By [ad_1]
The Dune universe is a rich and deep one, exploring themes such as ecology, the fallibility of great leaders, economics, politics, religion, and the potential of humanity in a world without computers or robots. The Imperium has many worlds flying its banner, but the single most important one is the desert world of Arrakis, also known simply as Dune.
Dune wasn’t always a desert, but it certainly is one now, and that inspired its simple name. In most regard, living or working on Dune is rough and challenging, with many harsh realities for any citizen to face. Despite that, there are actually a few advantages to being on Dune, or rather, these perks are effective countermeasures to the many harsh realities of living on this desolate world.
10 Spice Mining Can Be Highly Profitable
The single most important resource in the Dune universe is the spice Melange, and it can only be mined on Dune. For centuries, this desert world has been a profitable place to work, since spice mining is absolutely essential for keeping the Imperium running. Guild navigators, for example, cannot steer ships through space without it.
Mining spice is hazardous work, but it can also be profitable, and for a few decades, the ruthless House Harkonnen made a solid profit from mining spice on Dune, often at the expense of the local Fremen tribes. Now it’s House Atreides’ turn, but that may not last long.
9 Sandworms Can Be Seen Coming From A Mile Away
The existence of the giant sandworms is one of the single biggest harsh realities of living on Dune, but on the upside, miners and Fremen alike know how to predict the arrival of these titanic creatures. One minor perk of living on Dune is that “wormsign” is nearly impossible to miss.
Wormsign means someone has spotted the telltale signs of an approaching sandworm, such as large ripples on the sand, and sandworms will take their time before surfacing to attack. Once wormsign is confirmed, nearby people will at least have a few minutes’ warning before the attack comes.
8 There Are Easy Ways To Avoid Attracting Sandworms
Once a worm finds its prey, it will never hesitate to attack, so the best way to deal with worms is to avoid attracting their attention in the first place. Newcomers to Dune will soon learn that regular footsteps or other patterns will attract worms, but the local Fremen know how to deal with that.
People can walk in irregular patterns across the sand to mimic the natural shift of rocks and sand layers, and sure enough, sandworms will ignore those movements, mistaking them for natural phenomena. Paul and his mother Jessica did this after their thopter crashed, and it certainly worked. And the Fremen always walk that way.
7 Sandworms Can Be Ridden
At first, newcomers to Dune will be convinced that the giant sandworms are impossible to tame or control, and for the most part, that is correct. Sandworms cannot be domesticated like cattle or pets, nor can they be spoken to or bribed. But the Fremen know how to make use of them all the same.
Fremen can lure a worm on purpose, then use hooks and ropes to ride atop the worm and take advantage of its speed. Fremen also use those hooks to peel back a plate on the worm’s armor to expose its inner flesh, and the worm will instinctively move in certain ways to avoid exposing the flesh to sand. That’s how Fremen can steer the worms and prevent them from going back under the dunes.
6 Stillsuits Minimize The Loss Of Water
As expected, the deserts of Dune are a serious hazard where dehydration is concerned, and an exposed person will die of thirst very quickly. Fortunately, guests and Fremen alike have figured out ways to minimize the loss of water – stillsuits. And there seems to be no shortage of stillsuits.
A stillsuit covers the entire body from the neck down, and its wearer also has a nose plug to capture trace moisture from exhaled air. Reclaimed water is purified inside the suit, and then the wearer can drink it to stay hydrated.
5 Ecologists Can Enjoy Tackling Dune’s Mysteries & Unique Phenomena
Ordinarily, no one expects any job on Dune to be fun, but for some professionals in the Imperium, Dune is actually a cool planet to visit. To a skilled planetologist like Liet-Kynes, Dune is a fascinating specimen to visit, and this dry world hides many secrets.
Many working professionals enjoy themselves as they tackle a stubborn challenge in fields such as archeology, paleontology, and certainly ecology, and Dune’s mysteries present the ultimate challenge. This is a world like no other, and it’s always available for study.
4 The Fremen Might Sometimes Help
The Fremen are not particularly virtuous or evil – they simply live the only lifestyle they know, on the only planet they have ever known. As for getting along with them, that depends on what the other party is doing. The cruel Harkonnens like to kill Fremen whenever they can, so the Fremen regularly raid the Harkonnens in retaliation.
The Atreides house, though, is a different matter. The Atreides are relatively noble and generous compared to their Harkonnen rivals, and Duke Leto Atreides started building bridges with the Fremen to learn how to harness the concept of “desert power.” The Fremen will help if they think the other party is respectable and trustworthy.
3 Stilltents Can Be Used To Preserve Moisture
Stillsuits are the most common way to preserve moisture while living on Dune, but the technology has branched out. There are also stilltents, which are exactly what they sound like. Once set up, a stilltent will efficiently capture all moisture inside and recycle it. The occupants may drink the reclaimed water from flexible tubes and nozzles.
A person can remove parts of their stillsuit while inside a stilltent, and that allows them to relax a little while trekking across the desert. Stilltents are also fairly tough, and they can easily blend into the sand to avoid detection from spying thopters. These tents can save lives, as Paul Atreides can attest to.
2 It’s Easy To Dispose Of Unwanted Items In The Desert
Chilling as it may sound, the deserts of Dune are ideal for disposing of bodies and keeping a person’s death a secret, and the same is true for disposing of other evidence of crimes or illicit activities. Sandworms aren’t picky, and they will gobble up anything that disturbs their desert home and leave nothing behind.
An assassin or conspirator can kill their enemies on Dune, then take a thopter into the desert to dump the bodies out and let the sandworms swallow them up. In fact, a living person can be captured and fed to the worms like this, too. The desert can make anyone or anything disappear.
1 The Capital City, Arrakeen, Is Well-Defended
Dune is largely uninhabited, but it still has a capital city, that being Arrakeen. Fortunately for Dune’s inhabitants, Arrakeen is actually a decent place to live, at least by desert standards. For one thing, this mighty city is protected by the Shield Wall, a natural rock formation that blocks all sandworms from breaching the city.
In director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, it became clear that Arrakeen also boasts manmade walls and many AA emplacements to keep enemy armies at bay, which allows Dune’s rulers to breathe easy. Some Fremen also visit this city to mingle with the locals, and that can be fascinating for everyone involved.
About The Author
[ad_2]
