Frank Herbert’s universe of Dune places the reader in an interstellar society set some
20,000 years into mankind's future. The economic affairs of this society are for the most part
driven and controlled by a corporation called the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles or
CHOAM for short. In this video I’d like to talk about the history of this massive corporation,
how it is organized and the role CHOAM plays in the universe of Dune
as detailed in Frank Herbert’s works, the Dune Encyclopedia and the expanded universe novels.
After the events of the Butlerian Jihad, a war which saw the universal banishment of thinking
machines, mankind's once robust infrastructure to support interstellar trade crumbled.
With the banishment of these machines, travel between star systems became slow and expensive.
Therefore, in the aftermath of the Jihad the universal economy mostly consisted of
smaller expensive items and luxury goods. With the introduction of the Spacing Guild Navigators and
their ability to ensure safe and rapid FTL travel, came the possibility of a rebirth of extensive
trading similar to what had been in place before the machine war. The emperor of the time organized
a conference between the representatives of the Spacing Guild, the members of the houses
of the Landsraad and the imperial House itself in order to make this possibility a reality.
However due to the conflicting interests of the power hungry Great Houses and the Spacing Guild,
the progress toward the establishment of a mutually beneficial system of trade
came to a standstill. This assembly of powers never fully broke up,
in part due to the fact that the Spacing Guild was reliant on the
demand for interstellar trade in order to ensure their survival. Eventually,
when it appeared that these negotiations were reaching their breaking point, the emperor called
the delegates into full session and presented to them the plan for the formation of CHOAM.
CHOAM would be established through the creation of a development corporation
which would effectively hold a monopoly on interstellar trade and transport.
1% of the gross profits from this trade would then be placed into a fund to be used for the
advancement of existing infrastructure or the development of new markets. Any funds left over
would then be distributed to the members of CHOAM proportional to their held shares. Initially this
arrangement saw a restriction of only 20% of the shares to be held by the imperial house.
This would serve to keep the standing Emperor in check, while also dissuading any of the Greater
Houses from overthrowing the Emperor in a play to gain control of the corporation. Although
the percentage controlled by the Imperial House grew over time, the emperor and his supporters
never controlled more than 60% of the vote, and the emperor himself never held more than 40.
The structure of CHOAM is similar to that of a publicly-traded corporation consisting
of shareholders. With major shareholders holding directorships and serving on the
board of directors. The shareholders of CHOAM are made up of nobles from the Imperial, Great and
Minor houses of the Landsraad. The corporation's management and board of directors are controlled
by the Padishah Emperor and the Landsraad. However, the Spacing Guild and the sisterhood
of the Bene Gesserit are also able to influence the management of CHOAM, operating primarily
as silent partners. The Great Houses generally each hold directorships in the company and the
Emperor holds the power of granting and revoking directorships as he desires. As he sees fit.
The shares in the CHOAM company were based on the measurement of a government’s trade over the
past decade. Notably, it was outlined that once a government achieved membership status within the
company, it was always guaranteed the profits from at least one share. This meant that even
though shares would be periodically redistributed on the basis of trade done the participants would
each be able to profit from off-world trading even if they could no longer qualify to participate.
This stipulation was especially compelling for the governments in systems and on planets whose
trade consisted of finite resources. The rate of change in shares was also limited to 10%
or less in order to maintain a level of political and economic balance
after each redistribution cycle. This provision ultimately allowed certain
minor houses with an entrepreneurial spirit to be able to reach the level of the Great Houses.
Due to its monopoly, at the time of the events of Dune,
CHOAM was the largest single source of wealth in the Empire and because of this, the growth
and protection of one’s influence within the corporation is viewed as a central goal to many
of the great powers of the universe serving as the basis for much political maneuvering.
CHOAM directors are able to vote with the power of their own shares in the meetings of the board
as well as those of any house which granted them a proxy. This was one of the reasons
Duke Leto’s rising popularity was seen as a threat to the Emperor Shaddam IV in the events of Frank
Herbert’s first book. As Leto’s popularity as a ruler grew, it became an inevitability
that the balance in power on the CHOAM board of directors would shift in House Atreides favor.
CHOAM is involved in the transport of almost all products and cargo that the Guild is willing to
carry, including art, machinery, livestock and other goods. The commodity that is responsible
for the majority of the profits is of course the precious Spice Melange, found and harvested
only on Arrakis. Many of the Houses of the Landsraad have come to depend on CHOAM profits
and as such, each member has an interest in the continued production and export of the drug.
CHOAM directorships stand as a true measure of political power within the Imperium,
being essential for any who wished to accumulate significant wealth.
CHOAM proved to be quite resilient throughout the tumultuous events of the Dune Saga. When House
Corrino was defeated by the Atreides, because of the change in rate regulations, the management
of CHOAM was not immediately altered aside from the transfer of the shares once controlled by
House Corrino to the new emperor Paul Atreides. It wasn’t until the rulership of the God Emperor
Leto Atreides II, that much like every other organization in existence during his tyrannical
reign, CHOAM began to experience a sharp decline in influence and power. Interestingly however,
the corporation managed to survive in the regions of the Old Imperium throughout the Scattering
and stayed in operation in the events leading up to and during the Return of the Honored Matres.
In many ways, the activity of CHOAM has been likened to that of the real world Dutch East
India Company in the 18th Century as it is heavily involved in colonizing, controlling,
exploring and mining frontier worlds to enrich Great Houses and expand the reach of the Empire.
It has also been likened to OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
which in part strives to regulate and control the supply and stability of the petroleum industry.
With the reliance on spice being used as an allegory for mankind’s current reliance on oil,
Frank Herbert uses CHOAM to emphasize just how dependent every aspect of society has become
on this one precious commodity. This dependency serves as the backbone for some key themes and
warnings in the Dune Saga and like all excellent works of fiction, engages the reader on a cerebral
level to consider the real world consequences that come from fostering such a dependency.
But I’m curious to know what you think about CHOAM. Do you see any notable similarities
between this company and real world organizations? What message do you think the author was trying
to convey in the role CHOAM plays in the Dune universe? Let me know your thoughts
in the comments section below. I hope you enjoyed this video. Leave a like if you
did and be sure to subscribe for more Dune and other sci-fi and fantasy news and lore.
Thank you all so much for your support and as always have a very nerdy day.