Dune has had major influence on science fiction. I argue that Star Was is a stripped down and simpler version of Dune, both have important desert planets, dark messiahs, emperors, worms & sarlaacs, witches in Bene Gisseret and Nightsisters, secret family reveals, elite warriors in Sardaukar & Mandalorians, and much more. To explain Dune is a challenge, so let me attempt in the best way I can, there is planet named Dune (Arakkis), on this planet worms produce spice, spice is how ships travel in hyperspace, instead of warp drives or lightspeed there are creatures called engineers who use the spice to make ships travel. There is an Emperor who rules the galaxy, there are Houses under his rule, the most prominent are Atredies who are just and Harkonnen who are ruthless like Sith Lords and The Galactic Empire. On Dune there are a people looking for a messiah called the Lisan Al Gaib, these bedouin desert dwelling warriors are called The Fremen. There are witches called Bene Gesserit who are creating a dark messiah they can control called The Kwisatz Haderach which they are making by interbreeding bloodlines of the great houses. The Bene manipulate the Fremen messianic faith that they planted.
Frank Hebert did not want to tell Christ’s story, his is more of a fallen messiah prophet who is not divine but destined and controlled by mystic visions. In Part I it is clear that Director Denis Villeneuve seeks to extend Herbert anti-messianic vision to subvert all Desert Faiths when Paul has a meltdown in front of his witch mother Jessica and says his messiah complex is her witchcraft and brain washing, which is meant to allude to Nimrodism, that Nimrod’s mother convince him he was a god, but it is also meant to make jab as The Madonna, at Mary in Villeneuve’s retelling. Jessica in Part II spreads the faith of her Son being the Messiah to the Southern Fremen of Arrakis, and she looks like The Madonna, only she is carrying a daughter.
There are some major changes in Bene Gisseret religion, in the book it was called The Weirding Way, Villeneuve changed it to simply The Way, which you probably recognized from Star Wars The Mandalorian, the religion of the Mandos, well its actually the name of our Christian faith, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,” (Acts 24:14), “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in The Way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John,” (Acts 18:24-25), what Jesus called Himself, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me,” (John 14:6), and referenced in The Old Testament, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the Way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left..” (Isaiah 30:24). Equating a witch religion with the name of our Faith is poignant case for what Villeneuve is trying to do in his version of Dune, but isn’t entirely antithetical to Herbert’s vision and spirit, a harsh critic of Desert Faiths.
In Part II we learn Paul and Jessica are Harkonnen, the ruthless pale devil like race of warriors, which solidies Paul is more of an antichrist rising rather than the Chosen One. And he lives up to his blood, leading to the death of billions in a crusade against the houses, “And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.” (Revelation 13:7). Paul is the antichrist, and he will turn the black of space red with blood.
My feelings about Dune is that it serves as good lesson if you are only human and are trying to become a messiah, that it will only end in dark messiah, “the best intentions pave the way to hell.” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux). If you can compartmentalize it thus and see Paul as the antichrist of Revelation, then it is useful tool of a story to spread caution. However, if you take that same thinking and apply it to all messiahs, there is a problem, for then it is anrichrist in that it is antigospel and against our Lord and Savior Jesus. Since Paul was not miraclous birth to a virgin, Jessica even lamented this in part two, it being a point of Fremen doctrine she side steps, then Paul is not a a Christ type at all, he cannot be a true attack on Jesus because he is an ordinary man, whereas Anakin of Star Wars is born of a virgin, Shimi, and that has much more sinister allusions that George Lucas draws. But not Herbert, his Mau’Dib has a father, and he fits more of The Mahdi parallel, even called Mahdi in these films, and Nimrodism in that his mother convinces him he is god. Mary did not convince Jesus He is God, an angel came to her (Luke 1:26-38) and Jesus according to Scripture knew He was God at age twelve at least (Luke 2:49, though I believe He always knew He was God because He is God, see John 1:1-14). Jessica in contrst bred Paul to be Kwisatz Haderach (dark messiah) and spread a religion to make him so. Mary was a virgin when she had Jesus, Jessica had martial relations with her husband Duke Leto Atreides, and had Paul, Mary dis not have sexual relations with Joseph till after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25).
The film from an aesthetic, and cinematographic view is stunning. The questions it raises have some merit for man made messiahs, and how people like The Fremen are turned into vessels for fanaticism for political ends. Do I recommend The films? Honestly, it depends on who you are. If you like to study religion, philsophy, and thoughts that are not Christian and yet it does not effect your Christian faith, then yes, you can glean the dangers of Nimrodism. However, if questioning prophets and messiahs would unnerve you, and cause doubts about the true prophets and The True Messiah, then no, stay away from this Spice. I will also say the music in both films has a power, to what end I am not certain, but it stirred feelings of
fanaticism and delusions of grandeur in a neurodiverse person I know. So be cautious. Amen.
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