Rate the latest movie you've seen.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I saw "Bad Taste", that was enough.

[Hydra009]

Something I don't understand about the Dune setting in general:

The Spacing Guild controls ALL planet-to-planet space travel.  Think about the sheer level of power and leverage they have.  Nothing gets from point A to point B unless they approve - trade, food, envoys, war hosts, etc - they effectively have unlimited power.  They could just demand whatever they want from any noble house or royal house and whoever doesn't play ball gets a travel ban.  Don't like that?  What are you gonna do about it?  Fight us?  Well, I hope your sublight engines are amazing because it'll take several hundred years before you can make good on any threats.  (Which, btw, will be easily countered by a much, much swifter fleet with plenty of time to mount a defense, probably also upgrade once or twice while they wait)  Or the Spacing Guild could just bomb any hostile planet to smithereens the same week their attacking fleet sets out and the Guild fleet could leave before the attacking fleet has time to turn around.  But the Spacing Guild doesn't need to wage war, because unless that planetary system is self-sufficient (doubt it), they're going to starve and probably revolt long before combat is ever a real possibility.

Bottom line: why doesn't someone from the Spacing Guild sit on the throne?  Are they stupid?

[Unbeliever]

Why do all that work? The Spacers are the de facto rulers, so why deal with all of the headaches of actually ruling? Let the "nobles" do the work and deal with the commoners.

[Mr.Obvious]

I read it a year or two ago.
As I recall, the guild is incredibly powerful and influential.
But they do not hold arrakis. The empire, through the harkonnen, hold it.
Without the steady supply of Spice, their power would also falter instantly.
As such, the guild and the emperor are both increadibly powerful, but also completely codependent.

Might be misremembering

[Gawdzilla Sama]

If the Spacing Guild tried to control the whole of Human Space they'd have to enforce that, and control the planets so no hostile forces would be formed to break their rule, even if it meant not going spacing ever again. That would mean they'd need to have occupying troops, and you couldn't have the occupiers of a planet be from that planet, too easy to switch sides and become "liberators". And the Spacing Guild is not a military entity, they would have to protect their ships from the defense forces on the planet they were taking over.

Too much work for the comfort of being "boss" IMNSHO.

[Hydra009]

Without the steady supply of Spice, their power would also falter instantly.  As such, the guild and the emperor are both increadibly powerful, but also completely codependent.

Both the spice and the Navigators are absolutely essential for the galactic civilization.  So both Arrakis and the Guild could credibly issue threats to get their way, yet only Arrakis (through Paul) threatens to withhold spice, the Spacing Guild never threatens to withhold space travel.

The fact that Arrakis becomes the new capital of the new order is very strange imho because in real life, it's rare for the producers of critical raw materials to wield much political power over its consumers.  In fact, it's much more common for the producers of raw materials to be either impoverished or somewhat wealthy yet nowhere near the power of the countries which produce essential products with those raw materials.  For example, the countries that make semiconductors have more power/leverage than those who produce rare earth metals.  And of course, the obvious comparison is countries that produce oil compared to countries that produce cars and aircraft.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Think of a petroleum-based global economy on steroids. The population of EVERY planet is bound to that solar system until an alternative to spice is found, IF it ever is. Horizons shrink to the heliosphere. Friends, family, experts you might need, all cut off on another world that you can't possibly reach.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Seeing Dune II tomorrow (Monday) at 11:30. Will be annoyingly smug by 4 PM. Brace yourselves.

[Hydra009]

Think of a petroleum-based global economy on steroids.

Yes, I've been to Texas.

[Unbeliever]

And then watch Bad Taste

I just finished watching Bad Taste, and I was glad to get to the end of it! 🤣

[Hijiri Byakuren]

Something I doubt understand about the Dune setting in general:

The Spacing Guild controls ALL planet-to-planet space travel.  Think about the sheer level of power and leverage they have.  Nothing gets from point A to point B unless they approve - trade, food, envoys, war hosts, etc - they effectively have unlimited power.  They could just demand whatever they want from any noble house or royal house and whoever doesn't play ball gets a travel ban.  Don't like that?  What are you gonna do about it?  Fight us?  Well, I hope your sublight engines are amazing because it'll take several hundred years before you can make good on any threats.  (Which, btw, will be easily countered by a much, much swifter fleet with plenty of time to mount a defense, probably also upgrade once or twice while they wait)  Or the Spacing Guild could just bomb any hostile planet to smithereens the same week their attacking fleet sets out and the Guild fleet could leave before the attacking fleet has time to turn around.  But the Spacing Guild doesn't need to wage war, because unless that planetary system is self-sufficient (doubt it), they're going to starve and probably revolt long before combat is ever a real possibility.

Bottom line: why doesn't someone from the Spacing Guild sit on the throne?  Are they stupid?

There is a video game from two decades ago called Emperor: Battle For Dune, back when live action cinematics were all the rage. The Spacing Guild's plot to take over isn't fully revealed until late in the campaign, but it is the central driving force of the story. Even in the very beginning, they dictate who is allowed to fight for control of Arrakis, and what weapons are allowed. They're ultimately foiled because the player is able to enlist some illegal space travel once the Guild shows its true colors, allowing you to take back control of Arrakis and bring them to heel.

Here's the intro cinematic. You can probably find a let's play or a long play if you're interested. If you're not familiar with Dune 1984, this game's visual style is based on that film's rendition of the setting.

Edit: Yes, that's Michael Dorn playing Duke Achillus.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Dune II. ∞ out of 10.

[the_antithesis]

Eight out of ten?

[Hydra009]

Planet Oh Oh in planetary system one-zero? (only Ixians will understand)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Eight out of ten?

Infinity symbol. It could have been sooooo much worse. Computerized effects are good when they're done properly. I've watched B-52 strikes and felt the breeze despite being "technically" outside the danger zone. Watching the fights in this movie is like that, too damn close to reality at times. The scenery doesn't look like Ray Harryhausen did it. They may finally be getting it right. The spice trance is left "mystical" and the effects are covered instead of filling in some time with pretty pictures.