To attempt an understanding of Muad'Dib without understanding his mortal enemies, the Harkonnens,
is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood.
It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness.
It cannot be.
Another attempt to adapt the incredibly complex novel of Dune is on its way this December.
In anticipation of its release I’ve been exploring the rich and complicated characters
that make up Frank Herbert’s Dune.
This is a story long considered to be one of the best in science fiction dealing with
concepts such as politics, religion, and ecology spanning far into mankind’s future.
It’s a complex universe to be sure but at its heart are some of the most simple yet
profound stories that are usually at the core of any epic tale.
It’s also a story about love and family, honor and duty, and yes good ol fashioned
good vs. evil.
We’ve already examined several of the members of House Atreides but to understand further
the main protagonists of this story we must also come to an understanding of their mortal
enemies.
In this video I’ll be examining the main antagonist of Dune, the villainous Baron Vladimir
Harkonen as well as what we can expect to see from him in this new film adaptation.
The universe of Dune in itself is very complex so I’m going to try to stick details relevant
to the Harkonens and what we can expect to see from Vladimir himself in this newest film
adaptation of Dune.
A movie that itself covers roughly half of the book.
First off, the Baron Vladimir Harkonen is described physically as being incredibly obese
so much so that he has what are called “suspensors” strapped to his body to support his weight,
keeping him levitated so he can get around.
The reason for his appearance is revealed in the prequel trilogy that Frank Herbert’s
son Brian wrote.
It explains that in an act of revenge a member of the Bene Gesserit poisoned him with a disease
that transformed his body into what it is now.
And to keep this secret he changed his eating habits as a way to explain his appearance.
I’m not sure how I feel about that creative choice.
For me it always seemed that Frank Herbert wrote the Baron to where his outward appearance
reflected how grotesque he is on the inside.
He is perverse and gluttonous towards physical pleasures and gaining power.
These are ugly qualities that seemed fitting to his appearance.
He has a very slimey demeanor about him as well, his dialogue is,often sickeningly nice
, at times even flowery but at the drop of a hat he can turn up the cruel and menacing
factor…(I wish there a word for that like nicey meany) Vladimir is sadistic and treacherous
person.
His hobbies include manipulation, torture and exploitation as a means to further his
own interests.
One who is a cohort of the Baron has to make sure they remain useful.
Everyone is disposable to him.
All in all he is truly a repugnant person.
To provide a brief history of House Harkonen itself.
Their homeworld is Geidi Prime, a heavily industrialized planet that has become basically
one giant factory.
The Harkonens ambition and cruel methods used in achieving their goals are the trademark
of their regime.
The Harkonens started out as a lowly House having very little influence in political
decisions.
But they eventually rose to power as a Great House after gaining influence through obtaining
enormous wealth as a result of their shady business dealings and underhanded political
maneuverings.
Tactics such as these led them to eventually being granted the stewardship over Arrakis
and harvesting the Spice that is found there.
Spice is the key to all infrastructure in this universe.
It is necessary for space navigation, the powerful religious organization known as the
Bene Gesserit uses it to enhance their mental and physical abilities, it also has healing
properties that can extend one’s lifespan even, and on top of all that it is highly
addictive.
So as you can imagine there is a very high demand for this substance and even though
the ruling House does have to pay a tithe to the Emperor, the potential profits can
still be quite lucrative.
But enough is never enough for the Harkonens.
Before the events of Dune take place, this evil House had already occupied Arrakis for
80 years overseeing its spice distribution, however to obtain even more wealth for themselves
they paid the local workers they hired to harvest the spice next to nothing and didn’t
even bother with paying to maintain their operating equipment.
During this time they were still able to pay their tithe to the Emperor while accumulating
a secret stockpile of their own supply of Spice.
The Baron is always thinking of a way to better his position and influence with his ultimate
goal of having his House rule the Empire itself.
But another goal that is almost of equal importance to the Baron is to bring to ruin House Atreides.
The story of Dune begins as the stewardship of Arrakis has been taken away from House
Harkonen and has been offered to the Atreides.
We learn that the Baron, while feigning disappointment over his failure on Arrakis, has been hard
at work conceiving a plan that will not only restore their previous position on Arrakis
but will also end the Atreides bloodline.
The Baron’s ambition is equal only to his hatred for the Atreides.
The Harkonen and Atreides rivalry actually goes back centuries.
It’s your basic Hatfield and Mccoys situation.
An Atreides once had a Harkonen banished thousands of years ago for cowardice at the Battle of
Corrin and it’s still bitterly remembered by the Harkonens.
These 2 Houses are also almost completely opposite in their way of governing and their
treatment of the populations under their care . The hatred and jealousy on the part of House
Harkannen towards the Atreides has continued to fester and build over the years.
This is the basis for the Baron’s enmity, who will stop at nothing to eliminate the
Duke and his son.
The threat to the Atreides is revealed at the very beginning of the story.
It turns out that the popularity and influence of Duke Leto has been growing among the Great
Houses.
And in the words of the Duke’s mentat, Thufir Hawat "A popular man arouses the jealousy
of the powerful.”
Yes the Emperor Shaddam the 4th of House Corrino is nervous that he could be supplanted by
the Duke.
The Baron is quick to take advantage of the Emperor’s fears and the two team up to lay
the trap for the Atreides downfall on Arrakis.
But the Emperor is in the dark regarding the Baron’s ultimate plan to take over the Empire
himself through force and through the marriage of his nephew Feyd-Rautha to the Emperor’s
Daughter Irrulon.
Plans within plans within plans.
The Baron is an ambitious architect of evil indeed.
Yes, the Baron is basically the embodiment of everything that Duke Leto Atreides isn’t.
We can learn a lot about the 2 leaders of these noble Houses by the company they keep.
The Duke inspires undying and unswerving loyalty from such admirable men as Duncan Idaho, Gurney
Halleck, and Thufir Hawat.
These characters are renowned for their skills and deep commitment to House Atriedes being
willing to die in service to the Duke and his family.
This is a wonderful reflection on Leto Atreides and his honorable qualities which have added
to his growing popularity.
I have released short videos on Duncan, Gurney and Thufir and I encourage you to check those
videos out for more details about them and I plan to release one on Duke Leto as well
so keep an eye out for that.
The Baron on the other hand would never have the issue of becoming too popular.
He has to resort to unseamly means to get what he wants.
His rule is marked by tyranny and exploitation and this is also a reflection in the people
we see that are closest to him.
The likes of the Baron could only ever attract the most ruthless and cutthroat companions,
like the sociopathic mentat Piter De Vries and his nephews the bloodthirsty “Beast
Rabban and the murderous narcissist Feyd-Rautha.
These men add a crucial element to aid in the Baron’s plans for galactic domination.
I’ll come out with more in depth videos on these other villians of House Atreides
soon but you probably get the idea.
Since you’d have to be a backstabber to rise in the ranks of House Harkonen you also
shouldn’t be surprised to be betrayed yourself by those closest to you, such is the life
of a Harkonen.
So we can expect to see plenty of plotting and betrayal from the Baron and from those
in his closest circle.
Baron Harkonnen has been portrayed previously by Kenneth McMillan in David Lynch's 1984
film Dune.
Ian McNeice in 2000 and 2003 in the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries.
And this time in Deni Villlneuve’s adaptation he will will be portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård
I’m really excited to see Stellan’s performance and what he will bring to this character.
I have enjoyed the previous portrayals of this villain though they really didn’t really
seem to have the appearance that I imagined when I read the book.
Neither of the previous actors really seemed to be such a massive size that would necessarily
require special help to get around.
And Stellan is not a large man so I am definitely curious as to what his Baron will look like
but more important than his appearance is that he’ll have to be the epitome of repulsiveness.
I really liked Stellan as Dr. Selvig from the Marvel movies I think it might be a little
weird to see him play such a gruesome villain.
I’ve also enjoyed Stellan’s recent interviews.
He seems to have such an appreciation for Frank Herbert’s book and the fact that the
studio was giving Deni the creative freedom to fulfill his vision of this film from the
images he saw when he read
the book.
His excitement for the film is contagious.
I can’t wait to see Deni Villneuve’s vision of Frank Herbert’s villainous creation.
I hope you enjoyed this video.
Leave a thumbs up if you did and if you’re feeling the excitement for Dune.
Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the character of Baron Vladimir Harkonen
and whether or not you’re excited for Stellans performance.
Thanks so much for your support and as always have a very nerdy day.