I am so grateful for these videos, you talk about book stuff but you don’t spoil entire novels or anything like that. I’ve read the first 2 books and I’m on the 3rd one now, it’s just nice being able to learn a bunch about Dune without also ruining it for myself.
Love how creepy the Tleilaxu are; and the idea of the Face Dancers always intrigued me. Perfect assassins and spies with the ability to change their appearance. I wonder if the Faceless Men from Song of Ice and Fire was inspired by the Face Dancers
I'd say if not directly then definitely indirectly. I'm just getting into the Herbert universe and I'm finding a lot of things that I recognize from stories that definitely came after dune. The more I read the more I see how much Herbert had given not only to Sci-Fi but fantasy as well. I hope that the dune movie will do well and be received well in order for more of the movies to come out. Its a downright shame that it isn't as anticipated as Harry potter, Lord of the rings, game of thrones despite the Dune books being much better than all of them combined. The lore is so incredibly in depth, the political warfare and the combination of religion, corporatism, ecology, tribalism, technological advancement, etc is just incredible. The way they all fit together to create a finely crafted story that I think depicts human nature in quite an accurate way. Frank Herbert wasn't just ahead of his time but he understood how it would change. Sure some of the creations aren't realistic or entirely accurate but morality and its changes definitely seem to be heading in the same direction when it comes to AI and how people treat business and exploitation.
@@clarkmeyer7211 You should try the foundation series. A LOT of what we know about science fiction today came from his books. you can even see the connections and inspirations in the Dune series
Yeah, except faceless men are more restricted to their normal size. Like Arya would never be able to impersonate a full grown man like she can with kids her age. I also figured the clawdites and kaminoans were somewhat based of the face dancers and tleilaxu. You have a species that can mimic almost any species, and you have an isolationist species that are known for their work with genetics. Hell, physically, tleilaxu are short and elfin like while the kaminoans are tall and slender much like an elf from lord of the rings
@@seanwold8819 exactly. They were basically described as morbidly obese women who existed only for reproduction. All extremities and basically everything other than reproductive organs completely atrophied. If I remember correctly even the head/brain were atrophied to the point that it only barely existed in any capacity other than enough to keep them “alive”.
It was interesting seeing these people in contrast with The Ixians in their extreme approaches. I am with Frank Herbert in thinking if we had independent world inhabitants buy humans, these cultures get to the extremes we see in Dune.
The Ixians are another interesting bunch - especially in the later novels. (They also VERY frequently skirt, if not break the strictures of The Butlerian Jihad.) In their way, their just as "off" as the Tleilaxu...
They are isolationists certainly, but nothing like the Tleilaxu. The Tleilaxu continue the work of the machines, as they see themselves superior to the rest of humanity. Ixians isolate, because no group of humans can ever be trusted without being part of your community. Ultimately, the Ixians are proven right every time, and everything the Tleilaxu believe about the rest of humanity is proven wrong.
@@Brainfryde Not..? ~exactly~, no. Neither group feels the need to "restrict" or constrain themselves, in their given fields. That, all by itself speaks of a MASSIVE superiority complex. (The whole "small minded, backwater savages" of in the case of the Tleilaxu, "Faithless Powindah!") As to the Ixians and their tech.? They are, perhaps a bit TOO comfortable, w/such things. And comfortable, confident people (as The the Great & Mighty Vladimir Harkonnen wisely stated) tend to grow complacent - In either case, a monstrous disease could be let loose (Tleilaxu) or an Abominant AI could be created. And no one would be the wiser... until it was too...late. It that's not "off" I don't know what is...
@Tom Morrison They get a pass to a point but the fact is that in the later stages of the books Leto doesn't have a choice & , in fact , contributed in enabling them with his steady stream of Duncan's ( though that was , in part , by design) . He knew they had their 'no' boxes & tanks where not even he could look & they later use that same tech to relocate & then hide themselves from him.
I really enjoy the concept of the Bene Tleilaxu in their role in larger universal society. Both a threat and a necessity while being human but completely alien at the same time. The contrasts are interesting.
Yooooo!!!!!!! NC I just started Dune: Messiah for the first time and I literally was hoping you would make a video about this. The timing is impeccable. Thank you.
I played a text-based MUD (a primitive MMORPG from the 90s) for 20 years called "Dune MUD" based on the book series (which I never read). The Tleilaxu were one of, if not *the* most feared guild in the game due to their covert assassination methods. I'll always remember when one character played by another person called "Morph" stepped out of the shadows at Caladan astro port and instantly killed some poor chap that had stumbled there just as I was first starting out the game. I started when I was 15 years old. And as an obnoxious teenager became one of the most infamous playerkillers in game, unknowingly perfectly role playing a Harkonnen :D Yet Morph was the only player I truly ever feared in the game. He remained the biggest Tleilaxu for a long time.
Awesome video and I can only imagine some of the experiments at the research centers are the stuff nightmares are made of. I hope the sisterhood spin off series really goes into the relationship between these two societies! As far as future content, and I'm not sure if you have covered it yet but a video on the Ixian Technocracy would be pretty awesome (I also thought their name origin was pretty cool in showing both their pragmatism and other society's ignorance to the past!). They're one of my favorites since they are always skirting the line of what was allowed after the Butlerian Jihad. And have a very Happy Nerdy New Year!
YIKES! Twisted Mentats, Gholas, Face Dancers... The Bene Tleilax scared the bejeebus out of me in the Sequel Novels! If you're looking for additional suggestions that would help understand the first movie what about the Orange Catholic Bible, the Landsraad, or the Zensunni Wanderers?
It’s just great on Herbert’s part to make something that felt so vast yet you didn’t even have all the interactions in one book but felt it in the background, all these galactic shadow games and small parts.
Love love love your Dune content. Watch it all multiple times. Cathartic for some reason. The voice narrating helps. Idk if she's real, but I imagine she's a red. Thanks
As a very recent Dune fan (about to finish book 2) your videos have been essential in understanding all the elements introduced in the books. Easy subscribe
Awesome summary, thanx. I've read the original books some 25 years ago, needed to refresh my memory. I've only recently started to re-read the first one.
Thank you. Very good, brought up some thing I didn't realize. I would be interested in your take on the Honored Matres. I got the idea in Chapterhouse that the Sisterhood had become degenerate and were not able to handle matters as they once were able and thus allied with the Honored Matres to survive. Of course this is far ahead in the series but I thought it was interesting.
That’s why I love him. Especially how he always chooses forms that’ll make people underestimate him, like in the first chapter, or when he played as Edric’s guard
@@shanenolan8252 the first chapter is one of my favorite parts of that book because they use that dialect, and they are all getting catty with each other
@@tgiacin435 agreed and the description of the different languages they use to make the insults more effective , I remember first time I read messiah I didn't enjoy it that much but over time and on rereading especially on audiobook I really think it's very underrated and it's very deep yet it's the shortest book in the series and packs a lot in to it , I was listening to the final Paul chapter and epilogue last night. ( I have been a little obsessed with the series since the trailer)
Right after the narrator stated that Bene Gesserrit could detect face dancers' pheromones, UA-cam served meup an add for Febreeze. Is that the secret to mask the face dancer odor?
@@dzod I dont believe thats going to have the effect you think it will bring. What do you think happens when the platforms dont have the "get sued for content protection" Mass censorship. Basically we will have the corporate cable television we had twenty years ago.
maybe its the algorithm that makes you feel that way. so much of what you see online is curated, no doubt you have input to watch videos, but when you search, the recommended videos and so on, its hard to know how much is now organic. pre-social media the internet was far simpler.
@@varsityathlete9927 ? Im saying ban algorithims and your saying algorithims are making me feel that way. Well then they should be banned. Feels like you just made my point.
Tleilaxu become engineers of minds, not so much to create "twisted Mentats," but more to create perfect manipulators. If the Sisterhood used the Voice to say the perfect thing to control you, the Tleilaxu created the perfect human to control another human. This is covered in God Emperor of Dune. They make people with specific mannerisms, personality traits, pheromones, emotional ranges, everything. Mail order human, fit to purpose. They also took decades to create.
Interesting observation: there were many other organizations that possessed "mystical knowledge" in the world of "Dune". The only two to survive were the members of the Bene Jesurate (however you spell it) and the Spacing Guilds Navigators.
Ti's interesting to see you mention the Bene Tleilaxu. I've always been something of a first-novel purist (i.e., snob) when it comes to Dune because the first novel posited humanity as being at a crossroads filled with problems and found solutions to those problems with surprises and often brilliant (for science fiction) techniques and devices like The Princess Irulan's works foreshadowing the novel's resolution in all those snippets of written works that you wished you could read as chapter headings. For me, the first novel ends the series because it resolved all that it had wanted to say and to me, anything that could follow was anticlimax. Be that as it may, the Tleilaxu left their stamp on me in a number of ways from the use of the "tl" diphthong which is found in Mesoamerican languages (e.g., "Quetzalcoatl") which science-fiction writers have used to indicate an alien language (Mark Okrand's Klingon Language, for example), and the use of the vowel "u" to form a noun plural. Both of those things so fascinated me that I would consider them part of the force in my life that drove me to study foreign languages. Thanks for that. It was a warm, nostalgic feeling.
Brian’s books are terrible and I simply couldn’t read them. I agree, the first book was best. I read the other Frank books but they became heady for me.
One thing that I always found odd about this group is, given the Dune Universes' aversion for *most* things technological\artificial, is how the Tleilax even manage to exist. Its clear, the BT homeworld is off-limits to outsiders, even high officials of the Imperium. It also seems, the BT genetic techniques clearly cross a lot of red lines all things considered yet the no actions of any kind are ever taken against them. Maybe their products are just too useful and cannot be replicated by more 'acceptable' work-arounds such as guild navigators and mentats? Is this why they are given a pass? In any event, it seems strange the BT haven't been wiped out by now. Recall, in the DU, the powers-that-be have rendered entire worlds un-inhabitable via atomic bombardment (on occasion) for less than the things the BT are involved in.....
Champis theBunny That's because of a couple different things . By the time the first novel comes around stage is set for massive upheaval, again, because of House Corrino, , the Emperor's house & that family's stranglehold on the empire, largely because they have the best military . Same , age old truth . Those with the power will never give it up willingly and will do almost anything to keep it . That way of thinking leaves you wide open to all manner of corruption & the spacing guild is really not much different. For all of their forced evolution they still seem to have an ego & it you have an ego you can be corrupted so both the spacing guild & the emperor have , little by little, let certain technologies creep back but only the elite. So , you have the ego , vanity & sense of entitlement by the ruling class that have fostered the inevitable attitude that they & they alone are enlightened enough to live with the privilege of certain kinds of technology. That's one part of what allowed IX & the Tleilaxians to survive but that brings up the 2nd reason & I don't know how far you have read . How many books so I don't want to give anything away. All I will tell you is that , as you know , the Tlielaxians never adhered to the restriction on technology . They have advanced all technologies including genetic technology and even evolved themselves, in some cases, down very specific paths to meet very specific ends. They're very , very interesting & the more there involved in any Dune story the better. The reason that much, much later on , they're not hunted down & destroyed is because can't find them . They are supposed to have realised this long ago when they made it clear that they wouldn't be doing that whole no high tech thing. So they gathered all of their science & technology & the people they needed & simply left their planet behind and set up shop somewhere else & then used their technology to hide themselves. So their planet wouldn't show up on any long range scans because your technology would have to be better than theirs & that's not happening. If this sounds like it could go bad as in real bad at some future time , you are correct . The Tlielaxians represent a very great threat .
The dune universe is big, it's relatively easy to isolate oneself However their greatest crimes were against their own kind The rest of the universe didn't see much threat from them
@Intergalactic Dust Bunny it's kind of like how the world acted during the rise of Nazi Germany. We didn't act, so many people died and continued to die.
@@NerdCookies - I was about the ask about the same thing. My mind is a bit muddled at the moment but one of the books goes over a young Leto living on Ix for a while and I loved the underground world it created. This video on the Tleilax is really good and I very much enjoyed it!
Great stuff, but you're conflating a few things about gholas. In Dune Messiah, gholas are initially presented as actual re-animated corpses, rather than copies grown from cells. When Scytale is describing the process of repairing the head wound that killed Duncan, it gets pretty clear. Later, of course, the gholas are grown from cells, but by that point thousands of years have passed, so it's likely the Tleilaxu have advanced the technology by that point.
Axolotls being a species of Mexican salamanders that are used (in real life) for genetic and other biological research. When I was in college, my University had an axolotl colony. "Bene" seems to be a corrupted version of the Arabic "Bani" ("sons of"), used to denote tribes or families (e.g. the ruling dynasty of Jordan is part of the "Bani Hashim", and Mankind is often referred to as "Bani Adam").
Oh, yes. Nothing shapes the background universe more, and hopefully you throw in how CHOAM is the stick that forces Duke Leto take over Arrakis, even though he technically could have declined it.
But he did. God emperor of dune was the last book he wanted to write. Heretics and chapter house were written because he needed to pay for his wife’s medical bills. They were ok and his explorations of human sexuality and how sex is used to control societies was interesting but it lacked the scope of the earlier works. The prequels are pretty awful. I bought and read them because I’m a dune fanboy but they basically sucked. They were ok as novels but this is dune... they were a massive disappointment compared to the first original 4 books. Just my ha’pennies worth!
@@dontdeletemeyoutube6689 as a whole, I liked the story all the books painted. I like the original books because of how trippy they were, but I like the BH KJA books because I’m a sucker for world building. And reading them back to back, they do seem pretty consistent.
@@dontdeletemeyoutube6689 Yeah , I stopped after God Emperor Dune . All is pretty much made clear . We get to sit in on Leto as he lord's over the imperium , as a tyrant & why . We get more of Herbert's amazing insights into humanity like the tendency of humans to want a singular head at the top of the power structure & how dangerous it is . The Tleilaxian plan for humanity , the ultimate threat is revealed. I just didn't see what the point of any future books would be .
This Beni seem to be some sort of living "Encyclopedia", everyday coming up with different themes and ideas. It will be amazing to see them in action. But not in present times.
@@NerdCookies I really enjoyed the video. I really hope Dune does well enough when it comes out that they can explore more of Frank Herbert's universe.
@@NerdCookies Brilliant video. New to your channel with this being the first video I’ve viewed & immediately subscribed after it. Thanks so much for your time & effort.
The way the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks are described remind me of those pods from the Matrix that grew humans. Remember when Keanu Reeves woke and found himself in that slimy pod all connected with cords and plugs down his spine? Yeah. Freaky shit! Somebody may have stolen this idea from ol' Frankie Herbert?!?
Possible that the Matrix pods were 'inspired' by the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks. But from what I've read from the Dune series of novels the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks are used in a variety of different ways. For instance: the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks are supposedly the female Tleilaxu who have been enslaved and forced to become 'artificial wombs' in order to create a Spice Melange variant (or counterfeit) that the Tleilaxu use to sell on the black market.
Dune's tanks are horific in a body horror way. To me it is grotesque. The matrix is different in that it is all artificial using the humans as batteries but also in an artifical womb like pod. Disgusting in its own way yet different from Dune.
@@clit_niblr0375 that is some weird shit right there. Making women give birth to drugs. Frank Herbert was definitely on some shrooms or something when he made that shit up!
I always thought they were short squat grey beings kinda resembling gnomes. All male except the females which were just incubators hooked up to tubes for breeding.
Just found this channel, she really read more of the books than I did in less time. Edit: She's also finding all the straight nightmare fuel concept art I never did
Although they do not come into play until Frank Herbert's latter novels, the female Fish Speaker military of Leto II, the Honored Matres, Futars, Bene Gesserit sexual imprinters and the enhanced Face Dancers would also be interesting subjects. The hidden Jews also have a part to play.
I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind trying to explore "Hidden Jews with secret powers to control the universe." Honored Matres / sexual imprinters would always devolve into porn. The enhanced Face Dancers are too much of a Mary Sue to be their own show. I think the Fish Speakers would be fascinating though :) Futars are possible, but its hard imaging them being portrayed as anything but simpletons who are furries.
I first found out about Dune with the 1984 movie. I then read all the books and have been a huge fan ever since. I'm glad his son an Kevin Anderson have been writing more books. I have reread all the books I've got most of them memorized.
I wish the machines in Dune were like the Geth from Mass Effect. They didn’t want war, but defended themselves. They were manipulated by those who knew how to use machines for their own ends.
Loved the art you found for the subject. While content is very interesting the background really gave that over top flair! And I learned something new!
The axlotyl tanks were women mutated to produce whatever the Tleilax wanted. This was finally revealed in Heretics of Dune. Though this could be inferred in previous novels it was never fully revealed until that point. When in that novel the Bene Gesserit made a deal with the Tleilax, to try and support each other in the face of the Honored Matra onslaught, that the Tleilax could call upon the sisterhood to perform any service and/or provide any resource for them and in return the sisterhood received unlimited output from the axlotyl tanks (clones, spice etc) up to and including giving the sisterhood their own axlotyl tanks but the sisterhood included a stipulation that no Bene Gesserit was to be made into an axlotyl tank by the Tleilaxu. The Tleilax were shocked that their most closely guarded secret was now known.
GREAT vid! I know the feeling concerning the Mentat "Eye-Roll"....~Pretty STRANGE to be able to access & scan the IMMENSE files of the national NICS data base, looking for someone, & doing so while AWAKE.....;) -Some of us have been apart of some VERY strange U.S Govt/Military programs..... ~How many of you's are telepathic yet?..... ~Or having DREAMS lately with such an ability?
Great video & explanation! If I remember correctly, the Facedancers were also (very sought after & expensive) prostitutes / escorts/ concubines who could take the face, shape, voice etc. of anyone a customer wished for. They were so good at giving sexual pleasure that customers would sometimes panick & try to kill them mid-act. One of the main characters in a later book (don't remember who exactly) killed a few of them this way.
Me (offering a Richard K Morgan novel to my dad) : < You sure you wont feel lost, with all these new technologies ?... Dad (great fan of SF in his youth) : < Ye know, I have been through Bene tleilax and Navigators, and spice Guild, and gholas and stuff even BEFORE you were born*, sonny... ;) *true fact : Mom always told me that when she met him the first time, he WAS reading DUNE. ;)
Actually, the Bene Gesserit find that the clone of Miles Teg, grown from skin Odrade took before his death on 'Rakis by the Matre's obliterator. He does recover all of his memories and abilities
This didn't even touch on the early Tleilaxu work or genetic "manipulation" - the kidnapping of Zensunni refugees and farming them for body parts, as was disclosed in the Brian Herbert prequel books.
Probably. It's a way of implying their existence for book readers. Also, the holographic projector Paul was learning from was likely of Ixian manufacture. They're another interesting society on the fringes of the empire who bend the rules on permissible technologies.
Frank Herbert really had a deep fascination with mankind's Adaptability and the consequences of it.
R.I.P ✝️.
Why not? It is one of our knacks , Gifts I should say , & with us it can encompass many things and negate many things
Frank Herbert was a genius to write this kind of Sci fi back in those days
I am so grateful for these videos, you talk about book stuff but you don’t spoil entire novels or anything like that. I’ve read the first 2 books and I’m on the 3rd one now, it’s just nice being able to learn a bunch about Dune without also ruining it for myself.
Love how creepy the Tleilaxu are; and the idea of the Face Dancers always intrigued me. Perfect assassins and spies with the ability to change their appearance. I wonder if the Faceless Men from Song of Ice and Fire was inspired by the Face Dancers
I'd say if not directly then definitely indirectly. I'm just getting into the Herbert universe and I'm finding a lot of things that I recognize from stories that definitely came after dune. The more I read the more I see how much Herbert had given not only to Sci-Fi but fantasy as well. I hope that the dune movie will do well and be received well in order for more of the movies to come out. Its a downright shame that it isn't as anticipated as Harry potter, Lord of the rings, game of thrones despite the Dune books being much better than all of them combined. The lore is so incredibly in depth, the political warfare and the combination of religion, corporatism, ecology, tribalism, technological advancement, etc is just incredible. The way they all fit together to create a finely crafted story that I think depicts human nature in quite an accurate way. Frank Herbert wasn't just ahead of his time but he understood how it would change. Sure some of the creations aren't realistic or entirely accurate but morality and its changes definitely seem to be heading in the same direction when it comes to AI and how people treat business and exploitation.
@@clarkmeyer7211 yeah george clearly was a fan.
@@clarkmeyer7211 You should try the foundation series. A LOT of what we know about science fiction today came from his books. you can even see the connections and inspirations in the Dune series
@@fernandogaray8215 will definitely do.
Yeah, except faceless men are more restricted to their normal size. Like Arya would never be able to impersonate a full grown man like she can with kids her age. I also figured the clawdites and kaminoans were somewhat based of the face dancers and tleilaxu. You have a species that can mimic almost any species, and you have an isolationist species that are known for their work with genetics. Hell, physically, tleilaxu are short and elfin like while the kaminoans are tall and slender much like an elf from lord of the rings
Long story short, they're the ones responsible of turning Duncan Idaho into sci fi Kenny
Those bastards!
I'm surprised Duncan wasn't mentioned.
Didn't think of it like that xD
Hysterical!!!
Lol
Those Xolotl tank images were far less horrifying than I pictured while reading the books.
They were the tlylax women; so, yeah...
@@seanwold8819 exactly. They were basically described as morbidly obese women who existed only for reproduction. All extremities and basically everything other than reproductive organs completely atrophied. If I remember correctly even the head/brain were atrophied to the point that it only barely existed in any capacity other than enough to keep them “alive”.
@@ghrayfahx Right? I always imagined them as swollen ticks.
I think of those tanjs more likely as the failed Lt. Ripley clone as seen in Alien 4
The tanks used in spice melange production were the bodies of Bene Gesserits.
It was interesting seeing these people in contrast with The Ixians in their extreme approaches. I am with Frank Herbert in thinking if we had independent world inhabitants buy humans, these cultures get to the extremes we see in Dune.
Ixians, as I see them, were uberscientific, overtechnological, atheists. Contrast that to the religious core of Faith of the Bene Tleilax.
The Ixians are another interesting bunch - especially in the later novels. (They also VERY frequently skirt, if not break the strictures of The Butlerian Jihad.) In their way, their just as "off" as the Tleilaxu...
They are isolationists certainly, but nothing like the Tleilaxu. The Tleilaxu continue the work of the machines, as they see themselves superior to the rest of humanity. Ixians isolate, because no group of humans can ever be trusted without being part of your community. Ultimately, the Ixians are proven right every time, and everything the Tleilaxu believe about the rest of humanity is proven wrong.
@@Brainfryde Not..? ~exactly~, no. Neither group feels the need to "restrict" or constrain themselves, in their given fields. That, all by itself speaks of a MASSIVE superiority complex. (The whole "small minded, backwater savages" of in the case of the Tleilaxu, "Faithless Powindah!")
As to the Ixians and their tech.? They are, perhaps a bit TOO comfortable, w/such things. And comfortable, confident people (as The the Great & Mighty Vladimir Harkonnen wisely stated) tend to grow complacent - In either case, a monstrous disease could be let loose (Tleilaxu) or an Abominant AI could be created. And no one would be the wiser... until it was too...late.
It that's not "off" I don't know what is...
@Tom Morrison They get a pass to a point but the fact is that in the later stages of the books Leto doesn't have a choice & , in fact , contributed in enabling them with his steady stream of Duncan's ( though that was , in part , by design) . He knew they had their 'no' boxes & tanks where not even he could look & they later use that same tech to relocate & then hide themselves from him.
Watched the first part.. .. .. .. absolutely stunning, a lot closer to the book than previous attempts.
A faction in the Dune universe that's always fascinated me - and great to hear more about them with your lovely voice
I really enjoy the concept of the Bene Tleilaxu in their role in larger universal society. Both a threat and a necessity while being human but completely alien at the same time. The contrasts are interesting.
Your series of videos on everything Dune have been a real pleasure to watch. They are craftily made and clearly thoughtfully researched.
Yooooo!!!!!!! NC I just started Dune: Messiah for the first time and I literally was hoping you would make a video about this. The timing is impeccable.
Thank you.
I played a text-based MUD (a primitive MMORPG from the 90s) for 20 years called "Dune MUD" based on the book series (which I never read). The Tleilaxu were one of, if not *the* most feared guild in the game due to their covert assassination methods. I'll always remember when one character played by another person called "Morph" stepped out of the shadows at Caladan astro port and instantly killed some poor chap that had stumbled there just as I was first starting out the game. I started when I was 15 years old. And as an obnoxious teenager became one of the most infamous playerkillers in game, unknowingly perfectly role playing a Harkonnen :D Yet Morph was the only player I truly ever feared in the game. He remained the biggest Tleilaxu for a long time.
Damn, I remember Dune MUD. I think I created a character there once, but never got into it. Age of Insanity is still running (started in 92).
Awesome video and I can only imagine some of the experiments at the research centers are the stuff nightmares are made of. I hope the sisterhood spin off series really goes into the relationship between these two societies! As far as future content, and I'm not sure if you have covered it yet but a video on the Ixian Technocracy would be pretty awesome (I also thought their name origin was pretty cool in showing both their pragmatism and other society's ignorance to the past!). They're one of my favorites since they are always skirting the line of what was allowed after the Butlerian Jihad.
And have a very Happy Nerdy New Year!
YIKES! Twisted Mentats, Gholas, Face Dancers... The Bene Tleilax scared the bejeebus out of me in the Sequel Novels!
If you're looking for additional suggestions that would help understand the first movie what about the Orange Catholic Bible, the Landsraad, or the Zensunni Wanderers?
Yeah a little dark but very fun to dive into. A couple of those topics are already on the list, great suggestions!
I would like to see videos on the Ghola and Face Dancers. In particular how Duncan Idaho's endless gholas altered the outlook concerning them.
It’s just great on Herbert’s part to make something that felt so vast yet you didn’t even have all the interactions in one book but felt it in the background, all these galactic shadow games and small parts.
Great as always. I had forgotten that the Tleilax were the ones who made the 'twisted mentats' .
Great summary, short but detailed.
Love love love your Dune content. Watch it all multiple times. Cathartic for some reason. The voice narrating helps. Idk if she's real, but I imagine she's a red. Thanks
Well done. Very good overview of the Tleilaxu
You present an utterly fascinating perspective. Very entertaining!
So much material..
As a very recent Dune fan (about to finish book 2) your videos have been essential in understanding all the elements introduced in the books. Easy subscribe
Groovy👍Such chilled out music too🙏
Marion is an amazing artist, I use most of what he releases. I'm so grateful he gave me permission!
Awesome summary, thanx. I've read the original books some 25 years ago, needed to refresh my memory. I've only recently started to re-read the first one.
His pruning shears went snick-snick. "Gholas. He's welcome to them."
Daniel !
Be nice! 😎
Love it
Awesome insight into this group! I have not read of this yet. Looking forward to a good read! TY!
These dune videos are always interesting. Keep up the great work Elaine!
Hey, that was pretty good. Gonna go watch more of your stuff, thanks for making it.
Face Dancers are like method actors who take their trade to seriously....and even can't get out of character eventually. LMAO!!!!
Very nicely done! Thank you. The Guild was the most fascinating of the various factions that make up the Dune Universe.
Thank you. Very good, brought up some thing I didn't realize. I would be interested in your take on the Honored Matres. I got the idea in Chapterhouse that the Sisterhood had become degenerate and were not able to handle matters as they once were able and thus allied with the Honored Matres to survive. Of course this is far ahead in the series but I thought it was interesting.
Your videos are great. So much I didn't know about the universe, so much depth. I wish you great success with your future endeavors.
Was wondering if this was going to get covered. Thank you.
Outstanding commentary. Thank you.
Danke!
Thank you!
I love scytle in second book . The voice acting in the audio book really makes him sound more sinister and intelligent
That’s why I love him. Especially how he always chooses forms that’ll make people underestimate him, like in the first chapter, or when he played as Edric’s guard
@@tgiacin435 yes , great chapter , he does Paul, stilgar, edric, and sytale in disguise, and korba. Plus the narrator
@@tgiacin435 oh yes in the fist chapter with the conspirators he appeared as a fat man , I thought you meant the chapter with edric and Paul
@@shanenolan8252 the first chapter is one of my favorite parts of that book because they use that dialect, and they are all getting catty with each other
@@tgiacin435 agreed and the description of the different languages they use to make the insults more effective , I remember first time I read messiah I didn't enjoy it that much but over time and on rereading especially on audiobook I really think it's very underrated and it's very deep yet it's the shortest book in the series and packs a lot in to it , I was listening to the final Paul chapter and epilogue last night. ( I have been a little obsessed with the series since the trailer)
The Bene Tleilax were briefly mentioned in the 1984 film adaptation.
Right after the narrator stated that Bene Gesserrit could detect face dancers' pheromones, UA-cam served meup an add for Febreeze. Is that the secret to mask the face dancer odor?
As much as i like technology, might be time to bring in the Butlerian jihad against the algorithims
Yes. Repeal section 230.
@@dzod I dont believe thats going to have the effect you think it will bring. What do you think happens when the platforms dont have the "get sued for content protection"
Mass censorship. Basically we will have the corporate cable television we had twenty years ago.
@@ShepherdsSheepdog Time to vist the bene gessiret breeding houses
maybe its the algorithm that makes you feel that way. so much of what you see online is curated, no doubt you have input to watch videos, but when you search, the recommended videos and so on, its hard to know how much is now organic. pre-social media the internet was far simpler.
@@varsityathlete9927 ? Im saying ban algorithims and your saying algorithims are making me feel that way. Well then they should be banned. Feels like you just made my point.
Another deep delve into Dune lore. Love relearning stuff I have forgotten.
I read only so far into the Dune series; stopped at "Children of Dune," I believe. I had no idea that Pieter de Vries was a Tleilaxu creation!
Tleilaxu become engineers of minds, not so much to create "twisted Mentats," but more to create perfect manipulators. If the Sisterhood used the Voice to say the perfect thing to control you, the Tleilaxu created the perfect human to control another human. This is covered in God Emperor of Dune. They make people with specific mannerisms, personality traits, pheromones, emotional ranges, everything. Mail order human, fit to purpose. They also took decades to create.
Pieter the Vries is such a uniquely Dutch name that it's very jarring to see in such a big american franchise, as a Dutch person
@@stanpines9011Frank Herbert was British. The Americans are telling HIS tale.
@@CT-uv8os ah i guess that makes more sense then, since the netherlands is great britain's neighbor
Awesome. Bedtime with Dune lore.
Excellent timing! It's a chill song by Marion so hopefully that relaxes you properly :D
Interesting observation: there were many other organizations that possessed "mystical knowledge" in the world of "Dune". The only two to survive were the members of the Bene Jesurate (however you spell it) and the Spacing Guilds Navigators.
Another outstanding video.
That was really cool, wild. The whole effect has made the story, that is so familiar, almost strange and new.
Ti's interesting to see you mention the Bene Tleilaxu.
I've always been something of a first-novel purist (i.e., snob) when it comes to Dune because the first novel posited humanity as being at a crossroads filled with problems and found solutions to those problems with surprises and often brilliant (for science fiction) techniques and devices like The Princess Irulan's works foreshadowing the novel's resolution in all those snippets of written works that you wished you could read as chapter headings.
For me, the first novel ends the series because it resolved all that it had wanted to say and to me, anything that could follow was anticlimax.
Be that as it may, the Tleilaxu left their stamp on me in a number of ways from the use of the "tl" diphthong which is found in Mesoamerican languages (e.g., "Quetzalcoatl") which science-fiction writers have used to indicate an alien language (Mark Okrand's Klingon Language, for example), and the use of the vowel "u" to form a noun plural. Both of those things so fascinated me that I would consider them part of the force in my life that drove me to study foreign languages.
Thanks for that. It was a warm, nostalgic feeling.
messiah was supposed to be part of book 1, the more ya know
Brian’s books are terrible and I simply couldn’t read them. I agree, the first book was best. I read the other Frank books but they became heady for me.
One thing that I always found odd about this group is, given the Dune Universes' aversion for *most* things technological\artificial, is how the Tleilax even manage to exist. Its clear, the BT homeworld is off-limits to outsiders, even high officials of the Imperium. It also seems, the BT genetic techniques clearly cross a lot of red lines all things considered yet the no actions of any kind are ever taken against them. Maybe their products are just too useful and cannot be replicated by more 'acceptable' work-arounds such as guild navigators and mentats? Is this why they are given a pass?
In any event, it seems strange the BT haven't been wiped out by now. Recall, in the DU, the powers-that-be have rendered entire worlds un-inhabitable via atomic bombardment (on occasion) for less than the things the BT are involved in.....
Champis theBunny That's because of a couple different things . By the time the first novel comes around stage is set for massive upheaval, again, because of House Corrino, , the Emperor's house & that family's stranglehold on the empire, largely because they have the best military . Same , age old truth . Those with the power will never give it up willingly and will do almost anything to keep it . That way of thinking leaves you wide open to all manner of corruption & the spacing guild is really not much different. For all of their forced evolution they still seem to have an ego & it you have an ego you can be corrupted so both the spacing guild & the emperor have , little by little, let certain technologies creep back but only the elite. So , you have the ego , vanity & sense of entitlement by the ruling class that have fostered the inevitable attitude that they & they alone are enlightened enough to live with the privilege of certain kinds of technology. That's one part of what allowed IX & the Tleilaxians to survive but that brings up the 2nd reason & I don't know how far you have read . How many books so I don't want to give anything away. All I will tell you is that , as you know , the Tlielaxians never adhered to the restriction on technology . They have advanced all technologies including genetic technology and even evolved themselves, in some cases, down very specific paths to meet very specific ends. They're very , very interesting & the more there involved in any Dune story the better. The reason that much, much later on , they're not hunted down & destroyed is because can't find them . They are supposed to have realised this long ago when they made it clear that they wouldn't be doing that whole no high tech thing. So they gathered all of their science & technology & the people they needed & simply left their planet behind and set up shop somewhere else & then used their technology to hide themselves. So their planet wouldn't show up on any long range scans because your technology would have to be better than theirs & that's not happening. If this sounds like it could go bad as in real bad at some future time , you are correct . The Tlielaxians represent a very great threat .
The dune universe is big, it's relatively easy to isolate oneself
However their greatest crimes were against their own kind
The rest of the universe didn't see much threat from them
@Intergalactic Dust Bunny Thanks for ruining my weekend .
@Intergalactic Dust Bunny it's kind of like how the world acted during the rise of Nazi Germany. We didn't act, so many people died and continued to die.
@@Gwestytears sounds terribly familiar to modern times smh
Giger was definitely the right choice for imagery for the dune world, wish he'd done more
Well done as are all of your vids. Please consider doing one on Ix. Thanks
Thank you! I'll probably cover them in my overview of the houses or in my Planetology of Dune series
@@NerdCookies I second Alan's suggestion.
"Many machines on Ix. New Machines."
@@NerdCookies - I was about the ask about the same thing. My mind is a bit muddled at the moment but one of the books goes over a young Leto living on Ix for a while and I loved the underground world it created. This video on the Tleilax is really good and I very much enjoyed it!
Love your videos keep up the amazing work
Great stuff, but you're conflating a few things about gholas. In Dune Messiah, gholas are initially presented as actual re-animated corpses, rather than copies grown from cells. When Scytale is describing the process of repairing the head wound that killed Duncan, it gets pretty clear. Later, of course, the gholas are grown from cells, but by that point thousands of years have passed, so it's likely the Tleilaxu have advanced the technology by that point.
Axolotls being a species of Mexican salamanders that are used (in real life) for genetic and other biological research. When I was in college, my University had an axolotl colony. "Bene" seems to be a corrupted version of the Arabic "Bani" ("sons of"), used to denote tribes or families (e.g. the ruling dynasty of Jordan is part of the "Bani Hashim", and Mankind is often referred to as "Bani Adam").
Excellent video; I would like your take on IX and your theories why they managed to largely go unscathed by Ms Butler's tyranny.
Spacing Guild. The secret alliance that keeps both groups alive through some pretty challenging times.
Your videos are too good for words!Just subscribed❤
Thank you!
Wonderful piece!
I would love to see a video dedicated to CHOAM.
Oh, yes. Nothing shapes the background universe more, and hopefully you throw in how CHOAM is the stick that forces Duke Leto take over Arrakis, even though he technically could have declined it.
The Teilaxu managed to produce the Polka Dot Man.
such a shame frank never got to finish this massive tale himself.
But he did. God emperor of dune was the last book he wanted to write. Heretics and chapter house were written because he needed to pay for his wife’s medical bills. They were ok and his explorations of human sexuality and how sex is used to control societies was interesting but it lacked the scope of the earlier works.
The prequels are pretty awful. I bought and read them because I’m a dune fanboy but they basically sucked. They were ok as novels but this is dune... they were a massive disappointment compared to the first original 4 books.
Just my ha’pennies worth!
@@dontdeletemeyoutube6689 as a whole, I liked the story all the books painted. I like the original books because of how trippy they were, but I like the BH KJA books because I’m a sucker for world building. And reading them back to back, they do seem pretty consistent.
He DID finish it. It's not his fault that Fandom insisted on dry-humping the corpse of this work.
@@dontdeletemeyoutube6689 Yeah , I stopped after God Emperor Dune . All is pretty much made clear . We get to sit in on Leto as he lord's over the imperium , as a tyrant & why . We get more of Herbert's amazing insights into humanity like the tendency of humans to want a singular head at the top of the power structure & how dangerous it is . The Tleilaxian plan for humanity , the ultimate threat is revealed. I just didn't see what the point of any future books would be .
R.Ip ✝️.
This Beni seem to be some sort of living "Encyclopedia", everyday coming up with different themes and ideas.
It will be amazing to see them in action.
But not in present times.
Please do a video about Irulan, Wencisia and the imperial family, thx!
Ahh a video! Good morning :)
Good morning! I would love to hear your feedback on the video :)
@@NerdCookies I really enjoyed the video. I really hope Dune does well enough when it comes out that they can explore more of Frank Herbert's universe.
@@MiddleAgedGuy73 I hope they explore Frank's universe instead of Brian and Kevin's universe though.
@@NerdCookies Brilliant video. New to your channel with this being the first video I’ve viewed & immediately subscribed after it. Thanks so much for your time & effort.
Herbet explored the idea of the axolotl tanks in another one of his novels, Hellstrom's Hive.
UA-cam subtitles seem to be describing a group called "the bunny clay locks" from "her bear stew novels".
nailed it
"He's the Face Dancer! Watch: he'll turn red any second now. Any second now..."
The way the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks are described remind me of those pods from the Matrix that grew humans. Remember when Keanu Reeves woke and found himself in that slimy pod all connected with cords and plugs down his spine? Yeah. Freaky shit! Somebody may have stolen this idea from ol' Frankie Herbert?!?
Possible that the Matrix pods were 'inspired' by the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks. But from what I've read from the Dune series of novels the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks are used in a variety of different ways. For instance: the Tleilaxu Axolotl Tanks are supposedly the female Tleilaxu who have been enslaved and forced to become 'artificial wombs' in order to create a Spice Melange variant (or counterfeit) that the Tleilaxu use to sell on the black market.
Dune's tanks are horific in a body horror way. To me it is grotesque. The matrix is different in that it is all artificial using the humans as batteries but also in an artifical womb like pod. Disgusting in its own way yet different from Dune.
@@clit_niblr0375 that is some weird shit right there. Making women give birth to drugs. Frank Herbert was definitely on some shrooms or something when he made that shit up!
You know that the tanks are ALIVE wright?
I always thought they were short squat grey beings kinda resembling gnomes. All male except the females which were just incubators hooked up to tubes for breeding.
Same here, or evil Disney dwarfs
In Chapterhouse, Master Scytale was described as if he was a small elfin creature.
Great video/summary 👏
Thanks elaine. Needed this , horrible day so far
I'm so sorry to hear that! Hope your day gets better.
@@NerdCookies thank you .
Just found this channel, she really read more of the books than I did in less time.
Edit: She's also finding all the straight nightmare fuel concept art I never did
Although they do not come into play until Frank Herbert's latter novels, the female Fish Speaker military of Leto II, the Honored Matres, Futars, Bene Gesserit sexual imprinters and the enhanced Face Dancers would also be interesting subjects. The hidden Jews also have a part to play.
I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind trying to explore "Hidden Jews with secret powers to control the universe." Honored Matres / sexual imprinters would always devolve into porn. The enhanced Face Dancers are too much of a Mary Sue to be their own show. I think the Fish Speakers would be fascinating though :) Futars are possible, but its hard imaging them being portrayed as anything but simpletons who are furries.
You forgot the Chair Dogs !
I first found out about Dune with the 1984 movie. I then read all the books and have been a huge fan ever since. I'm glad his son an Kevin Anderson have been writing more books. I have reread all the books I've got most of them memorized.
I’m learning so much more from these videos. Please keep them coming!
I wish the machines in Dune were like the Geth from Mass Effect. They didn’t want war, but defended themselves. They were manipulated by those who knew how to use machines for their own ends.
The description of the face dancers makes me think of the two scenes out of InnerSPACE where Jack Putter has his face altered to mimic The Cowboy.
Excellent!
Thank you!
@@NerdCookies I really enjoy learning about the lesser known characters and planets in the Duniverse!
: Cool, informative video. Gracias for sharing. :)
Sligs were not synthetic meat, they were a cross-species genetic hybrid of pigs and slugs.
I saw the thumbnail and immediately though 'space elves?'
The face dancers are watching, love your videos!!😏👍
Loved the art you found for the subject. While content is very interesting the background really gave that over top flair! And I learned something new!
The axlotyl tanks were women mutated to produce whatever the Tleilax wanted. This was finally revealed in Heretics of Dune. Though this could be inferred in previous novels it was never fully revealed until that point. When in that novel the Bene Gesserit made a deal with the Tleilax, to try and support each other in the face of the Honored Matra onslaught, that the Tleilax could call upon the sisterhood to perform any service and/or provide any resource for them and in return the sisterhood received unlimited output from the axlotyl tanks (clones, spice etc) up to and including giving the sisterhood their own axlotyl tanks but the sisterhood included a stipulation that no Bene Gesserit was to be made into an axlotyl tank by the Tleilaxu. The Tleilax were shocked that their most closely guarded secret was now known.
Fantastic art.
I would love to see a video about the Honored Matres
Excellent video.
But lol the close caption translate the Bene Tleilax into "bunny clay locks".
GREAT vid!
I know the feeling concerning the Mentat "Eye-Roll"....~Pretty STRANGE to be able to access & scan the IMMENSE files of the national NICS data base, looking for someone, & doing so while AWAKE.....;)
-Some of us have been apart of some VERY strange U.S Govt/Military programs.....
~How many of you's are telepathic yet?.....
~Or having DREAMS lately with such an ability?
Great video & explanation! If I remember correctly, the Facedancers were also (very sought after & expensive) prostitutes / escorts/ concubines who could take the face, shape, voice etc. of anyone a customer wished for. They were so good at giving sexual pleasure that customers would sometimes panick & try to kill them mid-act. One of the main characters in a later book (don't remember who exactly) killed a few of them this way.
Wait what? Why does being pleased make them want to kill?
They're basically what inspired the Magisters in Lord of the Game of Dunes series, a Rhyme of Frost & Flame, by GRR Hackery.
Me (offering a Richard K Morgan novel to my dad) : < You sure you wont feel lost, with all these new technologies ?...
Dad (great fan of SF in his youth) : < Ye know, I have been through Bene tleilax and Navigators, and spice Guild, and gholas and stuff even BEFORE you were born*, sonny... ;)
*true fact : Mom always told me that when she met him the first time, he WAS reading DUNE. ;)
OK first off, thank for the awesome Dune stuff!! Can you cover the (im spell this wrong) Weirding Way?
I did cover that in a video already actually 😊 ua-cam.com/video/SWbzYhyXiWk/v-deo.html
I bet the narrator has some sweet nerd cookies.
Actually, the Bene Gesserit find that the clone of Miles Teg, grown from skin Odrade took before his death on 'Rakis by the Matre's obliterator. He does recover all of his memories and abilities
This didn't even touch on the early Tleilaxu work or genetic "manipulation" - the kidnapping of Zensunni refugees and farming them for body parts, as was disclosed in the Brian Herbert prequel books.
They remind me a lot of the Qu from All Tomorrows, but with an added layer of violent misogyny
*hears callout for suggestions*
*dives to post before searching in case it's already been made*
M I L E S
T E G
Which one... oops.
You must not tell the powindah about our secrets!
Yo question for anyone whose seen the movie. Are they the ones who made the weird spider thing
Probably. It's a way of implying their existence for book readers. Also, the holographic projector Paul was learning from was likely of Ixian manufacture. They're another interesting society on the fringes of the empire who bend the rules on permissible technologies.
Will they be in part 2 ? Pretty much have to be
"Duniverse".. Thanks!
They are the product of ultimate villainy