Dune

March 2024 should bring Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two to theaters. If you’re curious about the film, the book on which it’s based, or just need a little refresher, read on.

Our protagonist is Paul Atreides, the 15-year-old son of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica. He has been taught fighting skills from his father’s veteran warriors, as well as the special ability of “the Voice” (also called “the weirding way”) from his mother. This ability allows one to force another to action simply by speaking in a certain fashion. He has also been having dreams, some of which have come to pass.

Lady Jessica is a Sister of the Bene Gesserit, an ancient order of women some refer to as “witches” thanks to their abilities (like the Voice) and greater physical and mental control. They have power and influence across the galaxy, and can detect lies (the Emperor has one as a “Truthsayer”). They also have a hidden agenda: by manipulating bloodlines behind the scenes, they hope to breed a superior being that can bring humanity to a better future. Jessica is in a little trouble with her order - she was instructed to give the Duke a daughter for the bloodline program. Her love for Leto won out and she bore him the son he wanted instead.

House Atreides has been at odds with House Harkonnen, led by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, for quite some time. Where we see the Atreides as kind, loving, strong, and loyal, the Harkonnens are vicious, twisted, and scheming; certainly no chance of the viewer or reader siding with their perspective!

Our story begins with the Atreides preparing to leave their homeworld of Caladan for the desert planet of Arrakis, under instructions of the Emperor. Arrakis, also known as Dune, is the only place in the known universe where the spice melange is found. Melange (usually simply called “the spice”) has hallucinatory and some might say divinatory qualities, but most importantly it is used by the Spacing Guild to navigate interstellar travel safely.

House Harkonnen had been the rulers of Arrakis, and generated great wealth mining spice. As we see in the beginning of the film, they have also been brutally oppressing the native nomads of Arrakis known as the Fremen. Here we have an interesting divergence of perspective between works. In the book, chapters are headed by brief quotes from the Princess Irulan, giving us a wider view of events from a future perspective (she is quite the author, her quotes coming from a number of works of hers). She however does not appear in Part One of the movie, nor is she even mentioned. We will see her in Part Two, where she will play a crucial role. Instead of Irulan, our first point of view in the film is from the Fremen woman known as Chani. We start with the view of the oppressed and the local, rather than the privileged and galactic. We also see that while everyone knows Arrakis will have a new ruling family, it is not automatically assumed that the change will be for the better, as she says “who will our next oppressors be?”

House Atreides packs up and moves to Arrakis. They know something must be up, why else would the Emperor take the planet and its riches away from one family and give it to their bitterest rival? Duke Leto has a plan. His forces have superior training to most others. Whereas the Harkonnens have seen the Fremen as vermin to be eliminated, Leto sees them as a strength, as “desert power.” He hopes to win them over as allies. He has made some overtures via one of his best warriors, but the Emperor’s trap is sprung not long after their arrival.

Emperor Shaddam IV (met already in the book, but will not be seen until the movie Part Two) has been fearful of Duke Leto’s growing power and influence, so decided to use the feud between the Atreides and Harkonnens to his advantage. He disguises his elite soldiers as Harkonnens, and lends them to the Baron for a surprise attack on the Atreides. There’s a traitor on the inside, too: the chief physician of the Duke, Doctor Yueh, deactivates their defenses beforehand and dooms everyone.

Yueh has a plan: revenge. His wife had been captured by the Harkonnens, and he fears she might be dead already. After sabotaging the House defenses, Yueh incapacitates the Duke and prepares a trap of his own. One of Leto’s teeth is now replaced with one containing poison gas. Leto is paralyzed, and before he loses consciousness, Yueh explains his plan. Baron Harkonnen is sure to gloat over his capture of Duke Leto, and at that time Leto is to crack the tooth and breathe the poison on the Baron. After all, the Duke is already doomed himself (thanks to Yueh’s treachery) so in the end revenge will be had by both Leto and Yueh. The doctor promises to see Jessica and Paul to safety before he too is captured.

Fight as they may, House Atreides falls, but Yueh is true to his word and both Paul and Jessica escape capture. Out in the desert, Paul notices spice even in the air, blown from the sands, and he experiences visions - waking dreams - of possible futures, as well as a mysterious young Fremen woman. After a narrow escape from one of the native giant sandworms (hundreds of meters long, and with a mouth full of huge teeth, quite menacing!) they run into some of the Fremen in an exposed rock formation.

The Bene Gesserit left vague prophecies on countless planets over the centuries, giving any stranded Sister the tools needed to survive with the locals. Here, the Fremen recalled the savior prophecy, “the voice from the outer world” born of a Bene Gesserit witch - precisely what could help save Jessica and Paul. These Fremen acknowledge that prophecy, but the group has to move on back to their sietch, or village. Time is too short, and while Stilgar the leader admits Paul, due to his youth, can be saved and learn the ways of the desert, Jessica would be a burden so will be killed so they can reclaim her body’s water (this is a desert world, after all).

The fight is short - but not what the Fremen expected! Jessica uses the Voice and captures Stilgar, Paul subdues another Fremen named Jamis and hides in the rocks. Stilgar realizes Jessica’s power and is thus useful to them, and grants them safe passage with the troupe back to his sietch. As Paul leaves his hiding place, he sees a Fremen woman nearby - it is Chani, the girl of his dreams and visions.

The group prepares to leave, but Jamis is angry at having been bested by Paul. He also sees Stilgar’s defeat by Jessica as a challenge to their tribe, and calls her out. Who will champion her? Paul accepts; Chani gives him her knife. The duel takes longer than expected, and Stilgar asks Jessica, is her son toying with Jamis? No, she replies - Paul has never killed anyone, and is loathe to do so. Unfortunately, submission is not an option, and Paul kills Jamis. The group wrap up Jamis’s body for proper water reclamation later, and touch Paul’s shoulders in sympathy as he steps back.

Dune: Part One ends here, Paul and Jessica travelling with the troupe back to Stilgar’s sietch, and having seen in the distance a person riding the back of one of the giant sandworms. The book is about two-thirds done at this point, too; therein we would have read a bit more from the Baron’s and Emperor’s perspectives, as well as much mention of changing the planet. The Fremen have a long-term goal, to slowly change Arrakis from a desert to a garden . . .

The Library has much to help you explore Frank Herbert’s world of Dune. There’s the original book, and the five sequels Herbert wrote (spanning thousands of years, rather epic). Herbert’s son Brian, together with author Kevin J. Anderson, used the father’s notes to pen three times more books than the original series.

Also check out The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies by Ryan Britt, and The Science of Dune, edited by Kevin R. Grazier.

David Lynch directed a version of Dune in 1984, too - if you watch that one, be aware it’s cramming the book into a single movie, as opposed to the current, better balanced, two-parter.

If you can’t wait until March (provided the movie’s release isn’t delayed again) then pick up the book - you’ve plenty of time for a great read! (And if it’s still too daunting, then you can always check out the SparkNotes).

- by Dennis, West Windsor Branch