Dune in popular culture

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Main article: Dune (novel)

This article concerns the Dune series by Frank Herbert

Dune

Dune Messiah

Children of Dune

God Emperor of Dune

Heretics of Dune

Chapterhouse Dune

Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. A joint winner of the 1966 Hugo Award and the winner of the first Nebula Award for Best Novel, Dune is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history^[1], and was the first bestselling hardcover science fiction novel ever^[2]. Dune spawned five sequels written by Herbert, and inspired a film adaptation by David Lynch, two mini-series made by the Sci Fi Channel (United States), computer games, board games, and a series of prequels co-written by Brian Herbert, the author's son, and Kevin J. Anderson. It has had an enduring effect on many subsequent works of fiction, film and television, and music.

• In the Japanese anime Last Exile, the theme of nations waging war with a supposedly neutral arbiter strikes a similar parallel to the Dune series. Also, the Claudia fluid and high value of water can also be said to be inspired by Dune. In addition, the Guild in the series bears a similarity (in name and some characteristics) to the Spacing Guild of Dune.
• In the science fiction MMORPG Anarchy Online, a hypercorporation called Omni-Tek was granted control of a seemingly useless desert planet called Rubi-Ka. However, Rubi-Ka is the only known source of notum — an extremely valuable mineral. This situation is very similar to that in the Dune novels. There are also "Krys" knives and giant sandworms in the game.
• In the MMORPG Starport: Galactic Empires, in which players can colonize differnt types of planets, the "pollution disaster" that can befall desert planets is an attack on the colony by giant worms. Also, desert planets are the type of planet from which the most "spice" can be harvested.
• The song To Tame a Land by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from the album Piece of Mind is based on the novel. According to the band's fansite, Frank Herbert, who disliked hard rock music, disapproved of this song and refused to allow it to be released under the title "Dune".
• Various works by heavy metal band Fear Factory contain titles and themes related to Dune, including the song "Hunter-Killer" on the Demanufacture album and the remix album Fear is The Mind Killer.
• Comedian Dane Cook references Dune being like Nestlé Nesquik on his CD Harmful If Swallowed in the track "Hopped Up On the Q".
• The metal band Shai Hulud drew their name from the Fremen word for the sandworms.
• Post-Hardcore band Harkonen drew their name from the Landsraad Great House Harkonnen.
• The rock band Giant Sand used the name The Giant Sandworms in the beginning, because they identified their home Arizona with Dune.
• The planet Tatooine in the film series Star Wars is a planet completely covered by desert. One of the species on the planet, the Tusken Raiders, shares some traits with the Fremen, such as wearing moisture-retaining clothing and masks and living a semi-primitive existence in the desert. Jabba the Hutt bears a passing similarity to Leto Atreides II in God Emperor of Dune. Both resemble worms with almost useless appendages and a human-like face at the forefront of their worm-like structure. In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker (who, like Paul Atreides, has a Biblical name) remarks on the giant worms in the desert of Tatooine. In addition, the Sarlacc, in its original incarnation in the un-remastered Return of the Jedi, bears a striking resemblance to the sandworms described in Dune, with its multiple rows of teeth and large round mouth.

(Frank Herbert, as well as a number of other Science Fiction writers such as Isaac Asimov, hated Star Wars for what they perceived to be a derivative work of their own. According to Brian Herbert in his biography about his father, they formed an official society called "Science Fiction Writers Too Big for Star Wars." Herbert himself had Dune already optioned twice by the time filming began on Star Wars in 1975, and the latest script was well circulated in Hollywood. Ironically, in creating the special effects for the 1984 film, the producers hired Industrial Light and Magic, which was run by Star Wars creator George Lucas).

• The song "Traveler In Time" by the power metal band Blind Guardian from the album Tales from the Twilight World starts with the lyrics "The Morning Sun of Dune".
• In the video game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, one of the optional missions takes place on a desert-like world with giant worms, much like the planet Dune.
• On the Futurama episode Crimes of the Hot, Al Gore claims to have ridden the "mighty moon worm".
• In episode 519, of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Crow says "we have worm-sign" when a scene with a desert appears on screen. And then later, in the same episode, he says "Arrakis, Dune, Desert Planet", the exact words used in the novel.
• In 1980, Level 42 recorded "Dune Tune" which sounds just like a song from the deep desert.
• The German techno band "Dune" released their first album in 1995 called Dune. One of the titles is "The spice". Cite: "Spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe the planet is Arrakis — also known as Dune". There are also lots of other songs resembling deep space, future, stars and other SF motives in some of their other songs and albums.
• A number of elements within the Warhammer 40,000 universe created by Games Workshop bear profound similarities to the Dune novels. Close similarities include reliance upon Navigators who are essential to space travel, elite religious fanatic soldiers, and universe-spanning political struggle under the control of a superhuman God Emperor.
• In the Sci Fi Channel animated series Tripping the Rift, Season 2 episode titled "Creaturepalooza" Commander Adam is forced to eject from his experimental jet fighter after being struck by a giant worm very similar to Dune's sand worm on the planet Vitalius 4. The worm is killed by T'nuk throwing a pair of "spicy Thai food" stained underwear left by Commander Adam into the mouth of the giant worm.
• In Tim Burton's movie Beetlejuice, haunting spirits that leave their domicile are transported to Saturn. Saturn is a desert planet with giant worms in the movie.
• The first few levels of the Super Nintendo game Super Turrican II were set on a desert like planet, with the final level of the first world requiring the player to ride on a series of giant worms moving rapidly across the surface of the sand. In a clear reference to the Fremen technique of worm riding described in the novel, the player was required to jump off each worm before it burrowed into the sand. To complete the world it was necessary to directly fight one of the worms, which would make a terrifying entrance by charging forward, jaws gaping, at the screen, analogous to the scene in the novel in which a worm devours a spice processing station and other vehicles. During the battle, the worm was also shown to have large rows of revolving, spoke-like teeth, another possible reference to the sandworms of Dune.
• In the online game Neopets, there is a pet available called Usul, which was Paul's secret Fremen name.
• In the cartoon Earthworm Jim, the character Peter Puppy would often recite "I must not fear, fear is the mindkiller, fear is the little death that brings total oblivion... "
• In the song "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim, the lyrics "If you walk without rhythm, it won't attract the worm", is a reference to the arythmic walking pattern of the Fremen, because steady rhythms or vibrations attract the giant sandworms to the source of the rhythm, IE: a thumper.
• A number of similarities to Dune are noted by readers of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy book series. In particular his Aes Sedai are very similar to the Bene Gesserit and the Aiel are nomadic desert dwellers similar to the Fremen. As well two of the Forsaken characters mention the giant worms in the Blight. As with all of his ideas which seem borrowed, Jordan puts his own twists on things. The Aes Sedai are divided into seven Ajahs, the Aiel have a complicated code of honor and are divided in 12 tribes such as the ancient Hebrews were, and the worms in the Blight are in a larval state.
• The Goth-Rock band Bene Gesserit took their name from Dune's secret sisterhood.
• Episode 16 "Mandy the Merciless" of the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is an obvious allusion to God Emperor of Dune, with Mandy as Leto II, Billy as Duncan Idaho, and Grim as Moneo. The source of Mandy the Worm's power is cinnamon, which is how the flavor of melange is described in Dune.
• The Sega video game series Phantasy Star features a planet called Motavia which is a desert planet and possesses worms that the player can fight. In Phantasy Star IV, a farmer is raising worms but has lost control. The player can accept a mission to fight the "giant" uncontrolled worm which looks very much like those of Dune. Another parallel is the fact that Motavia is transformed into a lush green planet in Phantasy Star II and returns to its desert form in Phantasy Star IV, just as Dune changed from desert to lush paradise and back in the series.
• In the 1990 film Tremors, a small town in Nevada is beset by a number of giant worms which bear an uncanny resemblance to those in Dune. They have large round mouths full of sharp teeth, move quickly under the sand and respond to vibrations on the surface. Kevin Bacon leads the cast to safety.
• The track "Fear" by Adam Freeland, featured in the video game Rez, features the repeating one-line lyric "Fear is the mind killer." The line was a thought of Paul Atreides whilst his hand was in the nerve induction box, held by Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.

[edit] References

• Touponce, William F. (1988), Frank Herbert, Boston, Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers imprint, G. K. Hall & Co, ISBN 0-8057-7514-5; PS3558.E63Z89