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Dune (franchise)

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Dune is an expansive American science fiction media franchise. It began with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. This book is often cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. It earned prestigious honors, including the Hugo Award in 1966.

Villeneuve's Dune, Emblem of House Atreides
Villeneuve's Dune, Emblem of House Atreides

The franchise has expanded into many different forms. These include films, television miniseries, tabletop games, and video games. Since 2009, astronomers have even used names from the novels to name features on Saturn's moon, Titan.

The stories take place in a distant future known as the Duniverse. This setting spans tens of thousands of years of human history. A defining feature of this era is the ban on "thinking machines." This prohibition includes computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. The ban arose from a massive conflict called the Butlerian Jihad. Because machines are forbidden, humans have developed advanced mental and physical disciplines.

Atreides guidon pennant
Atreides guidon pennant

These biological and mental technologies allow humanity to thrive without electronic computers.

The Butlerian Jihad was a pivotal historical event in the series. It occurred over 10,000 years before the main story begins. In the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy, this was a war between humans and sentient machines. These machines, including an AI named Omnius, once enslaved humanity for 900 years. The Jihad was a crusade that eventually led to human victory. This technological reversal led to the creation of the Orange Catholic Bible. It also established a new feudal interstellar empire called the Imperium.

Central to the entire universe is the desert planet Arrakis. The native population calls the planet "Dune." Arrakis is a harsh environment with almost no precipitation. It is the only known source of a substance called melange, or "the spice." Melange is vital to the Imperium because it enables interstellar travel. Humans ingest the spice to perform complex mental computations.

Harkonnen Griffin
Harkonnen Griffin

Specifically, Spacing Guild pilots use melange to achieve prescience. This allows them to navigate "folded space" to travel between stars.

Power in the Imperium is held by several competing factions. The Padishah Emperors of House Corrino rule the known universe. They maintain control through the Sardaukar, a highly efficient military force.

Corrino Lion
Corrino Lion

The Landsraad is an assembly of noble houses that balances imperial power. These houses compete for wealth through the CHOAM company. The Spacing Guild holds a monopoly on banking and space travel. Additionally, the Bene Gesserit is a matriarchal group with superhuman abilities. They use secret breeding programs to influence human evolution.

Humanity has developed unique roles to replace lost machine functions. Mentats are "human computers" trained in intense logical analysis. They can perform complex calculations that surpass ancient machines. Other groups, like the Ixians, create advanced technology that skirts the edges of the machine ban. The Bene Tleilax are merchants who deal in biological engineering and gholas. These specialized groups create a complex social and political web. This web drives the conflicts seen throughout the various books and films.

Atreides guidon pennant
Atreides guidon pennant

The saga follows many generations of history. Frank Herbert wrote the original series, which includes books like Dune Messiah and God Emperor of Dune. After his death in 1986, his son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson expanded the universe. They published prequel trilogies and sequels based on Frank Herbert's notes. As of 2024, there are 23 published books in the Dune universe. The franchise continues to grow through new film adaptations and media.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Corrino Lion.svg
Corrino Lion.svg
File:Atreides guidon pennant.svg
Atreides guidon pennant.svg
File:Villeneuve's Dune, Emblem of House Atreides.svg
Villeneuve's Dune, Emblem of House Atreides.svg
File:Harkonnen Griffin.svg
Harkonnen Griffin.svg
File:Dune-CardGameCover.jpg
Dune-CardGameCover.jpg
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