
Is Dune the inspiration for Star Wars?
Frank Herbert's legendary Dune books were another source of inspiration for Star Wars, and many aspects of Dune are either confirmed to be inspiration for Star Wars, or they are strongly suspected as being such.
Was George Lucas inspired by dune?
Yesm he always acknowledge Dune as one of his inspirations to Star Wars, specially his early versions of the story. Star Wars is to Lucas something akin to Silmarillion to Tolkien, a work of a lifetime that started at a very early age, and went on until very late on his life.
What is the Dune movie about?
Actually, the great Dune film did get made. Its name is Star Wars. In early drafts, this story of a desert planet, an evil emperor, and a boy with a galactic destiny also included warring noble houses and a princess guarding a shipment of something called “aura spice”.
How did Dune become so popular?
Though Dune won the Nebula and Hugo awards, the two most prestigious science fiction prizes, it was not an overnight commercial success. Its fanbase built through the 60s and 70s, circulating in squats, communes, labs and studios, anywhere where the idea of global transformation seemed attractive.

Why is Dune so influential?
The Dune series is a landmark of science fiction. Herbert deliberately suppressed technology in his Dune universe so he could address the politics of humanity, rather than the future of humanity's technology.
Did Dune inspire Game of Thrones?
Both Game of Thrones and Dune also showcase powerful and influential religious figures in the Bene Gesserit and the maesters. While both stories have other influences, such as European history and classic myths, Dune appears to inspire several Game of Thrones characters and plot points.
Where did Dune get its inspiration from?
Dune was inspired by a real desert experiment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the '50s. This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the planet of Dune, also known as Arrakis, the desert planet.
Did Dune inspire destiny?
Destiny's design and cinematic approach is perhaps the most impressive one to ever tip its hat to the masterpiece that is Dune. The epic scenes and the great story is a perfect homage to Frank Herbert's novel, and now, will bring back familiar aspects to those who enjoyed the movie.
What movies did Dune influence?
10 Movies That Seem Inspired By Frank Herbert's Dune2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Blade Runner. ... The Chronicles of Riddick. ... Mad Max. ... Stargate. ... Tremors. ... The Matrix. ... Prometheus.More items...•
Did Dune influence the Matrix?
The Matrix itself was primarily inspired by the 1984 William Gibson novel Neuromancer. That book itself was partially and indirectly inspired by Jodorowsky's Dune.
What is the message of Dune?
Dune is a story about self-adapting to the new environment with a metaphysical journey into deep human self-consciousness. It is also a story about teaching society to love the planet and that nature is true power and even a god to humans who must live in symbiosis with it.
What is the real meaning of Dune?
Dune is a politically relevant fantasy of human occupation and subjugation that tells the story of planet Arrakis and its indigenous Fremen, being controlled for their resources for political as well as economic gains by the Emperor.
Is Dune based off Islam?
Frank Herbert's Dune novels were heavily influenced by Middle Eastern, Islamic cultures, says scholar. The main character in Frank Herbert's seminal 1965 science fiction classic Dune is named after a mythological Greek figure.
Is Alaskan bull worm based on Dune?
The episode “Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm” has a few clear-cut Dune callouts, most notably a giant sand worm creature called the Alaskan Bull Worm. At one point, when the worm approaches, Sandy picks up a sign saying “worm” that warns of his advances. This is a reference to the wormsign from Dune.
Did Phantasm rip off Dune?
"Phantasm" contains multiple homages to the sci-fi novel "Dune," including the scene where Mike is forced to put his hand inside the fortune teller's pain-inducing black box. 6. According to Coscarelli, the original cut of "Phantasm" clocked in at over three hours.
Is Dune in the Star Wars universe?
Dune is a totally separate story from Star Wars and is not related to the Disney franchise whatsoever — even though Star Wars alum Oscar Isaac does have a part in the 2021 Dune. The interesting part of this all, however, is that both entities have been influenced by one another over the years.
What is Dune based on?
There is advanced tech all the same, but in Dune, it is based on something called the spice mélange, or simply spice. In and earlier version of the first Star Wars script (now called Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ), when audiences first meet Princess Leia, she’s not guarding the secret Death Star plans, she would have been guarding ...
Who is the princess in Dune?
The character of the princess herself is common to both stories. SW’s Princess Leia is Princess Alia in Dune – and the name is pronounced A-leia. Alia is Paul’s younger sister, and she communicates with him telepathically. There are other details in Star Wars that seem to be inspired by Dune almost as a shout-out.
What are the sandcrawlers in Star Wars inspired by?
There are other details in Star Wars that seem to be inspired by Dune almost as a shout-out. The sandcrawlers in Dune are used to mine the spice on Arrakis. On Tatooine, they are piloted by Jawas who have found the relics from a mining era that was over long ago.
What do Luke and Paul use?
Luke uses eletrobinoculars to check on the Sandpeople, while Paul uses similar electric binoculars when he spies on the Fremen. Both universes include small devices that can control gravity – the repulsor in the SW franchise, and suspensors in Dune.
Is Dune a standalone movie?
“It’s a fully formed story in itself with places to go. It’s a fully standalone epic film that people will get a lot out of when they see it.”.
Who is Luke's father in Dune?
Luke's father Anakin/Darth Vader is the main villain of the first six SW movies. In Dune, the main antagonist emerges as Vladimir Harkonned – the ruthless grandfather of Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
Who is the cinematographer for Rogue One?
What The Cinematographer Said. Greig Fraser is a highly sought after cinematographer in Hollywood, having worked on many major movies including Zero Dark Thirty, Rogue One: A Stars Wars Story, The Mandalorian – and Dune. He spoke to Collider about similarities between the two stories.
What was Dune's influence on Stargate?
Dune 's influence on 1994's Stargate isn't just the fact that it's a desert sci-fi (although that is a popular sci-fi aesthetic that Dune certainly influenced). There are also thematic similarities between Dune and Stargate.
What is the theme of Frank Herbert's Dune?
Frank Herbert's Dune is massive in its scale and imagination, exploring some of the most important themes of modern humanity. Thematically, the book's ideas range from politics, environmentalism, religion, and boils all of those ideas down to depicting the failures of leadership and the importance of collective action.
What is the difference between Stargate and Dune?
In Stargate, a similar intergalactic influence is depicted, though it is firmly rooted on Earth — a much smaller scale than Dune . Stargate also has themes of revolt and overthrowing a dominant planetary regime, much like the first entry in the Dune series.
What are Dune's sandworms like?
Dune 's sandworms, though colossal in scale, are rather similar to the monsters in tremors. They're detected by seismic disruptions in the ground and they eat anything that treads over their territory. Unfortunately, there's no instance of riding a city-sized worm into battle against a warring empire in this film.
What is the influence of Bene Gesserit?
The most obvious influence comes in the form of the force, which is very similar to the abilities of the Bene Gesserit sisters of Dune. While their abilities are rooted more in evolution than magic, the final result is incredibly similar to the force. Most notably, The Bene Gesserits have the power of Voice, which allows them to control others through the use of specific vocal tones.
Who is the illustrator of Dune?
Along with many other legendary sci-fi artists, Jodorowsky recruited legendary Heavy Metal Magazine illustrator Moebius for his film's concept art. Though Jodorowsky's Dune never escaped pre-production, Moebius' work ended up influencing the future of legendary sci-fi films.
Is Dune still in sci-fi?
The echoes of Frank Herbert's Dune can still be heard in sci-fi today, not just in the realm of literature, but also in the film industry, whether that's in terms of theme, setting, or even just the repurposing of ideas used in attempted film adaptations. The DNA of Herbert's monumental story is all over sci-fi films of the past 50 years.
Dark Angel
Manticore and, appearing later in the series, the Conclave are very similar to the Bene Tleilax and the Bene Gesserit respectively. Manaticore using science and genetics to produce their ultimate warrior, and the Conclave doing the same through selective breeding.
Robotech
Series producer Carl Macek cites Dune as one of the inspirations for Robotech in his 1987 book Robotech Art III. [ citation needed] Protoculture, like the spice melange was a multipurpose substance obtained from a dangerous organic source (the Arrakis sandworms in the case of melange, the Invid flower of Life in the case of protoculture.
Star Wars
The Star Wars universe is also said to be heavily influenced by the Dune novels.
Tremors
The film Tremors features desert worm creatures, informally called Graboids, that bear a distinct resemblance to the Sandworms of Dune, though on a far smaller scale.
Warhammer 40,000
The Imperium of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 ( WH40K) universe shares many similarities with that of Dune. [ citation needed] Warhammer itself has been described as " Dune meets Starship Troopers ".
Wheel of Time series
A number of similarities to Dune are noted by readers of Robert Jordan 's The Wheel of Time fantasy book series.
Spongebob Episode
The Spongebob episode in which a giant worm attacks Bikini Bottom can be seen as inspired by Dune. Some references are made such as the "wormsign," found by Sandy or riding the worm at the end.
Where were the sand dunes in 1959?
I n 1959, if you were walking the sand dunes near Florence, Oregon, you might have encountered a burly, bearded extrovert, striding about in Ray-Ban Aviators and practical army surplus clothing. Frank Herbert, a freelance writer with a feeling for ecology, was researching a magazine story about a US Department of Agriculture programme to stabilise the shifting sands by introducing European beach grass. Pushed by strong winds off the Pacific, the dunes moved eastwards, burying everything in their path. Herbert hired a Cessna light aircraft to survey the scene from the air. “These waves [of sand] can be every bit as devastating as a tidal wave … they’ve even caused deaths,” he wrote in a pitch to his agent. Above all he was intrigued by the idea that it might be possible to engineer an ecosystem, to green a hostile desert landscape.
How many pages are in Dune?
Dune (400 pages in its first hardcover edition, almost 900 in the paperback on my desk) was rejected by more than 20 houses before being accepted by Chilton, a Philadelphia operation known for trade and hobby magazines such as Motor Age, Jewelers’ Circular and the no-doubt-diverting Dry Goods Economist.
What is spice in space?
Spice is a drug whose many useful properties include the induction of a kind of enhanced space-time perception in pilots of interstellar spacecraft. Without it, the entire communication and transport system of the Imperium will collapse.
What is the title of the book "They stopped the moving sands"?
It overpowered his article about the heroism of the men of the USDA (proposed title “They Stopped the Moving Sands”) and became two short SF novels, serialised in Analog Science Fact & Fiction, one of the more prestigious genre magazines. Unsatisfied, Herbert industriously reworked his two stories into a single, giant epic.
Is Dune a science fiction novel?
It has sold millions of copies, is perhaps the greatest novel in the science-fiction canon and Star Wars wouldn’t have existed without it. Frank Herbert’s Dune should endure as a politically relevant fantasy from the Age of Aquarius.
Is Dune a fantasy?
If The Lord of the Rings is about the rise of fascism and the trauma of the second world war, and Game of Thrones, with its cynical realpolitik and cast of precarious, entrepreneurial characters is a fairytale of neoliberalism, then Dune is the paradigmatic fantasy of the Age of Aquarius.
Tatooine
Perhaps the most obvious similarity between the two is the setting. Dune's defining feature is the harsh, arid environment of Arrakis, which boasts oceans of sand in place of actual water.
The Sarlacc
Both Dune and Star Wars boast an array of incredible and terrifying creatures. However, none are perhaps more iconic than Arrakis' gigantic sandworms, which can grow to several hundreds of meters long and are even used as a means of transportation by the planet's local Fremen people.
Spice
One of the most important plot points in Dune is the so-called spice melange, a mind-altering substance that allows for interstellar travel and that's only known source – at least in the first book – is the planet Arrakis.
Uncle Owen's Job
Living out on the rural sandflats of Tatooine, Owen Lars worked as a moisture farmer in the original Star Wars movie – ably assisted by his nephew, Luke Skywalker, and – for a limited period – the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The Empire
In Star Wars, the Empire serves as the clear antagonists of the story, subjugating planets and weeding out dissenters. However, although they remain one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history , the Empire owes a clear debt to Dune's Imperium.
The Rebel Alliance
Both Star Wars and Dune feature guerilla warbands fighting for freedom from the oppression of an imperialist incursion. However, while the Rebel Alliance owes a clear debt to Dune's Fremen, there are differences between the two.
Stormtroopers
Not only do both Star Wars and Dune feature an oppressive empire, but both versions also boast their own crack troops. Although the fighting abilities of Star Wars' stormtroopers have been much-debated, what is undeniable is that they share some clear similarities with the Imperium's Sardaukar.
Who plays Duncan Idaho in Dune?
Han Solo / Duncan Idaho. Jason Momoa, who portrays House Atreides swordmaster in Villeneuve’s Dune, recently described his character as “ Han Solo-esque .”. It’s not hard to see why we made the comparison. In the novel, Idaho is pledged to House Atreides, but exists a bit on the margins.
What is Luke's uncle's job?
On Tatooine, Luke’s uncle is a moisture farmer, who implants devices in the desert to draw moisture from the atmosphere. On Arrakis, a device a called dew collector has the same function.
What is the name of the creature that lives on a dais?
In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, we see the life of Jabba the Hutt, a slug-like creature carried on a dais who lives like a king on Tatooine. In the Dune universe, the son of Paul Atreides, Leto II Atreides, slowly transforms into a sandworm-like creature carried on a dais who is quite literally royalty. – – –.

The First Drafts of 'Star Wars'
Comparing Places and People
- The planet Tatooine, where Anakin and Luke Skywalker both grew up, is a harsh desert world. Luke’s uncle is a moisture farmer on the largely lawless planet ruled by smugglers and outlaws. It’s a very similar scene on Arrakis, the planet where all the spice is to be found, along with political intrigue and rebellion. Luke's father Anakin/Darth Vader is the main villain of the first six …
What The Cinematographer Said
- Greig Fraser is a highly sought after cinematographer in Hollywood, having worked on many major movies including Zero Dark Thirty, Rogue One: A Stars Wars Story, The Mandalorian – and Dune. He spoke to Collider about similarities between the two stories. “There were some similarities like the deserts. I mean listen, ultimately I’m positive George Lucas was inspired by Dune when he m…