Fascinating Hard Sci-Fi Settings in the Dune Universe

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Dune: Part One might seem like an imaginative but illogical soft sci-fi flick, but trust me, it’s way more than that! Sci-fi buffs actually consider it a hardcore sci-fi gem.

Let me give you the lowdown on the difference between hard and soft sci-fi, which are two distinct approaches to the presentation of scientific elements and technical details. Hard sci-fi is all about keeping things real, sticking to known science principles, and getting into nitty-gritty technical stuff. Soft sci-fi, on the flip side, gets creative with fictional science and bends the rules a bit.

Now, if you compare Dune: Part One with something like Star Wars in terms of imaginativeness, you might not think the former is all that special. But once you start digging into the principles behind the planet of Arrakis, bam! You'll see why it rocks the hard sci-fi world.

On the cultural front, let's talk about some fascinating tidbits. You see, water is the most precious resource on this planet so the Fremen folks have turned spitting into a gesture of utmost reverence. And when it comes to trees, they're practically priceless there due to the sky-high costs of planting them. That's why trees are treated like holy relics, and symbols of power and prestige. So, when the Harkonnens launch a massive attack on them and set those sacred trees ablaze, it's not just fire – it symbolizes the downfall of the House Atreides.

Let's dive into the technical side of things. Take, for instance, the aircrafts of House Atreides. They call them ornithopters because they flap their wings to fly! Based on the principles of aerodynamics, they’re completely different from typical jet engines we have now. Instead, they’re like something out of a bird or butterfly’s playbook. And get this, they're not just pulled out of thin air - these wing-flapping babies have long been developed in reality but function only as micro air vehicles that cannot ferry humans, although, in the movie, they're more like giant dragonflies.

The first thing I think of when speaking of biological wonders is the Sandworms. These behemoths that roam the desert and cause massive sandstorms are the real showstoppers. Ever wonder how these colossal critters came to be? Well, it's not Arrakis’ dry desert climate, as many would believe it to be. They actually evolve from something called the Sandtrouts, little critters that take in microbes and moisture to produce a substance called the "pre-spice mass." When large amounts of water are drawn from an area, the land becomes barren and undergoes desertification. And when a Sandtrout mutates, voila, you've got yourself a Sandworm.

Now, the Fremen folks have learned to live with these Sandworms because they actually spread their "pre-spice masses" or "spices" throughout the desert, nurturing a whole ecosystem of spice-loving microbes. These microbes will continue to undergo cell division to morph into Sandworms when they receive sufficient nutrients. Even when they die, the bodies of these Sandworms become a buffet for other microbes and living organisms, keeping the desert life thriving.

And let's not forget the little guys, like the adorable mouse that pops up in the film for a split second, which provide lots of details. When Paul Atreides and his mom run for their lives and end up in the middle of the desert while escaping the Harkonnens’ pursuit, the helpless duo decides to head toward the deeper regions of the desert to seek help from the Fremen. The camera pans over to the infinite horizon of the desert and a very cute-looking critter with oversized ears, a tiny body, and a tufted tail appears on the screen. But here's the kicker - those ears aren't just for show. They secrete sweat, which flows down the helix and re-enters its body. The reabsorption of perspiration is a common mechanism that sustains the lives of all organisms residing on Arrakis. The emergence of this tiny mouse offers a glimpse of hope for the originally despairing mother and son. The plot twist in this scene lays a wonderful groundwork for the subsequent story development.

You know what’s wild? Turns out, this little critter scurrying around in the Dune world has got its real-life counterpart right here on Earth – the jerboa. But the functions of their long ears differ. The jerboa’s ears have a dense network blood vessels. Energy generated by its body is released through its ears and they act like built-in air conditioners to cool the body. Meanwhile, the ears of the Dune mouse play a survival role by serving as sweat collectors to provide it with a drinkable water source. Talk about evolution at its finest!

Remember that heart-pounding scene in Dune: Part One where Paul and Lady Jessica accidentally get caught in a terrifying electrified mist when evading their enemies? The original novel accounts for this peculiar weather pattern — it's a sign of Sandworm activity. In an extremely arid climate in the Dune universe, when a Sandworm zips through the sand, large volumes of flashes are generated due to friction, which appears as a cloud of lightning from afar.

And let's not forget the economic and political aspects of the production design, which is centered around "spice". Recall the "pre-spice mass" mentioned earlier? When it builds up underground to a certain amount, it can lead to a massive eruption called a "spice blow" due to build-up air pressure that cannot be released. The explosion brings huge quantities of "pre-spice masses" to the surface, which ultimately turns into "spice" after being baked and dried under the sun. When ingested, this spice awakens the sleeping spiritual soul that is untapped and enhances human senses. The most common manifestations are precognition powers and bodily regulation to space travel. No wonder everyone's fighting over it! The Bene Gesserit, House Atreides, and Harkonnens all use this spice to strengthen their souls to accomplish their separate missions and achieve their political agendas.

These complicated settings are indeed robustly constructed. Now, you might wonder why most of them aren't explained in the movie but only present themselves as magnificent spectacles on screen. Is it meaningful that way? Just then, Ernest Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory comes to mind, where he likened a good film to an iceberg. To quote his words, "There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one eighth of it being above water."

I felt the charm of the Iceberg Theory when I witnessed the complex settings in the Dune universe. After I realized that the buildings, aircrafts, civilizations, and nature speak logic and details, I noticed the stimulating aspects of the conversations among the movie characters — they are exactly all the boring stuff that I’ve mentioned in my previous article. So, next time you watch Dune: Part One, remember, the immense poetic experience does not come from its flashy visuals and epic battles, but the intricate world-building and hard sci-fi goodness hiding beneath the surface, just like the bulk of an iceberg hidden beneath the water.

Catch you later for more movie musings!