Dune

This is the synopsis of Dune in case someone asks:

Ok so basically, in 3000 AD robots took over the world and enslaved humanity. The world frees themselves sometime over the next 7000 years , but are terrified of computers and robots, for fear that they’ll take over again. During this time however, earth had become uninhabitable and humanity was streched over thousands of planets, lightyears apart, and needed someway to travel between planets. One of the planets that became a human colony during this time was dune (also known as arakis) where they discovered a drug called spice. Spice allows navigators to see the future momentarily (if compatible with spice) and thus is the only way that humanity can travel/survive in space.

Also during this time a society or religion (?) of women called the bene gesserit spring up and develop a series of powers and blood lines that don’t really make any sense. They act as like a shadow government behind the emporer’s back.

Ok now starting at Dune 1 with this background: Paul is the son of Leto, the Duke of House Atredies. Now the Atredis were getting more powerful than the other families and getting close to eclipsing the emporer, which he did not like. Guided by the bene gesserit, the emporer hatches a plan to kill all the atredies. Arakis (Dune) is currently under control of House Harkonnen, and thus they control the production and trade of all spice. The emporer removes the Harkonen as rulers of the Arakis, sending in the Atredies to take over. This gives him cover and explains why they Harkonnen would want them dead. As the emporer cannot kill or manipulate the great houses, this was the only way for him to get rid of the Atredies. The Harkonen come back after the Atredies take over and massacre them with help from the emporers guard, the Sadukar. Everyone, but Paul Atredies, his mother Jessica (a part of the bene gesserit), and Gurney Halek is killed, those three flee to live among the Fremen, the native people of Arakis.

The Fremen have long been abused by the harkonnen, and want to make their desert planet into a paradise. The bene gesserit started a religion on Arakis telling of a prophet who will lead them to paradise, the Lisan al-Gaib, the voice from the outer world.

Now onto Dune 2: Immediately some of the Fremen believe Paul to be the Lisan al-Gaib, which he refutes, but his mother Jessica starts pulling the strings in the shadows to make them believe he is their prophet. Paul joins the fremen warriors attacking the harkonen, and disrupting the production of spice. He starts dating Chani, a Fremen woman who doesn’t believe in the prophecy, but wants Arakis to be free from all rule. Eventually, Paul drinks worm juice, which is concentrated spice allowing him to see the past and the future. This reveals him to be the grandson of the ruler of house Harkkonenn thus also the Kwitzats-Haderach, a power concocted by the bene gesserit, allowing humanity to restore its former glory. He changes drastically with his new knowledge and starts a holy war, commiting genocide across the universe. After 14 years and 15 billion people dead, Paul starts to go blind and gives up the throne, leaving it to his crazed younger sister. Paul returns to Arakis, and going against his original goal of it beocming a paradise, he unleashes eco-terrorism to keep Arakis a desert (protecting spice).

Then at somepoint people think he has died. He is not. He has a son with Chani, who then becomes emporer for 3000 years, restoring humanity to it’s former glory (but keeping Arakis, Dune, a wasteland). He loses his humanity in this process and returns to his home Arakis where he becomes a worm.

Any other questions? Ask whoever is next to you in the bay.