History Series / FrankHerbertsDune

The Franchise/{{Dune}}'' miniseries, billed as ''Frank Herbert's Dune'', is a three-part television adaptation of the 1965 novel ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' by Creator/FrankHerbert. The novel is often credited as "the masterpiece of science fiction" and is famous for the interweaving of politics, economics, and religion in its action/adventure plot, much of it drawn from real-life global politics of the 18th and 19th centuries. A German-Italian co-production miniseries aired in the year 2000 on the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci-Fi Channel]].

The ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' miniseries, billed as ''"Frank Herbert's Dune"'', is a three-part television adaptation of the 1965 novel ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' by Creator/FrankHerbert. The novel is often credited as "the masterpiece of science fiction" and is famous for the interweaving of politics, economics, and religion in its action/adventure plot, much of it drawn from real-life global politics of the 18th and 19th centuries. A German-Italian co-production miniseries aired in the year 2000 on the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci-Fi Channel]].

Its $20 million budget was small for a sci-fi blockbuster, but was almost unprecedented for a series intended for an initial TV release. It received a significant marketing push (Including full theatrical trailers) as the Sci-Fi Channel tried to break into serious made-for-TV production. After the success of this project the Sci-Fi channel began producing high-budget miniseries on an annual basis.

* SpaceClothes: Costumes were extravagant throughout the series to establish allegiance and clearly divide the separate cliques. This included [[NiceHat giant hats]] for the Bene Gesserit and Spacing Guild.

* NiceHat: For the Bene Gesserit ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ghm.jpg seen here]]) and the Spacing Guild, their headdresses had a height you could measure in ''feet''.

* DepravedHomosexual: Baron Harkonnen, though considerably toned down in comparison to the book and the 1984 film.

Creator/WilliamHurt stars as Duke Leto, who despite top-billing [[DeadStarWalking is only in about the first third of the story]]. Alec Newman stars as Leto's son, Paul 'Muad'Dib' Atreides, with Ian [=McNeice=] as Baron Harkonnen and an international cast of supporting actors.

** Paul's room in the opening scene is festooned with water, including multiple filled pitchers and a bowl with rose petals for fragrance/washing. On Caladan, where they are leaving, water is commonplace and affordable and this display would just be comfortable. On Arrakis, where they are going, it is as valuable as spice and this casual presentation is unbelievable ostentatious.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Irulan viewed the party she attended on Arrakis as the start of a potential relationship with Paul, and and was haunted when she learned of his death [[UnwittingPawn and how her father used her to help bring it about]]. She was even spurred to begin her own investigation into the plot and lay her own political machinations. Paul, however, apparently never gave Irulan another thought after that night, and when they meet again at the climax he gives no indication that he even remembers her.

->''And so it begins. The trap is set. The prey approaches. A glorious winter is about to descend on House Atreides and all its heirs, and very soon, the years of humiliation visited upon my family will finally be avenged."
-->--'''Baron Vladimir Harkonnen'''

The ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' miniseries, billed as ''"Frank Herbert's Dune"'', is a three-part television adaptation of the 1965 novel ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' by Creator/FrankHerbert. The novel is often credited as "the masterpiece of science fiction" and is famous for the interweaving of politics, economics, and religion in its action/adventure plot, much of it drawn from real-life global politics of the 18th and 19th centuries. The miniseries aired in the year 2000 on the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci-Fi Channel]].

* GladiatorGames: Feyd-Rautha forces captives to fight him in single-combat to keep himself in training. He wins the fight we see easily, and executes the slave at the end.

* IfIWantedYouDead: When the Baron survives his assassination attempt, Feyd is worried that he is going to be killed immediately, only for the Baron to reassue him that he would already be dead if that was the case.

** The Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles are completely absent from the adaptation, but CHOAM is mentioned when the representative of the Spacing Guild lists all the treaties and decrees which protects him.

* OhCrap: The Fremen have a four-part opening to their assault on Arrakeen. First, they blow up the Shield Wall with a nuke. This is followed by a massive sandstorm, a squadron of ornithopters, and four sandworms carrying Fremen warriors. In between each part, we shift back to the Imperial Palace to see the OhCrap reactions on everyone's faces.

* AffectionateNickname: Gurney frequently refers to Paul as "young pup".

* DeflectorShields: Personal shields exist in the setting, but they are only seen once at the beginning when Paul and Gurney are sparring. They are mentioned occasionally afterwards, but are not used on Arrakis because they attract sandworms and stir them into a frenzy.

* DueToTheDead: The Fremen ritual of [[HumanResources reclaiming water from a body]] is accompanied by the friends of the deceased speaking of how the deceased helped them and their tribe.

* MythologyGag: In the novel, "Soo-soo sook!" is identified as the call of water-sellers on Arrakis. This is never explained in the series, but it is heard in the distance just before Jessica puts a stop to the custom of selling water leavings at the palace door.

** Duncan Idaho is killed by a 'thopter-launched missile, instead of falling in a knife/sword fight [[YouShallNotPass buying time for Paul and Jessica to escape]]. He stays behind with the same intent, but is killed pretty much immediately after they part ways. So while they do get away, hsi death was pretty much a Senseless Sacrifice because he barely slowed down their pursuers.

** Duncan Idaho is killed by a 'thopter-launched missile, instead of falling in a knife/sword fight [[YouShallNotPass buying time for Paul and Jessica to escape]]. He stays behind with the same intent, but is killed pretty much immediately after they part, so while they do get away it was in a sense a SenselessSacrifice.

** Duncan Idaho is killed by a 'thopter-launched missile, instead of falling in a knife/sword fight [[YouShallNotPass buying time for Paul and Jessica to escape]].

** Paul and Chani do not begin to grow close until after Chani learns of Liet's death, and Paul hears Stilgar say just how much she loved her father.

* GroupIdentifyingFeature: Sardaukar have a triangular raised mark on their skin on the back of their neck. This is used to identify them even when [[FalseFlagOperation disguised in another House's livery]].

* CommonalityConnection: Princess Irulan tries to connect with Paul by describing how similar their lives are as [[LonelyAtTheTop isolated children of nobility who are bound by the system]].

** Paul's room in the opening scene is festooned with water, including multiple filled pitchers and a bowl with rose petals for fragrance/washing. On Caladan, where they are leaving, water is commonplace and affordable. On Arrakis, where they are going, it is as valuable as spice.

** There is a section of the palace on Arrakis filled with offworld plants, which require so much water to survive that they could keep many inhabitants alive for years. This room is kept, unlike the water-selling custom, but Jessica has it announced that it officially belongs to the people of Arrakis and the Atreides are now only its custodians.

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: Thufir Hawat is killed off much earlier, from an explosion during the fall of the palace. Duncan Idaho is similarly blown up by a missile shortly after, instead of falling in a knife/sword fight. Rabban's death is depicted onscreen.

* GunsVsSwords: The Fremen are primarily a knife-fight culture, and are so skilled that they overwhelm the gun-toting Harkonnen's with ease. This is a legacy from the novel where knife-fighting is the primary means of combat galaxy-wide.

* LonelyAtTheTop: When Princess Irulan tries to connect with Paul by pointing out that their similarities, Paul angrily lashes out that after the party is over she will return to her lavish palace. She in turn retorts with all the problems that come from such a lavish life and being a pawn of the emperor.

* IWantThemAlive: After the assassination attempt on Paul, Thufir orders that the assassin be captured alive for questioning. When Gurney kills him instead, Leto notes that this could mean that he is the traitor and is trying to cover his tracks.

* ChildOfTwoWorlds: Much of Paul's identity is tied to the Atreides name and family, but he learns that he is also a ''Harkonnen''. Jessica [[LukeIAmYourFather is the unknown daughter of the Baron himself]], so Paul and Alia are his grandchildren.

* GunsVsSwords: The Fremen are primarily a knife-fight culture, and are so skilled that they overwhelm the gun-toting Harkonnen's with ease. This is a legacy from the novel where knife-fighting is the primary means of combat galaxy-wide because the omnipresent shields protect against bullets with ease, and cause nuclear-equivalent explosions if they are shot by a lasgun.

* LivingLieDetector: The Bene Gesserit can detect when somebody is lying based on body language and tone that are indistinguishable to normal people. Powerful nobles often have Bene Gesserit "Turthsayers" in their court. This has lead to a very practiced [[DeadlyEuphemism style of giving orders obliquely]] so that, if questioned, people can honestly deny having given a specific order.

* KlingonPromotion: Fremen culture requires a leader to prove their worth by killing the previous leader to take the role. When Paul has put off challenging Stilgar for official leadership of their tribe, since everybody knows Paul will win and he doesn't want to kill his most loyal and capable subordinate, Stilgar himself says that Paul has to do it in order to be fully accepted by the people.
-->No man recognizes leadership without the challenge of combat.

* NotWorthKilling: [[PlayingWithATrope Unusual variation:]] Chani begins intercepting and killing the Fremen who came to [[KlingonPromotion challenge Paul]], because she thinks they do not merit a death at Paul's hands. She also hopes that if they think they'll be killed by 'Paul's woman' and not Paul himself there will be fewer challengers coming to seek glory.

* MiniSeries: This adaptation presented the story in three parts instead of as a single film. It also received a sequel, ''Children of Dune'', which adapted that same novel combined with ''Dune Messiah''.