888-416: The people and environment around them. When combined with their analytical abilities, this "hyperawareness" enables the Bene Gesserit to divine secrets and arrive at conclusions that are invisible to everyone else. Slight differences in air currents or the design of a room might allow a Bene Gesserit to detect hidden portals and spyholes; minute variations in a person's vocal inflection and body language allow
37100-412: The planet Arrakis and the spice supply in a show of hydraulic despotism . A Bene Gesserit who survives the ritual spice agony gains access to Other Memory, the combined ego and memories of all her female ancestors. An adult Reverend Mother can manage the presence of these subordinate inner voices because she has a full personality of her own and a solid sense of self. However, if a Bene Gesserit undergoes
37312-614: The play RUR , written by the Czech playwright Karel Čapek , broadcast live from the BBC's Alexandra Palace studios on 11 February 1938. The first popular science fiction program on American television was the children's adventure serial Captain Video and His Video Rangers , which ran from June 1949 to April 1955. The Twilight Zone (the original series), produced and narrated by Rod Serling , who also wrote or co-wrote most of
37524-472: The potency and prevalence of their telekinetic powers. In 108 B.G., the Sorceresses begin collecting genetic samples of various human bloodlines, which were in jeopardy from a catastrophic virus genetically engineered and unleashed by the thinking machines. In Sandworms of Dune (2007), written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson , Duncan Idaho is revealed to be the final Kwisatz Haderach destined to bring together humans and thinking machines. While he
37736-403: The prequels and sequels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson . They also feature prominently in the multiple adaptations of the Dune series: the 1984 film Dune ; the 2000 TV miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune ; and its 2003 sequel, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune ; as well as the 2021 feature film Dune , and its 2024 sequel, Dune: Part Two . A television series based on
37948-591: 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
38160-661: 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
38372-502: 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
38584-445: 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
38796-515: The ritual originated with the "discovery of the poison drug on Rossak ". On Arrakis , the Fremen Reverend Mothers use a poison called Water of Life , which is the exhalation of a drowning "little maker" (small sandworm) in water. In the Fremen version of the rite, after the ordeal the Reverend Mother also provides the changed poison for the sietch orgy . An acolyte unable to effect this change dies. Only women have ever survived
39008-479: 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
39220-404: The series by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson , Murbella adopts the new title of Mother Commander and struggles to bring the opposing factions of her New Sisterhood together. Among the Bene Gesserit, some are willing to accept the merger with the Honored Matres, while others oppose allying with their enemies; a group of dissenters led by Reverend Mother Sheeana having fled Chapterhouse aboard
39432-650: The series gained popularity through syndication and extraordinary fan interest . It became a very popular and influential franchise with many films , television shows , novels , and other works and products. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) led to six additional live action Star Trek shows: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999), Voyager (1995–2001) , Enterprise (2001–2005), Discovery (2017–2024), Picard (2020–2023), and Strange New Worlds (2022–present), with more in some form of development. Bene Gesserit The Bene Gesserit ( / ˈ b ɛ n iː ˈ dʒ ɛ s ər ɪ t / ) are
39644-483: 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
39856-611: The sole Mother Superior, and ingratiates herself to the new Emperor, Roderick Corrino. The ultimate goal of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, up to the end of the novel Dune , is the creation of a male Bene Gesserit they call the Kwisatz Haderach ( / ˈ k w ɪ s ɑː t s ˈ h ɑː d ər æ k / ). They intend to achieve this superbeing through a massive human breeding program , which they have conducted for countless generations; using careful manipulations of relationships and breeding sisters to "collect" key genes,
40068-416: The subject. The Voice may also be subtly employed in any manner of conversation, public speaking, or debate to help soothe, convince, persuade, influence, or otherwise enhance the effect of the words being spoken. To affect this, the Bene Gesserit must "register" the intended target by analyzing his or her personality and vocal patterns through observation or seemingly innocuous direct questions. Training in
40280-405: The target's subconscious mind, the Voice is of limited utility against an extremely disciplined mind, such as a Reverend Mother or a strong Mentat ; if the target understands what the Voice is and how it works, and is aware that it is being used, he may resist it. One trained in the use of the Voice may easily detect its use by others, even subtly. In Dune Messiah , Paul trains some guards to resist
40492-407: The technique and training others to survive the ordeal. One of the 'powers' of a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother is her Other Memory : the combined ego and memories of all her female ancestors, passed on through genetic memory , and thus, up to the point where each following ancestor was born and the physical contact with the mother broken. The ego/memory combination remains a distinct identity within
40704-515: The term speculative fiction to be used instead for those that are more "serious" or "thoughtful". Some scholars assert that science fiction had its beginnings in ancient times , when the line between myth and fact was blurred. Written in the 2nd century CE by the satirist Lucian , A True Story contains many themes and tropes characteristic of modern science fiction, including travel to other worlds, extraterrestrial lifeforms , interplanetary warfare, and artificial life . Some consider it
40916-403: 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
41128-504: 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
41340-442: 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,
41552-403: The timbre excellent – imperative, very sharp. A slightly lower pitch would have been better, but it could still fall within this man's spectrum." The Voice is useless against targets who cannot hear the speaker; both Baron Harkonnen in Dune and House Corrino in Children of Dune employ deaf people to guard Jessica, knowing that she cannot control them via the Voice. Being a manipulation of
41764-470: The time of writing technologically impossible, extrapolating from present-day science...[,]...or that deal with some form of speculative science-based conceit, such as a society (on Earth or another planet) that has developed in wholly different ways from our own." There is a tendency among science fiction enthusiasts as their own arbiter in deciding what exactly constitutes science fiction. David Seed says it may be more useful to talk about science fiction as
41976-400: 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
42188-455: The universe as a messiah . In Dune , the Bene Gesserit breeding scheme is, in theory, to have come to full fruition from the union of an Atreides daughter (planned to be born of the Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica and the Duke Leto Atreides ) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen , nephew of the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (himself secretly the natural father of Lady Jessica). This plan is disrupted when Jessica chooses to conceive an Atreides son rather than
42400-474: 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
42612-492: 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,
42824-455: The universe, Leto is able to maintain firm control over the various factions and effects a "forced tranquility". He takes the Bene Gesserit breeding program from them and uses it for his own mysterious purposes, and their limited spice supply is conditional on their obedience to him and his prescient vision. Recognizing that his work is finally done, Leto allows himself to be assassinated. Fifteen hundred years later in Heretics of Dune (1984),
43036-419: The use of the drug melange . Under the guise of humbly "serving" the Empire, the Sisterhood is in fact a major power in the universe, using its many areas of influence to subtly guide humanity along the path of its own plan for humanity's future. Herbert notes that over 10,000 years before the events of Dune , in the chaotic time after the Butlerian Jihad and before the unveiling of the Orange Catholic Bible ,
43248-444: 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
43460-473: The word-sound Uroshnor , typically implanted in a dangerous person who has been prepared by the Bene Gesserit. Paul, however, refuses to use this advantage. In Heretics of Dune , Reverend Mother and Imprinter Lucilla is charged with the seduction-imprinting of the Duncan Idaho ghola so that the Sisterhood may assert some control over him; he ultimately avoids her. Lucilla also mentions the hundreds of sexual positions and variations she knows. In Heretics ,
43672-450: 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
43884-404: Was influential on later filmmakers , bringing a different kind of creativity and fantasy . Méliès's innovative editing and special effects techniques were widely imitated and became important elements of the cinematic medium . 1927's Metropolis , directed by Fritz Lang , is the first feature-length science fiction film. Though not well received in its time, it is now considered
44096-432: Was known for its embrace of a high degree of experimentation, both in form and in content, and a highbrow and self-consciously " literary " or " artistic " sensibility . In 1961, Solaris by Stanisław Lem was published in Poland . The novel dealt with the theme of human limitations as its characters attempted to study a seemingly intelligent ocean on a newly discovered planet . Lem's work anticipated
44308-454: 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 ,
44520-464: 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 a trilogy of Dune prequel novels that would come to be called
44732-722: 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
44944-408: Was the first of his three- decade -long planetary romance series of Barsoom novels , which were set on Mars and featured John Carter as the hero . These novels were predecessors to YA novels , and drew inspiration from European science fiction and American Western novels . In 1924, We by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin , one of the first dystopian novels, was published. It describes
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