The Sardaukar know exactly who they're dealing with here. Notice their slight hesitation whenever they're about to cross swords with Duncan. Really good directing and acting. With the other Atreides troops it was just cold, mechanical precision but with Duncan they square up a bit
Well He was a Swordmaster after all, and was in the process of training all the Atreides troops to his level. It's one of the reasons that the Emperor agreed to help Harkonnen destroy the Atreides, because they were becoming too powerful even before Arrakis
Like the two of them started running when they saw Duncan square up with one, they were rushing to try and jump him because they knew that one wasn't enough.
You take down one Sardaukar, you are a proven warrior. You take down four, you are a badass. You take out a dozen before going down, they will immortalize you.
When the Sardukar entered that Station, they numbered nearly 40. When Duncan faced them, only about 12 remained, having been ambushed by only 6 Fremen. Of that, only 3 made it through to be eaten by Shai-Hulud. There is a reason that the fighting skills of Duncan and the Fremen were equally feared and respected.
Duncan killed 19 Sardaukar, so there were at least 22 left after the Fremen ambushed them - so three to one, in an ambush. If those were the only Sardaukar that attacked - we don't actually know if there were more. I thought the Fremen were a Frank Herbert power fantasy before they met Paul and Jessica. The idea that they lost only _two_ fighters to Sardaukar seemed over-the-top. You don't get that good from just surviving in a hostile environment under oppression, or the Inuit would have been supersoldiers, which they weren't. The nomads were sometimes supersoldiers, but only if they were organized and led by great leaders and generals, and even then they could still be beaten with superior tactics. It's not until Paul and Jessica arrive among the Fremen that they learn how to fight using the Bene Gesserit training and Paul's strategic skills. Even then, they only take over Arrakis because Hawat convinces the Baron to cut off Rabban from reinforcements. If your enemy can keep recruiting from a limitless supply of manpower, I don't care how good you are, you are never going to win.
@@squamish4244 I mean, the Inuit didn't build their entire culture around knife-fighting. Imagine a society where practically every dispute concerning water (money) and women upon reaching adulthood is settled by duels to the death. Where your status in society is basically determined by killing the weaker men and collecting their daughters and wives so you can breed as quickly as possible before you get too old and slow and some young buck sticks a knife in you. In the movie, they did the Paul-Jamis duel in the desert. So when they get to the sietch, Paul is going to find out he owns Jamis's wife, kids, and coffee service now. Lol.
@@bellgrand That's literally how many cultures in the Papua New Guinea valleys are structured. And it didn't do them a damn bit of good when they encountered Europeans. The Comanche were structured that way too, and look what happened to them. And you ignored my points about the nomads. The history of nomadic empires that rose and fell is LONG. Many empires, most of which we didn't even hear about because they collapsed so quickly. The Huns were fierce warriors-from-birth - and the Romans still beat them with better leadership and tactics. And their empire collapsed completely once Atilla died. The Romans beat lots of tough warriors tribes handily because their tactics were better. The Mongols were beaten a few times in their prime by superior tactics. They also could not use their horse archers in the rice paddies and mountains of southern China, so by the time they finished conquering China they were basically a conventional army with superior generalship and more manpower. They got their asses kicked in unfamiliar climates and terrain - Vietnam, Japan, Java. I didn't say the Fremen would be *bad* fighters. I said I thought that they were way too overpowered before they met Paul and Jessica. They seemed to be so much tougher than the Sardaukar it seemed kind of absurd. At least Herbert showed they were never able to overcome the Harkonnens until that happened AND Rabban was cut off from reinforcements.
@@squamish4244 LOL. Are you really going to compare the Fremen to the Papuans and Mongols? The Europeans were able to leverage massive technological advantages against the Papuans. That advantage is not present here. Everyone is forced to fight with knives. That said, the Fremen are extremely technologically and culturally advanced. Not only moreso than the Papuans and the colonial European powers, but also our own society. Remember: the Fremen have been on Arrakis for over ten thousand years. With Paul's prescience and stranglehold on space travel, they were able to conquer the known universe and slaughter 61 billion people living in societies far more prosperous than our own. The Fremen defeated the Sardaukar in that instance because they were complacent; they had thought the Atreides were the most difficult resistance on the planet and totally discounted the Fremen. Once they realized their error, it was too late. Furthermore, there is actually a passage in the book where Paul reflects on how the Sardaukar are psychologically unequipped to fight a superior opponent. The Fremen actually did not want to overcome the Harkonnens. They did wage a guerilla war against them, but it was to keep them away from their sietches and to confine them to the polar regions. Remember, the goal of the Fremen was to realize the dream of terraforming Arrakis, not to control the production of spice. They even paid off the Spacing Guild to not spy on them; the Harkonnens never realized how many Fremen there were nor the full extent of their capabilities.
@Bellgrand I'm just giving some perspective to the 'supersoldier' debate re: the New Guineans and the Comanche. The Inuit also had some pretty badass melee combat techniques. It did not help them against the much more populous tribes to the south. Also, another point against harsh environments making you inherently tougher warriors - why did the San people get pushed into the Kalahari by the Bantu expansion, and remain there for centuries, surely long enough to enact whatever evolutionary changes Herbert believed would be necessary for a super-race to develop? They never managed to fight their way back onto literally greener pastures. They remained stuck in one of the driest places on earth, ineffectual against the greatly superior numbers and organization of the Bantu. And you keep ignoring my points about the nomads. They were from a brutal climate, fought endless blood feuds, and yet most of the time, despite all their badassery, were never able to conquer the settled societies to the south of them. In the times that they were, it is because they had charismatic leaders who could hold them together. Or, like the Arabs, they attacked at just the right time - the Arabs invaded Persia and Rome a decade after both had exhausted each other in a 26-year-long war. Even Genghis Khan was only able to conquer as much as he did because China was split into three kingdoms when he attacked, which were busy fighting each other - the same with Central Asia. The Mongols were beaten by the Delhi Sultanate, with no disadvantages in climate and terrain. They were beaten fair and square. Good luck if Genghis had tried to attack the unified China of the Ming or Qing - the Yongle Emperor of the Ming defeated the Mongols in many battles, and the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing defeated the nomads many times, and carried out what we would call genocide against the Dzunghar Khanate. A lot of good their supersoldier status did them there. And the Ming and Qing did not have a technological advantage over the nomads. Also, the Romans, with no technological advantage, were able to mop the floor with foot soldiers (not mounted nomads - that's a technological advantage) who had spent their lives in blood feuds, fighting in melee combat, from harsh climates and living conditions compared to the Mediterranean. Why? Superior training. It goes without saying that this civilization is more technologically advanced than our own, although the Butlerian Jihan means it is recognizable, and that was a deliberate choice on Herbert's part. And we have to start somewhere, and so did Frank Herbert, so using our own history is as good a place as any, as he started there too. He was taking his best guess at this stuff just as much as we are right now, and he was also vulnerable to power fantasies, as he seemed to see the Fremen as some sort of model society. Writers are like this. Writers are human. Herbert was human. Herbert was born and raised in a society not too unlike our own (or my grandmother, born two years after him, was from an alien race), so he was operating with a similar set of assumptions. There is a reason why Herbert included the scene where Hawat tells the Baron to "abandon your dear nephew". Hawat is trying to lure the Harkonnens and Corrinos into a mutually destructive war, which is why he tells him how many Fremen are actually on Arrakis, but he knows the Harkonnens aren't ready, and that the Emperor is suspicious, so to allay the Emperor's fears he tells him to cut off Rabban. Herbert knew damn well that as long as Rabban could keep recruiting from an endless pool of manpower on Giedi Prime, the Fremen could *never* hope to defeat the Harkonnens. You can't defeat an enemy that can just keep replacing their numbers. Which is why he found a way, plot-wise, to have Rabban cut off from resupply. Even then, when Paul sees in his vision that literally _millions_ of troops are in the countless ships above Arrakis, he arranges it so that all the Spice on Arrakis will be destroyed as soon as he gives the order - because he knows not even the Fremen can win against those numbers. The Fremen are able to launch the jihad because their control of the Spice enables them to attack each planet individually. All the Great Houses of the Landsraad combined across 13,000 planets - no, I don't care who you are, you can't beat that with two million fighting men or whatever. (About 10% of a society's manpower can be mobilized today, in an industrial society - but let's say it's double that 20,000 years in the future, with the resources of the Imperium to back you up. Literally every adult male between the ages of 18 and 150 or however long they live with the help of the Spice.) Again, I am saying the Fremen are great fighters! I just think they are too overpowered at the beginning. Taking out so many Sardaukar while barely losing any of their own - really? No formal training of the level of the Sardaukar, access to far fewer resources - and the Sardaukar, though weaker than they were, are still from the harsh Salusa Secondus - it all seemed too unbelievable. I thought this when I first read the book. I still think it.
Gotta love how that one Sardaukar stopped in hesitation when he saw Duncan coming in his direction. Duncan Idaho’s reputation as the best swordsman in the known Universe is so legendary even the dreaded Sardaukar would think twice before crossing swords with him.
God I hope messiah gets greenlit...I want Hayt, I want Leto and Ghani, I want the God Emperor, I'm so into the books and I want it all on the big screen 😭
@@ReMattchMessiah is finally confirmed As for the other 4 Dune instalments waiting to be adapted into the silver screen, well good luck then to the directors on handling the screenplay, the books itself is getting weirder and hard to adapt 😅😅😅
Duncan handily killing 4 Sardaukar is the equivalent of 1 Knight killing 4 Spartans at the same time, as the lore states the Sardaukar are the best warriors in the universe, only eclipsed by the fremen. The fact that Duncan can beat both types warriors shows why he's known as one of the best warriors in the galaxy
I agree with you to a point.... At this point of the timeline, the Sardaukar are still fierce, but not as fierce as the previous legions. The book clearly states that at their highest point the average Sardaukar is ON PAR with a Bene Gesserit acolyte in hand-to-hand combat. By the time of "Dune", they are not even close to this level! The books also state that the Sardaukar had become "soft" because they had started relying on their former glory and achievements. Putting Duncan on the level as a knight is a little off also, Duncan was one of the finest graduates (ever) of Swordmasters of Ginaz and as a child, he was hunted and survived House Harkonnen hunting parties for years. The other reason Duncan is held in such high regard is his unquestionable and devoted loyalty to House Atreides. This is proven again and again throughout the novels (sorry kind of a spoiler).
there are thousands of Sardaukar and there was only one Duncan and it only took dozens of Sardaukar to take down the swordmaster which is still a huge win
The Sardaukar were not an expendable force for the Baron. While he was effectively at an overwhelming advantage, it's a man for man trade. Duncan being able to carve his way through stray bands of Sardaukar and taking 19 to bring him down is a lot for what is more or less one guys that's not even a major player. Any Sardaukar he loses is not replaceable because the Emperor will not give him more. When they return in force, it's not because the Harkonnens asked for it, but because the emperor willed it.
@@normknapp4404 That's Vladimir and Shaddam's view anyway. You know, the men who didn't realize that they were just part of a breeding program promoved by the Bene Gesserit, just as the Atreides themselves were...
@@TRak598 I think Duncan’s role in DUNE is more of a background character. All the supporting characters in the first book are only to make the reader understand how and why House Atredies is so well respected and also explain why the emperor is worried/ fearful about /of them! Duncan’s character moves from the background into a main character in Dune messiah! Herbert (the son) and Anderson’s novel House Atredies (about Duke Leto before the events of Dune) gives us a much bigger, and deeper, view of the Atredies and why they are so respected! By the time we read Children of Dune it’s a given that Duncan has become a central character in the story line. The rest of the 3 books (and follow ups) just drive the nail home. My 2cents
And that is what a tenth-level Ginaz swordsman can do. The Ginaz school trains the best fighters in the Imperium, even better than the Sardaukar and almost as good as a Bene Gesserit. And Duncan has certainly been trained by Lady Jessica in the Weirding Way, making him even deadlier. Duncan is far beyond any Sardaukar, and the fact that he killed 19 in the hallway is not surprising.
0:51 LOL! I totally see what they did there xD Context: In the original David Lynch movie, Duncan Idaho was killed by a slow flying bolt shot not unlike the one he deflects in this scene.
@@paddy7812 nooo i don't think so. that's just the (inexorable) lynch movie.. in the book he went out like he did in DUNE.. sacrificing himself for Paul &lady Jessica
@@o-wolf READ THE BOOK!!! Yes he sacrificed himself for Paul and Jessica, BUT he was killed by a slow shield penetrating projectile!!! Again, READ THE BOOK!!!
In Paul of Dune they did something similar. The tleilaxu would comb the battlefields where Paul's Jihads were fought and would collect dead bodies and DNA samples from fallen soldiers. Eventually they created an large squad of warrior gholas, but they all got absolutely bodied by Lady Margot and Feyds biological daughter Marie, who had training from an adept bene gesserit and Count Fenring who at the time in this point in the books was regarded as one of the deadliest fighters, 2nd to maybe Paul (in his 20s Paul was a fucking demon) and maybe Gurney but I feel Fenring still could have beaten paul at least 4-5 out of 10 times, which goes to show you how fucking deadly Marie could have been in her later years.
I didn't hit me till a couple moments ago, but this entire sequence gives me callbacks to Return of the King [in a fantastic way of course]. Like Sam, where he's trying to rescue Frodo from Shelob and the Orcs from Cirith Ungol, Duncan does the exact same thing. In this case, he slaughters some Sardaukar and Harkonnen, and escapes Arrakeen to rescue Paul and Jessica [even though that portion is not shown here]. Not to mention, I really love this version of Duncan. I like to think that he's been given justice by Denis, since I felt that the 1984 film and the 2000 miniseries didn't make him feel like he was a swordsmaster, badass, or even lethal. These are just my thoughts, that's all.
Even in the books, Duncan is more exemplified by his courage and honor than his skill with a blade. Yes he was a talented swordsman (who never backed down from a fight) but he was also a stalwart companion who's loyalty to the Atreides never faltered even from beyond the grave.
Man, I would think Atreides soldiers would not have surrendered to the Harkonnens and fought to the death knowing their likely fate, i.e. beheading by crazy Rabban.
I like to think they didn't surrender to the Harkonnens. I felt that the moment the Sardaukar came into the picture was the moment when the Atreides knew they were finished. No one can muster up to their level, except for Duncan and the Fremen. I guess you could say, the Sardaukar were taking care of the dirty work, with the Harkonnens backing them up [especially because Harkonnens are not a proficient fighting force].
@@hasanhaitham276 No, in the books most the Atriedes forces are taken out when the Harkonnen's funnel them into the cave systems and then use artillery to cave them in, which is considered a really weird tactic none of them were prepared for because artillery was kinda obsolete technology in Dune's time.
@@ammanbansal2265 Some prisoners were taken, because one nearly kills Feyd-Rautha in the gladiatorial ring. Feyd would have died without cheating with his poisoned blade. I hope they keep that scene in the second movie.
@@squamish4244 Im really hoping this will be the introduction of Feyd’s character. A brief exchange between the Baron and Feyd after an exchange with Raban (sp). Then the introduction of Feyd to the fighting arena with a brief glimpse of Fenring and his wife while his wife begins her plans with Feyd! We can only hope they give these characters the respect they are due!
The following 5 books would best be done as mini series not single movies. Books 2 and 3 have much more intrigue, more philosophical make you think than they do action! This was the problem with Game of Thrones, they tried to make every episode contain action, and that just not how the books worked (in either story)! Having HBO or Amazon pick up this series at book 2 and keeping the director (and as many of the same characters as they can afford) would be a true tribute to Herbert and his masterpiece!!!
To those people who are surprised or amazed at how Duncan can take down 4 to 10 Sardaukar on his own - this is Aqua man, dude 🤣🤣🤣 why, don't your armpits get sweaty when you have anxiety?
Aquaman on Arrakis? If he could summon water at will, he would be a top-tier superhero. If he needs bodies of water to swim in them, his awesomeness is kinda limited, lol.
Duncan... WHAT A BADASS, he's a guy you would trust your life to. He really gives a vibe of "soldier who fights for you cause you cant", protector of royalty, i would really like a version of this story like that (asoiaf kinda has this but is different). The royals would do the politiking and the guard, could be AWESOME.
@@yonneye2427 In the film there is a frame after his death of him alive can be recognized by the eyes. I mistakenly assumed he got away with it 😥Thanks!
It's mentioned in the books that much of the Atreides forces are holding out in caves, and the Harkonnens use artillery to collapse the caves and that's how majority of the Atreides forces were destroyed. It's possible that's what this is showing?
Its perfectly in keeping with the Harkonnens. There were almost certainly Atreides troops on patrol in the city, fully geared up when the attack came. Clearing them out would have taken days or more likely weeks of street fighting, even with Sardaukar support, so the Harkonnens just glass the whole city as the most brutally efficient solution. The Space Port and Spice Refinery are both still intact and that is ultimately all they really care about.
Killing Atradies falling back through the town. There were thousands of Atradies, they didn't all needlessly charge to battle, some fell back on their posts to defend them, some retreated.
@@charlescatt4607 And then there is the fact that Rabban is likely the one commanding the Harkonnens' forces and naturally resorts to mindless brutality and overkill. "Oh, there MIGHT be some Atreides in the city? BURN IT ALL!!!!"
Holtzmann shields repel fast moving objects, and also other shields. I guess he switched it off, to easier bypass the enemys shield to kill him. A dangerous move. But since there were no other Sardaukar alive nearby... it was a worthwhile risk at the moment.
That's because they shielding. They have to move slow to penetrate. Constant pressure will break the shield, not quick slashes. Harder to maintain constant pressure with a long blade.
The Sardaukar know exactly who they're dealing with here. Notice their slight hesitation whenever they're about to cross swords with Duncan. Really good directing and acting. With the other Atreides troops it was just cold, mechanical precision but with Duncan they square up a bit
Well He was a Swordmaster after all, and was in the process of training all the Atreides troops to his level. It's one of the reasons that the Emperor agreed to help Harkonnen destroy the Atreides, because they were becoming too powerful even before Arrakis
When they know of his skill in combat most do take a moment to consider the fight, sardaukar thought they could take him and thought wrong.
Like the two of them started running when they saw Duncan square up with one, they were rushing to try and jump him because they knew that one wasn't enough.
Absolutely terrifying to think about. No one goes up against the Sardaukar and lives. NO ONE!!!
You take down one Sardaukar, you are a proven warrior. You take down four, you are a badass. You take out a dozen before going down, they will immortalize you.
Or take your DNA to use later 🤪
Quite literally made him immortal
Ghola-ize you
Pretty sure they did. The sardaukar commander was so fucking impressed by his actions they honored him in some way. I can't remember how.
@@tylerstewart3181 they made a creepy AF zombie clone.
0:32 that dude was like OH shit thats duncan
When the Sardukar entered that Station, they numbered nearly 40. When Duncan faced them, only about 12 remained, having been ambushed by only 6 Fremen. Of that, only 3 made it through to be eaten by Shai-Hulud. There is a reason that the fighting skills of Duncan and the Fremen were equally feared and respected.
Duncan killed 19 Sardaukar, so there were at least 22 left after the Fremen ambushed them - so three to one, in an ambush. If those were the only Sardaukar that attacked - we don't actually know if there were more.
I thought the Fremen were a Frank Herbert power fantasy before they met Paul and Jessica. The idea that they lost only _two_ fighters to Sardaukar seemed over-the-top. You don't get that good from just surviving in a hostile environment under oppression, or the Inuit would have been supersoldiers, which they weren't. The nomads were sometimes supersoldiers, but only if they were organized and led by great leaders and generals, and even then they could still be beaten with superior tactics.
It's not until Paul and Jessica arrive among the Fremen that they learn how to fight using the Bene Gesserit training and Paul's strategic skills. Even then, they only take over Arrakis because Hawat convinces the Baron to cut off Rabban from reinforcements. If your enemy can keep recruiting from a limitless supply of manpower, I don't care how good you are, you are never going to win.
@@squamish4244 I mean, the Inuit didn't build their entire culture around knife-fighting. Imagine a society where practically every dispute concerning water (money) and women upon reaching adulthood is settled by duels to the death. Where your status in society is basically determined by killing the weaker men and collecting their daughters and wives so you can breed as quickly as possible before you get too old and slow and some young buck sticks a knife in you.
In the movie, they did the Paul-Jamis duel in the desert. So when they get to the sietch, Paul is going to find out he owns Jamis's wife, kids, and coffee service now. Lol.
@@bellgrand That's literally how many cultures in the Papua New Guinea valleys are structured. And it didn't do them a damn bit of good when they encountered Europeans. The Comanche were structured that way too, and look what happened to them. And you ignored my points about the nomads.
The history of nomadic empires that rose and fell is LONG. Many empires, most of which we didn't even hear about because they collapsed so quickly. The Huns were fierce warriors-from-birth - and the Romans still beat them with better leadership and tactics. And their empire collapsed completely once Atilla died.
The Romans beat lots of tough warriors tribes handily because their tactics were better.
The Mongols were beaten a few times in their prime by superior tactics. They also could not use their horse archers in the rice paddies and mountains of southern China, so by the time they finished conquering China they were basically a conventional army with superior generalship and more manpower. They got their asses kicked in unfamiliar climates and terrain - Vietnam, Japan, Java.
I didn't say the Fremen would be *bad* fighters. I said I thought that they were way too overpowered before they met Paul and Jessica. They seemed to be so much tougher than the Sardaukar it seemed kind of absurd. At least Herbert showed they were never able to overcome the Harkonnens until that happened AND Rabban was cut off from reinforcements.
@@squamish4244 LOL. Are you really going to compare the Fremen to the Papuans and Mongols? The Europeans were able to leverage massive technological advantages against the Papuans. That advantage is not present here. Everyone is forced to fight with knives. That said, the Fremen are extremely technologically and culturally advanced. Not only moreso than the Papuans and the colonial European powers, but also our own society. Remember: the Fremen have been on Arrakis for over ten thousand years. With Paul's prescience and stranglehold on space travel, they were able to conquer the known universe and slaughter 61 billion people living in societies far more prosperous than our own.
The Fremen defeated the Sardaukar in that instance because they were complacent; they had thought the Atreides were the most difficult resistance on the planet and totally discounted the Fremen. Once they realized their error, it was too late. Furthermore, there is actually a passage in the book where Paul reflects on how the Sardaukar are psychologically unequipped to fight a superior opponent.
The Fremen actually did not want to overcome the Harkonnens. They did wage a guerilla war against them, but it was to keep them away from their sietches and to confine them to the polar regions. Remember, the goal of the Fremen was to realize the dream of terraforming Arrakis, not to control the production of spice. They even paid off the Spacing Guild to not spy on them; the Harkonnens never realized how many Fremen there were nor the full extent of their capabilities.
@Bellgrand I'm just giving some perspective to the 'supersoldier' debate re: the New Guineans and the Comanche. The Inuit also had some pretty badass melee combat techniques. It did not help them against the much more populous tribes to the south.
Also, another point against harsh environments making you inherently tougher warriors - why did the San people get pushed into the Kalahari by the Bantu expansion, and remain there for centuries, surely long enough to enact whatever evolutionary changes Herbert believed would be necessary for a super-race to develop? They never managed to fight their way back onto literally greener pastures. They remained stuck in one of the driest places on earth, ineffectual against the greatly superior numbers and organization of the Bantu.
And you keep ignoring my points about the nomads. They were from a brutal climate, fought endless blood feuds, and yet most of the time, despite all their badassery, were never able to conquer the settled societies to the south of them. In the times that they were, it is because they had charismatic leaders who could hold them together. Or, like the Arabs, they attacked at just the right time - the Arabs invaded Persia and Rome a decade after both had exhausted each other in a 26-year-long war.
Even Genghis Khan was only able to conquer as much as he did because China was split into three kingdoms when he attacked, which were busy fighting each other - the same with Central Asia. The Mongols were beaten by the Delhi Sultanate, with no disadvantages in climate and terrain. They were beaten fair and square.
Good luck if Genghis had tried to attack the unified China of the Ming or Qing - the Yongle Emperor of the Ming defeated the Mongols in many battles, and the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing defeated the nomads many times, and carried out what we would call genocide against the Dzunghar Khanate. A lot of good their supersoldier status did them there. And the Ming and Qing did not have a technological advantage over the nomads.
Also, the Romans, with no technological advantage, were able to mop the floor with foot soldiers (not mounted nomads - that's a technological advantage) who had spent their lives in blood feuds, fighting in melee combat, from harsh climates and living conditions compared to the Mediterranean. Why? Superior training.
It goes without saying that this civilization is more technologically advanced than our own, although the Butlerian Jihan means it is recognizable, and that was a deliberate choice on Herbert's part. And we have to start somewhere, and so did Frank Herbert, so using our own history is as good a place as any, as he started there too. He was taking his best guess at this stuff just as much as we are right now, and he was also vulnerable to power fantasies, as he seemed to see the Fremen as some sort of model society. Writers are like this. Writers are human. Herbert was human. Herbert was born and raised in a society not too unlike our own (or my grandmother, born two years after him, was from an alien race), so he was operating with a similar set of assumptions.
There is a reason why Herbert included the scene where Hawat tells the Baron to "abandon your dear nephew". Hawat is trying to lure the Harkonnens and Corrinos into a mutually destructive war, which is why he tells him how many Fremen are actually on Arrakis, but he knows the Harkonnens aren't ready, and that the Emperor is suspicious, so to allay the Emperor's fears he tells him to cut off Rabban.
Herbert knew damn well that as long as Rabban could keep recruiting from an endless pool of manpower on Giedi Prime, the Fremen could *never* hope to defeat the Harkonnens. You can't defeat an enemy that can just keep replacing their numbers. Which is why he found a way, plot-wise, to have Rabban cut off from resupply. Even then, when Paul sees in his vision that literally _millions_ of troops are in the countless ships above Arrakis, he arranges it so that all the Spice on Arrakis will be destroyed as soon as he gives the order - because he knows not even the Fremen can win against those numbers.
The Fremen are able to launch the jihad because their control of the Spice enables them to attack each planet individually. All the Great Houses of the Landsraad combined across 13,000 planets - no, I don't care who you are, you can't beat that with two million fighting men or whatever. (About 10% of a society's manpower can be mobilized today, in an industrial society - but let's say it's double that 20,000 years in the future, with the resources of the Imperium to back you up. Literally every adult male between the ages of 18 and 150 or however long they live with the help of the Spice.)
Again, I am saying the Fremen are great fighters! I just think they are too overpowered at the beginning. Taking out so many Sardaukar while barely losing any of their own - really? No formal training of the level of the Sardaukar, access to far fewer resources - and the Sardaukar, though weaker than they were, are still from the harsh Salusa Secondus - it all seemed too unbelievable. I thought this when I first read the book. I still think it.
Gotta love how that one Sardaukar stopped in hesitation when he saw Duncan coming in his direction. Duncan Idaho’s reputation as the best swordsman in the known Universe is so legendary even the dreaded Sardaukar would think twice before crossing swords with him.
And this fight earned him immortality…
quite literally lmaoooo
God I hope messiah gets greenlit...I want Hayt, I want Leto and Ghani, I want the God Emperor, I'm so into the books and I want it all on the big screen 😭
Waking .... "Did I buy Paul time to escape?"
@@ReMattchMessiah is finally confirmed
As for the other 4 Dune instalments waiting to be adapted into the silver screen, well good luck then to the directors on handling the screenplay, the books itself is getting weirder and hard to adapt 😅😅😅
@@deensaid7762 After making it to Chapterhouse, I can concur, this lore gets WILD fast.
Mamoa pulled of a great Duncan Idaho, likeable and deadly.
Duncan handily killing 4 Sardaukar is the equivalent of 1 Knight killing 4 Spartans at the same time, as the lore states the Sardaukar are the best warriors in the universe, only eclipsed by the fremen. The fact that Duncan can beat both types warriors shows why he's known as one of the best warriors in the galaxy
Easy to be a good warrior if you're bulletproof.
@@varun009 not in that universe.
I agree with you to a point....
At this point of the timeline, the Sardaukar are still fierce, but not as fierce as the previous legions. The book clearly states that at their highest point the average Sardaukar is ON PAR with a Bene Gesserit acolyte in hand-to-hand combat. By the time of "Dune", they are not even close to this level! The books also state that the Sardaukar had become "soft" because they had started relying on their former glory and achievements. Putting Duncan on the level as a knight is a little off also, Duncan was one of the finest graduates (ever) of Swordmasters of Ginaz and as a child, he was hunted and survived House Harkonnen hunting parties for years.
The other reason Duncan is held in such high regard is his unquestionable and devoted loyalty to House Atreides. This is proven again and again throughout the novels (sorry kind of a spoiler).
@@varun009 but so is everyone else so what’s ur point
@@liche414 knife fighting it eazy.... Bish...
what a great fighter!
they should clone this man
I see what you did there …🥹
Who’s gonna tell him
The Sardaukar don't even touch his shield until the third warrior.
there are thousands of Sardaukar and there was only one Duncan and it only took dozens of Sardaukar to take down the swordmaster which is still a huge win
The Sardaukar were not an expendable force for the Baron. While he was effectively at an overwhelming advantage, it's a man for man trade. Duncan being able to carve his way through stray bands of Sardaukar and taking 19 to bring him down is a lot for what is more or less one guys that's not even a major player. Any Sardaukar he loses is not replaceable because the Emperor will not give him more. When they return in force, it's not because the Harkonnens asked for it, but because the emperor willed it.
@@machdude3366 I had to giggle at Duncan being “not even a major player” thing!!
@@normknapp4404 That's Vladimir and Shaddam's view anyway.
You know, the men who didn't realize that they were just part of a breeding program promoved by the Bene Gesserit, just as the Atreides themselves were...
Yes, Duncan is the third most important person of Dune after Paul and Leto II.
@@TRak598 I think Duncan’s role in DUNE is more of a background character. All the supporting characters in the first book are only to make the reader understand how and why House Atredies is so well respected and also explain why the emperor is worried/ fearful about /of them! Duncan’s character moves from the background into a main character in Dune messiah!
Herbert (the son) and Anderson’s novel House Atredies (about Duke Leto before the events of Dune) gives us a much bigger, and deeper, view of the Atredies and why they are so respected!
By the time we read Children of Dune it’s a given that Duncan has become a central character in the story line. The rest of the 3 books (and follow ups) just drive the nail home.
My 2cents
And that is what a tenth-level Ginaz swordsman can do. The Ginaz school trains the best fighters in the Imperium, even better than the Sardaukar and almost as good as a Bene Gesserit. And Duncan has certainly been trained by Lady Jessica in the Weirding Way, making him even deadlier. Duncan is far beyond any Sardaukar, and the fact that he killed 19 in the hallway is not surprising.
Lesson of the day, don't attack someone with long hair who looks like he makes cocktails for fun.
It's like he has done this many times before and can predict what his opponents will do
Pauls only friend and greatest protector
0:51 LOL! I totally see what they did there xD
Context: In the original David Lynch movie, Duncan Idaho was killed by a slow flying bolt shot not unlike the one he deflects in this scene.
That's also a standard Sardaukar projectile weapon. It's moving just a bit too fast to pass through the shield, but it keeps going.
@@Tounushi ..maybe he should've "slow balled" that blade.
It’s what kills him in the book as well.
@@paddy7812 nooo i don't think so. that's just the (inexorable) lynch movie.. in the book he went out like he did in DUNE.. sacrificing himself for Paul &lady Jessica
@@o-wolf READ THE BOOK!!! Yes he sacrificed himself for Paul and Jessica, BUT he was killed by a slow shield penetrating projectile!!! Again, READ THE BOOK!!!
Hey, Duncan Idaho is like some futuristic Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones. I would like to see him give a molten gold drunk to Baron Harkonnen.
imagine an army full of Duncan Idahos i believe the clones are called golas or something, a legion full of them would be near unstoppable.
In Paul of Dune they did something similar. The tleilaxu would comb the battlefields where Paul's Jihads were fought and would collect dead bodies and DNA samples from fallen soldiers. Eventually they created an large squad of warrior gholas, but they all got absolutely bodied by Lady Margot and Feyds biological daughter Marie, who had training from an adept bene gesserit and Count Fenring who at the time in this point in the books was regarded as one of the deadliest fighters, 2nd to maybe Paul (in his 20s Paul was a fucking demon) and maybe Gurney but I feel Fenring still could have beaten paul at least 4-5 out of 10 times, which goes to show you how fucking deadly Marie could have been in her later years.
Oh no the palm trees! The gardeners there just got their hard work ruined! 🌴🔥😭
The way killed those 4 seemed realistic compared to the 14 or so he killed later on
Duncan went down hard. Perfect casting, too.
I didn't hit me till a couple moments ago, but this entire sequence gives me callbacks to Return of the King [in a fantastic way of course]. Like Sam, where he's trying to rescue Frodo from Shelob and the Orcs from Cirith Ungol, Duncan does the exact same thing. In this case, he slaughters some Sardaukar and Harkonnen, and escapes Arrakeen to rescue Paul and Jessica [even though that portion is not shown here].
Not to mention, I really love this version of Duncan. I like to think that he's been given justice by Denis, since I felt that the 1984 film and the 2000 miniseries didn't make him feel like he was a swordsmaster, badass, or even lethal.
These are just my thoughts, that's all.
Nope...Obi Wan and Vader..just realized.it..
Lucas is a brillant thief
Even in the books, Duncan is more exemplified by his courage and honor than his skill with a blade. Yes he was a talented swordsman (who never backed down from a fight) but he was also a stalwart companion who's loyalty to the Atreides never faltered even from beyond the grave.
Man, I would think Atreides soldiers would not have surrendered to the Harkonnens and fought to the death knowing their likely fate, i.e. beheading by crazy Rabban.
Did they surrender in the books? i haven't read them but maybe they were asleep and didn't realize there was an invasion until it was too late.
I like to think they didn't surrender to the Harkonnens. I felt that the moment the Sardaukar came into the picture was the moment when the Atreides knew they were finished. No one can muster up to their level, except for Duncan and the Fremen.
I guess you could say, the Sardaukar were taking care of the dirty work, with the Harkonnens backing them up [especially because Harkonnens are not a proficient fighting force].
@@hasanhaitham276 No, in the books most the Atriedes forces are taken out when the Harkonnen's funnel them into the cave systems and then use artillery to cave them in, which is considered a really weird tactic none of them were prepared for because artillery was kinda obsolete technology in Dune's time.
@@ammanbansal2265 Some prisoners were taken, because one nearly kills Feyd-Rautha in the gladiatorial ring. Feyd would have died without cheating with his poisoned blade. I hope they keep that scene in the second movie.
@@squamish4244 Im really hoping this will be the introduction of Feyd’s character. A brief exchange between the Baron and Feyd after an exchange with Raban (sp). Then the introduction of Feyd to the fighting arena with a brief glimpse of Fenring and his wife while his wife begins her plans with Feyd!
We can only hope they give these characters the respect they are due!
Nice how he fought of the dart attack 0:49 that killed Duncan in the first film. 😁👍
I wonder if they will keep Momoa as Idaho when he returns as Hayt.
I think all Dune fans are crossing their fingers for Dune Messiah
@@rykerkabrini4712 Messiah would make a terrible movie, frankly it wasn't that great of a book either.
The following 5 books would best be done as mini series not single movies. Books 2 and 3 have much more intrigue, more philosophical make you think than they do action! This was the problem with Game of Thrones, they tried to make every episode contain action, and that just not how the books worked (in either story)!
Having HBO or Amazon pick up this series at book 2 and keeping the director (and as many of the same characters as they can afford) would be a true tribute to Herbert and his masterpiece!!!
0:18 The Imperial Japanese Army at Nanking be like:
Duncan Idaho is like a Samurai warrior. I met Jason Momoa 10 years ago.
Whenever Sardaukar face off against Duncan, they are hesitant but still driven.
To those people who are surprised or amazed at how Duncan can take down 4 to 10 Sardaukar on his own - this is Aqua man, dude 🤣🤣🤣 why, don't your armpits get sweaty when you have anxiety?
Aquaman is like the worst superhero ever.
I’m the books it was confirmed he took out 19 single-handedly.
No he is Duncan idaho, the best sword master in the dune universe
Aquaman on Arrakis? If he could summon water at will, he would be a top-tier superhero. If he needs bodies of water to swim in them, his awesomeness is kinda limited, lol.
Duncan... WHAT A BADASS, he's a guy you would trust your life to. He really gives a vibe of "soldier who fights for you cause you cant", protector of royalty, i would really like a version of this story like that (asoiaf kinda has this but is different).
The royals would do the politiking and the guard, could be AWESOME.
Fun Fact: According to Jason Momoa, he thought about the Game of Thrones finale while filming this scene.
"This is for you, Kahlessi!"
They learned from their lesson and sent more troups to face Duncan to his death
Four against one! NOT EVEN A CHALLENGE!
Considering the final fate of the Sardaukar and the role Duncan plays in it...this scene becomes very ironic
That is bobbavoss
That knee was soo fake! The lag was big time! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
you know that he will return right?
Soooooo if a lightsaber made contact with that energy shield, mini nuclear explosion?
Give that man a clone
Duncan isn't dead is he? I hope to see him again in the second chapter of the saga
He is dead. But eventually he will live for eternity in various levels of torment.
@@yonneye2427 In the film there is a frame after his death of him alive can be recognized by the eyes. I mistakenly assumed he got away with it 😥Thanks!
I don't get the point of unleashing scatter missiles on a city and starport you just successfully conquered (and need) *frown*
It's mentioned in the books that much of the Atreides forces are holding out in caves, and the Harkonnens use artillery to collapse the caves and that's how majority of the Atreides forces were destroyed. It's possible that's what this is showing?
Its perfectly in keeping with the Harkonnens. There were almost certainly Atreides troops on patrol in the city, fully geared up when the attack came. Clearing them out would have taken days or more likely weeks of street fighting, even with Sardaukar support, so the Harkonnens just glass the whole city as the most brutally efficient solution. The Space Port and Spice Refinery are both still intact and that is ultimately all they really care about.
Killing Atradies falling back through the town. There were thousands of Atradies, they didn't all needlessly charge to battle, some fell back on their posts to defend them, some retreated.
@@charlescatt4607 And then there is the fact that Rabban is likely the one commanding the Harkonnens' forces and naturally resorts to mindless brutality and overkill. "Oh, there MIGHT be some Atreides in the city? BURN IT ALL!!!!"
@@weldonwin umm… no, since the Baron himself was there he was most likely in charge of the operation.
dune part 1 definitely better than dune part 2
Why does Duncan turn off his shield just before he jumps on the dude?
maybe it's kind of anti-gravity device. and the shield is on his wrist.
Holtzmann shields repel fast moving objects, and also other shields.
I guess he switched it off, to easier bypass the enemys shield to kill him.
A dangerous move. But since there were no other Sardaukar alive nearby... it was a worthwhile risk at the moment.
@@user-vi6gy6it1o
I doubt it. The anti-grav devices are based on similar technology, but are supposed to work entirely separate from shields.
everytime i see that name i just think cake and potato
One of the best fight scenes displaying the brutality of 5 yr old infant stick fighting techniques 🔥🔥
Seen better sword fighting techniques in a Jackie Chan film and this crap is suppose to be so far advanced in fighting!!
*supposed*. but you are right, the sword fighting as well as the weird, short, broad-tipped swords they use looks kinda subpar
@@philippbehrend5559 longer sword -> higher speed by accident -> shield will block in unpredictable way
Well it is supposed to be different because they have to slow down to hit through the shield but it does look weird
That's because they shielding. They have to move slow to penetrate. Constant pressure will break the shield, not quick slashes. Harder to maintain constant pressure with a long blade.
Yep you right, ALL the fighting, even the idea of a slow knife penetrating the shield i crap. For my money the film was garbage.
Is no one talking about the fucking missile scene 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Dont worry Duncan will be back at least a 1000 times