[Dune] – Simplified summary of Dune Series – Great Spoiler Alert

Great Spoiler Alert

 

Dune Part 1 and Dune Part 2 cinematic series somewhat distort the whole message of the Dune novel series because these two combined only consist of the first novel among the six novels that were originally written by Frank Herbert.

Although there are much more details and themes to dive in to understand the whole dune series, below are great facts and spoilers required to understand the main thesis of the Dune series which will awe viewers. This is an oversimplified version.

 

 

Paul Atreides’s struggle between his free will to deny his destiny, Kwisatz Haderach

Dune Part 1 and Dune Part 2 successively depicts how Paul Maud’Dib Usul Atreides struggles against his destiny as Kwisatz Haderach. Before Paul takes the Water of Life, he could only see fragments of the future.

Like the amtal with Jamis which was a ritual combat where only one Fedaykin survives, Paul Atreides foresees Jamis as a good friend of his, but he must have to kill Jamis by the amtal ritual. Paul believes and constantly struggles to alter the future. Ironically, he already knows that if he gains control as Kwisatz Haderach, he will only lead to horror.

 

 

Gurney Halleck : The Prophet. Why is that a bad thing? Use it.

Paul Atreides : Because all my visions lead to horror.

Gurney Halleck : Because you lose control.

Paul Atreides : No, Because I GAIN IT.

 

However, despite the conceptual conflicts he has, Paul Atreides is willing to and thinks he could control his fate as Kwisatz Haderach. He was forced and willingly by his free will, to accept his destiny to control it by his free will.

 

 

 

Paul Muad ‘Dib Usul Atreides a failed savior, a failed messiah

Paul Atreides after the battle of Arrakeen, fails to stop the Fremen Jihad under his and the name of House Atreides. The Muad’Dib Jihad will kill billions of people and cause a intergalactic horror. Paul starts terraforming Arrakis as well which only left a small desert enough for some sand worms to survive for spice production.

The sand worm’s ecology was the main cause on both why Arrakis was such a harsh environment but why it couldn’t be terraformed as it produces oxygen and water played controversial roles in the sand trout (larvae of sandworms)-sand worm morphosis.

 

 

Paul accepts his fate as the Madhi, Lisan Al’Gaib to take revenge on House Harkonnen and save the Fremen knowing that it would lead to a Jiahd killing billions. However, Paul already witnesses the future and struggles to face even vicious, dreaded destiny to lead humanity to a Golden Path and prosperity.

He foresees assassination attempts but hopes that he is killed so he wouldn’t have to face such brutal destiny but attempts still fail and Paul only becomes blinded. Despite Paul losing his sight, his supernatural prescience abilities allow him to live as if his visions were sound and clear.

 

 

Paul visions Chani’s death as well but he couldn’t stop her death, but he surprisingly finds out that Chani held his children which he never foresaw. Both his children Ghanima Atreides and Leto Atreides Ⅱ  were born without harm and Paul believes he loses his prescience as he couldn’t vision this event.

He offers himself to Shai Hulud like the Fremen tradition. However, he survives and becomes the Preacher of Arrakis that sermonized the tyranny of the Atreides Empire and denied his whole legacy.

 

 

He later meets with Leto  Atreides Ⅱ warning the inhumane path as Kwisatz Haderach, the lonely struggles he shall have to face and the lethargy of one’s free will. He confesses to his son Leto Ⅱ Atreides that he only accepted his fate for his family, the Fremen people not as some sort of savior.

Paul Atreides also confesses that after his choice, despite knowing the future he couldn’t even stay with his lover Chani, helplessly had to lose her, murder billions of people, lose his sister, and face relentless hopeless fate.

 

 

The only joyful life Paul Maud’Dib Usul Atreides had was during his youth on Caladan. He struggled against his fate and miserably fails in both to resist fate as Kwisatz Haderach nor to pursue his destiny as Kwisatz Haderach.

Like the Starwars prequel series, where Anakin Skywalker was believed to bring balance to the force. (Which some say he did bring balance to the force, but not peace to the Galactic Republic)

 

 

 

Alia Atreides’s tyranny and tragic fate

Alia Atreides was a pre-born which meant she was affected by the Water of Life before birth. Alia Atreides could conversate, foresee through the past, present and future even before birth and before she could establish a personality or receive any training of the cognitive mind.

The Bene Gesserit has feared pre-borns as even those who have endured harsh training couldn’t even survive the agony of the Life of Water but those who possessed such great power before their birth would be possessed by the memories of their ancestors.

 

 

The Bene Gesserit called those who were possessed ‘Abominations’. As Lady Jessica was the hidden daughter of Vladimir Harkonnen by the plot of the Bene Gesserit, Vladimir Harkonnen’s strong desire of the throne and his memories take over Alia Atreides and she becomes an abomination.

 

 

After Paul Atreides designates Alia Atreides as regent, she becomes a vicious tyrant and crown herself as Mahdinate which derived from the Fremen messiah Madhi to consolidate her authority and power in both politics and religions.

After Leto Atreides Ⅱ  returns from Arrakis, she eventually commits suicide before Vladimir Harkonnen takes an even deeper possession of herself.

 

 

Birth of Leto Atreides Ⅱ  and Ghanima Atreides, children of Paul Atreides and Chani Kynes the, pre-born

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  and Ghanima Atreides were also a pre-born. As Paul Atreides couldn’t vision the birth of his children, this led to the fact that if a person possesses even a glimpse of prescience ability, even the Kwisatz Haderach couldn’t foresee such individual’s intervention of the future.

 

 

For example, Paul couldn’t foresee events of his assassination due to those who held prescience abilities before. Paul realizes this by the birth of his children. Like Alia Atreides, these two would have faced the terrors of becoming an abomination but consequently the memories of Alia Atreides being possessed Vladimir Harkonnen could prevent the twins from becoming an abomination.

In other words, Alia Atreides’s failure and tragedy being possess by Vladimir Harkonnen was also an inevitable fate.\

 

 

Leto Atreides Ⅱ reigns as the God Emperor

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  becomes the emperor of the Atreides Empire. Leto Ⅱ Atreides discovers the Golden Path and unlike Paul, he accepts that fatal path.

He converges himself with a sand trout through ritual and becomes a superbeing that never existed before. He was named the Worm, Worm God, the Old Worm, Desert Demon but he was most known as the God-Emperor.  

 

 

The convergence with the worm gave him long life and superior prescience abilities and other abilities would enhance as well. As the God-Emperor’s sister Ghanim Atreides accepted Farad’n Corrino as her husband, both the Sardaukar and the Fremen were under his command.

After Ghanim’s death, he creates the Fish Speakers which was a military force that consisted only of women with deadly military strength.

 

 

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  thought that men had their own ambitions but he still needed fanatic military for his reign and his purpose, the Golden Path.

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  reigns as the God Emperor for over 3,500 years. He manipulates breeding programs, and all planets were strictly restricted from activities and had to rely on the God-Emperor’s administration.

 

 

Death of Leto Atreides Ⅱ  and Famine Times

As Arrakis had a smaller desert, and Paul Atreides strictly controlled spice control, Leto Atreides Ⅱ  even held a stricter control on spice production. No planet could commence space travel and God-Emperor Leto Ⅱ Atreides’s superior military and political power forced all planets to depend on governance by Leto Atreides Ⅱ .

 

 

As Leto Atreides Ⅱ  gave himself away to the dessert of Arrakis, the whole galaxy is now in panic and struggles for survival as the Atreides Empire which held all control as well as controls of supplies suddenly collapsed. Numerous people would die during the Famine Times.

Ironically, Leto Atreides Ⅱ  may have been a dictator and a tyrant but his death led to an even tragic intergalactic horror.

 

 

"I will die four deaths - the death of the flesh, the death of the soul, the death of the myth, and the death of reason. And all of these deaths contain the seeds of resurrection."

 

Leto Atreides Ⅱ

 

 

The Scattering, the real meaning of the Golden path and the Kwsiatz Haderach

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  dies on Arrakis and releases sand trouts again on the terraformed Arrakis. Spice production is now not in control of a certain organization and even artificial spice was discovered later on.

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  actually also foresaw the Great Famine times and by the breeding projects, he secretly spread out prescience abilities throughout the whole galaxy.

 

 

The Spacing Guild didn’t monopolize space travel and no individual could have superior prescience abilities as all humanity had prescience abilities imbedded.

Those who have survived the Famine Times would spread out to the even furthest parts of the galaxy.

Overall, another deaths of trillions and billions and his own death was also part of the Leto Atreides ’s plan.

 

 

The Golden Path didn’t necessarily mean the unconditional guidance by the messiah or savior but humanity overcoming struggles of life, the absence of monarch control, the inevitable cycle of destruction-resurrection, release from stagnated and continued peace.  

Leto Atreides Ⅱ  chose the path as a tyrant that will kill trillions but lead to the Golden Path of the prosperity of Quadrillions.(This is not numerical but metaphorical)  

 

 

Overall Message of Dune

Dune is never the process of a savior nor the results of the triumph of a messiah. It conversely suggests that we must be wanred of such charismatic figures.

Frank Herbert interviewed that “I wrote the Dune series because I had this idea that charismatic leaders ought to come with a warning label on their forehead: "May be dangerous to your health." One of the most dangerous presidents we had in this century was John Kennedy because people said "Yes Sir Mr. Charismatic Leader what do we do next?" and we wound up in Vietnam. And I think probably the most valuable president of this century was Richard Nixon. Because he taught us to distrust government and he did it by example.”

 

 

It shows that power whether focused on an individual or a group, could lead people to grace and good, but it could also oppress people and destroy. Frank Herbert believed in the potential of human. He also highlighted that humans inevitably have to suffer from a destiny that humans cannot resist, however this suffering could also empower the human and awaken their potential.