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Corrino Empire
House Corrino
Emperor Shaddam IV
Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV
"Deal with this prophet. Send assassins."
Played By: Christopher Walken Other Languages
Appearances: Dune: Part Two
"Do you know why I killed him? Because he was a man who believed in the rules of the heart, but the heart is not meant to rule. In other words, your father was a weak man."
The Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, ruler of the imperial capital planet of Kaitain and head of House Corrino.- Adaptational Dumbass: In the book, the Emperor takes great pains to hide his involvement with the plot against the Atreides. He knows that if it were to become public that he'd aided and abetted their destruction, he would immediately run the risk of unifying all the Great Houses against him, as the rest of the Houses would assume if he's willing to strike down the most powerful, honorable and popular among them, any of them might be next. The Sardaukar he sends to help the Baron dress in Harkonnen uniforms, for example. It's also why the entire assassination takes place on Arrakis, as not only is Duke Leto more vulnerable there, but Arrakis lacks any satellites that might record proof of Imperial involvement. Here, his involvement is far more obvious — his Sardaukar don't even bother disguising themselves as Harkonnen troops, and Liet-Kynes seems far more aware of the plot (and thus an extra loose end that needs tying up). Part 2 also has Irulan note that his silence following the massacre all but confirms to anyone who pays attention that he's behind what happened. Although, it can be justified by the fact that Mohiam has undergone Adaptational Villainy to become the real Big Bad in this adaptation, coming up with the plan to exterminate the Atreides bloodline by exploiting Shaddam's emotions towards their growing power, threatening him to carry it out to presumably set up the Golden Path as the Bene Gesserit see it and tie him up as a loose end as well once he's served his purpose to continue their idea of the Kwisatz Haderach, thus the lack of discretion compared to the book where he was the principle party ochestrating the execution of House Atreides.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: To a point. Even if he still ordered the Atreides to be wiped out and openly considers Leto's virtue a weakness, the film version of Shaddam seems to be tormented for what he had to do, doesn't gloat on Feyd-Rautha's chances to kill Paul, and is quick enough to recognize Paul's victory that some reflection for his actions might be implied. He is also more conciliatory and pleasant than his arrogant literary version. The implications from Mohiam stoked his actions in wiping House Atreides put the possibility that had his jealously not been encouraged by the Bene Gesserit out of fear of the unruliness of the Atreides bloodline, he might have not even gone with the extermination to begin with given how much more somber he is overall with the action.
- Adaptational Personality Change: In line with him being much older physically, this version of film talks an acts as a fragile, tired elderly gentleman who is being forced to come out of retirement, while in the novel he was nothing short of arrogant and insultant.
- Affably Evil: According to Irulan, Shaddam had a strong mutual respect for House Atreides, even caring for Duke Leto as if he were his own son. This does not stop him from conspiring to have them destroyed in order to eliminate their potential threat to his power.
- Age Lift: He's described as having the looks and physique of someone in their fifties in the book but here seems to be the same age as Christopher Walken, who was 80 during filming.
- Casting Gag: Possibly. Christopher Walken danced in the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice", which itself had lyrics that referenced Dune:"If you walk without rhythm, you won't attract the worm..."
- The Chessmaster: He's aware that the Atreides and Harkonnens are both threats to his power, so he sets up the entire conflict in an attempt to eliminate one and weaken the other. He orders the Harkonnens to leave Arrakis and the Atreides to take their place, leaving the spice-harvesting equipment in shambles so that their operations will subsequently struggle. He then authorizes his own forces to join with the Harkonnens to destroy the Atreides in one fell swoop, away from the public eye, in an attempt to blame their fall on the Fremen and have the Harkonnens resume their reign over Arrakis while on the verge of bankruptcy and with fewer soldiers than they had previously.
- Cold Ham: Rarely raises his voice, but Shaddam has all the intensity you'd expect from Christopher Walken.
- Create Your Own Villain: By orchestrating the destruction of House Atreides that resulted in the death of Leto, Shaddam is directly responsible for Paul's Protagonist Journey to Villain that would led to him losing his throne and position to him.
- Even Evil Can Be Loved: For all of his flaws, Shaddam is well loved by his daughter, Irulan, who gives Paul her own hand in marriage to save her father's life.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Shaddam clearly loves and respects Princess Irulan, telling her that she'd make a fine Empress and respecting her wishes and judgment. He only submits to Paul when Irulan offers her hand in marriage in exchange for Shaddam's life.
- Irulan's narration claims that Shaddam saw Duke Leto as a son, but little in Shaddam's own behavior shows that this is the case, as Shaddam orchestrates Leto's death and remorselessly tells Paul that Leto was a weak man.
- Even Evil Has Standards: When Paul makes his intent clear that if the Great Houses make a move on Arrakis that he will destroy the Spice fields that the entire Imperium rely on for space travel and commerce, Shaddam is balking and calling him out it will fracture the Imperium and all that entails.
- Evil Old Folks: He is played by an actor in his late seventies, and is probably much older than that, given that regular spice consumption leads to a greatly extended lifespan, and he's Paul's main opponent for control of Arrakis.
- The Ghost: He is mentioned a lot in the first film, but doesn't appear until the second film.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Despite being the ruler of the Imperium and the mastermind behind the fall of House Atreides, the Emperor does not appear in person at all in Part One and has only a few scenes in Part Two, making the Harkonnens the primary threat that Paul has to face.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Described by Baron Harkonnen as a jealous man, Shaddam arranged the destruction of House Atreides out of envy of Duke Leto's popularity, as well as the more pragmatic purpose of fearing the influence Leto had over the other noble Houses.
- Informed Attribute: Irulan's narration claims that the Emperor loved Duke Leto like a son, but the only thing Shaddam himself has to say about Leto is that he was "a weak man" for believing in ruling with one's heart. Whether Shaddam was just taunting Paul or Irulan was spectacularly wrong in her judgement of her relatives is left ambiguous.
- Heir Club for Men: According to Paul, the Emperor has no sons and his daughters are all unwed; Paul suggests that he marry into Shaddam's family as a path to the throne, shocking Dr. Kynes with his audacity.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Schemed against House Atreides because he feared Leto's popularity could lead to them growing more powerful than him. This sets in motion Paul actually usurping his throne in revenge for Leto's murder.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: After Paul kills Feyd-Rautha and Irulan makes a successful plea for her father's life, Shaddam manages to swallow his pride (albeit with obvious difficulty) and surrender his throne and title to Paul.
- Like a Son to Me: Although he was jealous of Leto's popularity and made plans to eliminate him in order to remove him as a threat to his power, he did respect him to an extent that he considered him like a son and he has a remorseful look about him after his plan succeeds.
- Non-Action Big Bad: He's the ultimate target of Paul's vengeance in the second movie, but when confronted he allows Feyd-Rautha to fight Paul in his place and surrenders very quickly once Paul wins. Justified by him being an old man.
- So Proud of You: After Irulan shares with him her insights into what's going on on Arrakis, he tells her she would've made a great empress.
- Speak Ill of the Dead: He tells right in Paul's face that his father had to die because he was a weak man from his point of view.
- Smart People Play Chess: Is first seen onscreen playing a chess-like game with Irulan, and he's established as a long term schemer.
- Unwitting Pawn: While he had his own reasons to annihilate the Atreides, Shaddam was maneuvered into doing so by Reverend Mother Mohiam, who considered the bloodline a lost cause.
- Unseen No More: He's mentioned multiple time during Part 1, being the one orchestrating the downfall of House Atreidis, but doesn't appear in person before Part 2.
- Virtue Is Weakness: He denounces Duke Leto as "a weak man" to Paul's face and flat-out says that it was his caring about matters of the heart that made him unworthy to rule.
- You Have Failed Me: He orders the Baron's life support be cut as punishment for the Harkonnens failing to suppress Muad'Dib's rebellion.
Princess Irulan
Princess Irulan Corrino
"In the shadows of Arrakis lie many secrets. But the darkest of them all may remain the end of House Atreides."
Played By: Florence Pugh Other Languages
Appearances: Dune: Part Two
"Prophets get stronger when they die. Let the conflict turn into war. You then bring peace."
One of Shaddam IV's daughters, who has received some Bene Gesserit training. She is skeptical about whether Paul actually died in the downfall of House Atreides.- And Now You Must Marry Me: When threatening the Emperor with his ultimatum, one of Paul's demands is Irulan's hand in marriage, allowing him to legitimately take the throne, and Irulan agrees to be his bride on the condition that he spare her father's life.
- Awesome by Analysis: Irulan correctly deduces that Paul Atreides is probably still alive and leading the Fremen rebellion by analyzing the intelligence and rumors coming from Arrakis.
- The Chessmaster: Demonstrates her chops when she advises her father on how to eliminate the threat to spice production caused by the new Fremen prophet, Muad'Dib. Cracking down on the Fremen won't work, as oppression only stokes religious fervor. Neither will assassinating Muad'Dib; that would just make him a martyr and potentially more dangerous as a symbol instead of the leader he is now. Instead, the Emperor should let the conflict escalate into open war, then intervene and be loved as the bringer of peace. He father remarks that she will be a great ruler.
- Composite Character: Takes Count Hasimir Fenring's role as the Emperor's right hand and advisor.
- Daddy's Girl: She is seen to be close enough to her father for him to ask for her insights on dealing with Muad'Dib. At the second film's climax, Irulan agrees to marry Paul if he promises that her father will be spared.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite being trained by the Bene Gesserit and, according to the Reverend Mother, their brightest pupil, she expresses astonishment at the lengths her order would go to in order to secure control, such as by allowing a monster like Feyd-Rautha power, or by eradicating an entire bloodline who they feel were growing into a danger.
- Heir-In-Law: In the first film Paul muses that Shaddam has no male heirs, so whoever marries Irulan (or one of her sisters) will be the next Emperor, rather than Irulan ruling in her own right.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Both the Emperor and Reverend Mother Mohiam initially keep Irulan in the dark about their conspiracy against House Atreides, and she spends a significant portion of Part Two trying to uncover the truth about their part in it.
- Marriage of Convenience: At present, there are no romantic feelings between Irulan and Paul — as they are immediately betrothed from their very first meeting with no prior courtship — and their marriage is merely a path for Paul to take over as the new Emperor.
- Meaningful Look: After Feyd-Rautha identifies Chani as Paul's lover, Irulan meets Chani's eyes a few times over the next few minutes, clearly realizing the impact that the possibility, then the reality of Irulan's impending marriage to Paul will have on her.
- Most Writers Are Writers: It seems that in her free time, Irulan is a scholar, making comments about the historical events she is witnessing.
- Ruling Couple: Despite his tone when demanding her hand, Paul assures Irulan and everyone else present that she will rule the Imperium by his side as his equal. Only time will tell whether this will actually be the case.
Government and Representatives
Herald of the Change
Herald of the Change
Played By: Benjamin Clementine
Appearances: Dune: Part One
The Imperial officer charged with presiding over and officiating changes of planetary fiefdom, commanded directly by the Emperor.
- Adaptation Distillation: In the book, the Judge of the Change holds considerable authority, and could only be challenged by the High Council. Here, he is nothing more than a glorified messenger boy.
- Adaptation Name Change: In the book he is referred to as "The Judge of the Change"
- The Cameo: Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine cameos in the film in this very brief, but memorable role.
- Chewing the Scenery: The moment he arrives on Caladan, his sheer bombasm and vocal projection overtakes the crowd, and the viewers. It's technically to be expected: he is a herald of great changes, and his arrival typically results in great political uncertainty at best.
- Large Ham: As noted above, he is very loud and theatrical.
- Punch-Clock Villain: He seems more than aware that he's presenting Duke Leto with a very elaborate death sentence, but seems to derive no satisfaction from that.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He announces and officiates the changing of planetary fiefdom, and not much else. But his arrival signals, what would ultimately become, the final days of the Imperium.
Sardaukar
In General
The elite military force of the Padishah Emperor. They participate, along with House Harkonnen, in the big ambush leading to the annihilation of House Atreides on Arrakis.
- Badass Army: So much so that despite the Harkonnen having legions of troops, massively outnumbering the Atreides, Piter de Vries is sent to Salusa Secundus in order to secure three of their battalions to bolster their forces. These battalions form the tip of the spear in the attack on the Atreides' palace. The Sardaukar meet their rival in the Fremen; when a patrol tracking Paul and Jessica seemingly gets the drop on a group of Fremen casually making coffee, their quarry suddenly ambushes them, engaging the Emperor's elite warriors in a vicious surprise attack, showing the natives are far more than just desert raiders capable only of ambushing isolated and poorly defended spice harvesters.
- Badass Creed: The throat chant heard during their scene in Salusa Secundus seems to be some kind of anthem in an actual language, as two of their growls are revealed to translate as "dreams are messages from the deep" and "power over spice is power over all" respectively.
- Black Speech: They speak an almost inhumanly harsh, snarling language, even when conversing with non-Sardaukar who can't vocalize in the same tongue (although in the second film Sardaukar are also seen speaking normally, with the implication that regular speech is taught to Sardaukar guarding House Corrino). They also have priest-like men practicing an unsettling form of throat chanting while they conduct human sacrifices before they go to battle.
- Blood-Splattered Warrior: Invoked in-universe. Like Viking berserkers putting blood in their helmets, the Sardaukar mark themselves with human blood to intimidate their enemies. Most prominently, we see them being literally baptized with human blood marked on their foreheads by nuns during their pre-battle prayers. This extends to their clothing as well: they intentionally wear white into battle, so the splattered blood of their victims will show up on it more clearly. They even clean their blades after a round of fighting by wiping their bloody swords onto their clothing to display their kills. The costume department also confirmed that even before the battle begins, the three parallel red lines on their chests (their official symbol, meant to look like a lion's claw swipe) are indeed made using human blood (from sacrificed slaves, much like their forehead markings).
- Bolivian Army Ending: Subjected to one by Paul’s Fremen zealots when he determines that he has no use for keeping enemy soldiers alive. Their deaths are offscreen, but the fact that the Sardaukar standing in formation around the Emperor never lower their weapons suggests that they didn’t die quietly.
- Character Tic: They all use a similar stance to move around, with their sword calmly held one-handed and away from their body, switching to a two-handed grip as they engage, and when in defensive stance, they hold up the sword two-handed from the shoulder. In contrast to the chaotic, spasmodic stances and uncoordinated movements of the Harkonnen, this makes them look quite professional.
- Crystal Dragon Jesus: Aside from being based on the Norse and the feudal Japanese, their cult has some decidedly Catholic elements — they are shown kneeling like medieval knights, their female assistants wear nun scarves and rosary beads, their sacrificed men are tied in crucifix-like positions, and their blood ritual combines a creepy form of both Eucharist and Ash Wednesday.
- Cult: They practice Human Sacrifices on Salusa Secundus to mark themselves with blood before starting their military campaigns and are accompanied by throat chanting doing so. The books mention that the Sardaukar are rumored to be warrior-mystics but the details are unknown.
- Culture Chop Suey: Their introductory scene shows that, while being loyal to their Emperor, they retain their ferocity and barbaric rituals. They seem to combine attributes of the Norse Vikings, Japanese samurai, and Catholics, basically acting like this galaxy's Varangian Guard (Norse mercenaries hired to serve as the personal guard of the Byzantine emperors). The chanting of their priest is reminiscent of Mongolian throat-singing, which was also performed by the Norse. The official artbook specifically says that they intended to portray them as a cross between the ferocity of a Viking berserker and the incredible poise and self-discipline of Japanese samurai.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Sardaukar effortlessly wipe the floor with House Atreides' troops after the latter hold the Harkonnen forces at bay. In turn, they're comprehensively defeated by the Fremen.
- The Dreaded: As the Emperor's elite personal army, the Sardaukar are considered the most feared and dangerous soldiers in the Imperium. Their intro sequence on Salusa Secundus shows their bleak and brutal way of life, involving harsh indoctrination and blood sacrifices. During the attack on Arrakeen, the Atreides army reacts with noticeable alarm as soon as they make their presence known alongside the Harkonnen invaders. And when they enter battle they quickly slay any Atreides who stands before them.
- Elite Mooks: The Imperial Sardaukar show themselves to be far more skilled than the rank-and-file House Harkonnen troops. A small phalanx of Atreides soldiers are able to hold the line against an entire Harkonnen unit before the Sardaukar arrive and effortlessly mow the Atreides forces down. The Sardaukar are also able to kill two major characters: Dr. Kynes and Duncan Idaho.
- Evil Counterpart: Collectively, to the Fremen, being a culture of warriors that Had to Be Sharp due to their deadly homeworld and consequently are far, far more dangerous than any other military force in the setting. This aspect was present in the books as well, but the movie goes further by emphasizing that the Sardaukar are just as spiritual as the Fremen (in their own disturbing way) and depicting Salusa Secundus as perpetually wracked by storms in contrast to the perpetually water-starved Arrakis.
- Facial Markings: Sport a line of black dots over their right eyebrows. The artbook specifies that these are serial numbers, to make them appear as dehumanized living weapons.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Played with. Their helmets obscure the lower part of their face like a gas mask, but the visors show the rest of the head, highlighting their eyes and the sheer aggression on them. It simultaneously dehumanizes them and reveals they are men with a cold killer focus.
- Human Sacrifice: The Sardaukar prepare for battle by listening to some kind of Black Speech prayer while having their foreheads marked with the blood of sacrificed humans.
- Leitmotif: A deep, ritualistic chanting often accompanies their appearances, such as their introductory scene and when they descend to engage the Atreides forces.
- Manly Facial Hair: When not wearing their helmets, several Sardaukar are seen with impressive, if rather wild, beards, which emphasize their more Viking-like aesthetic in this film.
- Nuns Are Spooky: The sacrifice scene in Salusa Secundus shows female officiants in nun-like attire baptizing the Sardaukar with blood.
- Ominous Walk: When not directly locked in combat, they never run, but calmly walk toward their enemies, like efficient killing machines.
- Praetorian Guard: In addition to being the Imperium's elite warriors, they also serve as bodyguards to the Emperor and the Royal Court. When Paul takes Shaddam and his Court captive, he notably orders all Sardaukar in attendance killed to ensure they're at his mercy alone.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: They are characterized as this. The Sardaukar Bashar proudly proclaims to Piter that "We are the Sardaukar! The Emperor's blades! Those who stand against us FALL!"
- Slow-Motion Fall: The Sardaukar are all equipped with suspensor-belts — portable anti-gravity units. This allows them to control their descent when jumping from heights or when they are deployed off moving aircraft.
- The Spartan Way: Their reputation as the most feared fighting force in the galaxy is enough to suggest this. The blood sacrifices seen during their chant strongly implies that those who don't make the cut become human sacrifices without an ounce of remorse or regret.
- This Means Warpaint: Their nuns ritualistically anoint their foreheads with human blood from sacrificed slaves before going into battle, literally baptizing them with blood.
- Underestimating Badassery: The Sardaukar are rightfully confident in their abilities, being one of the most fearsome fighting forces in the galaxy and cutting through Atreides household troops with ease. However, the Fremen rival them in hand to hand combat, and they quickly discover that the wildlife of Arrakis will easily kill them without warning. It's not for nothing that Arrakis is a notorious Death World in the setting, just like Salusa Secundus.
- We Will Wear Armor in the Future: They are an interesting aversion — while both Atreides and Harkonnen are shown wearing several classes of bulky armors, the Sardaukar wear softer pressure suits without visible armored parts, presumably because they prefer freedom of movement over a protection they don't really need thanks to their fearsome skill.
- The Worf Effect:
- The Sardaukar are repeatedly described as the Emperor's best soldiers, feared by all who know of them, and their action scenes show them cutting down the Atreides guards without breaking a sweat. Thus, when Duncan Idaho can cut through several of them while outnumbered, it establishes him as a top tier warrior. The books specify that one Sardaukar is considered to be worth a dozen regular trained soldiers from one of the Great Houses. The fact that Duncan Idaho managed to kill nineteen of them in his heroic last stand is considered nothing short of astonishing, as the Atreides' enemies openly admit.
- Justified in-universe. During the reign of Shaddam IV the Sardaukar suffered a massive decline in their combat capabilities and their warrior religion was undermined by cynicism and materialism. While still highly skilled and very formidable soldiers (shown by the ease in which they butcher the Atreides house troopers, the "Finest Legions in the Imperium") they were a pale shadow of what they once were before the final Corrino Emperor took the throne.
- Paul's army completely destroys the Sardaukar in the sequel, using a combination of atomic weapons, sandworms, sheer numbers and ferocity.
The Bashar
The Bashar
"We are the Sardaukar. The Emperor's blades. Those who stand against us fall."
Played By: Neil Bell
Appearances: Dune: Part One
A Bashar (equivalent of colonel) of the Sardaukar army. Piter de Vries goes to meet him in order to recruit several battalions of Sardaukar in order to bolster the Harkonnen forces for the surprise attack on the Atreides on Arrakis.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: In the novel, the Sardaukar Bashar doesn't appear until right after Leto's death. The film, meanwhile, showcases him and his men well before the attack.
- Badass Boast: His caption quote is one on behalf of the Sardaukar, delivered after Piter de Vries brings up the fearsome reputation of the Atreides army.
- Badass Cape: Wears a dark cape over his uniform, marking him as the leader.
- Beard of Evil: He's bearded, speaks a Black Speech, and he's part of a ruthless Proud Warrior Race that practices Human Sacrifices and is fully intent on slaughtering the Atreides and anyone standing in the Emperor's way.
- Black Speech: He speaks the Sardaukar's inhumanly harsh and snarling language. Piter de Vries is able to understand him, though.
- Colonel Badass: His rank of "Bashar" is the equivalent of colonel.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Not only does he speak a harsh, guttural language, but his voice has extra effects added on to it to make it inhumanly deep.
- Mook Lieutenant: He's higher ranked than a lieutenant, but still qualifies for being an unnamed character who speaks for the resident army of Elite Mooks.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Like all Sardaukar, though he's slightly more notable for actively vocalising this.
- No Name Given: He's not named onscreen.
- Uncertain Doom: Presumably went to Arrakis and died like the rest of the Sardaukar in the second film, but he never appears onscreen, so there's no explict confirmation of what happened to him.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite being a high-ranked Sardaukar, he isn't part of the contingent accompanying the Emperor in the second film. Given it's said that the Emperor took his entire army to Arrakis, and the Sardaukar were massacred, his fate does not look bright.
Bene Gesserit
In General
An exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and abilities that seem magical to outsiders. They seek to acquire power and influence to direct humanity on an enlightened path, a concerted effort planned and executed over centuries.
- Adaptational Villainy: Because the films cut out a lot of the political and societal state of the Empire, the Bene Gesserit and their plans for the kwisatz haderach comes across more as a power grab on their part they've worked on for centuries, while in the book it's a complex plan to avert a Bad Future they foresee due to the inevitable collapse of the Empire. They also have no role in the Atreides' extermination, and in fact are very much against the idea as they value the line as part of their plans and worry the resulting conflict may wipe out both Atreides and Harkonnen.
- Adapted Out: Despite being trained in hand-to-hand combat, the name "Weirding Way" and the ability to move at superhuman speeds are never shown onscreen.
- Amazon Brigade: All of them are female, and are not only excellent manipulators, but trained in hand-to-hand combat, as seen when Jessica overpowers Stilgar.
- Behind Every Great Man: Behind the Emperor, the Bene Gesserit hold all the cards, and have been scheming for millennia.
- Benevolent Conspiracy: They see themselves as this. For thousands of years, they have been behind the scenes, mixing bloodlines and spreading rumors. Through superstition and eugenics, they have been cultivating the emergence of a superbeing, the "kwisatz haderach", who will dominate humanity and lead it to a golden age. Not only are they spreading a prophecy, they are also breeding the one chosen for that prophecy. The benevolence is subverted, if not already by the ambiguous morality of their ways and plans, in the long run due to what Paul will end up becoming.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Through meditation, strict discipline, hidden arts, and psychedelic drugs, the Bene Gesserit have gained the ability to control every aspect of their bodies, directly manipulating every muscle and nerve in their body right down to the individual fibers. This allows them to act as living lie detectors, analyze the ingredients of food by taste alone, directly alter their blood flow, body temperature, heart rate, and level of consciousness, and the Voice, and control what sex they birth.
- Control Freak: They have the abilities, connections, and knowledge to make the galaxy a better place. And they will. After they make absolutely sure that they're the ones running it once they do. Until then, they're more than willing to break bread with the villainous Harkonnens or to provide just the correct minimum aid to the Fremen to keep them alive but starving for salvation from a dire situation that the Bene Gesserit themselves manufactured.
- Dark Is Evil/Dark Is Not Evil: Whether they are good or bad, they wear very dark clothes.
- Living Lie Detector: Their official role in the Imperium, capable of reading minds and thoughts in service to the Emperor, or so they say...
- Psychic Powers: All Bene Gesserit are trained in using both explicitly psychic powers, like the Spice premonition, and others resembling more Charles Atlas Superpowers, like the Voice, which can hypnotize and bend people to their will.
- Xanatos Gambit: The Bene Gesserit 'don't hope, they plan' in order to bring about the "kwisatz haderach", that will lead humanity to a better future. In both films, this is portrayed as the Bene Gesserit sometimes working at cross purposes, by aiding the Harkonens and the Emperor's attempt to wipe out House Atreides, while also demanding Jessica and Paul be spared. Reverend Mother Mohiam explicitly states they have multiple prospects, so that if one potential candidate fails to meet expectations, another will take their place. This also gets deconstructed, as Paul's ascension shows the Bene Gesserit's schemes working too well, and he leads the Fremen into a universe spanning jihad.
Reverend Mother Mohiam
Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
"An animal caught in a trap will gnaw off its own leg to escape. What will you do?"
Played By: Charlotte Rampling Other Languages
Appearances: Dune: Part One | Dune: Part Two
"We’re Bene Gesserits. We don’t hope. We plan."
The highest-ranked woman in the order of the Bene Gesserit. She trained Lady Jessica in their ways.- Adaptational Attractiveness: She's played by an actress much more attractive than the bulky witch-like old woman described in the novel.
- Adaptational Dumbass: Because she's the one who instigated the destruction of House Atreides in this version, her and the Bene Gesserit's plans are on a much flimsier ground than in the book, since their candidate for Kwisatz Haderach now has a very strong reason to oppose them should he ever find out about her treachery. It also makes Paul becoming a Dark Messiah outside of her control a particularly big Epic Fail for her.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the book, she sympathized with Jessica and even shed tears for her fate. She also was much more pleasant when first seeing Paul, showing some good humour and playfulness on her part. Those moments are absent from the film, where she is instead a cold, arrogant hag.
- Adaptational Villainy: In the book she's not the one who masterminded the destruction of House Atreides; the plan genuinely came entirely from Shaddam and the Baron, and her talk with Jessica implies she was very much against it. Also in the book it's not specified that she ever acted as middleman between the Emperor and the Baron, and her role in the conspiracy is much more vague.
- Arachnid Appearance and Attire: Reverend Mother Mohiam's attire has a not-so-subtle spider theme, with a headdress resembling the bug's abdomen and a lattice veil simulating spider web. Being the spokeswoman of an order that secretly manipulates the Imperium through patient schemes, this is quite fitting.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: She set out to create the Kwisatz Haderach, the culmination of the Bene Gesserit's years of manipulation of the Noble Houses. By the end of Part Two, she gets it in the form of a vengeful Paul Atreides, who's entirely beyond anyone's control and has now whipped the formidable Fremen of Arrakis into a religious frenzy that will result in widespread death and destruction across the universe. Even Mohiam realizes the monster she's created, but is powerless to stop him by the time she does.
- Big Bad: When challenged by Irulan, Mohiam admits that she manipulated Shaddam into destroying House Atreides, putting all of the death and destruction that resulted at her door. That said, by the end of Part Two, she's virtually helpless against the tide of Paul's ascension, her own actions having led to him becoming something far too powerful for Mohiam or anyone else to control.
- Create Your Own Villain: As the one who manipulated Emperor Shaddam into destroying House Atreides, she inadvertently created the circumstances that would result in Paul's rise as the Dark Messiah of the Fremen and becoming The Usurper that would overthrow the old regime she was a part of.
- The Dreaded: She's both an experienced Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother AND the Emperor's Truthsayer, as such she wields tremendous personal and political power (to say nothing of her mastery of the Voice), and that can be seen by how even the mighty act wary around her. As mentioned under Establishing Character Moment, she easily orders around Leto's concubine and heir with no pushback — even putting the latter through a test where she might've killed him. Jessica in particular acts around her like she's tiptoeing around a tiger. She later repeats this when in the Baron Harkonnen's throne room, dismissing his pet and activating his silence field. Piter De Vries looks panicked at the idea that the Baron might go back on his word to the Reverend Mother, and even the Baron has to consider a legal loophole out of his promise rather than outright betray his word to her. Even her request for Paul and Jessica's safety isn't given off as something she's asking, but more as an order or a demand that the Baron has to acquiesce with. At the end of Part Two, however, neither Paul nor Jessica are scared of her anymore. When Paul uses the Voice against her, the act shocks her immensely.
- Epic Fail: Her entire plan blows up in her face in horrifically spectacular fashion by the end of Part Two. She orchestrated the destruction of House Atreides by playing on the Emperor's envy of their growing power in a bid to create the fabled Kwisatz Haderach. Paul becomes that very figure, but is also a Dark Messiah to the Fremen, who are entirely out of the Bene Gesserit's control. By the end of the Arrakis conflict, Paul has decimated House Harkonnen and Corrino, seized the throne for himself, and has just sicced the Fremen upon the rest of the universe to secure his ascendancy. By this point, all Mohiam can do is watch helplessly as she is stripped of her title and replaced by Jessica, whom she looked down upon for siring a son. And it's all richly deserved.
- Establishing Character Moment: One of her first actions in the movie is to successfully order around Jessica and Paul, Duke Leto's concubine and heir respectively, in the Duke's own house, showing both her domineering personality and the power she wields as one of the Bene Gesserit.
- Evil Matriarch: As expected of a Bene Gesserit, she's manipulative, amoral, and cold-hearted. And the movie takes things even further with The Reveal that she's the true mastermind behind the conspiracy against House Atreides, manipulating Emperor Shaddam into orchestrating their destruction, something she notably didn't do in the book.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Much of the central conflict is the direct result of her machinations and under-the-table dealing with House Harkonnen, but she personally plays a more neutral role. Part Two takes it a step further when it reveals her as the true mastermind behind the Emperor and the Baron's plot.
- The Man Behind the Man: The Emperor had his own reasons for wanting to eradicate House Atreides, but Mohiam is the one who nudged him into doing so. She also takes steps to become this to Feyd-Rautha by having Margot seduce him, plotting to use him should he win against Paul.
- The Mentor: Princess Irulan's, who she mentors personally. Whatever questions or doubts Irulan has, she seems to voice them to the Reverend Mother first.
- Mysterious Veil: She constantly wears a black net-like veil that never allows to clearly see her face, in either film. Even when not, she still wears a more traditional form of veil.
- Not So Stoic:
- She's normally calm and aloof, but when she witnesses Paul enduring the pain of gom jabbar while aiming a Death Glare squarely at her, she's noticeably unnerved.
- In Part Two, she reacts with open and genuine fear when Paul uses the Voice to silence her — causing her to be knocked back and refer to Paul as an 'abomination'.
- Pragmatic Villainy: After she learns that Jessica has been training Paul in their ways, she goes to Baron Harkonnen to ask that he spare them. This is because unlike the Baron, she values Paul's potential and doesn't want a "prospect" like him to be prematurely killed.
- Remake Cameo: An interesting version in that it involves a film that was aborted. Charlotte Rampling was cast as Jessica in Alejandro Jodorowsky's cancelled adaptation of Dune.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: She counselled Shaddam to destroy House Atreides because she felt they were getting too powerful and too troublesome. As a consequence of that choice, Paul ultimately comes into his own as the Kwisatz Haderach and is totally out of the Bene Gesserit's control, unleashing a holy war across the universe.
Margot Fenring
Lady Margot Fenring
"Plans within plans."
Played By: Léa Seydoux Other Languages
Appearances: Dune: Part Two
A member of the Bene Gesserit who is allied with House Corrino.
- Compelling Voice: She uses the Voice to seduce Feyd and sleep with him.
- Femme Fatale: Everything about Lady Margot screams seductress, from the way she speaks, dresses and behaves.
- Girl of My Dreams: While not shown, Feyd confesses to her that he dreamed of her the night before meeting her for the first time. He becomes sexually interested in her and makes his way into her chambers.
- Heroic Seductress: As in the novel, she's a Bene Gesserit expert in her order's art of neuro-seduction, which she uses on Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. However, although the order does see itself as a force for the greater good, their goals are ultimately amoral, especially after the revelation that it was her superior Mohiam who had the Atreides wiped out.
- Honey Trap: Seduces Feyd-Rautha to get him under control and to secure the Harkonnen line. She is pregnant with his daughter.
- Little Black Dress: She wears a sleeveless black dress with a hood to convey an air of mystery when she seduces Feyd.
- Stalker with a Test Tube: She's given the mission to become pregnant with Feyd's child to preserve his genetic line, and with some well-placed manipulation, is ultimately successful, carrying Feyd's child after his death, the bloodline secure.
