Dune

Hawat meets with the Baron, who asks him about Salusa Secundus, a prison planet that is used to breed the elite Sardaukar warriors. Although Hawat loathes the Baron and wants to kill him, he adopts a businesslike attitude to their interactions. In Hawat’s opinion, the Emperor wanted to destroy House Atreides because the Duke’s fighting forces were becoming too powerful under the guidance of Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho. Though the Baron dismisses the Fremen as an irrelevance, Hawat warns him that the Fremen are more populous and dangerous than he ever imagined. Like the hostile conditions on Salusa Secundus, the inhospitable environment of Arrakis has made the Fremen into elite warriors. By leaving Glossu Rabban in control of Arrakis, Hawat warns, the Baron will make Arrakis even more inhospitable and therefore create even more powerful warriors. Instead, the Baron plans to cut off Rabban’s resources and make him more desperate and thus more brutal. Once his brutality has reached its peak, Rabban will be replaced by Feyd-Rautha. As Hawat leaves, he thinks about the secret messages he receives from Gurney Halleck. The messages tell him about a mysterious Fremen figure named Muad’Dib. However, Hawat has given up hope that Paul may be alive.

On Arrakis, Paul is in the middle of a prophetic dream. He struggles to discern his real memories from his visions of the future, as he remembers the events of the past two years. Although the dream tells him that Chani has been killed by a rival, he assures himself that Chani has travelled south with their son, Leto II, to give Paul time to reflect on his meditations. Jessica and her daughter “Alia-the-Strange-One” (517) are with Chani, he reminds himself. Alia possesses a “strangeness” (526): She was born with the mind of an adult as a result of Jessica’s Reverend Mother initiation ritual.

The spice is having a profound effect on Paul’s mind, causing him to slip in and out of memories that may or may not happen in the future. When he finally wakes up, he is laying next to Chani who has returned from the south to watch him take part in a Fremen test. Paul is going to ride a sandworm using the traditional Fremen methods. Stilgar gives Paul advice on how to approach his test, then a Fremen named Shishakli hands Paul the hooks he will use. Paul plants a thumper in the desert and waits for the sandworm to arrive.

Jessica does not watch Paul take his test. She thinks about the Harkonnen raids on the Fremen, the caves where they live, and the woman giving birth nearby. Jessica blesses a newborn baby by drinking spice-infused coffee. Harah enters with Jessica’s daughter, Alia. The Fremen are wary of Alia, who seems wise “beyond her years” (535), as though she is an adult in a child’s body. Jessica explains that, when drinking the spice-infused water, she passed her memories and Bene Gesserit knowledge to her unborn child. As such, she has never possessed a true child’s mind. Technically, the Fremen tribe has two Reverend Mothers: Jessica and Alia.

Tharthar, one of Stilgar’s many wives, enters and wants to talk with Jessica about Paul’s test. If Paul passes, Tharthar says, the Fremen will expect him to challenge Stilgar to a duel for the role of leader. Alia wants to visit the tribal leader to find an alternative; Jessica and Harah agree that Stilgar’s death will not help anyone, especially as Harah is set to become another of Stilgar’s wives. Jessica agrees, but she is concerned about Chani, as Paul will be forced to marry a woman with a noble title in the future for political reasons.

Paul passes his test by riding a sandworm. He collects the other Fremen and rides with them. Stilgar, taking on his mantle as Paul’s father figure, reflects on Paul’s mistakes in the test. He points out how the Fremen should work as a team, much to Paul’s initial chagrin. Although the Fremen want to attack the Harkonnens, Paul guides the sandworm south toward his family. First, however, Paul agrees to stop at the Cave of Birds. When ornithopters pass overhead, the Fremen jump from the sandworm and vanish in the sand. From their hiding places, they recognize that the ornithopters belong to the spice smugglers. Paul and Stilgar set a trap for the smugglers.

Gurney Halleck is with the smugglers in the ornithopters. They land and prepare to gather spice when the Fremen spring their trap. During the fight, Gurney comes up against a Fremen. Paul reveals himself and the fight ends, though half the smugglers are dead. When he introduces Gurney to Stilgar, Gurney is shocked by Paul’s integration into the Fremen tribe. Gurney, Stilgar, and Paul talk about the Harkonnens and the possibility of war. They begin to plan an attack against the Harkonnens. Gurney is also shocked that Paul is the Muad’Dib, whose name has become infamous on Arrakis.

Before Paul and Gurney can talk, the alarm sounds. Some of the smugglers are undercover Sardaukar, but they are quickly killed or captured by the Fremen. Paul talks to the captured captain, revealing his identity to the Sardaukar warrior so that he can spread the word to the Harkonnens. Paul hopes that news of his survival will be bait to both the Baron and the Emperor.

Stilgar arrives with Chani. Paul assures Stilgar that he will not mount a leadership challenge against him because he values Stilgar’s mentorship and guidance too much. Paul sends Chani to fetch Jessica from the south while he tries to convince the Fremen that he does not need to challenge Stilgar. Gurney learns about Jessica’s survival. As he still believes her to be a traitor, he hopes to extract his revenge thanks to the false information he received from Hawat.

Jessica knows that the Fremen are eager to see Paul defeat Stilgar and lead them to a glorious victory against the Harkonnens. However, she knows that this would be a mistake. Paul intercepts a message from the Harkonnens detailing how they have pulled their resources from Glossu Rabban. There is no better time to attack. Paul tells the Fremen that he will not kill Stilgar. He wears his father’s ring and declares himself the Duke of Arrakis, knighting Stilgar with a crysknife. The crowd reacts positively.

Paul meets with his mother in private, reintroducing her to Gurney. When Gurney tries to kill Jessica, Paul intervenes to convince Gurney that Yueh was the traitor. Ashamed, Gurney begs to be killed for his mistake. Paul and Jessica forgive him. After their meeting, Paul decides to take the test of the Reverend Mothers to determine whether he is the true Kwisatz Haderach.

Three weeks later, Jessica summons Chani to discuss an emergency: Paul has been poisoned. Although he is still alive, his life is in real danger. Chani realizes that they can help Paul with the spice-infused water used in the Reverend Mother ceremony. The smell of the water revives Paul, who tells Chani and Jessica that his attempts to take part in the Reverend Mother ceremony sent him into a visionary state. He touches his mother’s arm and links their minds and memories, allowing her to guide him through the test. Jessica realizes that Paul is the true Kwisatz Haderach.

Paul also knows; he uses his powers to see the Space Guild spaceships that have surrounded Arrakis. Baron Harkonnen and the Emperor are with the ships, preparing to invade and take control of the planet once and for all. However, Paul has a plan: They can use the spice-infused water to cease the production of spice on Arrakis. With the threat of the spice being eradicated, the Spacing Guild will not dare attack Arrakis or the Fremen. However, Paul predicts that all the future paths will lead into darkness.

The Emperor lands on Arrakis and sets up a camp for his military, protected by shield walls. Paul, Gurney, and Stilgar observe the camp from a distance. Paul is amused by the shields that guard the Emperor and his entire court. A sandstorm approaches. Gurney warns that their plan calls for them to use atomic weapons; the use of atomics against humans is illegal, but Paul assures Gurney that they will only be used on the shields. He tells his men to aim their weapons at the shields and wait for the storm to arrive. When the storm hits, Paul’s men fire the atomic weapons at the shields. The battle begins. As he prepares to join the attack, however, Paul receives a scrambled message telling him of an attack on the sietch. Leto II has been killed, and Alia has been taken hostage.

Baron Harkonnen is summoned to an audience with the Emperor. The Emperor is with Reverend Mother Mohiam who can discern whether the Baron is telling the truth. He quizzes the Baron about Thufir Hawat, Feyd-Rautha, and Glossu Rabban. Then, he asks about the mysterious Muad’Dib. After the Baron dismisses the Muad’Dib, the Emperor summons Alia into the room. The young girl is one of only three captives from the Emperor’s raids, though she suggests that she may have allowed herself to be captured. The Emperor accuses the Baron of betraying him, as this is his only explanation for the Baron’s failure to understand the Fremen’s potential. The Baron insists that he is innocent, and the Reverend Mother confirms that he is telling the truth. Instead, the Emperor realizes that the Baron is a fool. He does not recognize the Fremen’s potential, nor does he realize that Alia is Duke Leto’s daughter. The Reverend Mother is aware of Alia’s heritage, so she asks the Emperor whether he will kill the young abomination. Alia mocks the Reverend Mother’s role in her creation.

The Emperor feels lost. He orders his camp to return to the ships in orbit around Arrakis and orders Alia to be thrown into the sandstorm. Alia runs to the Baron, who is thrilled that he seems to have captured the girl. However, Alia thrusts a gom jabbar into the Baron and kills him. As the Baron dies, Paul’s attack begins. The shield around the camp falls, and the Sardaukar try to get the Emperor to safety. As the Emperor flees, he sees Paul and the Fremen riding the sandworms through the storm. The Emperor tells the Reverend Mother to fetch Count Fenring so they can produce a new plan.

Paul and the Fremen succeed in retaking the city of Arrakeen. He makes the city the capital of his reign over Arrakis, as tribute to his father. As his troops finish their battle, Paul tells Gurney to bring him Jessica and Chani. Meanwhile, a Sardaukar officer comes before Paul to ask whether he will agree to a meeting with the Emperor. Paul agrees. When Jessica arrives, Paul assures her that Alia is safe. Alia is outside with the other Fremen children, he says, killing the wounded Harkonnens and Sardaukar. Jessica is surprised by her son’s newfound hardness. Although he asks her to stand beside him, she cautions him against marrying a member of the Emperor’s family. She believes that he should marry Chani instead, rather than repeat his father’s mistakes. However, Paul believes that marrying Princess Irulan will help him end the war.

Chani arrives and tells Paul that his son Leto II is dead. Paul mourns but tells Chani that they will have other children. Gurney leads the Emperor into the room, along with the Imperial court that includes Feyd-Rautha, Count Fenring, and Thufir Hawat. Hawat is near death due to the poison administered to him by the Harkonnens, for which he now lacks the antidote. The Emperor has handed Hawat a poisoned needle and told him to kill Paul, but Hawat refuses. He begs Paul for forgiveness and then dies.

The Emperor and Paul negotiate. When the Emperor reminds Paul about the armada of spaceships orbiting above Arrakis, Paul informs the representatives of the Spacing Guild that he can stop the spice production forever. Desperate to maintain the supply of spice that allows them to navigate space, the Guild representatives accept Paul’s order to leave Arrakis.

The Reverend Mother announces that Paul is the true Kwisatz Haderach. She also agrees to allow Alia to remain alive, even though she is an abomination in the eyes of the Bene Gesserit. Paul responds to her by saying that the Bene Gesserit will not have power over him. To the Reverend Mother’s shock, Jessica agrees with her son.

Feyd-Rautha challenges Paul to a duel. Paul wins despite Feyd-Rautha’s hidden tricks. After killing Feyd-Rautha, Paul wants to resolve the issue and marry Princess Irulan. When Count Fenring refuses to try to kill Paul, the Emperor is out of options. Paul announces his terms: He will take the Imperial throne and become the Emperor. Meanwhile, the current Emperor will be allowed to rule over Salusa Secundus. Paul promises to make the planet into a paradise, thereby ending the production of the Sardaukar troops. He promises the same for Arrakis, hoping to turn it into a green and pleasant planet. However, he will not transform the entire desert, thus allowing the production of spice to continue.

The Reverend Mother sees a brief glimpse of the brutal religious war that awaits them in the future. She begs Paul not to set the Fremen loose on the rest of the universe. However, she is too late. At last, Paul turns to Chani. Although Princess Irulan will be his wife, he says, Chani will be his true love. Like Jessica to Duke Leto, she will be Paul’s concubine. Jessica assures Chani that history will remember them as wives and influential figures in their own right.