Project Text (Draft)

Vargas, Pedro

English 114B

Sean Pessin 

March 7, 2012

To be titled

                With millions of copies sold worldwide, Dune is a legendary science fiction saga that captivates the minds of readers. Its use of human nature along with its military and economic applications make such a distant future feel so close to the present. Ironically this book was written fifty years in the past demonstrating Dune’s timelessness. Frank Herbert wrote Dune in a time where the imagination of science fiction fans was out of this world because of the enormous technological boom caused by the Space Race. It was a time where many historical achievements took place and a time where different systems of hierarchy were rising. A hierarchy is like a class system that determines who is the ultimate source of power in a society and why. Power can be obtained through various methods depending on the customs and believes of the given society. A system might value wisdom and so in that case the ultimate source of power would be the wisest and more experience candidate.  In the case of Dune, the power is divided in to sections of different natures with different responsibilities. One can look at it as a dragon with multiple heads where each head represents a different branch and the dragon represents the power as a whole. One branch might be slightly more powerful than the other but they are ultimately a power beyond all else. This particular universe has its power divided in to politics, military, prestige, knowledge, and economics.  In order to determine who plays what role, how this power changes from one book in to the next, and how they are connected to one another it is necessary to observe every individual branch’s source of power.

The Political/Military Power

In the hierarchy of Dune, only one figure had ultimate control over the politics. This figure, ironically, didn’t show a face until the last chapters of Dune.  His power, however, resonated throughout the book as ultimate and absolute. This power belonged to the Padishah Emperor who had the ability to decide over any other political figure which included the Dukes or the Counts. He had the power to set rules over any planet and these rules were obeyed by all because nobody dared to challenge his power.  This power was obtained from different sources including the prison planet of Salusa Secundus.

                Power can be defined in many ways but one well known source of power is the military force. The Emperor knew this very well and so he used the horrible conditions of the planet Salusa Secundus to raise an army of elite warriors called Sardaukar. These warriors were exposed at such a young age to a violent and horrible environment which forced them to do whatever it took to emerge victorious.  They were a very violent and brutal force but ultimately, amazing warriors. The Sardaukar were feared by all the other armies and for a good reason too. Any army who opposed these warriors never won the battle.   As terrible as the Sardaukar were, however, they were without a doubt a great source of power. The Emperor needed this power to make sure that his rules and decisions were followed. These warriors were also a great insurance that made sure nobody questioned or challenged him.  They were only a portion of his power though. The Sardaukar protected him from a direct assault but not from a surprise attack or a conspiracy plan. For these he turned to his other source of power, and a bridge to another branch in the hierarchy, the “Truthsayer.”

The Power of Prestige/Knowledge

A Truthsayer is Reverend Mother who underwent a special training that allowed her to detect lies and falsehood. She worked in conjunction with the Emperor but she was part of a female exclusive superpower known as the Bene Gesserit.  Some called the Bene Gesserit witches and others addressed them with ultimate respect but everyone knew that these females were a powerful force. Unlike the Emperor, the Bene Gesserit didn’t have an army of elite warriors but they had another exclusive source of power which didn’t require brute force to exercise its will.

                The word Bene Gesserit belonged to the name of a prestigious school in the Dune universe. This school was exclusive to females and it disciplined them with mental and physical training that enabled their senses to reach an amazing level of awareness. Detecting hidden doors and concealed weapons was only a taste of what their senses could do. Perhaps the most famous skill that a Bene Gesserit was known for was something called “The Voice.” To use this skill, a Bene Gesserit would give a command in a certain pitch that controlled the listener. With an instant command a Bene Gesserit could have someone kneel before her, not that it was necessary. Because of the prestige they received from their ancient school, the Bene Gesserit were seen as an elite group. A group that had ancient knowledge and wisdom which they passed down generation after generation to their wisest leaders known as Reverend Mothers. The process to pass down knowledge and wisdom was dangerous because it involved drinking poisonous water that only a Reverend Mother could transform in to drinkable water.  As one can imagine, they must have had a strong motive to run the risk of dying so they can pass down the knowledge.

                In the case of Dune, knowledge is a powerful source of power for the Bene Gesserit because its accumulation over many generations gives the Reverend Mothers information about humanity. It’s similar to a science journal in which every generation adds an input to it.  The Bene Gesserit used this “journal” to breed humans in an effort to create a “Kwisatz Haderach”, a male Reverend Mother. While it’s true that a Reverend Mother has amazing perception, it is also true that her perception is not ultimate. There is a dark region within a Reverend Mother that is vital to understanding space and time but a Reverend Mother cannot see it because she is a female. This is why they needed a male who could serve as the bridge to this dark region. As one can imagine, breeding humans to achieve this goal was not something that everyone liked. The Bene Gesserit knew this and to insure that nobody oppose them, they made allies with the Emperor and another Branch of power who too had a tremendous influence in the Dune universe. This branch didn’t use a military or prestige to get its power; it used another source that is as equally powerful: economics.

The Economic Power

                Economic power is more than just having an abundance of money; it’s also having complete control over something that everyone needs. In modern history, for example, if a single firm controlled all the oil of the world, that firm would probably be the most influential power in the world. In the Dune universe, however, we have a different monopoly which belongs to the Guild.

                The Spacing Guild was a school of severe training like the Bene Gesserit but it is known more for its monopoly over space travel and transportation. Transportation is a crucial service in the universe of Dune for various reasons. Take the planet of Arrakis, for example. This planet is known for the production of the spice “Melange” which tastes like cinnamon and almost everyone in the Dune universe is addicted to it. Without transportation, there would be no way to get this spice to everyone who needs it which includes the Guildsmen themselves. Some who haven’t read Dune might wonder why it is that the Guild is a monopoly and why it’s allowed to stay a monopoly. The answer is because the guild works in conjunction with the Emperor and the Bene Gesserit.

                If space travel and transportation was to be divided in to many firms rather than a single powerful firm, it would make it much more difficult for the Emperor to keep track of what is being transported and to where. Suppressing competition also allows the Guild more opportunity to get extra Melange for their addictive needs. The bigger reason, however, is because being a monopoly makes it easier to collect all that power and share it with its other two allies, The Emperor and the Bene Gesserit.  This tripod would be unstoppable if it went rogue and so the question then rises: how can anybody defeat such powers?

The Downfall

                The answer to this question began with an observation from Duke Leto of the planet Caladan.

                After arriving in Arrakis, Duke Leto found himself amazed by the native population living there.  A population that adapted to the hostile and dangerous conditions of Dune in order to not only survive, but to call that planet home. The Duke then decided to try and make these natives called” Fremen” allies because he believed that they were underestimated warriors.  This theory proved to be true and one of the three superpowers lost his advantage because he no longer had the strongest army.

Underestimating the Fremen turned out to be a fatal mistake for the Emperor and his Sardaukar. The hostile conditions of Dune turned the Fremen in to incredible warriors just as Salusa Secundus did for the Sardaukar. After various battles between both warrior elites, it was proven that without a doubt the Fremen were superior. This was very significant to the power of the Emperor because his Sardaukar were his primary weapon and now that they were defeated, he was weaker. Through rhetoric perspective one can say that the Sardaukar were like the Emperor’s whip; they symbolized a kind of danger that would be bestowed upon those who didn’t follow his orders. Now that his “whip” was broken though, he would be left without an instrument to reinforce his will. This would also mean that now somebody else has a stronger “whip” that s/he can use against the emperor if they wished. Naturally, this made the Bene Gesserit uneasy because the Emperor was their ally. They were even more uneasy, however, when they realized that the leader of these “Fremen” was named Paul Atreides and that he had the powers of a Reverend Mother.

After many years of breeding, it turned out that the Bene Gesserit achieved their goal in creating a Kwisatz Haderach. The only problem was that Paul, who was the Kwisatz Haderach, refused to serve the purpose that they intended him for. If this wasn’t bad enough, the Bene Gesserit encountered a little girl with the name Alia who too had the powers of a Reverend Mother. Alia, as it turns out, is Paul’s sister and she was turned in to a Reverend Mother while she was in the womb of her mother who was undergoing the poison drinking ritual. This is significant because now the passing of knowledge tradition was broken by both Paul and his sister Alia. The Emperor’s truthsayer even referred to Alia as an “abomination” out of anger and frustration. With nothing more to defend themselves, however, the Bene Gesserit succumbed to Paul and his sister Alia. They were no longer so prestigious because a child and a male could do everything they could do and more. Paul, for example, could see in to that dark region because he is a male and Alia could strike fear in the truthsayer’s mind at will. These powers and the Fremen, however, are not something Paul could use against the economic power of the Guild. For this he would have to take a very drastic measure.

In order to attack something so powerful like an economic power, Paul decided to explore every possible weakness that the Guild might have. During his time in Arrakis he learned more about the nature of the spice Melange. He learned how addictive it can be by experiencing addiction to the drug himself. He also discovered that the planet Arrakis was kept as a desert planet because water destroys the spice that so many people are addicted to. Of all the people that are addicted to the spice, the Guild is probably the one with the most severe addiction to Melange. In fact, they are so addicted to the drug that Guildsmen are even mutated from the drug. In a case like this, Paul realized that the ability to destroy Melange is a power all in its own.  He exerted this power and the Guild at first thought it was a bluff because Paul too is addicted to the spice but then they realized that Paul was being serious. The Guild then succumbed to Paul when they realized that they had no choice.

Now that the three superpowers were defeated by a single person, the hierarchy of Dune took a very interesting turn. The ultimate power now resided within a single being instead of multiple branches. It was obvious that there would be many changes but one change in particular made a huge impact in the Dune universe. This change was introduced with a single word that brought value to a new idea and a new philosophy which would be followed by all: Messiah.

Dune Messiah

                By marrying the Emperor’s daughter, Paul rose to the throne and became the absolute power. He controlled all the powers of the previous hierarchy but introduced a new concept which became the leading source of power in the new Dune universe: Religion.

                In the old hierarchy the Fremen were considered insignificant and worthless but that completely changed in the new Dune universe. Now the Fremen were well known for their fighting abilities and for being the people that Paul identified with the most. The Fremen who defeated the Sardaukar were now the elite fighting force for the new Emperor who they saw as a Messiah. While it’s true that both fighting elites have a similar background there is also a major difference. The new military power was fueled by faith rather than the violence the Sardaukar possessed. A faith that they obtained from a leader who had the ability to sense things beyond the comprehension of anyone else and see the future.

                This ability was something that the Bene Gesserit failed to master and comprehend. While it is true that they had generations of knowledge in their heads, they had no idea how the future would turn about. In a sense they were useless compared to Paul who not only had their abilities, but the ability to see the future. With Alia by his side, Paul had the knowledge of the Bene Gesserit and the power of the Kwisatz Haderach. This power was something that the Bene Gesserit dreamed of having but now it resided within brother and sister.

                As for the economic power of the Guild, it was still present in the new hierarchy but under a very tight leash. Space transportation was still vital to the Dune universe and Paul decided to keep the monopoly because it was easier to follow. Paul did, however, have complete control over the guild and he exercised this control in Dune Messiah by executing a Guildsman when he discovered a conspiracy plan against him.

                In conclusion, the Dune universe had many different sources of power which changed after Paul overthrew the first hierarchy. Some things didn’t change as much like the military elites and the Guild monopoly but other things changed drastically. The Bene Gesserit, for example, were overshadowed by the power of Paul and Alia in Dune Messiah and therefore took a different role. In Dune, the Hierarchy was a dragon with multiple heads and in Dune Messiah it was a dragon with a single, much bigger head.  In Dune, politics were the driving force while in Dune Messiah it was religion. Both hierarchies, however, obtained some power from the Spice Melange. A spice created by Frank Herbert to interpret some of the spectrum of human nature. Perhaps the spice can represent the addiction to power that people in the modern era are feeling. It’s ironic that many things change in the hierarchy of Dune but the power of the spice doesn’t change. Perhaps Frank Herbert is trying to make the point that no matter how many changes happen or how much time passes by; this addiction to power will always remain the same.