Whether it's the devilish new characters, cryptic answers to ancient prophecies,
or giant worms, the trailer for Dune: Part Two is full of details that you might've missed.
It can be argued that the parent-child relationship between Lady Jessica and Paul may be
one of the most dynamic in science-fiction. Dune author Frank Herbert's characterization of Lady
Jessica is nuanced, with her motives to conceive Paul being her desperate love of Duke Leto
Atreides and her personal desire to bring about the Kwisatz Haderach — the universe's super being.
But as close as she and Paul are in the first film, the cracks begin to show when Paul realizes
how his Bene Gesserit lineage has affected him. He still has a long way to go before achieving
his destiny, but the closer he gets, the more it pushes him away from those who can understand him.
Though Paul seems to believe that he must cling to his father's principles,
he's already slipping. His visions have shown him that he will start a intergalactic holy war,
and with Duke Leto not believing in revenge, it's fair to say he wouldn't approve of the
genocide that Paul is seemingly destined to cause. This brings Paul inner turmoil
as he doesn't want to be capable of these unspeakable acts — but Jessica continues
to push him, all while he starts pulling away from her influence.
"We gave them something to hope for."
"That's not hope!"
In the Dune: Part Two trailer, we see Lady Jessica gasping for air and opening her eyes,
now the vibrant blue of the Fremen. This color change usually indicates prolonged
exposure to Spice — an addictive psychoactive substance found only on the planet Arrakis,
considered the most valuable substance in the universe. However,
the blood crusting Jessica's nose hints at a very specific source for her blue eyes.
It's likely that this scene is part of a "spice agony" — a ritual in which members of the Bene
Gesserit voluntarily ingest a poison known as the Water of Life — liquid harvested from
sandworms that die from drowning. Although the Water of Life is fatal even in small quantities,
high-ranking members of the sisterhood are able to transform the substance into
a benign liquid with their mental powers. This incredibly painful transformation unlocks a new
level of power within those who survive, transforming them into a Reverend Mother.
There's even a possible glimpse of the Water of Life a few seconds earlier in the trailer,
held in a glass vial by a cloaked figure. Jessica's spice agony will probably play
a major part in her story throughout Dune: Part Two, and this is most likely our first glimpse.
Princess Irulan is the eldest daughter of the emperor of the known universe.
But more importantly, anyone familiar with the Dune saga will also be familiar
with Irulan's work as a historian, with Herbert beginning a significant
number of chapters with an epigraph from Irulan's professional writings.
Typically, the passage will frame a notable historical event as it officially happened,
and then the subsequent chapter will depict that same event as it actually happened. In this way,
Irulan remains a consistent, prevalent force in Dune without really being present for all of
the events of the story, not even physically appearing in the first book until the end.
While the Warner Bros. film mirrors this by having Florence Pugh's princess making her
debut in Dune Part Two, it also seems that her role has been expanded upon.
The Irulan in the first book did as she was told and nothing more — a passive participant
in her own life — though what she does later in the series is another story entirely. However,
the movie version of Irulan seems to be actively asking questions and seeking
answers. We can guess that director Denis Villeneuve is planning to tie Irulan more
closely into the main plot, or he might be setting her up for future story arcs.
Either way, it's safe to say that no one in their right
mind would cast Pugh in this part and not let her explore the space.
The longest section of the Dune: Part Two trailer teases Paul's first ride on
a sandworm. He places a thumper in the sand and readies for the
massive creature's arrival. Over the montage, we can hear Zendaya's Chani:
"Have you ever had a dream about your first ride?"
This question is likely more somber than it initially seems. In the novel,
by the time Paul experiences his first sandworm ride, he's had many visions of the future,
and they're not all hopeful. In this scene, Chani is asking if he's foreseen how his
first ride will go, and whether or not he will survive. Paul is a bit nervous to ride the worm,
and he knows that he's much older than most Fremen when they do so for the first time. Also,
the continued trailer dialogue by Javier Bardem's Stilgar,
advising Paul how to ride Shai-Hulud, is also pulled — nearly word for word — out of the book.
The Dune: Part Two trailer shows us Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen — played by Austin Butler — in all
his bald, treacherous glory. The great foil to Paul Atreides in the Dune novel,
Feyd is the nephew and intended successor of Baron
Vladimir Harkonnen — played on screen in Dune: Part One by Stellan Skarsgård.
Feyd bears the same drab, reptilian look as the rest of his vicious family, with most
of his moments in the trailer shot in complete black-and-white. We see him participating in the
gladiatorial arenas on Giedi Prime — the Harkonnen homeworld glimpsed briefly in the first film. We
also see an interaction with the Bene Gesserit, Lady Margot Fenring — played by Léa Seydoux.
Finally, we see what appears to be a shot of Feyd facing off against Paul,
with Paul uttering the famous Fremen challenge,
"May thy knife chip and shatter."
We won't spoil it here, but if you've already read the book,
you know exactly what this moment leads to.
The trailer gives audience members their very first glimpse at Lady Margot. Though
she becomes a major character later in the Dune book series, it seems her part
in Villeneuve's film may have been expanded from her original role in the first novel.
Margot is a member of the Bene Gesserit — the powerful matriarchal order who are partially
responsible for the destruction of House Atreides on Arrakis. They've spent centuries orchestrating
a selective breeding program to cross bloodlines of the universe's noble houses, and hope to
mate Margot with Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. This will give the secret organization a leg up,
as they'll have a member of House Harkonnen fully in their control,
doubling the amount of power in their possession.
Book fans know that Margot's fate and Paul's are closely intertwined,
and that ultimately Paul's rise will precipitate Margot's fall. But, of course, this adaptation
of Dune might switch things around a bit. For now, it's clear that Margot is here to stay.
House Harkonnen has been a shadow on House Atreides from the opening moments of Dune:
Part One, but if you thought the Baron was bad, just wait for Feyd. Villeneuve told Vanity Fair,
"Austin Butler brought to the screen something that would be a cross between a psychotic,
sociopath serial killer and Mick Jagger."
This features briefly in the trailer as Feyd duels in an arena,
observed by Lady Margot. As we've said, the connection between the noble psychopath and
the Bene Gesserit is significant. Established in the first film, the Bene Gesserit are intent
on bringing about the Kwisatz Haderach through centuries of meticulous breeding.
"You were told to bear only daughters. But you,
and your pride, thought you could produce the Kwisatz Haderach."
Had Jessica given birth to a girl, as was originally planned, the child would have
eventually wed Feyd in a political marriage, with their offspring likely being the Kwisatz
Haderach. Now Paul is rising as the messiah of Arrakis, cutting out the Harkonnens completely.
But the Bene Gesserit don't appear to be giving up on the Harkonnens quite yet.
The planet of Arrakis is foreboding and hostile, even for those who possess the
technology to travel among the stars. The desert planet requires specialized skills
and knowledge for someone to be able to survive. Although the planetary colonists of ruling noble
houses struggle to cultivate Spice, the Fremen — Arrakis' indigenous population — are well adapted,
utilizing several novel technologies that allow their people to flourish.
"Thank you for the stillsuits."
"They are of Fremen make. The best."
Among their most notable items are Maker Hooks — featured prominently throughout the Dune:
Part Two trailer. These hooks allow the Fremen to mount and steer the giant sandworms,
and even though Paul is told not to show off during his first ride attempt,
he's clearly quite good at it. Maker Hooks are important within Fremen culture because riding
a sandworm is a rite of passage into adulthood. Fremen are able to use Maker Hooks to steer a
sandworm by hooking into gaps in the sandworm's plating, forcing the creatures to instinctively
move in the opposite direction. Even though it looks like Paul is having fun in the Dune:
Part Two trailer, this action means much more than possessing a skill in the eyes of the Fremen.
Dune: Part Two will feature many characters on the hunt for Paul Atreides. As Princess
Irulan's voiceover questions his fate after the Harkonnen attack,
we get a glimpse of Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck looking through a pair of binoculars. The editors
have snuck in some clever imagery here, since much of Gurney's story in the sequel
will revolve around finding Paul and getting revenge on someone he thought he could trust.
Even before the Harkonnen attack, Duke Leto knew there was a traitor embedded in House Atreides.
In the novel, he even momentarily believed Jessica could be the culprit — given her status as a Bene
Gesserit — and Gurney is likewise suspicious. Although audiences know Chang Chen's Dr. Yueh
was the traitor, Gurney hasn't learned that information, and has continued to believe that
Lady Jessica aided the Harkonnens. When we pick up with him in Dune: Part Two, he's one of the
few survivors of the original attack, searching Arrakis for Paul, and vowing revenge on Jessica.
While Gurney didn't have much to do in Dune:
Part One, he still plays a significant role as one of Paul's major allies.
Once the door to Paul's potential opens, it cannot be closed. His visions start simply at first,
with nightly dreams of Chani, whom he has yet to meet. But more and more, his mind opens thanks
to the Spice, and soon he knows many things that he wishes he didn't. As his destiny is revealed,
so is his mother's fate. Before Jessica even confirms that she's pregnant in Dune:
Part One, Paul tells her of the baby she will have. In his mind,
he sees Jessica's blue-within-blue eyes and her future facial tattoos. Though
we can't definitively say what the tattoos mean, we can give a pretty accurate guess. Jessica
has built her life around the Bene Gesserit and fulfilling the prophecy of the Kwisatz Haderach.
"A mind — powerful enough to bridge space and time."
Villeneuve told Vanity Fair,
"Lady Jessica is one of the masterminds of Dune. She's trying to play her own
agenda. The meaning of that look would be unveiled in Part Two."
It seems just as Paul comes to terms with his place in the universe, so too does Jessica.
There are many mysterious forces in play throughout the galaxy depicted in Dune.
Paul is the product of a long line of genetic manipulation for the express purpose of creating
a superhuman capable of leading humanity into a universal golden age. This Bene Gesserit breeding
program cultivates each successive generation to possess greater acumen with their mental powers.
One of the most notable powers is known as "The Voice." This
skill is prominently seen — and heard — in Dune:
Part One when Jessica and Paul escape their assassination attempt during the Harkonnen coup.
"Remove her gag."
The power essentially allows its practitioners to mentally dominate most individuals. In the
final moments of the Dune: Part Two trailer, Paul is addressing an assembly of Fremen.
Although the music swells, one can hear some hint of The Voice's distinct auditory cue,
maybe implying that Paul uses The Voice to rally the Fremen to his cause.