Dune for Dummies | The Press

What world do we enter into when we embark on Dune ? In a futuristic work that mixes religion, politics, psychology and ecology, adopted by generations of readers since the 1960s. A short guide for movie buffs who might feel intimidated by the complexity of the universe created by writer Frank Herbert, superbly transposed by Denis Villeneuve to the cinema, a few days before the release of Dune: Part TwoFriday.

Humanity scattered in space

What era is in Dune in the future ? Precisely in 10,191 after the creation of the Space Guild, which constitutes year zero of the Imperial calendar, because we are in a neo-feudal aristocratic world dominated by large noble families who each live on their planet, headed by the Emperor Shaddam IV. They spend their time hatching plots and assassinations, and people still fight with swords, as in ancient times… According to the encyclopedia of Dune, this is equivalent to the year 26,391 AD. Considering that we are in 2024, this represents a very big leap into the future, and humanity has evolved a lot (without losing its vices and its appetite for power), developing great mastery of body and mind, since “thinking machines” were banned after the Butlerian Jihad, this great war against computers and robots which almost annihilated the human race.

The Atreides and the Harkonnens

The Atreides family is one of the major Houses of the Imperium, its stronghold is the planet Caladan, covered in water and vegetation. When the story begins, it is led by Duke Leto Atreides, father of Paul Atreides, born from his union with his concubine Lady Jessica, a member of the Bene Gesserit. It is a family sensitive to the arts and great virtues, respected by its loyal subjects, quite the opposite of the Harkonnen, another major House, who have been their rivals and enemies for centuries. The Harkonnen stronghold is the planet Giedi Prime, a cold and industrial place, ruled in terror by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a sadistic and bloodthirsty being. The baron, secretly aided by Emperor Shaddam IV, destroyed the Atreides clan, with the exception of Paul and Jessica, who escaped the massacre by taking refuge among the Fremen people.

The Spice

Safe long-distance travel in space, a monopoly of the Space Guild, could not be possible without an ingredient, the Spice, which is only found on one planet, Arrakis, at the center of all desires. Also called “Mixture”, it is a drug produced by the sandworms on Arrakis, which not only prolongs life, but also opens the mind and allows one to develop the gifts of prescience, necessary for the navigators of the Guild for space travel. Prolonged use makes the eyes turn blue. When the history of Dune begins, the Harkonnen family, which has long and cruelly ruled Arrakis, and has become incredibly rich thanks to the Spice, must give way to the Atreides family. But it is a trap to bring down House Atreides, which threatens the power of the emperor with its influence.

Arrakis and the Fremen people

No drop of rain falls on Arrakis, this desert planet where we find Spice, the most precious substance in the universe. The Fremen are the pioneer people of Dune, despised and mysterious in the eyes of the Imperium, and recognized by the blue color of their eyes, because they have spent their existence in contact with the Spice. These people have mastered the very hostile environment of this planet, on which one cannot survive for long without wearing a distillate, a suit that recycles human fluids. Water is such a rare commodity on Arrakis that the Fremen have developed a mystical relationship with this resource – we never cry for nothing among the Fremen, because we must not waste the slightest tear or drop of saliva. Besides, they have a technique for collecting all the liquids of their dead. A very religious people, the Fremen are formidable warriors and have been waiting for centuries for a Messiah who will transform Dune into a garden, the equivalent of a paradise for those who have only known the arid desert.

Shai-Hulud, the sandworm

Monstrous giant worms roam the planet Dune, and are the origin of the Spice. The slightest vibration of footsteps in the sand can bring them to you, as well as to assured death. The Fremen developed an unstructured way of walking to move through the desert without waking them, but they also learned to ride them, luring them with a tool, the hammerhead. They jump on it with hooks that grab onto the worms’ rings, and thus move at high speed on Arrakis. The Fremen have immense respect for these creatures, whom they call Shai-Hulud, or the Maker, and craft precious sacred daggers with its sharp teeth, the Krys. Every self-respecting Fremen must know how to ride Shai-Hulud – this will be a test required of young Paul Atreides to be considered one of their own.

The Bene Gesserit

The Bene Gesserit, “ancient school of education and physical and mental training” reserved for women, according to the lexicon of Dune, is a powerful matriarchal order that pulls the strings of humanity’s destiny in the shadows. They are often perceived as witches because of their powers, notably that of the Voice, which allows them to control minds by selecting certain harmonics of the human voice. For millennia, they have spread legends and elements of religion on planets that can be used to manipulate the masses, in addition to working on a genetic program that will allow them to create the Kwisatz Haderach, a Bene Gesserit male whose powers psychics could surpass their own – the reason why they absolutely want to control him.

Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

He is the author of Dune, science fiction novel considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the genre, read by millions of readers around the world since its publication in 1965, winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards. A follower of Jungian psychoanalysis, he would have had the idea of Dune by writing an article on the dunes of Florence, Oregon, and this manuscript was rejected by many publishing houses who considered it too long. The Dune cycle contains six novels – Dune, The Messiah of Dune, Children of Dune, The God-Emperor of Dune, The Heretics of Dune And Mother’s house. The eldest son of Frank Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson, expanded the Dune universe in numerous novels after his father’s death. Finally, before Denis Villeneuve took over the novel, Dune was the subject of a film adaptation by David Lynch in 1984, and a television miniseries in 2000 by John Harrison.