Dune Part 2 - FilmNitro360

Talking about Dune Part 2
FilmNitro360 - Ep.5
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[@SunsetRogue]

Dune reminds you of Star Wars because Star Wars copied Dune. Episode IV - A New Hope premiered in 1977. Dune, the novel on which these 2 recent adaptations are based, was published in 1965.
George Lucas cherry-picked from many sources. He took ideas and images from the Dune novels, Akira Kurosawa films, Flash Gordon, The Dam Busters (copying many frame shots as well as dialogue), and the writings of Joseph Campbell. Obi-Wan Kenobi was modeled after Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Tatooine would not exist as it is without the imagination of Frank Herbert, a literary novelist and Dune’s creator.
Herbert once considered suing Lucas for plagiarism, but he refrained in the end because, unlike Lucas, Herbert was neither money-grubbing nor litigious. I have heard some say that Lucas paid Herbert off for plagiarism, but I haven’t seen the source of this rumor.
Below are several examples of Star Wars (1977) copying Dune (1965):
* Arrakis is a desert planet with 2 binary moons, giant worms that live under the sand, and inhabitants (Fremen) who collect moisture. Tatooine is a desert planet with 2 binary suns, giant worms (greater krayt dragons) that live under the sand, and inhabitants who work as moisture farmers.
* The Jedi (warrior space monks) were modeled after the Bene Gesserit (warrior space nuns). The Jedi mind trick duplicates the hypnotic power of the Bene Gesserit’s Voice. The Bene Gesserit develop their physical and mental abilities through training known as prana-bindu. In the original script for Episode IV, the Jedi Knights were first called Jedi-Bendu.
* The spice, AKA “melange,” is an expensive mind-altering drug on Arrakis. In the Star Wars franchise, there are several mentions of various types of spice, all of which are also expensive mind-altering drugs. As far as I can tell, none of them are used for cooking in Star Wars.
* Greater krayt dragons, as seen in season 2 of The Mandalorian (2020), imitate the look and behavior of the sandworms. The Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi (1983) matches the novel’s description of a sandworm’s mouth with its rows of concentrically arranged teeth. The Sarlacc is basically a sandworm in a stationary vertical position.
Incidentally, the writers of The Mandalorian also gave a couple of shout outs to Herbert’s work with the character of Cara Dune and the city of Calodan (Caladan is Paul Atreides’ home planet).
* In the first novel (1965), Paul discovers that Jessica, his mother, is the secret daughter of Baron Harkonnen. He is the grandson of a major villain. In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Luke discovers he is the secret son of a major villain, Darth Vader. So, for both franchises, the main protagonist learns a critical discovery (anagnorisis): he is actually descended from his enemy. It’s too much to be mere coincidence when added to all the other similarities.
The copying continues past the first Dune novel *(spoilers in the next 2 paragraphs):*
* Jabba the Hutt, first seen in Return of the Jedi (1983), imitates the appearance of Leto II, the human + worm hybrid and title character of God Emperor of Dune (1981). Worm bosses Jabba and Leto II have as their home base-surprise surprise-a desert planet.
* In Revenge of the Sith (2005), Anakin has prescient visions of Padmé dying after giving birth to their fraternal twins, a boy (Luke) and a girl (Leia). His visions come true. This same event happened 36 years earlier to Paul in Dune Messiah (1969). He has prescient visions of Chani dying after childbirth and it all comes true. The children born are also fraternal twins: a boy (Leto II) and a girl (Ghanima). Lucasfilm went back to the Dune series to get this idea.
These examples are blatant. It can hardly be called inspiration since Lucas and Lucasfilm weren’t clever enough to tweak Herbert’s ideas into something significantly different for the Star Wars franchise. This is why many viewers who watched Dune for the first time said it reminded them of Star Wars. Of course it did, since in the above examples Lucas did not make any major alterations from Dune, the source.