ST Hints to TFA in Dune?

Probably as inherently the many books of written work can do things that movies can't.

Of course movies can do all kinds of things that books can't so it becomes a saw-off in many ways.

The point is that Star Wars is way more thematically and narratively complex than most people care to admit or find out about thanks to the prequels.

 

Define Dune for me Im lost.

 

Here are some ideas that crossed my mind. Be aware that (of course) this post will include many spoilers to the Dune series! Most of these are just wild speculation of “what would be cool”, but one or two of them I have a good feeling about. I’ll try to make it clear how much faith I have in each idea.

Alia/Leia Turns Evil
In Dune, Paul’s sister Alia is slowly taken over by the mind of her Grandfather, the abhorrent Baron Harkonnen. In the end she is little more than a puppet of the Baron, who rules the galaxy with his trademark subtlety. Could Princess Leia lose a battle with the Dark Side, eventually falling and “becoming” her father, Darth Vader?

As fascinating as the idea is… it’s not going to happen. I find it far more likely that she’ll follow the course of Ghanima, and continue to be competent window dressing for the Star Wars movies. Disney isn’t going to let their latest princess come an Abomination!

Leto/Luke Dies, Transforming the Universe
As I mentioned above, Leto dies in Dune. In doing so he jump-starts humanity’s adventurous spirit, restarts the spice cycle, and begins a process that will return Dune to its natural (desert) state. Will Luke die in a similar manner? Instead of just croaking and becoming a Force spirit, could his death fundamentally alter the Star Wars universe?

There are several ways this could happen. I could see Luke becoming the Will of the Force. I don’t think he will wipe out the Dark Side, although that is an interesting concept.

My primary caveat is that Luke’s death will NOT occur in The Force Awakens. The EU has been retconned, leaving Disney with forty years of adventures to write for our heroes. Trouble is, rumors seem to indicate that Luke has been hiding/imprisoned for most of that time. It doesn’t make good business sense to limit your merchandising potential by killing Luke immediately after he comes back to the universe. Pair that with Abrams distaste for dark movies and killing main characters, and we can be reasonably comfortable that Luke will survive The Force Awakens.

If you see the name ‘Joss Whedon’ circling episode VIII or IX… hold onto your butt. Luke’s about to go out big!

Luke/Leto Has a Adversarial and Mentor Relationship With Rey/Siona
Siona hates her ancestor, the tyrannical God-Emperor Leto, and yet spends most of her time talking to and learning from him. I strongly believe that there will be an element of this in Luke and Rey’s relationship. Why?

Well, the concept art seems to suggest it! If the cyborg figure is indeed Luke, as the focus on his robot hand seems to suggest, than Luke has been depicted in a menacing, borderline seductive relationship with Rey. No, I’m not going the creepy incest route, although both Star Wars and Dune have touched on that. I’m suggesting that Luke will cast himself in an enigmatic, almost villainous role to test Rey’s character.

Consider this – both Obi-Wan and Yoda concealed their identity and true nature. Obi-Wan appears to the residents of Tatooine as a “crazy old hermit”. Yoda toddles around a swamp planet, putting on the face of a ludicrous, grating kook. While these masks may have been partly worn to hide from Darth Vader, the most immediate effect was to test Luke’s character. How did Luke treat the humblest of people, what attitudes did he display, and what were his values? Obi-Wan and Yoda were able to draw out Luke’s kindness and respect… but also his impatience and impulsiveness.

I’m almost certain this is going to happen in TFA, but with a slightly different spin. Just as Leto tests Siona, challenging her to understand the reasons behind his madness, Luke is going to put on a menacing mask that challenges Rey to face the seduction of the Dark Side and her truest motives. In this way Luke (and the audience) will gain clear insight into Rey’s greatest strengths and weaknesses!

Han Solo/Duncan is Cloned. A lot. Like, A LOT a Lot.
Okay, if this happens, it will happen many movies in the future. In Dune, Paul’s best friend Duncan Idaho (don’t even ask me about the last name, I have no idea) closely resembles Han Solo. He is a roguish man who does as he wishes, but who is fiercely loyal to his friends. A normal man surrounded by beings of bizarre power, Duncan survives through his wits, skill, and charm.

He also gets cloned after he dies. Many, many times. In fact, over the course of Leto’s reign he brings back Duncan so many times it’s never counted. Duncan acts as a friend and mirror for Leto, a constant human connection as Leto loses himself to the worm.

Will this happen in Star Wars VII? No. Will it happen in future Star Wars movies? Actually, I could see it! Cloning is already an integral part of the Star Wars universe. After the sequel trilogy is complete, I can absolutely see a trilogy being released with a cloned (and recast) Han Solo adventuring alongside Skywalker descendants!

Gwendoline Christie’s Character/Nayla Will Turn Good
Alright, third-string Dune character time! Nayla is a member of Leto’s private army of women, an militia that defends him with literal religious fervor. Far more telling, she’s a towering blonde woman with exceptional musculature and very poor social acumen. Effectively, Nayla IS Brianne of Tarth. Don’t believe me? Google image search “Dune Nayla”. I rest my case.

So, since Gwendoline Christie is in TFA, isn’t it possible she’s playing a character loosely based on Nayla, a woman whose description she fits to a tee? Perhaps she is loyally following an evil, tyrannical ruler purely through blind, fanatic loyalty. Perhaps she has known nothing else, raised since childhood to fight and die for her enigmatic God-Emperor. If this is the case, then how will her character turn out?

In Dune, Nayla is ordered by Leto to follow every command Siona gives, and in this way grants Siona a powerful tool with which to carry out her designs. I’m not saying that Luke is the Big Bad and Christie is his worshipper. As was brought out, Star Wars is a “pulpy serialized space opera”, and certainly not going to be that… well, controversial. What I’m saying is that Gwen’s character will likely be a devoted, zealous arm for her master, whoever that may be. Whether in this movie or the next, I can easily see her eyes opening and joining our heroes!

Alright, those are my ideas. Feel free to buy into, discuss, or dismiss them as you will. As others have said, this is Abrams Star Wars, not Lucas’. Could be every one of these turns out to be laughably off the mark!

 

Incidentally I saw the other day the plot of ROTS and Anakin's babymama drama was re-written during shooting. Anakin was (allegedly) to have actually believed in a Jedi takeover plot for the early part of the film, hence the inexplicable 'from my POV the Jedi are evil!' line, but perhaps that echoed the real world religious extremism too much for Lucas to stomach. Or perhaps the Dune thing was always bandied about in some way shape or form.

Anyway, you can see the same line of thinking with Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire theories. People assume that because he's influenced by LOTR or Norse mythology or real world history they can predict the outcome of his novels. In the end, it's all about the best possible storytelling. If the story has to borrow from another source, so be it (jedi).

 

I see what you did there.

 

I mentioned this in a PM to a friend on the boards a few weeks ago:

Here's a Dune rip-off I can get behind: Luke is speaking out on the steps of the Jedi Temple - he is preaching and warning the people not to return to the old social schematic. The very people who are rebuilding / calling for a resurgence of the Jedi Order are those that murder him on the steps of the temple.

I dig it.