Dune has long been regarded as one of the greatest and most influential science fiction series.
Everything from Star Wars to Star Trek, to the Expanse, has been in some way inspired by the classic work of Frank Herbert.
Dune focuses on the economic and sociopolitical systems revolving around the planet Arrakis, the only planet in the empire where the precious spice Melange can be found.
Arrakis, also known as Dune, falls under the Fiefdom of The Noble Great House Atreides, Which consists of Duke Leto, his Bene Gesserit Concubine Jessica, and their 15-year-old son Paul.
The native people of Arrakis are called the Fremen, who were once, many centuries ago, known as the Zensunni Wanderers.
The books indicate that the Fremen are a homogeneous group that picked up the gene of many different humans during their migrations from planet to planet before settling on Dune.
Much of Fremen culture as described in the books is inspired by real-world Buddist and Islamic traditions.
The main plot of the first Dune book is centered around Paul Atreides’ use of the Fremen to avenge the fall of House Atreides and gain control of the Imperial throne.
Now, I won’t be explaining the entire plotline of the Dune Saga, I mean that would take several hour-long videos, and who has time for that? *Cough Cough.
Though Dune is considered one of the most influential Science fiction Saga’s ever, it’s not without controversy.
It has been argued by some that Dune is one of the prime examples of the White Savior trope.
Now I’ve addressed this in the past to some degree, see this video I did hear responding to an article written by Noah Bertlasky which accused Paul of being a quote, “Mighty Whitey”, but I’ve never dived entirely into the subject.
In this video, we will explore the historical context of the White Savior trope, dissect how race is viewed in the Dune saga, and determine once and for all whether or not Dune is an example of this trope.
John Jr's Blog 