Frank Herbert's "Dune" has been adapted once again for the big screen, and you've never
seen the story play out like this. To help unpack part one of this sci-fi masterpiece-in-the-making,
here are some of the small details you might have missed in "Dune."
One of the most surprising parts of "Dune" that goes relatively unnoticed is that there
aren't any computers in the universe — or at least not as we know them. Sure, there's
basic technology that relays information for the user, but there's no smart tech or artificial
intelligence to assist with space travel, and absolutely no processing machines capable
of executing computation.
Even the ornithopters — those bird-like planes flown by the Atreides — rely entirely
on the reaction speed, eyesight, and navigational skills of their pilots.
We even see Paul at one point using a paracompass, which Duncan Idaho describes as a "clever
piece of clockwork," to straighten his path through the desert.
To put it simply, the technology in "Dune" feels awfully analogue. It's a science-fantasy
aesthetic lifted straight from the source material, which went on to leave a serious
imprint on the genre, inspiring legions of imitators — most famously, George Lucas'
"Star Wars."
But why? Society is clearly very advanced thanks to the huge space ships used by the
Great Houses to ship troops and spice across the universe. This is a truly interstellar
civilization set in the far future, and with not as much as an Apple 3 computer to show
for it.
There's a reason for that. Thousands of years before the events of "Dune," humans waged
war across the universe with a malevolent A.I. called Omnius who rose to take advantage
of the fact that humanity had become reliant on "thinking machines."
The 2002 novel "Dune: The Butlerian Jihad," published after Frank Herbert's death and
written by his son, Brian Herbert and author Kevin J. Anderson, kicks off a trilogy about
this crusade to free the universe from the malevolent computers that had penetrated every
facet of modern life.
There are workarounds for the modern citizen in “Dune,” however. Although it's never
directly explained in the film, Thufir Hawat and Pieter De Vries are both Mentats. Mentats
are extremely intelligent people who have been conditioned to hold vast amounts of knowledge
and execute advanced computations as flesh-and-bone replacements for "thinking machines." In short,
in the universe of "Dune," computers are forbidden by interstellar law.
Fear might be the mind killer, but the slow blade penetrates the shield. Although the
House Atreides' Weapon Master Gurney Halleck warns Paul about these vulnerabilities in
the training scene early on in the film, and even shows him that immediately going for
a killing blow while wearing a shield can still lead to defeat. As he puts it, "the
slow blade penetrates the shield."
This is why fencing and swordplay have become integral skills for soldiers in "Dune's" universe,
while guns and other larger incendiary devices have been mostly relegated to space, ship-to-ship,
and air-to-ground warfare.
The swordplay also adds an element of elegance to the universe, making the act of waging
war an incredibly personal thing. Outside of their vehicles, soldiers and commanders
have to face their opponents directly on the battlefield. Duncan Idaho and Gurney are both
incredibly gifted swordsmen, moving their weapons fast enough to catch the enemy off-guard
— but slow enough to penetrate the shield. It's a delicate dance of violence, unique
to the combat aesthetic of "Dune."
Of course, it isn't just swords and knives that can slowly break through the shield,
the remotely piloted Hunter-Seeker can pierce its defenses using a tiny needle filled with
lethal venom. Dr. Yueh is also seen using a notable, slow-moving projectile to drill
through Duke Leto's shield, paralyzing him on behalf of Baron Harkonnen.
House Atreides is one of the most noble houses in the universe, and has plenty of support
throughout the Imperium, so it's understandable why the Emperor is scared of Duke Leto and
his family.
The Atreides name carries weight throughout the galaxy. But why all the bull symbolism?
We first see a carving of a man fighting a bull at the site of Paul's grandfather's grave.
Leto mentions that his father was killed fighting a bull, so maybe this carving is just a tribute?
But then we see a bull's head again, hanging in the Atreides palace on Caladan. The totem
is important enough for them to box up and take with them to Arrakis. Turns out: This
isn't just any old bull.
The Salusan Bull is famous in the history of House Atreides mainly because Leto's father
Paulus Atreides was killed by one during a bullfighting match. The Salusan Bull is notorious
for its anger and violent temperament, so Paulus clearly enjoyed the wilder side of
life. Perhaps Duke Leto kept the head to remind him not to be as headstrong as his father?
Very early in the film we're introduced to an aspect of Paul's character that really
makes up the core of the story, though you might not realize it from "Part I." While
still on Caladan, Paul is beset by vivid dreams that seem to trouble his mother and attract
the attentions of the Bene Gesserit.
In these dreams, Paul sees war; he sees Arrakis; he sees the death of Atreides champion Duncan
Idaho; he sees a girl in a stillsuit who looks a lot like Zendaya. As we know from the back
half of the movie, all of these dreams come to pass, and Paul ultimately meets the Zendaya-looking
Fremen girl named Chani.
"Do you often dream things that happen, just as you dreamed them?" "Yes."
There's a brief moment in the film related to these visions that's easy to miss. It happens
when Paul runs out into the desert to rescue a crew of spice miners under threat of wormsign.
Sand kicked up by the approaching worm swirls around Paul and Gurney Halleck, and in that
sand we see golden motes flickering — the movie's visual cue for the presence of spice.
This is the moment in the film when Paul gets his first large dose of the ambient spice
that saturates the deep deserts of Arrakis. The spice awakens Paul's latent powers of
prophecy.
"There's something awakening in my mind."
The spice doesn't cause Paul's power of prophecy — that's all the result of the Bene Gesserit
breeding program and Jessica's decision to defy her order and bear Duke Leto a son — but
its regular application does awaken and sharpen the ability that will become the Atreides'
blessing and curse for the next several millennia.
“The Duke’s son, he sees too much.”
In one of Paul's waking visions, we see Paul Atreides fighting for Arrakis with the bright
blue-on-blue eyes of the indigenous Fremen. While it’s no stretch to imagine Paul fighting
with the Fremen considering how “Part One” ends, Paul’s eyes are typically brown. So
how’d this ocular switch happen?
As we will no-doubt discover in the second half of Villeneuve's adaptation, the blue-on-blue
look that's so en vogue in the Fremen sietches is no genetic marker. It can happen to anyone
after prolonged exposure to the spice.
The spice is everywhere in the deep deserts of Arrakis. It's in the air the Fremen breathe,
the water they drink — they even cook it into their food. Aside from the obvious health
benefits, it turns their irises and sclera a glowing shade of blue.
When the film ends, Paul tells his mother that his path goes through the desert. If
that path is long enough, he's going to wind up with blue eyes — just like in his vision.
After the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit pays a visit to Paul on Caladan with a very
nasty present, she makes an off-hand comment to Jessica that "a path has been cleared"
for them through Arrakis. In hindsight, this might seem like the height of sarcasm, since
we know the Reverend Mother was simultaneously conspiring with the Harkonnens to murder most
of House Atreides.
It's actually a more important line than you might think, as it provides the connective
tissue between a few more strange and disparate occurrences throughout the film. Consider
Shadout Mapes' religious fervor after presenting Jessica with the crysknife during what is
ostensibly her interview to become a maid; Liet Kynes' and Stilgar's suspicion that Jessica
and Paul satisfy some kind of prophecy, and that Paul might be the Fremen messiah; and
Stilgar's use of the term "sayyadina," which he applies to Jessica after seeing her Bene
Gesserit skills.
All of these events are part of the "path" that the Bene Gesserit cleared for Jessica
and Paul. A Bene Gesserit initiative known as the Missionaria Protectiva seeds primitive
cultures with Bene Gesserit rituals so that if a sister in trouble stumbles upon them,
she might be able to con her way into being revered as a holy woman. The Missionaria Protectiva
touched the Fremen, which is why they consider a "weirding woman" like Jessica to be some
kind of anointed priestess. Jessica knows the right words to say to set Shadout Mapes
wailing, because Shadout Mapes' entire faith is largely a construct of the Bene Gesserit.
It may seem a cruel tactic, but the Fremen are about to turn this con job on the Bene
Gesserit in a big way, so stay tuned. "Dune Part II" can't come soon enough.
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