Dune is a fascinating movie because it goes
beyond its characters to develop a vast and complex society where interrelated factions fight
for power. Power in Dune mostly falls under three classes. These factions operate in a world where
technology is limited. AI is banned in Dune so humans evolved to unlock superhuman abilities.
And all three factions utilize these abilities to accumulate power and influence through
monopolies. The political class is divided into multiple tiers of influence
. At the top of
the chain is the Emperor of the known universe. Below the emperor are royal houses. Great Houses
own planets, raise armies, control local economies and culture. Great Houses convene and sit in the
Landsraad. Akin to the U.S Congress, the Landsraad serves as a check and balance on the powers of
the Emperor. The story of Dune mainly focuses on two Great Houses. House Atreides led by Duke Leto
Atreides who rules over the water Planet Caladan. And House Harkonnen. The Harkonnens
rule over
the ultra-industrialized planet Giedi Prime and control the desert planet Arrakis - also known
as Dune. Dune has the Monopoly on the production of spice melange which is the most valuable
substance in the universe. Spice is used as a narcotic to expand the mind and is vital to
travel in space. The Spacing Guild controls all space travel. They belong to the Corporate Class.
Their monopoly on space travel has made them so rich that high-ranking members of the Spacing
Guild live in
tanks filled with spice melange. This grants them superhuman abilities like seeing
in the future but it also disfigured them to the point of no return. Also in the corporate class
is the CHOAM Company. They have a monopoly on all matters of trade. So the Political Class is
reliant on the Spacing Guild for travelling and on the CHOA company for trading. This brings
us to the Religious and Ideological Class. The Bene Gesserits are a very influential religious
sisterhood. They train their min
ds and bodies to influence and control others. And they
can control their reproductive system which is essential to their cause. That's because the
Bene Gesserits achieve power through a secretive breeding program aimed at controlling the family
trees of Great Houses to breed a superhuman man called the Kwisatz Haderach. Duke Leto has a Bene
Gesserit concubine, Lady Jessica. Even the Emperor married a Bene Gesserit. In addition, the Bene
Gesserit sow the seed of superstition and cultures ac
ross the universe so the Sisterhood could
take advantage of them if needed. This is called the Missionaria Protectiva. So many in the Dune
universe called the Bene Gesserits witches and are rightfully suspicious of their influence. Mentats,
for example, often distrust the sisterhood. Much like the Bene Gesserits, Mentats also trained
their minds to achieve superhuman abilities. In a world where computers are banned, Mentats
calculate probabilities and assess risks. That's why they are recru
ited by Great Houses to advise
their next strategic move. At the center of it all is our main character Paul Atreides. He is the
heir of Duke Leto Atreides who rules over Caladan. Paul's mother, Lady Jessica, is a Bene Gesserit.
House Atreides is advised by the Mentat Thufer. The Emperor believes that House Atreides
represents a direct political threat to his power because of Leto's popularity and influence
in the Landsraad. At the beginning of the movie, the Emperor lures House Atreides in
to a complex
trap to suppress Leto's influence for good; all the while remaining above all suspicions.
The Harkonnens are complicit. The Emperor asks House Atreides to take control of Arrakis in
place of the Harkonnens and puts them in charge of the spice melange production. The Atreides
know this is a trap but they cannot back down. When they get there, they realize that the
Harkonnens sabotaged harvesting equipment to impede their ability to produce spice. This
affects the good standing
of House Atreides with the Spacing Guild, the CHOAM company, the
Landsraad, and others who use spice. Eventually, the Atreides come under attack and Leto
is killed. But Paul and Jessica manage to escape. Parallel to this political plot is a
religious storyline. Prior to the events of Dune, Lady Jessica was ordered by the Bene Gesserit to
give birth to a daughter as part of their breeding program. But Jessica disobeyed and gave birth
to Paul to please Leto. This messes up the Bene Gesserit p
rogram. Jessica trained Paul in the Bene
Gesserit way so the sisterhood must submit Paul to the Gom Jabbar test to determine if his awareness
is stronger than his instincts. If he fails, they'll kill him. But Paul survives so maybe he
is the Kwizat Hadarak after all. When they land on Arrakis, the locals call Paul Lisan Al Gaib.
They think he is the prophet mentioned in Fremen legends. But Jessica knows the Bene Gesserits
manufacture that legend. At the end of the movie, Jessica and Paul es
cape to the desert after the
Atreides come under attack. And they joined the Fremen. So in the next movie, we're likely to
see them explore their religious training and take advantage of manufactured superstitions
to lead the Fremen and avenge Leto's death.
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