Dune Script 5th Draft
Dune Script 5th Draft
Dune Script 5th Draft
BLACK
FADE IN to the dark eyes of the mysterious face of the REVEREND MOTHER
RAMALLO, who sits against smooth black rock. Her eyes are deep
blue-within-blue and her skin is a haunting translucent white. Her
voice ECHOES as if in a great cavern.
RESPONSE OF TWENTY
THOUSAND VOICES
Bi-la kaifa.
RESPONSE OF TWENTY
THOUSAND VOICES
Bi-la kaifa.
FADE IN to
CREDITS.
... the huge ship land below and a beautiful giant Palace of the
Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV.
Inside the darkness of the ship a loud warning TONE sounds. A dark
elevator descends...
On the dark landing field, chemicals spill out of the ship in troughs
and tank-suited Guildsmen begin to swarm out of a hatch opening.
The EMPEROR is nervous and paces the floor in his golden chamber. The
room is being cleared of crowds of COURTIERS. Several SARDAUKAR
OFFICERS stand near the Emperor.
EMPEROR
(out loud, but more to
himself than the officers)
Why does the Guild send a Third Stage
Navigator here?
(thinking, struggling)
Spice!... It has to be... He senses my
plan!!
OFFICER #1
My lord... The Reverend Mother is here. All
entrance corridors and chambers have been
cleared. We are dismissed?
EMPEROR
Yes... Yes!.... He'll sense any
surveillance.... No eavesdropping of any
kind.
All the others have now left. The Reverend Mother is ushered in and
the Sardaukar Officers leave her alone with the Emperor.
EMPEROR
(quickly)
A Third Stage Guild Navigator will be here
in minutes!
REVEREND MOTHER
We felt his presence.
EMPEROR
I want telepathy during his visit and a
report when we're finished.
REVEREND MOTHER
Their minds are so.... They move in...
strange directions.... The spice gas they
live in distracts... I must sit close to
him.
EMPEROR
He know he will not permit anyone but me to
see him. You must be outside this room....
Do what you can.
REVEREND MOTHER
I am your Truthsayer, my lord, and...
(sensing something outside
the room)
He is here, my lord.
The doors to the Emperor's chambers slide open and FIFTY GUILDSMEN
wheel in the giant black box. Some wear grey suits, others are in
tank suits with orange gas swirling about inside. One of the
tank-suited Guildsmen addresses the Emperor through a translating
device.
GUILDSMAN #1
The Bene Gesserit witch must leave.
The Emperor looks to the Reverend Mother and she exits the room.
EMPEROR
We are alone...
The Reverend Mother takes a seat on a chair just outside the door.
She closes her eyes.
NAVIGATOR
We have just folded space from Ix...
EMPEROR
(extremely nervous)
Yes?... And how was your journey?
NAVIGATOR
(after a long pause)
Many machines on Ix... new machines.
EMPEROR
Oh yes?
NAVIGATOR
Better than those on Richesse... You are
transparent... I see many things... I see
plans within plans.
EMPEROR
Is there a problem?... Usually there is a
problem when one of you makes a visit.
No answer.
EMPEROR (CONT'D)
(to the other Guildsmen)
Can he hear me?
(to Navigator)
Can you hear me? Is there some sort of
problem?
NAVIGATOR
(finally)
The answer is within the problem...
Outside the Emperor's chamber the Reverend Mother sits, her eyes
closed, straining.
11. INT. THRONE ROOM - EMPEROR'S PALACE - REVEREND MOTHER'S MENTAL IMAGE
- NIGHT
A very blurred scene of the Emperor with the Guild Navigator. She is
not getting the English version but a much different language version
which is fascinating to listen to. A lilting, sing-song monologue.
NAVIGATOR
I see two Great Houses -- House Atreides,
House Harkonnens -- feuding... I see you
behind it.
EMPEROR
Yes.
The Navigator breathes the spice-gas heavily and swishes gently in his
tank.
NAVIGATOR
You must share with us.
EMPEROR
The Atreides house is building a secret
army!... using a technique unknown to us....
The Duke is becoming more popular in the
Landsraad... He could threaten me.... I have
ordered House Atreides to occupy Arrakis to
mine the spice... replacing their enemies
the Harkonnens.... House Atreides will not
refuse because of the tremendous power they
think they will gain. At an appointed time
the Baron will return to Arrakis and launch
a sneak attack on House Atreides... I have
promised Baron Harkonnen five legions of my
Sardaukar terror troops.
NAVIGATOR
So the Harkonnens will rid you of House
Atreides...
14. INT. THRONE ROOM - EMPEROR'S PALACE - REVEREND MOTHER'S MENTAL IMAGE -
NIGHT
The Guild Navigator turns toward her and comes very close to her. We
hear the Navigator speak to her.
NAVIGATOR
(to Reverend Mother,
mentally)
Reverend Mother... I will give you the
Tleilaxu Path.
EMPEROR
Can you hear me?... If this visit has
anything to do with spice...
The Guild Navigator shudders and swishes quite violently in his tank.
EMPEROR (CONT'D)
(taken aback)
I am the last person to want you to be
without melange... for you to be unable to
fold space... My Empire would once again be
isolated unreachable planets. I can assure
you the flow of spice will continue
uninterrupted.
NAVIGATOR
(quietly... strangely)
The spice must flow...
EMPEROR
I can assure you...
NAVIGATOR
(interrupting)
One small point.
NAVIGATOR
We ourselves... foresee a slight problem
within House Atreides.... Paul... Paul
Atreides.
EMPEROR
You mean, of course, the Red Duke... Duke
Leto Atreides... his father.
NAVIGATOR
I mean... Paul Atreides.... Blend his
extinction into your recipe and you will
come with a meal to our liking.... I didn't
say this.
NAVIGATOR (CONT'D)
I am not here...
EMPEROR
I understand.
The Navigator has now disappeared within the black box and the
Guildsmen are removing him. The Emperor watches as they leave. He
wears a very perplexed, worried look on his face.
The Emperor turns as the Reverend Mother approaches him. In the B.G.
the door is closed again by the Sardaukar Officers.
EMPEROR
Well?
REVEREND MOTHER
(hesitantly)
He worries that putting Atreides on Arrakis
will hurt spice production.... You use only
a small amount of spice... but you know,
they consume tremendous quantities.... You
look seventy even though you are two hundred
and four. They take enough to have evolved
the "seeing eye." The eye will close
without the spice.... Much was unclear...
They worry over the spice.
EMPEROR
The universe worries when they worry....
You may go, Helen Mohiam... Bene Gesserit.
REVEREND MOTHER
(looking alertly into the
Emperor's eyes)
Yes, my Lord.
The Reverend Mother hurries along. She starts down the stairs.
EMPEROR
She's Bene Gesserit... and there's nowhere
in the Universe you can escape them. Her
loyalty to the sisterhood is stronger than
her loyalty to me... In situations like this
it's interesting to watch her work... Watch
her carefully.
REVEREND MOTHER
Make arrangements immediately for my journey
to House Atreides on Caladan. I want to
fold space on the next Guild ship. I must
have a look at this Paul Atreides....
(she turns)
Where there is this much smoke, there may be
a volcano.
Out of the DARKNESS now WAVES can be seen. Great smooth, rolling
waves like black glass. THUNDER warns in the distance. MUSIC creeps
out of the WINDS. RAIN begins to pelt the surface of the NIGHT SEA
and a FLASH of lightning illuminates red fish in the depths.
Waves crash against a black rock cliff wall with rivulets of rain
weaving down its face. High on the rock cliff stands Castle Caladan.
Its appearance is dark and medieval, yet behind it there are several
space ships hovering, locking together, then moving upwards. There is
a window on the seaward wall lit from within by a drifting glowglobe.
INSERT - FILMBOOK
BACK TO SCENE
PAUL
(whispering)
Here we are now... nineteen million
light years beyond...
INSERT - FILMBOOK
PAUL (V.O.)
(whispering)
... beyond Epsilon Alangue... is Arrakis.
BACK TO SCENE
PAUL
(whispering again)
It does look dry.... Where is Giedi Prime
from here?
INSERT - FILMBOOK
PAUL (V.O.)
(whispering)
There!... Giedi Prime and the Baron
Harkonnen... the enemy.
BACK TO SCENE
PAUL
(without turning)
I know, Thufir, I'm sitting with my back to
the door.
PAUL (CONT'D)
I heard you coming down the hall, and I
heard you open the door.
THUFIR
Those sounds could be imitated.
PAUL
I'd know the difference.
THUFIR
(inner voice)
Yes. Perhaps he would at that.
PAUL
My father sent you to test me.
Thufir scowls.
GURNEY
Just a short fight and some questions....
PAUL
Gurney... we had practice -- this
morning..... I'm not in the mood.
GURNEY
(angered)
Not in the mood?! Mood's a thing for cattle
and love play... It's not for fighting.
PAUL
I'm sorry Gurney.
GURNEY
Not sorry enough.
GURNEY
(his voice sounding strange
coming through the force
field)
Guard yourself for true!
PAUL
(inner voice)
What's gotten into Gurney? He's not faking.
Paul presses forward and the fight moves quickly around the room. The
smell of ozone grows stronger as the shields hit and SPARK off one
another. Paul directs a parry downwards, turns, and leads Gurney
against the table, plunging at just the right moment to pin Gurney
against the table top with his blade right at Gurney's neck.
PAUL
(strange shielded voice)
Is this what you seek?
GURNEY
(strange shielded voice)
Good... the slow blade penetrates the
shield... but look down.
GURNEY (CONT'D)
We'd have joined each other in death.
However, you did seem to finally get the
"mood".
PAUL
(shielded voice)
Would you really have drawn my blood?
GURNEY
(shielded voice)
If you'd fought one whit beneath your
abilities I'd have scratched you a good one.
PAUL
Things have been so serious here lately.
GURNEY
I sensed the play in you lad, but this can
no longer be play. Tomorrow we begin our
trip to Arrakis! Arrakis is real. The
Harkonnens are real.
Thufir, Yueh, Gurney and Paul stare at each other for a moment in
silence. Dr. Yueh moves forward and begins to take Paul's pulse rate
and to collect other data with a small black machine.
DR. YUEH
You'll be happy to hear we don't have time
for regular lessons today, however I have
scheduled several filmbook lessons for you
on the crossing to Arrakis.
PAUL
Anything on the worms?
DR. YUEH
I have a book on a small specimen... only
125 meters long.
PAUL
Only?!
DR. YUEH
There have been documented sightings of
worms as large as 450 meters in the deep
desert -- far from where we'll be in
Arrakeen.... The desert belt and south polar
regions are marked forbidden.... Why?
PAUL
The worms... and the storms. Is it true,
Dr. Yueh, that the sand blowing at this
speed can render flesh to dust in minutes
YUEH
Seven hundred kilometers per hour.
PAUL
How do the Fremen survive there?
YUEH
We don't know much about the Fremen... They
live in the deep desert... some in the
cities... they have blue-within-blue eyes...
PAUL
(smiling)
The eyes -- yes... saturation of the blood
by the spice -- melange.
THUFIR
(intruding)
A world is supported by four things...
PAUL
Learning of the wise... justice of the
great... prayers of the righteous and valor
of the brave.
THUFIR
The first law of a Mentat...
PAUL
Thufir... please...
THUFIR
Paul... the first law... and in the proper
form!
PAUL
Because a Mentat is trained for supreme
logic, he knows a process cannot be
understood by stopping it. Understanding
must move with the flow of the process...
must join it... must flow with it.
(then)
Will I get to see a Guild Navigator on the
crossing to Arrakis?
THUFIR
No, they will be far off in the control
rooms of the Heighliner. Some in the
Universe see the lower stage Navigators.
Even the Third Stage Navigators can be moved
outside the Heighliners in tanks of the
spice gas. But the highest stage Guild
Navigators are never seen. They exist in
total isolation high in the control rooms of
the Guild Heighliners. No one knows more
than this about them. Now tell me of the
Harkonnens and some history of Arrakis.
It's still testing time.
PAUL
Our mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, held
Arrakis in quasi-fief for eighty years under
a CHOAM Company contract to mine the
geriatric spice, melange. Now, under orders
from the Emperor we must replace the
Harkonnens, but we shall hold Arrakis in
fief-complete... A victory for my father...
or at least an apparent victory.
THUFIR
Apparent... indeed. This appearance
contains the deadliest peril. Duke Leto is
extremely popular among the Great Houses of
the Landsraad, and... a popular man arouses
the jealousy of the powerful...
PAUL
The Baron is our enemy, yes... but behind
him is the Emperor.
THUFIR
You will make a formidable Duke!.... Now
remember... the first step in avoiding a
trap is knowing one exists.
PAUL
But if it's a trap why are we going?
THUFIR
We have our new army.
(in the same breath)
Dr. Yueh, put the weirding module on him.
THUFIR (CONT'D)
Lock the room.
THUFIR (CONT'D)
Activate a fighter.
Suddenly a FIGHTER ROBOT rises up out of the floor. Paul turns and
emits a very strange, powerful sound through the weirding module as
he advances rapidly towards the robot.
In the dark of night, DUKE LETO leaves his GUARD and walks out to the
cliff wall overlooking the stormy sea below. He meets Paul near the
wall.
PAUL
(diffident)
Father.
DUKE LETO
Thank you for waiting for me.
(voice tired)
It will be good to get to our new home and
have all this upset behind us.
They look out over the sea. The Duke turns to Paul.
PAUL
I want you to be proud of me.
Paul smiles up at his father. The WIND blows the Duke's hair and
behind him stands the castle and the green and black Atreides banner
against the night sky beyond. The RAIN starts again -- lightly. Paul
takes a closer look at the Atreides banner moving in the wind.
DUKE LETO
(studying the dark sea
below)
I'll miss the sea... but a person needs new
experiences... they jar something deep
inside, allowing him to grow. Without
change, something sleeps inside us... and
seldom awakens... The sleeper must awaken.
Paul's attention goes to his father's hand where he sees the Duke's
signet ring. Again he smiles at his father.
Dr. Yueh turns to Gurney in shadow. Gurney and Dr. Yueh are looking
at the filmbook of Paul's fight with the robots.
GURNEY
It's not Duncan's style... it certainly is
not mine.... It's his mother's influence and
he's been practicing on his own... this is
flawless fighting.
INSERT - FILMBOOK
Shot from camera in robot. In SLOW MOTION Paul's hands weave in and
out and his mouth moves very quickly and carefully forming weirding
SOUNDS which are also slowed down on the sound track. In SLOW MOTION
the robot catches of FIRE and falls. We FALL with it to the ground.
FADE TO:
PAUL (V.O.)
Arrakis... Dune... Desert Planet.
Suddenly a drop falls into the black, and white hot widening rings
appear on the dark water's surface.
Dark again. A figure turns toward Paul. It is a BEAUTIFUL GIRL in
deep shadow. She speaks.
BEAUTIFUL GIRL
Tell me of your homeworld, Usul.
PAUL
(whispering again)
Arrakis... Dune... Desert planet... moving...
moving.
CU Paul's face.
Paul's eyes snap open. He hears footsteps outside his door. As the
door opens he closes his eyes, however, and pretends to be asleep.
Jessica and the Reverend Mother stand in the doorway looking at him.
REVEREND MOTHER
He's small for his age, Jessica... We'll
salvage what we can... but I can tell you..
dear God... for the father ...nothing.
Jessica turns to the Reverend Mother, stunned! She turns back to look
at Paul. Her hand trembles.
JESSICA
I sensed the possibility...
REVEREND MOTHER
Indeed!... my greatest student... and my
greatest disappointment.... He's awake!...
He's listening to us.
(considering)
Good... Royalty has need of slyness... and
if he is really the Kwisatz Haderach...
Ready yourself, young Paul Atreides... I
want to see you in your mother's chambers in
one quarter of an hour.
She turns and walks away. Jessica remains at the door and calls out
to Paul in the darkness.
JESSICA
Paul?... This is very important... remember
you are a Duke's son... hurry.
Jessica leaves, closing the door behind her. Paul sits up in bed.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Kwisatz Haderach?... For the father...
nothing?
REVEREND MOTHER
(angrily)
Jessica... You were told to bear only
daughters to the Atreides... Jessica!
JESSICA
It meant so much to him...
REVEREND MOTHER
You thought only of a Duke's desire for a
son?... Desires don't figure in this! An
Atreides daughter could have been wed to a
Harkonnen heir and sealed the breach.
You've hopelessly complicated matters. We
may lose both bloodlines now.
JESSICA
I vowed never to regret my decision. I will
pay for my own mistakes.
REVEREND MOTHER
And your son will pay with you.
JESSICA
(confused, scared)
Is Arrakis... Is it really that terrible on
Arrakis? Will Duke Leto...
REVEREND MOTHER
(interrupting)
You entered all this with full knowledge of
the delicate edge you walked...
(she softens)
Jessica, girl, I wish I could stand in your
place and take your sufferings. But each of
us must make her own path.
JESSICA
I know... I understand.
REVEREND MOTHER
About Paul... what you did and why you did
it... we both know. But... kindness forces
me to tell you there's little chance he will
be the Bene Gesserit totality... however, I
will observe him. In a few minutes,
Jessica, your son will be proven to be a
living human being or... he will be a dead
animal.
(looking up -- sensing)
He's here... call him in...
Paul enters the room and Jessica closes the door behind them.
JESSICA
Paul, this is the Reverend Mother Gaius
Helen Mohiam. She is going to... observe
you...
(to Reverend Mother)
Your Reverence, I ...
REVEREND MOTHER
Jessica, you know it must be done. I enjoin
you to stand guard at the door and practice
the meditation of peace.
JESSICA
Yes... of course...
PAUL
(inner voice)
What does she fear?
(out loud)
What about my Father?
JESSICA
Paul... please, Paul... listen to the
Reverend Mother and do what she tells you.
Jessica leaves the room. The Reverend Mother speaks to Paul using The
Voice, a Bene Gesserit training which permits an adept to control
others merely by selected tone shadings of the voice. It sounds as if
two people are talking -- one normal and the other gutteral and
slightly electronic. The effect is strange, yet subtle.
REVEREND MOTHER
(using The Voice)
Now you come here.
Paul finds he cannot help but obey her, yet he fights her controlling
him.
PAUL
(inner voice)
She's using The Voice.
REVEREND MOTHER
(inner voice)
He's strong... He's fighting it well.
PAUL
What's in the box?
REVEREND MOTHER
Pain.
Just then, she raises one hand to his neck. Paul sees a glint of
metal. He tries to back away.
PAUL
(inner voice)
The Voice again.
REVEREND MOTHER
I hold at your neck the gom jabbar. It's a
needle with a drop of poison on the tip.
Don't pull away or you'll feel that poison.
A Duke's son must know about many poisons --
Here's a new one for you... it kills only
animals.
PAUL
Are you suggesting a Duke's son is an
animal?
REVEREND MOTHER
Let us say I suggest you may be human. If
you withdraw your hand from the box, you
die. This is the only rule. You will feel
an itching -- there... see? Now the itching
becomes burning... heat, upon heat, upon
heat.
PAUL
(whispering)
It burns.
REVEREND MOTHER
SILENCE...
PAUL
(inner voice)(struggling
to compose himself)
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total
obliteration. I will face my fear... I will
permit it to pass over me and through me.
The Reverend Mother moves her face up to his. Her ancient face with
its metal teeth gleaming inches away breathes hotly. She is smiling.
REVEREND MOTHER
You feel the flesh crisping?
Paul's inner mind sees his hand on fire with all sorts of sores. The
skin is bubbling.
REVEREND MOTHER
Flesh dropping and the dull ache of the
burning bones.
PAUL
(cannot help the explosion)
THE PAIN!
REVEREND MOTHER
NO!! ENOUGH!!! Kull wahad! No woman child
ever withstood that much. I must have
wanted you to fail. Take your hand out of
the box and look at it, young human.... Do
it!
Paul pulls his hand out of the box. No sign of anything wrong. He
turns his hand, flexes his fingers. He looks to the Reverend Mother.
PAUL
I can see the truth of it.
REVEREND MOTHER
(inner voice)
Could he be the one?...
DUNE 5th Draft, by David Lynch www.duneinfo.com
08/27/82 DUNE 21
(out loud)
You know when people believe what they say?
PAUL
I know it.
Suddenly the Reverend Mother holds her hand against Paul's head. She
closes her eyes.
She sees a blurred image of Paul's earlier dream. She sees the
beautiful girl turn. She hears a muffled voice say "Tell me of your
homeworld, Usul."
REVEREND MOTHER
Your mother wants you to tell me about your
dreams. I only want to know one thing....
Do they come true?
PAUL
Not all of them... I know which ones will.
REVEREND MOTHER
Perhaps you are the Kwisatz Haderach.
PAUL
What is that?
REVEREND MOTHER
(profoundly)
The person who can be many places at once...
the one who bridges space and time.... He
will look where we cannot.
PAUL
Where?
REVEREND MOTHER
Do you know of the Water of Life?... the
Truthsayer drug?
PAUL
I have heard of it.
REVEREND MOTHER
It is very dangerous... It is used by the
Bene Gesserit sisterhood to see within....
But, only down feminine paths. There is a
place terrifying to us... to women. It is
said a man will come... the Kwisatz
Haderach... he will go where we cannot...
Many men have tried...
PAUL
Did they fail?
REVEREND MOTHER
They tried and died....
(she calls out loudly)
Jessica!
Jessica enters immediately and sees with great relief that Paul is
still alive.
REVEREND MOTHER
Jessica... I sense your teachings in him.
Now I caution you... ignore the regular
order of training. His safety requires the
Voice... He already has a good start in it,
but we both know how much more he needs...
and that desperately.
PAUL
I've heard enough of my safety... What about
my father?... I heard you talking. You
speak as if he was dead. Well, he isn't!
JESSICA
Paul!
PAUL
Well he isn't... and he won't die... Tell me
he won't die!
REVEREND MOTHER
What can be done has been done.
PAUL
MOTHER! Tell me!
The Reverend Mother covers herself with her shawl and moves quickly to
the door.
REVEREND MOTHER
Good-bye, young human... I hope you survive.
But if you don't, well, we shall yet
succeed.
(to Jessica, quietly)
Jessica, remember The Voice could save him.
He kisses the seal of his ring. He pauses, studying the metal tube,
and he listens to the far-off SOUND OF TRUDGING BOOTS of the House
Guard.
DUKE LETO
Did you look in on Paul?
JESSICA
Yes... He's fine...
Jessica moves toward Leto. She looks into his eyes, her love for him
apparent.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
I...
DUKE LETO
Yes? Jessica! What is it?
Jessica falls into Leto's arms. She can't look at him. She struggles
to maintain her composure, but can't.
JESSICA
(crying)
I'll miss Caladan so much.
An honor guard lowers the huge green and black Atreides banner from
atop the castle. One of the men cries.
The Duke places a hand on Paul's shoulder. We see the signet ring.
Jessica is there. She tries to get Paul to look at her, but he scowls
and turns to his father.
JESSICA
(turning away)
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer...
the little death that brings total
obliteration...
FROM HIGH ABOVE, looking down on a black steel shuttle landing field
in the middle of a vast sea of black oil. A small cable car zooms up
toward us on an elevator of black steel. The car comes to a stop and
is transferred to another cable and it begins rocketing horizontally
across the black oil lake.
Inside the cable car stands PITER; his eyes are covered with black
steel goggles. In one hand he holds the cylinder with DUKE Leto's
ring imprint.
The car zooms past the gigantic figures -- colossal -- larger than the
Statue of Liberty -- in spaced rows toward the city. The furnaces
below ROAR with tremendous power. Now closer and closer to the city,
building up speed until the city looms gigantic and overpowering --
millions of electrical cables stretch off the top into dark energy
taps above the city.
The cable car stops and Piter gets out, steps down steel stairs...
PITER
They've left Caladan, Baron, and I have here
your answer from Duke Leto.
BARON
The driest planet in the universe, where
they speak in hushed tones of moisture, let
alone water.... It would, of course, be a
worthless rock were it not for the spice.
So... it becomes now the biggest mantrap in
history and Duke Leto is headed into its
jaws... What does Leto say, Piter?
PITER
He advises you that Vendetta -- as he puts
it, using the ancient tongue, the art of
Kanly -- is not dead. He does not wish to
meet or speak with you.
BARON
I made my peace gesture... the forms of
Kanly have been obeyed. Piter... enlighten
Feyd and Rabban concerning my delicious plan
for Arrakis and the Atreides.
PITER
Sir... Is this knowledge to be...
BARON
Enlighten them, Piter... I want them to
know!
PITER
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has given up
Arrakis to take part in a secret partnership
with the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. Under
this new plan, the Baron will have the use
of the Emperor's own terror troops -- the
Sardaukar, to finally crush the Atreides and
end their line. An attack will be made upon
House Atreides using five legions of
Sardaukar -- They may suspect an attack, and
Thufir Hawat may even suspect Sardaukar, but
never five legions. No other Great House of
the Landsraad must ever know of the
Emperor's aid to the Baron. The Landsraad
would turn against the Baron and the
Emperor.
Rabban breaks open a squood (living food). The squood makes a tiny
SCREAM, then Rabban drinks the blood and bodily fluids. He throws the
empty container of tiny animal meat into the dark water trough running
through the center of the room.
BARON
I will have Arrakis back for myself... he
who controls the Spice, controls the
universe... and what Piter didn't tell you
is we have control of someone who is very
close to Duke Leto. This person... this
traitor... will be worth more to us than ten
legions of Sardaukar.
FEYD
Who is the traitor?
BARON
(laughs)
I won't tell you who the traitor is or when
we'll attack. However, the Duke will die
before these eyes and he'll know that it is
I --Baron Vladimir Harkonnen -- who
encompasses his doom.
The Baron gets up, buoyed by suspensors around his waist. He begins a
strange, gleeful, floating dance. TWO ATTENDANTS against the wall
stroke small drums which go "BRUUM" "BRUUM" as the Baron floats slowly
upwards and across the room. Tremendous frightening SOUNDS swell
louder and louder.
The huge doorway of the Heighliner is closed and a signal Light begins
to travel at high speed across the gigantic hold. The Light goes
through passageways. Finally, there is the huge five-part shielded
entrance to the control rooms and cockpit of the Heighliner. The
Light passes through the shields; electrical TONES; and arcing,
changing patterns become violet.
The light enters the control room, which is a huge, 2000 ft. high
room, filled with orange gas. On the floor are large gratings
covering an exhaust and vacuuming system. Tons of spice gas are being
converted into toxic chemicals as it cools down at floor level. A
Third Stage Navigator swims down near the bottom.
The Navigators feed in more SOUNDS and light symbols issue from their
mouths. They gently put their long arms and long fingers into the
starry masses. They suddenly stop and look up. Something huge is
hiding high in the cockpit. There is a tremendous ROAR and pale white
LIGHT comes from within the hiding form...
The 3,415 ships ROAR across the barren dunes to huge rock formations
and the airfield of Arrakeen -- beyond.
The Atreides banner is raised on the top of the Palace. The bridge to
the rock Palace stands in blinding light.
Clouds of insects swarm over the barren grounds of the Palace and
clusters of troops stand at attention around the enormous dark, cool
doorway.
ATREIDES MAN #1
Harkonnens.
Far in the distance in deep black rock, Harkonnen spies move, carrying
strange electronic equipment.
THUFIR
(into a radio microphone)
Why isn't the shield up yet?
RADIO MAN #1
We found and removed another sabotage
device. I think it will go up now.
Just after the second set of levers is pulled, a huge house shield is
seen going up in a box shape, encompassing the Palace with SHIMMERING
protection.
From a small window, Thufir observes the shield with a critical eye.
THUFIR
(inner voice; worried)
We found these sabotage devices too
easily...
Jessica and Dr. Yueh stand in a large hall where the giant bull's head
is being hung above a massive fireplace. The MOVING TROOPS are
unpacking crates and organizing furnishings. Jessica watches them.
Distant SOUNDS reverberate inside an elaborate air vent beside them.
DR. YUEH
Listen here.... You can here the people of
Arrakeen outside.... Can you here the cry
"Soo Soo Sook" of the water sellers?
JESSICA
So many reminders of the scarcity of water.
DR. YUEH
Have you noticed the line of palms along the
wall... the Harkonnen put them in ... to
flaunt their water wealth in front of these
people.... Each day those palms take enough
water to sustain the life of one hundred
men.
JESSICA
The way you say Harkonnen... I didn't know
you had so much reason to hate them.
DR. YUEH
(swiftly)
My wife... you didn't know my wife...
they...
JESSICA
(out loud)
Forgive me...
(inner voice)
... His wife was Bene Gesserit too... the
signs are all over him.... They must have
killed her.
DR. YUEH
I'm sorry I'm unable to talk about it.
WOMAN #1
(referring to several robed
figures standing in the room)
My lady... the local people... the maids and
servants await your inspection. Hawat has
cleared them.
DR. YUEH
The Harkonnens may have tampered
medically.... please wait.
He turns a yellow light on and moves it over the crowd. The yellow
beam plays over the blue-within-blue eyes. One of the women, the
Shadout Mapes, watches Jessica continuously. Yueh's hand shakes
slightly.
JESSICA
(inner voice; noticing
Yueh's hands)
He's hiding something -- holding something
back.
(She studies his face
closely.)
It's not just his wife... He's a good man
though. He's probably trying to save my
feelings...
(We see her mouth.)
I could use The Voice... make him tell me...
It would only shame him.
(We see her eyes.)
I must place more trust in my friends.
(We see Yueh turn toward
her, fearful.)
Paul enters a small bedroom and sits down on the bed. He opens a
filmbook, and activates it.
INSERT - FILMBOOK
We SEE a gigantic carryall lower down above a spice harvester and pick
it up off the desert floor as a narrator speaks over.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
One carryall handles four spice mining
teams; however, it will fly only two
harvesters at a time. Today, we have nine
hundred and thirty harvesters and nine
hundred and eighty-one carryalls....
BACK TO SCENE
Paul looks up. Across the room he sees a tray of small pastries which
have been laid out. He goes to them and scans them with his poison
detector, which he carries on his belt. A pleasant tone SOUNDS and
the word "safe" appears in green light. Paul takes a pastry, bites
into it and turns back toward the bed. Suddenly he stops. He looks
at the pastry.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Spice...
PAUL (CONT'D)
(whispering inner voice)
Terrible purpose.... What is it?
Some red droplets appear rushing through the white light. Three
images follow:
The LIGHT decreases and Paul stands trembling. As he moves to the bed
he sees a portion of the headboard slowly folding down and he sees a
chrome sliver of metal glide out from within the dark opening. He
freezes.
PAUL
(inner voice)
A hunter-seeker!... It can't get me if I
don't move... It's too dark in here for it
to see clearly...
The hunter-seeker begins to lift and swing across the room and back --
searching.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(inner voice)
I've got to grab it -- the suspensor field
will make it slippery on the bottom -- I
must grip it tightly.
The seeker drops a little, circling around the bed. A faint HUMMING
sound is heard.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(inner voice)
Who is operating that thing?... It has to be
someone in the Palace. I could shout for
help but it would kill whoever opened the
door...
Just as Paul finishes this thought the other door to his room begins
to open and the Shadout Mapes peers in. The hunter-seeker arrows past
Paul toward the motion. Paul swiftly reaches out and grips the deadly
thing. It HUMS and twists violently in his hand. With a powerful
turn and thrust, Paul slams the glass nose of the seeker into the
stone wall. The seeker goes dead in his hand. He looks up into the
deep blue eyes of the Shadout Mapes.
SHADOUT MAPES
(shaken)
It would have killed me... not so?
PAUL
I was the target. It went to the motion.
Who are you?
SHADOUT MAPES
I am the Shadout Mapes... the housekeeper.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Could she be the operator? No...
SHADOUT MAPES
I must cleanse the way between us.... You
saved my life... and we Fremen pay our
debts. It's known to us that you've a
traitor in your midst. Who it is we cannot
say but we're certain of it.
PAUL
(inner voice)
A traitor...
Before he can speak the Shadout Mapes is gone -- running off down the
passageway.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(inner voice)
A Fremen!
Paul goes immediately to his shield belt and puts it on and activates
it, sending a VIBRATING SHROUD around him, then radios his father.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(into radio microphone)
Father... I've found and destroyed a hunter-
seeker in my room... seal off this section
of the Palace... the operator may be sending
more.
Jessica enters.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(looks to Jessica)
There is a traitor among us.
Running TROOPS storm down the hallway with electronic gear and big
stun guns.
THUFIR
Set up a sonar probe immediately!
Dr. Yueh sticks his head out the doorway as SEVERAL TROOPERS run past.
DUKE LETO
(on phone)
Thufir?... anything?... keep looking.
(inner voice)
...and a traitor... God help us.
TROOPS come off an elevator. The glow-span indicates the very bottom
floor of 18 sub-floors. The ground is uneven rock and the ceiling is
low. The air is thick. The troops fan out shinning chemical lamps
here and there. A soldier suddenly stops. Ahead in his light beam is
a dead Harkonnen -- bloody vomit dried around his mouth. He lies
beside an electronic device.
Dr. Yueh covers his face with his hands in a darkened room... sobbing.
Duke Leto sits with Paul, Thufir, EIGHT GENERALS and SIX SUB-
LIEUTENANTS. In front of Thufir is a device FLASHING brilliant light
bursts over his face. The others are all talking among themselves.
Suddenly Thufir's face turns brilliant red (as red as his
sapho-stained lips) and he begins speaking rapidly into the machine in
code using a strained high voice.
THUFIR
(Mentat voice)
Sector 6 - 80 -- copy the sixth -- the
summit -- the eight the quadrant over the
ninth plus eighty -- four circles -- weave
the eighty and call the fourth copy -- enter
nine -- seven by seven a seven the seven
call seven B seven -- enter the circles call
the sixth copy the sixth over the summit....
eight.
THUFIR (CONT'D)
(very fast and casually)
Eight.... Thufir Hawat... Mentat... Master
of Assassins.
The hum stops. Thufir turns to Duke Leto. He looks up. Everyone is
quiet now.
THUFIR (CONT'D)
The Palace is now secure. The city of
Arrakeen is under martial law... we have
troops here headquartered underground on
sub-floors six through ten. The rest of the
troops are stationed in Arrakeen and we have
some on the airfield. Our new army is still
training, but everything is shielded....
With the shielding, we are impenetrable.
Dr. Kynes is waiting, Sire, for your
inspection of spice mining operations, but
since the attempt of the young master, I am
against your leaving the Palace.
DUKE LETO
(very angry)
The attempt failed... Harkonnen captives
have already been taken. We must crush the
Harkonnen machine on Arrakis.... You all
know what to do.
(turning towards Gurney)
...Gurney! We desperately need more spice
miners... many are threatening to leave on
the next shuttle. We need spice drivers,
weather scanners, dune men ... any with open
sand experience. You must persuade them to
enlist with us.
GURNEY
They shall come all for violence: their
faces shall sup up as the east wind. And
they shall gather the captivity of the sand.
DUKE LETO
(squints at Gurney)
Very moving, Gurney. On your way... and
take care of Dr. Kynes until Paul and I
arrive. We will not be prisoners here in
this place.
GURNEY
(artfully easing the
Duke's anger)
Behold as a wild ass in the desert go I
forth to my work.
Gurney strides off. Thufir sits, contemplating. Paul and Duke Leto
smile at each other and shake their heads.
89. MENTAL IMAGES: A blurred Guild Navigator; Paul dead on a stone floor;
fire burning.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
I must speak with you Leto!
Outside in the passageway, feet suddenly move quietly toward the door
to Jessica's room.
Jessica HEARS this and looks up just as the Shadout Mapes silently
enters her room.
JESSICA
(staring at the blue-eyed
woman -- waiting for possible
danger.)
Yes?
SHADOUT MAPES
I am the Shadout Mapes, your housekeeper,
Noble Born. What are your orders.
JESSICA
You may refer to me as "my lady." I am not
noble born. I'm the bound concubine of Duke
Leto -- mother of the heir designate....
"Shadout"... that's an ancient word.
MAPES
(strangely asked)
You know the ancient tongues?
JESSICA
I know the Bhotani Jib and Chakobsa, all the
hunting languages.
MAPES
As the legend says.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
That's it! The Missionaria Protectiva has
been here planting protective legends
against a day of Bene Gesserit need. And
that day has come. I must play out this
sham.
(out loud)
I know the Dark things and the way of the
Great Mother. Miseces prejin.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
I know many things. I know you came
prepared for violence with a weapon in your
bodice.
MAPES
My lady, I... the weapon was sent as a gift
if you should prove to be the one.
JESSICA
And the means of my death should I prove
otherwise.
(inner voice)
Now we will see which way the decision tips.
Slowly Mapes reaches into her dress and brings out a sheathed knife.
She unsheathes it and the knife GLOWS as if lit from within.
MAPES
Do you know this my lady?
JESSICA
(inner voice)
It could only be one thing....
(out loud)
It's a crysknife.
MAPES
Say it not lightly...
(very slowly)
Do you know its meaning?
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Here is why this Fremen has taken service
with me, to ask that one question. Delay is
as dangerous as the wrong answer. Shadout
is Chakobsa... knife, in Chakobsa is...
maker of death.
(out loud)
It's a maker...
JESSICA (CONT'D)
(inner voice)
Maker?... Maker... Maker is the key word...
That was close...
(out loud)
Did you think that I, knowing the mysteries
of the Great Mother, would not know the
maker?
MAPES
My lady, when one has lived with prophecy
for so long, the moment of revelation is a
shock.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
There's more here... yes!
(out loud)
Mapes, you've sheathed that blade unblooded.
With a GASP Mapes drops the knife into Jessica's hands and opens her
blouse.
MAPES
Take the water of my life!
Jessica withdraws the knife from the sheath and, with the blade,
scratches a line just above Mapes' right breast.
MAPES (CONT'D)
You are ours.... You are the one.
Jessica's eyes stare ahead. She knows these words ring with truth.
The Duke, Paul and SEVERAL ARMED GUARDS enter the heat of the airfield
and walk out toward Kynes, who is standing next to Gurney.
KYNES
(to Gurney)
So, this is Leto the Just...
GURNEY
(sharply)
I hope I made myself clear. You may call
him "The Duke," "My lord," or "Sire." And
there is a more ancient term you might keep
in mind -- "Noble Born."
KYNES
(inner voice)
Play out your little comedy while you can,
off-worlders...
DUKE LETO
So you are Dr. Kynes, the Imperial
Ecologist?
KYNES
(turning to Gurney)
I prefer the more ancient term,
planetologist... Noble Born.
DUKE LETO
This is my son, Paul.
PAUL
Are you a Fremen?
KYNES
I am a servant of His Majesty the Emperor.
I have served His Majesty on Arrakis long
enough for my eyes to change.
PAUL
(inner voice)
He's hiding something.
DUKE LETO
I understand we have you to thank for these
stillsuits, Doctor.
KYNES
They are Fremen suits. I hope they fit
well, my lord.
PAUL
"Your gift is a blessing of the river."
Kynes' FREMEN GUARDS, hearing this are siezed with agitation. Kynes
QUIETS them, then studies Paul.
KYNES
(inner voice)
The Mahdi will greet you with holy words and
your gifts will be a blessing.
(spoken, nonchalantly)
Most of the desert natives here are a
superstitious lot. They mean no harm. With
your permission, I will check the security
of your suits.
GURNEY
(angrily)
The Duke is to be addresses as...
DUKE LETO
Our ways are new here, Gurney.
(to Kynes)
We are in your hands, Doctor. I'd
appreciate an explanation of the suits.
Kynes comes forward and adjusts the Duke's suit, checking seals and
pulling on straps.
KYNES
Basically, it's a high-efficiency filter and
heat exchange system. Perspiration passes
through the first layer and is gathered in
the second... salt is removed. Breathing
and walking provide the pumping action. The
reclaimed water circulates to catchpockets
from which you drink through this tube at
the neck. Urine and feces are processed in
the thigh pads. In the open desert, you
wear the face mask. Breathe in through the
mouth filter, out through the nose tubes.
KYNES (CONT'D)
With a Fremen suit in good working order,
you won't lose more than a thimblefull of
moisture a day.
DUKE LETO
My thanks.
Kynes turns to Paul, running his hands over the slick fabric. He
stands back with a puzzled expression.
KYNES
You've worn a stillsuit before.
PAUL
No.
KYNES
Your suit is fitted desert fashion. Who
told you how to do that?
PAUL
No one. It... seemed the proper way.
KYNES
That it is.
(inner voice)
He shall know your ways as if born to them.
GURNEY
We're wasting time, my lord.
They fly over the fields of spice silos and over the huge spice
factories which belch out orange and black SMOKE. Then, through the
windows, we see the black stone of the Shield Wall race past as the
'thopter rises.
KYNES
Southeast over the Shield Wall. That's
where I told your sandmaster to concentrate
his harvesting.
They crest the top of the wall which opens out into a black, level
expanse of rock, cratered and fractured. In the distance, on the
other side, is the huge, seemingly endless plain of sand, the Great
Desert.
PAUL
Will we see a worm?
KYNES
Where there is spice and spice mining there
are always worms.
PAUL
Always?
KYNES
Always.
PAUL
Why do they come?
KYNES
To protect their territory. Vibrations
attract them. A shield will draw a worm. A
shield in the desert is useless. Worms
ignore their territory and come from miles
to attack a man with a shield. No man has
ever survived such an attack.
Kynes looks around and sees that each of the Atreides carries a shield
belt.
PAUL
(inner voice)
I've registered him now... a knife in a
sheath on his left arm... He's strong... a
person born to command... He's hiding many
things.
(out loud, suddenly)
Is there a relationship between the worms
and the spice?
Kynes turns instantly and stares at Paul. Gurney sees the wonder in
Kynes' eyes.
GURNEY
The young master is a trained Mentat, an
advanced student of Prana Bindu training and
has studied under some of the finest
teachers in the Universe.
KYNES
As I said... they defend the spice sands.
But as to their relationship with the
spice... who knows.
Thufir enters and approaches Dr. Yueh, who is scanning dead Harkonnen
bodies with a yellow light. Yueh is somewhat startled and acts
nervously.
THUFIR
More enemy dead coming in for your
inspection, Dr. Yueh. Are you alright?
DR. YUEH
(strangely)
I'm fine... thank you. Take a look at this.
Dr. Yueh hands Thufir a message cylinder. Thufir studies it, looks at
Dr. Yueh, then leaves. Dr. Yueh continues to scan several of the
bodies already in the room. He suddenly stops. He looks around, then
lasbeam-cuts the stomach of a Harkonnen agent. He looks on the sonar
monitor. He sees a black shape. He reaches in the stomach cavity and
pulls out a very small message cylinder, and moves into the shadows.
He opens the cylinder and reads. His hands tremble.
GURNEY
Dust cloud ahead, Sire.
KYNES
That's it... spice mining... no other cloud
quite like it. See the spotters over it?
They're watching for wormsign... the
telltale sand waves. Seismic probes on the
surface, too... worms can travel too deep
for their waves to show... Looks like a good
patch of spice.
DUKE LETO
Is it wormsign?
KYNES
Yes!... worm. Big one! You've got sharp
eyes.... May I?
Down below the sand is rippling, like water with a big fish just under
its surface. The ripple is moving toward the harvester.
KYNES
(into radio)
Calling Harvester Pad Nine. Wormsign!
VOICE
(over radio)
Who calls Pad Nine?
GURNEY
(quickly)
Don't mention the Duke.
KYNES
Unlisted flight northeast of you... wormsign
on intercept course... estimated contact
fifteen minutes.
VOICE
(over radio)
Have sighting confirmed. Stand by for fix.
Contact in sixteen minutes minus.
DUKE LETO
What happens now?
KYNES
The carryall will come and lift off the
spice harvester. Get in close over the
harvester... you'll find this interesting.
...huge amounts of sand being spewn out of the gigantic stacks atop
the metal and plasteel harvester.
KYNES
They'll work until the last minute.
The yellow cloud of the harvester envelops them. The Duke flies up to
get a clearer look.
VOICE
(over radio)
Spotter control... no sign of the
carryall... it isn't answering.
GURNEY
The worm is now eight minutes away.
VOICE
(over radio)
Spotter control -- give me a report by the
numbers.
Over the radio MANY VOICES report they have no contact with the
carryall.
DUKE LETO
Damn it... Harkonnens.
VOICE
(over radio)
Ordered by whom?
DUKE LETO
(angrily)
Duke Leto Atreides....
VOICE
(over radio)
Yes... yes, Sire!
DUKE LETO
How many men do you have?
VOICE
(over radio)
Full crew -- twenty-six men -- but Sire, we
can't leave this spice...
DUKE LETO
Damn the spice! Get out of there.
All the spotters begin landing and the Duke descends directly in front
of the harvester which has stopped mining yet still emits a tremendous
rhythmic GRINDING noise. No one is coming out. Gurney nervously
scans the sky for enemy ships.
A very low, powerful SOUND starts now and the ground begins to shake.
DUKE LETO
(over radio)
Everyone out now!... or I'll cut the
harvester open with a lasgun.
DUKE LETO
(yelling at the men)
Two men in each of the spotters... You!...
over here... run!!
KYNES
(to Paul and Gurney --
yelling over the noise)
I can't see it yet but it's very close...
DUKE LETO
(out loud to himself as he
watches the men scrambling)
Damn sloppy -- really damn sloppy.
GURNEY
Hurry up boys...
(then, to the Duke)
We're going to be heavy.
The men press on Gurney and Paul. Paul can feel the fear. The sound
is a horrible ROAR and deeper RUMBLING now and the 'thopter is
vibrating and shaking violently. The air suddenly begins to SPARK
with static electricity.
KYNES
(nervous)
Here he is... We've better go.
(inner voice)
My God he's a cool one this Duke.
The Duke closes the doorways, surveys the area one last time, then
takes the controls. The ship strains and lifts off -- slowly.
Paul sees the brown powder clumped on the suits of the men... their
blueish eyes.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Spice!... All this for spice!
SPICE MINER #1
(astonished)
Liet!
SPICE MINER #2
Shhhhh.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Liet?
KYNES
(pointing down and yelling)
You are about to witness something few have
seen -- watch.
GURNEY
God what a monster.
DUKE LETO
Someone is going to pay for this... I
promise.
KYNES
(inner voice -- as he
studies the Duke)
This Duke is more concerned over his men
than the spice! The threat to life has him
in a rage. A leader such as this would
command fanatic loyalty. He would be
difficult to defeat.... I must admit...
against all better judgement... I like this
Duke.
FADE TO:
Duke Leto is on a balcony overlooking the airfield and the three mile
high Shield Wall. The Duke looks tired. The colors are changing
rapidly as the sun goes behind the Shield Wall. From yellows to
brilliant orange to hot violet to blue violet. Suddenly it is black
of night. The Duke catches sight of a FLASHING LIGHT far in the
distance on the Shield Wall.
DUKE LETO
Harkonnen... signals.
Thufir enters the observation room and continues on to joins Duke Leto
on the balcony.
DUKE LETO
Thufir... haven't you heard from Duncan
Idaho yet?
THUFIR
No, sire... I did however find out what the
city Fremen were calling out to Paul as we
entered the city.
DUKE LETO
"Mahdi" and "Lisa al-Gaib," yes.
THUFIR
It is a prophecy... that a young leader will
come to them with a Bene Gesserit mother.
(He says "Bene Gesserit"
with slight contempt --
the Duke notices)
It follows the familiar Messiah pattern.
DUKE LETO
But... "Mahdi"?
THUFIR
Supposedly, he will lead them to true
freedom.
(lowering his head)
My lord...
(he hesitates)
DUKE LETO
What is it?
THUFIR
My lord... this is very difficult for me.
DUKE LETO
Get to it Thufir!
THUFIR
Yes, My lord... A Harkonnen agent was killed
last night. Before he died he started an
acid erasure in a message cannister he
carried. We stopped that erasure. The
remaining portion, my lord, is... I'll read
it to you... it starts, "Leto will never
suspect, and when she strikes, the blow
falling upon him from a beloved hand, its
source alone should be enough to destroy
him." I've authenticated that it was under
the Baron's own seal.
INSERT - FILMBOOK
BACK TO SCENE
INSERT - FILMBOOK
BACK TO SCENE
DUKE LETO
Sorry you have to sleep so far
underground... we can't take any chances.
(sits down -- studies Paul's face)
DUKE LETO
The Harkonnens wish to trick me into
thinking your mother is the traitor. I'd
sooner distrust myself.
PAUL
(sits up quickly)
Or me...
DUKE LETO
But they have to think they've succeeded.
Your mother must not know.
PAUL
It must look real -- I see.
DUKE LETO
But... if... anything should happen to me...
tell her the truth -- I never doubted her,
not for the smallest instant. I should want
her to know.
PAUL
(fearful)
Nothing's going to happen.
DUKE LETO
Yes?
VOICE
An urgent message, my lord.
SUB-LIEUTENANT
It's Duncan Idaho. He carries a message
from the Fremen.
DUKE LETO
(to Paul)
I'll be back, son.
Duke Leto walks into the room. The NIGHT GUARD comes to attention as
he passes. DUNCAN IDAHO, wearing a dark, dusty stillsuit, emerges
from the shadows.
DUKE LETO
(happily)
Duncan!
DUNCAN
The Fremen have sent a message to you, sire.
DUKE LETO
(reading it)
Have you read this?
DUNCAN
No... I was instructed if was for you.
DUKE LETO
It says a column of smoke by day... a pillar
of fire by night.
DUNCAN
A warning.
DUKE LETO
An obscure one at best. How are you making
out with the Fremen, Duncan -- tell me. Why
haven't we heard from you?
DUNCAN
My lord... I suspect so much. I think they
are the allies we seek... they are strong,
fierce... they do not give their loyalty
easily or quickly.... As you know, there has
never been a census taken by the Imperium of
the Fremen. Many say there are but a few
Fremen -- wandering here and there in the
desert.... My lord, I suspect an incredible
secret has been kept on this planet... that
the Fremen exist in vast numbers... vast
numbers... and it is they who control
Arrakis.
Dr. Yueh walks quickly down a dark passage. Up ahead we see Paul's
room.
DUNCAN
You look tired, My lord.
DUKE LETO
Very tired, Duncan... morally tired. The
degeneration of the Great Houses has
afflicted me at last, perhaps. And we were
such strong people once.
DUNCAN
Our house has not degenerated... and we will
prevail.
DUKE LETO
Good old Duncan... It's good to have you
back.
Paul is in a fitful sleep. Leto enters and tucks Paul in. He smiles
at his son.
DUKE LETO
Sleep well... my son.
The Duke smiles at Paul then leaves the room, but after he goes, Paul
strains with all his might to lift himself to call out.
PAUL
(struggling painfully)
Father!... father... drugged...
The Duke walks down a very narrow passageway. The passageway becomes
very dark but up ahead it is lit by very thin neon tubing on the
ceiling. As he walks:
DUKE LETO
(inner voice)
Jessica, my dear Jessica. Would that we
were anywhere away from this terrible place
-- alone, the two of us without a care.
He picks up the speed of his walk. Suddenly the Duke hears a strange
mewling sound. He turns down an even darker passageway. We can hear
the shield WHINING in the distance. He almost has to feel his way.
Up ahead he sees a shape. He bends down and sees the Shadout Mapes
dying on the cold stone floor in the darkness. She tries to speak but
cannot. She falls dead. Suddenly the Duke HEARS the shield generator
start whinning down.
DUKE LETO
The shield!
The Duke reaches to activate his shield but a large dart is shot into
his shoulder. The Duke lurches upwards then tumbles to the ground.
Out of the darkness comes Dr. Yueh. The dart drops and CLATTERS as in
a dream.
YUEH
(with self-disgust)
I've destroyed the new army's weirding
modules. I've brought House Atreides down.
DUKE LETO
(hoarse whisper)
...Why?
YUEH
I wish to kill a man... not you, my dear
Duke, but the Baron.... You were dead
already... but you will get close to the
Baron before you die. You will be tied and
drugged but attack can take strange forms.
When you see the Baron you will have a new
poison gas tooth. He will want you close to
gloat over. One bite into this tooth and a
strong exhale...
DUKE LETO
Refuse...
YUEH
No! --You mustn't... for in return I will
save the lives of your Paul and Jessica.
YUEH (CONT'D)
For Paul...
Yueh becomes more and more blurred. His image begins to fade, all
except his purple lips. His lips move in the darkness. The generator
WHINE is very low and going lower and lower.
YUEH (CONT'D)
Remember the tooth! The tooth!
GUARD
The shield is down!
GUARD CAPTAIN
Check the power! The shield is down! Go!
A warning TONE begins. TROOPS begin pouring onto the field. Suddenly
a guard sees something.
GUARD
There's something over... what is it?
A red line of FIRE appears in the sky over the Shield Wall.
GUARD CAPTAIN
Get that shield up!
THUFIR
(angry)
Jessica!!
GUARD
(as he runs)
There's something happening over...
A thousand Harkonnen ships dive over Arrakeen and the Palace. Giant
deep thunderous EXPLOSIONS shatter the land. Billowing SMOKE clouds
column upwards, forming a black wriggling death curtain around the
Palace.
The twenty palm trees are ablaze like white hot torches. SMOKE fills
the sky. Searchlights wave through the smoke trying in vain to spot
targets.
Harkonnen hammer ships thunder the ground, sending cracks and fissures
throughout the landing field. Harkonnen scare SIRENS scream.
BARON
The drug was timed. Dr. Yueh has been very
valuable to us.... What a pity you must
remain gagged. We can't let ourselves be
swayed by your witch's Voice, now, can we?
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Leto... where are you? Where is Paul?
How simple to subdue us.
The Baron moves to another corner of the basement, where Jessica sees
Paul, likewise bound but not gagged, lying on a stone table. The
Baron gently strokes Paul's face.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
NO!... Paul!
BARON
They are alike, this mother and son --
dangerous. The training they have had...
beyond most people's imaginations. Far too
deadly to... play with.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Leto!
BARON
We were ordered to kill them... so kill
them. I leave it in your hands, Piter.
BARON (CONT'D)
Goodbye, Jessica and goodbye to your sweet
son.... I want to spit once on your head...
just some spittle on your face -- what a
luxury.
He spits on her cheek. The Baron floats out of the room into the
passageway. Piter snaps his fingers. NEFUD enters.
NEFUD
What are your orders, sir.
PITER
Take them into the desert, as the traitor
suggested. Worms will destroy the evidence.
Their bodies must never be found.
(whispering to Jessica,
rubbing the spittle around
on her face with his hand,
delicately)
I'd thought of many pleasures with you. You
are perhaps lucky to die in the innards of a
worm. Desire clouds my reason.... That is
not good... that is bad.
Piter, hot and red in the face, leaves hurrying after the Baron. The
guards load Paul. Paul is carried out first. As he passes his mother
he opens his eyes for a moment. They are bright and clear.
DUNCAN
They're on this floor somewhere.... Hurry!
PAUL
(seeing Duncan)
Duncan!! DUNCAN!!
Paul and Jessica are carried off, quickly, through the darkness. The
battle SOUNDS thundering. Duncan's dead, shielded body slides
sparking in the dark against the passageway walls.
TROOPER
(panting -- bleeding)
Who are these fighters? They can't be
Harkonnen.
GURNEY
They aren't -- these are the Emperor's own
Sardaukar!
TROOPER
Sardaukar!
GURNEY
This runs deeper than any of us imagined...
(under his breath)
She's brought us down to this.
(he suddenly yells
very loud)
LONG LIVE DUKE LETO!
A CRY from the men rings out and they attack with frenzy equalling
that of the Sardaukar. A large palm falls in to a pile of dead
Atreides. Their hair is instantly burned off.
Jessica and Paul, bound by cabin straps, lie in the back, the two
guards at the controls. They are flying over the Shield Wall,
'thopters and ships flying past them toward the city. The cockpit is
dimly illuminated by distant FIRES and EXPLOSIONS. Jessica can see
Yueh's triangular tattoo scratched in the cabin roof.
GUARD #1
I'd like to have some fun before we kill
her.
GUARD #2
(laughing)
Of course... what did you think?
PAUL
(struggling to use The Voice)
If you touch my mother...
JESSICA
(inner voice)
He's trying... Oh my God... the Reverend
Mother said The Voice could save him.
GUARD #1
Did you hear a noise from the little one?
GUARD #2
I didn't hear anything.
He turns and kicks Paul in head. Paul recovers and starts taking
long, calming breaths.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
The calming exercise.
PAUL
(using The Voice)
Remove her gag!
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Excellent!
JESSICA (CONT'D)
(The Voice)
Gentlemen, there's no need to fight over me.
The two men stare at one another a moment. Then Guard #1's hand,
glinting silver, flashes into Guard #2's chest, killing him. Guard #1
pulls the knife out, smiling. The ornithopter begins to veer off into
a dangerous nose dive.
GUARD #1
Now?
JESSICA
(The Voice)
First cut my son's bonds.
Guard #1 slowly cuts Paul's big straps, never taking his eyes off
Jessica. The ornithopter gets closer and closer to the top jagged
surface of the Shield Wall.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
(The Voice)
That's it. And when you're done...
The blade cuts through the strap holding Paul's legs. Paul kicks
upwards extremely powerfully and his foot breaks through the man's
chest cavity and drives his heart up into his head, spewing blood out
the man's mouth, nose and eyes. Paul grabs the controls but it's too
late. The 'thopter slides across the rock, shearing off a wing.
Suddenly they are beyond the rock three miles above the great desert
and plummeting fast toward the dunes below. Paul pulls desperately on
the controls and slows the ship enough for a safe landing. He turns
and cuts Jessica's bonds. They jump outside.
JESSICA
(pointing -- quickly)
Yueh's sign.... He left a satchel under the
seat... I felt it.
(starting to cry)
A million deaths are not enough for Yueh...
PAUL
(picking up the satchel)
Hurry -- run. These men will have watchers!
(inner voice)(reacting
to his mother's tears)
Where are my feelings... I feel for no
one...
The Baron's face, the light of FIRE and EXPLOSIONS playing over it.
The Baron turns as Piter ushers in the traitor Yueh.
BARON
(yelling)
Keep him back from me!!
(to Yueh now - quietly)
You wish now to join your wife, is that it,
traitor?
YUEH
She lives?
BARON
You wish to join her... join her, then.
YUEH
You... think... you... have defeated me...
You... think I didn't know... what I
bought... for my wife.
BARON
Take him away. Bring in Duke Leto.
Piter exits. The sound of TORTUOUS CRIES coming from the hall. Piter
re-enters with the Duke, a dazed, almost insane look in his eyes.
BARON
Duke Leto Atreides. Someone's torn the
insignia off your uniform. Such
carelessness.
PITER
The Duke seems a little dazed. It's been an
eventful day.
LETO'S POV: The Baron and his Mentat are only DIM FARAWAY SHAPES.
Their voices reach Leto as if travelling across a great distance. The
Baron looks to Leto and then moves to him, looking him over.
BARON
Where is the ducal signet ring? I must have
his ring.
PITER
The ring... I... he was brought to us as is,
Baron. I...
BARON
You killed the doctor too soon, you fool!
DUKE LETO
(inner voice)
The doctor... Yueh... Yueh... dead... what
did he say... Paul and Jessica safe... the
tooth... yes the tooth!
PITER
He's coming round, Baron.
The Baron moves from behind a table stacked with dirty dishes and
foodstuffs and goes to Leto.
DUKE LETO
(inner voice)
Wait... wait... he must be near...
BARON
Where is your ring?
BARON (CONT'D)
You do not answer!
DUKE LETO
(very faint)
A... little... closer.... The... water... of
my life... for Paul.
The Baron briefly wonders at these words and then turns to Piter.
BARON
Piter! What did he say?
Piter moves forward. The Baron sees a succulent piece of chicken skin
on the table.
LETO'S POV: It's grown HAZY again. The Baron is beginning to move
away, reaching for the small piece of chicken skin. Piter leans close
to Leto.
DUKE LETO
(inner voice)
Now!
134. MENTAL IMAGES: Jessica smiling; Paul; Water; the Atreides banner, the
green of it, then the black. The blackness flaps; then all fades to
SILENCE.
Paul and Jessica running along the base of the Shield Wall. Suddenly,
Jessica stops and rests her head and places her clenched fists against
the huge rock.
JESSICA
(crying out to the night
with tremendous premonition
and fear)
Leto! Leto!
Tears course down her cheeks as Paul returns to her, urging her on.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
(to Paul)
He's dead! He's dead...
PAUL
I know. Come on!...
(inner voice)
I have NO FEELINGS!! Why?
BARON
(gasping)
Am I alive? Am I alive?
BARON (CONT'D)
I'm alive! I'm alive! Nefud, I'm alive!
Paul and Jessica running. Paul pulls Jessica to a place in the wall
where a small overhang offers shelter. Jessica falls to the ground.
She CRIES, pouring out her grief, but soon the sound of it is carried
away by the building rush of WIND. Paul turns and looks out to the
open desert, this portion of which is a dust ocean.
Paul turns, his face illuminated by the moon above. His face becomes
enveloped in a HAZE, as if the light of the moon were congealing
around it. Inside the light, Paul's eyes are closed -- straining.
Dark folds of skin. The skin moves and stretches. The SOUND is a
moist stretching.
Suddenly the skin stretches very tight and rips open, exposing an eye
burning brightly -- almost white hot.
The picture burns to white.
The white turns into giant FLAMES which ROAR.
We then see Duke Leto's face. The Baron leans over and with his fat
hand he clutches the skin on the Duke's face and begins pulling it.
It slowly rips open -- making a hideous tearing SOUND.
Black SMOKE issues forth from the hole which tears larger.
Inside and through the SMOKE is more FIRE. The fire burns brighter
and in the brightness the eye watches.
The picture burns to white.
The brightness turns to red hot.
Then the burning red becomes a meteor which ROARS over the castle on
Caladan.
The meteor crashes in the black sea.
Foaming confusion turning into a small, twisting fetus under the sea.
Its eyes closed. Moving close to it, its eyes snap open. Through the
eyes is the pale white face of JESSICA.
There is a huge soaring WIND sound and beyond JESSICA the dunes roll
like ocean waves. Pieces of moving images in broken, flaming, burning
glass zoom by.... the last image which passes is dark blue water.
Then darkness.
PAUL
(inner voice)
The future has exploded... I can see it...
parts of it... I have another kind of sight.
I see another terrain.
JESSICA
What terrible things we do to those we love.
PAUL
Listen to me!... you wanted to know about my
dreams... and I've just had a waking
dream... do you know why?...
JESSICA
Calm yourself.
PAUL
The spice! It's in everything here. The
air, the soil, the food... It's like the
Truthsayer drug.... It's a poison!!!! You
knew the spice would change me, it changes
everyone. But thanks to your teachings it's
changed my consciousness. I can see it... I
can see it.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Is he....?
PAUL
You carry my unborn sister in your womb!
JESSICA
(inner voice)
He knows.
PAUL
You and your Bene Gesserit sisterhood... I'm
not your Kwisatz Haderach... I'm something
different, something unexpected! I am so
much more... You don't begin to know me...
(inner voice)
I'm a seed.
(out load)
I curse the day you awakened the awful thing
I am that was sleeping deep inside me!
Paul's eyes open and look to the moon. The trembling increases,
invades his entire frame.
PAUL
(screams with all
his being)
FATHER!!!!! THE SLEEPER HAS AWAKENED!!
His head goes down. He places the ring on his finger. He kisses the
seal as he had seen his father do so many times before.
PAUL (CONT'D)
Now... now, my father, I can cry for you.
His head comes up into the light of the moon, crying, tears coursing
down his checks.
FADE TO:
Later: Paul and Jessica are in stillsuits. The moon has moved further
across the sky, the second moon is rising. Jessica sits motionless
staring at Paul, who stares out at the desert beyond. Paul watches
and listens. Through the WIND he can HEAR the moon, he can HEAR an
insect crawl over grains of sand. He can HEAR sand shift and sand
fall and he can HEAR his own body living.
Lying open beside him is the Fremkit Dr. Yueh left for them. Glowing
in green light letters are some words: literjons, stilltent,
energycaps, makerhooks, thumpers, filt-plugs.
Suddenly Paul turns and studies his mother. A stronger WIND comes up,
blowing over the dark dust ocean.
PAUL
There will be no watchers for those men. We
have to get back to that 'thopter and into
the desert.... We have entered the time when
all will turn against us and seek our
lives...
Paul turns, shuts the Fremkit and stands. Jessica gets up and they
hurry off -- back to the damaged Harkonnen 'thopter.
RABBAN
(to Kynes)
You were in the Palace with the Atreides...
We also say you are a spy for the Emperor.
(looking up to the troops)
Take him into his desert to die.
Rabban steps up the ramp. He wears a large smile. His thick head
sweats and the sweat runs down his thick neck.
He enters the ship and moves down within to the Baron's quarters.
As he enters, the Baron turns toward him and away from the two nude
young drugged BOYS on his loveseat.
BARON
(very excited)
Rabban!!... we're knee deep in Atreides
blood! We've gutted them.
RABBAN
It was good.
BARON
Rabban... I place you in charge of Arrakis.
It's yours to squeeze, as I promised. I
want you to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze.
(massaging in rhythm)
Give me spice! You must not show the
slightest pity or mercy. Drive them into
utter submission... as only you can... Never
stop!
(releasing him)
Go.... Show no mercy!
RABBAN
Yes, my lord Baron.
Rabban leaves....
BARON
(inner voice)
And when you've crushed these people enough
I'll send in my beautiful Feyd... they'll
cheer him as a rescuer... lovely Feyd...
really a lovely boy.
As Rabban leaves, he looks into one room of the ship. Behind the
glass porthole sits Thufir Hawat bound head and foot, his eyes darting
this way and that.
FADE TO:
PAUL
I can't maintain any altitude... we won't
make it to rock.
JESSICA
Where are we do you think?
PAUL
The South Polar regions... the forbidden
area. When we land we will draw a worm....
We must make it to that rock.... Hold on...
this landing is going to be rough.
The 'thopter hits the sand hard and flips up -- almost turning over.
It falls slowly back, then slides down the side of a dune.
PAUL
Hurry: a worm will come soon. I'll plant
the thumper.
JESSICA
I'm ready...
(inner voice) (as Paul leaves
to light the thumper)
...the night is a tunnel... a hole into
tomorrow... if we're to have a tomorrow...
PAUL
(returning)
Remember... try walking without rhythm and
we won't attract the worm... it'll go to the
thumper.
Paul and Jessica begin the uneven walking up and down the dunes. The
distant rock seems to grow no larger. Their muscles begin to ache.
Suddenly they HEAR the thumper start behind them.
PAUL (CONT'D)
Keep going...
Their breathing becomes very labored. The sand moves like slow water,
forever rolling down and up. Sand spills look like water. Jessica
remembers Leto and Caladan and a MOAN of grief escapes her. Then they
hear the worm, the low thundering HISS shaking the tonnage of sand and
rock. The thumper stops. Paul turns.
PAUL
Faster!!
JESSICA
(screaming)
It's deafening!
Their bodies ache and they feel like dropping, yet the cliff is still
a good distance away.
The worm SOUND grows louder and Paul turns to look. The worm is now
coming toward them. The mound of sand over the worm is enormous and
is approaching at a terrifyingly fast speed. The power of this worm
is awesome.
PAUL
(screaming)
Run!
JESSICA
I can't... I can't.
She turns to see. Then she runs. All at once their feet tromp down
on firmer sand. The SOUND is very loud.
PAUL
Drum sand!
The DRUMMING sound ECHOES deep within the ground. Jessica falls.
Paul stops and drags her up. They run again. The worm SOUND becomes
unbearably loud. Static electricity SPARKS giant bolts of pure white
LIGHTNING and the air turns to ozone. Finally they find rock. Behind
them the SOUND of the worm changes. They turn.
The gigantic head of the worm is just breaking through the sand. The
mouth begins to open in an eighty-foot circle of teeth and darkness.
The mouth arches forward searching for them.
Paul and Jessica climb up and up inside a narrow slit of rock. The
worm's mouth climbs higher also but it cannot penetrate the narrow
opening in the rock.
Paul and Jessica crouch further back in the tiny passageway of safety,
but a solid back wall of rock prevents them from moving back any more.
The breath from the worm is like a hurricane of WIND.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Cinnamon... the spice!
(out loud)
Do you smell it?
JESSICA
Yes...
Suddenly a colossal section of the rock wall cracks and topples off
into the worm's mouth. Instantly the worm pulls back. A huge FIRE
roars deep within the worm consuming the rock.
The worm now can get even closer to Paul and Jessica. It looms up
again and crushes its mouth up against the rock. Another fissure
opens, and suddenly half the rock wall protecting them splits off
entirely and falls against the worm.
Paul is knocked off the cliff and falls straight down two hundred
feet. His feet skid along the face of rock. He bounces and brakes.
He hits and jumps. He careens from one boulder, flies upside down,
rights himself then tumbles and skids into the sand. Unhurt, he jumps
up and scrambles up another part of the rock to safety.
Up above, Jessica takes a big sigh of relief as she sees that Paul is
all right. She presses against the narrow ledge that is left after
the worm assault.
The worm is just coming up again when distant THUMPING is heard. The
worm, as if charmed by the sound, turns and moves off towards it.
PAUL
(inner voice)
A thumper.
Jessica climbs further up and manages to get over to a place where she
can meet up with Paul, who is now climbing back.
JESSICA
Paul!!... here!
PAUL
Are you... alright?
JESSICA
Yes.... What's happened?... Why did it leave?
PAUL
(breathing heavily)
Someone started another thumper.... We're
not alone.
(pointing)
Those poles -- there are more of them over
there -- leading upwards... see? They mark
the way up the cliff.
The climb upwards until the ledge ends at the mouth of a dark
crevice. Paul and Jessica try to see into the inky black hole.
Slowly Paul enters, inching forward. A low moan of WIND comes up. He
can see nothing, then suddenly he SEES stars above and SEES the hint
of stairs cut into the rock. Jessica follows. She too SEES the
stairway.
JESSICA
(whispering)
Man-carved steps.
PAUL
(whispering)
Yes...
They climb the steps and enter an extremely narrow dark channel of
stone. As they make their way, they SEE at the end that the channel
opens out into a small moonlit basin filled with small bushes, cacti,
and tiny clumps of leaves. Around the basin are more rock walls.
Paul sees a tiny mouse hopping away.
PAUL
(spellbound)
This must be a Fremen place... I wonder
where they are?
STILGAR (V.O.)
Most intruders regret finding the Fremen.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
A whole troop!... Such stealth! I didn't
hear them.
JAMIS (V.O.)
Time wasted... Get their water, Stilgar.
PAUL
(inner voice)
They mean to kill us.
STILGAR
Perhaps these are the ones Mapes told us
about.
JAMIS (V.O.)
We haven't time for a test.
STILGAR
Yet he could be the Lisan al-Gaib.
JAMIS (V.O.)
But the water fat woman.... She cannot live
with the desert.
STILGAR
Be quiet, Jamis.
JAMIS (V.O.)
We cannot stay out...
STILGAR
(interrupting)
I will not tell you again, Jamis, to be
quiet.
(to Jessica)
Are you trained in the ways of the desert?
JESSICA
No, but many consider my training valuable.
(inner voice)
I have him registered now... also the voice
up there... it has death in it.
STILGAR
I will take the boy-man... he shall have
sanctuary in my tribe...
He then jumps higher up and presses himself between two rocks on a low
cliff overlooking the rest of the Fremen troop.
STILGAR
Stop! Get back!! She'll break my neck.
She has the weirding way. Why didn't you
tell us! Great gods... if you can do this
to the strongest of us you're worth ten
times your weight of water.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Now the test of reason...
(out loud)
You ask after the Lisan al-Gaib....
STILGAR
The legend needs testing... but as a leader
of my people I give you my bond; teach us
this weirding way and you both shall have
sanctuary. Your water shall mingle with our
water.
JESSICA
Then I will teach you my way of battle....
you have the word bond of a Bene Gesserit.
FREMEN #1 (V.O.)
It is the legend!
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Ahh... the Missionaria Protectiva.... These
Fremen are beautifully prepared to believe
in us.
STILGAR
(studying Jessica)
We must go now.... Your son made much noise
climbing up there.... He has much to learn
lest he endanger us all.
JESSICA
No doubt we have much to teach each other.
Meanwhile, you'd better see to your
companion over there. My noisy son was a
bit rough in disarming him.
STILGAR
(whirling)
Where??
JESSICA
Beyond those bushes.
STILGAR
(to two other Fremen)
See to it...
(back to Jessica)
Even your son knows the weirding way!
The two Fremen bring Jamis, the Fremen whom Paul injured. Jamis is
stumbling and gasping between them. Stilgar is amazed.
CHANI
I am Chani, daughter of Liet.... I would not
have permitted you to harm my tribe.
PAUL
(inner voice)
From my dream... so beautiful. Liet... Is
this Kynes' daughter?
CHANI
You were very noisy. Follow me. I'll show
you an easier way down.
JAMIS
(hate)
He surprised me... It was an accident... I
invoke the amtal rule!
JESSICA
(inner voice)
The man with death in his voice. He means
to have single combat with Paul!
STILGAR
But Jamis... you force this fight.... These
people have my countenance... if you should
win I will cut you down.
PAUL
(to Jamis)
Jamis, I don't want to fight you.... Maybe
if I explain....
JAMIS
Explain!? Explain death! I'm going to
sheath my knife in your blood.
PAUL
(quietly to Chani)
No shields... I'm used to shield fighting...
CHANI
(whispering)
Take my crysknife... Jamis turns to the
right with his knife after a parry... and
watch for a knife switch.
JAMIS
May thy knife chip and shatter!
PAUL
(inner voice)
Fear is the mind killer... the little
death...
Jamis leaps. Paul easily evades him. Jamis attacks again and Paul
stabs, but too slowly because of his shield training. Jamis turns and
springs, trying to surprise Paul, but again Paul easily outmaneuvers
him but is too slow on his attack. On the next attack, Paul cuts
Jamis' hand and Jamis begins to show fear.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
He's never killed a man like this.
The two circle slowly. Suddenly Jamis can wait no longer. He leaps
high, strikes down with his right hand but the knife has been expertly
shifted to his left hand. Paul shifts beautifully and switches his
knife hand. He plunges his knife deep into Jamis chest as Jamis comes
down for him. Jamis continues down and crumbles dead on the ground.
Suddenly several of the Fremen rush forward and surround Jamis' body,
cover it and whisk it away. Jessica studies Paul. She sees the
excitement in him, in Chani and the others.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
He must not grow to enjoy such a victory.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
Well, how does it feel to be a killer?
FREMEN #2
(whispering)
He gives water to the dead.
JESSICA
(to everyone)
He has never before killed a man with a
blade.
STILGAR
I respect you. You have strength... real
strength... You shall be known as Usul,
which is the strength of the base of the
pillar. This is your secret name in our
troop. But you must choose the name of
manhood which we will call you openly.
PAUL
(thinking)
What do you call the little mouse which
hops.
STILGAR
We call that one Muad'dib.
PAUL
I am Atreides, It's not right that I give
up the name my father gave me... Could I be
known as Paul Muad'dib?
STILGAR
You are Paul Muad'dib, and your mother shall
be a Sayyadina among us.... We welcome you.
The Baron and Feyd descend several steps into a darker area of Giedi
Prime. Feyd is carrying a strange creature in a small wire cage. The
Baron is floating as he descends.
BARON
Feyd... we know Jessica and Paul are dead,
killed by storm or worm in the deep desert
of Arrakis. But I have Thufir believing
they live. His hatred for Jessica is so
strong that he'll do anything for me if I
help him get his revenge on the witch. I
believe he will just do anything!... and he
is, even though he's aging, one of the
finest Mentats in the Universe... and he's
mine, Feyd... all mine.... Quiet now.
FEYD
I will.
BARON
Very quiet.... He's here.... Thufir?...
Thufir? There you are. We've brought you a
little cat, Thufir. You must care for it if
you wish to live... and get your revenge on
the witch Jessica who betrayed you. A
poison has been introduced into you, Thufir
Hawat. By milking this smooth little cat
body you receive your antidote... it must be
done each day.... Also, you must do some
work for me if you wish my help. You know I
lost Piter, my dear Mentat...
Dr. Kynes is dying. His body is blistering and filled with soars.
HEAT WAVES. Dr. Kynes is mumbling with a mouth filled with a swollen
dried yellow tongue.
KYNES
No... not here.... A pre-spice mass.... My
God... I've got to move.... A pre-spice mass
right below me...
Dr. Kynes collapses. His face hits the sand. His eyes roll back.
KYNES (CONT'D)
Soon the captured water below me will
explode... new trout... new worms.... I know
the secret.... The worm is the spice.... The
spice is the worm.
With a deafening ROAR the bubble explodes into a huge cloud of spice
dust. Kynes is killed instantly and disappears from the face of
Arrakis.
Having been blown above ground by the explosion, several little sand
trout scamper around, then they burrow back below the sand.
HEAT WAVES and sand dunes. Dark sky; the sun sets and a WIND comes
up. The troop of Fremen marches along. Paul watches two Fremen carry
the wrapped body of Jamis.
... with the desert in the distance. The Fremen troop climbs higher
and higher to a secret doorway, this one very large and intricate.
STILGAR
(to Paul and Jessica)
Sietch tabr.
They enter into a large square room with slot passageways going off in
various directions. The door is closed. Stilgar motions to the
Fremen with Jamis' body and also to Chani and a few others.
They all move down one of the passageways which are beautifully but
very plainly cut with lasguns. They are like passages in the
pyramids, dark with sharp turns and inclines upwards or downwards,
some very steep and long, and others descending hundreds of feet.
STILGAR
This water belongs to Usul.... May he guard
it for the tribe. May he be generous with
it in time of need...
GROUP
Bi-la kaifa.
STILGAR
Jamis carried thirty-three liters and seven
and three thirtyseconds drachmas...
STILGAR (CONT'D)
Do you accept them?
PAUL
Yes.
STILGAR
Watermasters...
... and down another passage. Paul and Jessica and the others follow.
They come to a large, beautifully cut door guarded by ten Fremen
dressing in black stillsuits, carrying black guns. They recognize
Stilgar and he signals them to open the door. The group goes through.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Moisture...
PAUL
(inner voice)
Wind traps... huge ones.
PAUL
(inner voice)
I have seen this place in a dream.
STILGAR
(to Paul and Jessica)
We have more than thirty-eight million
decaliters here... this is the tribe's
water. No matter the personal need, none
shall touch it.
PAUL
A treasure...
STILGAR
Greater than treasure, Usul. We have
thousands of such caches. Only a few of us
know them all. When we have enough... we
shall change the face of Arrakis.
FREMEN
Bi-la kaifa.
STILGAR
Listen!...
Paul and the Fremen listen to the water dripping. MUSIC (Moonlight
Sonata) comes up and the droplets and water rings on the black surface
of the water make a magical water ballet -- dreamy and mystical. SLOW
MOTION leaps of drops. SLOW MOTION of rings expanding. Dark water
rolling into the shadows -- into the darkness.
CHANI
Tell me of your homeworld, Usul.
These words rend Paul's soul. He cannot speak. He tries to touch her
face. The MUSIC of the droplets goes on...
Paul stands alone. In the distance many Fremen surround Chani, who is
visibly shaken although she sheds no tears. Jessica and Stilgar are
among those with her but they soon cross to Paul.
PAUL
(worried)
What is it?
STILGAR
Liet... Chani's father... is dead.
PAUL
(inner voice)
For the father... nothing.
(out loud)
Both of us have lost our father... May I
go to her?
STILGAR
You may not, Usul... Chani is not meant
for you... You are to be with Harah,
Jamis' wife.
PAUL
But...
STILGAR
It is our way, Usul. I will take you to
Harah now.
Paul looks to Jessica but she cannot help him. Paul looks up and at
that moment Chani is being taken away into the darkness at the end of
the passageway.
Stilgar leads Paul into a small, smoothly cut black room sietch room
where Harah is waiting. Harah is also beautiful but not as beautiful
as Chani. She stands and faces Paul.
HARAH
(referring to Paul)
This bested my Jamis?
STILGAR
This is Harah. She will look after you.
Stilgar leaves
HARAH
(small, playful smile)
Your eyes are different... but not
altogether unattractive.
PAUL
You don't hate me?
HARAH
No.... You truly gave water to the dead?
Paul stands nervously. Suddenly two small boys enter -- each carrying
crysknives on their belts. They stare up at Paul.
HARAH (CONT'D)
These are my sons.... They will look after
you too.
Large room with a low ceiling. A huge hammer hits a plasteel drum pod
and makes a low echoing musical hit. A big block of stone is moved
across coarse sand -- band and forth -- fast. A rhythm is started --
powerful. Paul stands in front of over 100 Fremen men. Jessica sits
behind him alongside Stilgar. Along the far wall stand Harah's two
sons.
PAUL
You can be the fiercest fighters in the
Universe when you know the weirding way.
Rhythm is the base... out way of battle is
built on rhythm. You understand rhythm like
this... but you do not understand the rhythm
of the higher sounds, the sounds that heal
and build... the sounds that destroy.
Motion is the base. You understand
motion... but you do not understand the
motions that heal and build... and the
motions that destroy...
PAUL (CONT'D)
(to the rhythm makers)
Stop... The weirding block is lit.
PAUL (CONT'D)
Kick it... (he does -- the rock doesn't
move)... Hit it... (he does -- the rock
doesn't move)... Yell at it... (he does --
the Fremen laugh -- the rock doesn't move)
Paul motions him back, slightly. Paul moves close to the rock. He
puts on a weirding module. He pats the rock in a rhythm. He opens
his mouth and makes a small SOUND, which the module amplifies.
Suddenly he kicks and hits the stone, shattering it to pieces. The
one hundred Fremen YELL with surprise and awe.
PAUL (CONT'D)
This is part of the weirding way. This is
what we will teach you. Some thoughts have
a certain sound... that being the equivalent
to a form. Through sound and motion you
will be able to paralyze nerves, shatter
bones, set fires, suffocate an enemy or
burst his organs....
(inner voice)
To avenge my father, I will turn you into
killing machines.
STILGAR
Sayyadina. Our Reverend Mother tells me she
is too old...She has been calling through
space and time for you to come and let her
rest. She asks that you pass within.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
They want me to take the Water of Life...
the Truthsayer drug... so dangerous, yet...
we must move swiftly if we're to secure our
place among these Fremen.
(out loud)
I will try to pass within.
Stilgar nods.
STILGAR
Death may be the result.... Are you sure?
JESSICA
(inner voice)
I must do this for Paul, but what of my
unborn child?
(out loud)
Stilgar... I exist to serve...
STILGAR
Then I will let the rite proceed.
PAUL
(whispering in sleep)
Turn you into killing machines... turn you
into killing machines... NO.... NO!!
Paul sees a burning broken shape float toward him over undulating
dunes. In the shape is the dark face of Reverend Mother Ramallo. She
speaks as she moves slowly by -- burning and smoking.
Suddenly Paul sees into another shape. He sees the Atreides banner
flapping viciously.
Suddenly the banner starts turning red with moist blood until it
reaches a point of saturation. Then the flapping banner spits forth
droplets of blood...
...which begin to HOWL like the wind and fly across and spatter
against the dunes. Thousands and thousands of droplets hit until they
turn the dunes completely red.
They begin to undulate like a huge red blood ocean. WIND begins to
howl and the howling wind seems to scream and it seems to scream
"Muad'Dib!!... Muad'Dib!!"
PAUL
(inner voice)
My terrible purpose!... The Holy War -- the
Jihad!!! Am I the one... Am I the one?
Paul walks with Stilgar. In the distance they hear the SOUND of many
voices. Paul turns to Stilgar.
PAUL
People... it sounds like thousands...
STILGAR
Twenty thousand in Sietch Tabr alone... We
Fremen are over ten million strong.
STILGAR (CONT'D)
The rocks on Arrakis hold many secrets...
Paul and Stilgar enter the enormous Hall of Rites escorted by several
fierce Fremen GUARDS, and mount the stairs to the ledge. Paul is
amazed by the number of Fremen, thousands of them, continuing to come
out of the passages in the black rock, like ants, filling the vast
Hall of Rites.
Jessica and several monks are on the high rock ledge overlooking the
hall. We hear the low musical ROAR of a sand pipe organ, as the hall
is cleansed for the ceremony by Fremen MONKS.
PAUL
(inner voice)(looking out
at the crowd of Fremen)
The holy warriors. No one ever dreamed
there were so many.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(inner voice; thinking)
Does she not know she brings the Jihad? She
bore me; she trained me.
Suddenly Paul sees Chani. She climbs the stairs with several Fremen
WOMEN, including Harah.
CU Chani.
CU Chani.
Chani moves to a slot doorway where she and the other women join some
MONKS who carry the Fremen REVEREND MOTHER RAMALLO in on a litter.
The old Reverend Mother is old and frail yet extremely beautiful and
mysterious. Chani helps her sit. She turns to Paul with a strange
look.
She turns away towards the monks who are very busy with pots of
burning spice, purifying the area for the rite. Several Fremen blow
on dip sticks and the giant pipe organ blows beautiful low notes.
STILGAR
(whispering to Paul)
Do you know the Water of Life?... Come...
...Watch... the mystery of mysteries... the
end and the beginning.
STILGAR
The Water of Life.
PAUL
(inner voice)
The most lethal poison in the Universe.
Stilgar and Paul return to the ledge above the Hall of Rites. A MONK
PRIEST steps forward, addresses the crowd, silencing them. The other
monks move back carrying their smoking cleansing bags.
MONK
One among us has consented to enter the
rite. She will attempt to pass within that
we not lose the strength of our Reverend
Mother.
PAUL
(inner voice) (turning
to his mother)
What if she should fail?
MONK
Let the watermasters come forward.
A BAND OF MEN makes its way two by two, each carrying heavily sloshing
water sacks. Two of the men deposit their load at the Reverend
Mother's feet. They step back. Monks begin to strap Jessica to her
throne chair. Paul watches.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Straps... great gods!
MONK
Is there water?
WATERMASTERS
There is water, but we cannot drink.
MONK
Is there seed?
WATERMASTERS
There is seed.
MONK
Blessed is the water and its seed.
(to Jessica)
Here is the Water of Life. Water greater
than water. The water that frees the soul.
If you be a Reverend Mother, let Shai-Hulud
judge now.
MONK (CONT'D)
Drink!
Jessica takes the spout to her lips and the monk squeezes the bag,
filling Jessica's mouth with the fluid.
JESSICA
(inner voice)
Spice essence. Pure and unrefined. Poison.
Inside her mind, Jessica's form -- her mouth again filled with the
gushing fluid -- expands, darkening and containing yet another image
of herself.
The small Jessica looks up and sees the fluid pouring down over her,
becoming smoke and columns of insects. The columns grow thicker
around her, forming whirling patterns. The sudden light of clarity
glows on her face, and a thin stream of crystal water flows from her
mouth, enveloping the insects, forcing them into new patterns. With a
mounting, tremendous roar, they fall and become a vast rising pool of
shimmering, translucent blue.
The old Reverend Mother slowly extends a hand towards the back of
Jessica's neck.
Inside Jessica, we see the Reverend Mother Ramallo's hand pass first
through the large form and slowly descend through the dark void
towards the small Jessica. The shimmering pool starts to ripple,
lightly stirring her. As the hand enters, something deep within her
starts to GLOW.
It is a fetus, a female, its skin finely whorled, the membranous
eyelids tightly closed. The Reverend Mother Ramallo's hand flinches
over the nascent child.
Inside, the hand gingerly touches the fetus. Its head jerks up, the
eyelids snap open, eyes wide with horror.
The child begins to float UPWARD on its umbilical cord. The cord
fills with water from the pool, which begins to boil and insects and
SMOKE begin to pour out of the fetus' mouth.
A GLOW appears and from it comes the face of the old Reverend Mother
in a long tunnel, whispering silently. It grows and disappears in a
blaze of light. Moving down the tunnel, another woman's face appears,
yet ANOTHER REVEREND MOTHER, and vanishes in the same way. Another
face, and another, again and again, all blazing and merging into the
unconsciousness of Jessica and her unborn child, until suddenly, a
gaping BLACK hole appears, a horrible WIND, SPARKS and circles of
expanding light issuing from it.
JESSICA (V.O.)
(inner voice)(fearful)
No! This is the place where we cannot look.
The place only for the eyes of the Kwisatz
Haderach.
Alia twists down the tunnel to join Jessica, her umbilical cord
trailing behind. She SCREAMS as she looks into the hole. She and
Jessica see a shape moving deep within the windy hole. It is a Third
Stage Navigator, ROARING.
JESSICA
What is this?... Is this what kills the men
who enter here.
JESSICA (V.O.)(CONT'D)
(inner voice)
We are both Reverend Mothers.
The old Reverend Mother Ramallo slumps forward onto the stone, dead.
The crowd waits. The corpse is tenderly removed. Jessica very slowly
opens her eyes and looks about her. The monk holds the bag to her
lips.
MONK
Change it.
Jessica spews blue water into the spout. The monk swirls the bag,
sniffs as the spout and then drinks.
MONK (CONT'D)
It is changed!
PAUL
(inner voice)
She did it!
The Fremen suddenly turn their attention to Paul.... They whisper "It
is the prophecy!" They soon begin to CHANT... "Muad'Dib.... Muad'Dib"
over and over again. The chanting sounds fill the hall along with the
ghostly wind organ.
MONK
Drink it. It's safe. Our Reverend Mother
has changed it. You delay the rite.
(whispering)
To be the true one you must drink it as she
did -- before it's changed.
Paul sips from the bag and moves back as others drink. As he moves
back he comes face to face with Chani. She doesn't speak but their
eyes meet. Chani is moved forward by the other girls to drink.
Several other bags are changed by Jessica. Paul continues to watch
Chani. He sees her drink. Paul's sight now is growing light and
dark. The CHANTING of "Muad'Dib" continues below in the vast hall.
People are looking at him and Jessica. The low organ NOTES grow more
intense. Harah moves back away from Paul. Chani notices. She turns
to Paul. Paul stares at her. She turns away.
Down below, the crowds are drinking the changed water. Several close
their eyes and lapse into mystical trances, as others continue
CHANTING "Muad'Dib, Muad'Dib."
CHANI
(whispering)
Come with me.
Stilgar, Jessica and Harah watch them go down a narrow dark rock
corridor off the ledge. Harah looks to Stilgar and gives a small
smile, resigned that Paul loves another.
At the end of the dark black corridor, Chani turns and she and Paul
fall together in a long kiss filled with love. As they embrace after
the kiss:
PAUL
Chani.... I love you... I've always loved
you....
PAUL
I hear a wind.
CHANI
You're traveling on the changed water...
What do you see?
PAUL
The future floats past me... I see darkness
in each flame... So much is unknown.
PAUL
I see time passing.
Chani's face in the dark looks to Paul, as a WIND begins to moan. The
image of Paul and Chani suddenly moves as if it were on liquid. The
image then wraps itself around a drop of black water. The drop falls
with the image into a black void. Suddenly the drop hits the surface
of black water below and light bounces white hot over the
newly-agitated surface. The expanding rings take on a new image as we
move closer. Suddenly we are in a MONTAGE of scenes -- the Moonlight
Sonata plays -- dark and mysterious as each scene becomes a drop and
falls into the next scene. We SEE:
Fremen workers lasgun into black rock. Brilliant LIGHT as the cutting
torches burn deeper. Sparks fly. CU sparks -- they dance
beautifully. Image drops.
Paul shows some Fremen warriors a robot. We see him explaining how it
works. He shows them the weirding module. Image drops.
PAUL (V.O.)
I see Alia being born. My sister.
Image drops.
PAUL
I see two years of love between storms
then...
Image drops.
An EXPLOSION. Paul turns and his eyes are totally blue. He lifts
binoculars to them and looks. He sees the Fremen fighters below
charging at the Harkonnens. As the Fremen run they make powerful
SOUNDS with their weirding modules, exploding everything in their path
and catching things on fire. In the distance, a huge spice harvester
is shot down and it falls to the ground EXPLODING more violently on
impact.
PAUL
(to Stilgar)
They're even better on the battlefield than
in the training rooms!!
(inner voice)
If only you could see them, father.
PAUL (CONT'D)
When the spice flow stops, the entire
Universe will turn its eyes to Arrakis. The
Baron and the Emperor himself will be forced
to deal with me.
Rabban stares as many Harkonnen wounded and dead are brought through
the passageway beyond.
HEAT WAVES; dunes. A big thumper is forced into the sands by two
gloved hands. A RHYTHM is heard pounding on Fremen hand drums and
rhythm instruments. Feet scramble. Black stillsuited Fedaykin
warrior bodyguards gather. Stilgar turns.
STILGAR
(to Paul)
Usul... after two years... it is time you
become a sandrider... and travel as a
Fremen. Take the kiswa maker hooks of our
sietch and ride as a leader of men.
The RHYTHM mounts. Everyone clears away. Paul moves forward alone,
carrying two ceremonial maker hooks and a thumper.
STILGAR
Two thumpers are planted... The worm may not
surface for the first... He will rise for
the second...
Paul plants the second and sets it beating out its RHYTHM. In the
distance the telltale SOUND of the worm's approach begins. This worm
is deep underground and the sound is low and the ground trembles
violently.
PAUL
(inner voice)
Only the very strong ones travel this
deep...
STILGAR
(to the others)
Usul has called a big one. Again... it is
the legend.
STILGAR
When the worm approaches, you must be
utterly still... and close enough to plant
the hooks firmly under a ring segment....
The worm will turn to lift this exposed area
as far from the abrasive sand as possible.
It will carry you with it -- to the top. Do
not get too close as he approaches... the
sand will engulf you.... Wait till the head
of the worm passes -- then go... quickly.
Paul freezes. He lets the worm get closer and closer. The HEAT WAVES
distort the gigantic form, making it even more hideous -- more
foreign. The worm devours the first thumper, and Paul feels the
tremendous heat of the worm. He smells the cinnamon again in the
hurricane WIND ushering from its wide open mouth which passes Paul
now. He moves forward. The others watch anxiously. This worm is
big. It is so much larger than imagined. Its top towers 125 feet in
the air. The segments are each ten feet wide.
Paul gets very close and running alongside, he plants the hook under a
segment and pulls back. The SOUND is excruciatingly loud. The sand
is so deep and more is being thrown out beneath the body of the worm.
Paul gets caught in it and falls. He narrowly escapes being sucked
under the beast. He gets up -- runs again and plants the hook once
more. He runs faster, bending the segment open to expose the tender
flesh. Suddenly the worm begins to turn. Paul pulls himself up the
body as it turns -- holding onto the hook. Soon he is fifty -- sixty
-- seventy feet off the ground -- going higher. The giant worm gets
the second thumper and Paul at that moment climbs to the top. He
plants the second hook.
PAUL
(inner voice)
A sandrider!...
Paul works the hooks into the breathing holes along the body, causing
the great beast to make a slow turn toward Stilgar and the bodyguard.
They set themselves and as the worm passes, they all clamor on,
climbing up the sides to the top.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(yelling)
Ach, haiiiii-yoh!!
They return the traditional CALL and Paul steers the maker in a giant
circle. The WIND blows and they all are enjoying the ride. He
straightens the worm and they head out across the dunes; the Fremen on
the end of the worm pound on the tail to drive the giant worm faster
and faster.
RABBAN
(to THREE OFFICERS
next to him)
Falsify the reports. We can't hide it all,
but tell them we've lost only two hundred
harvesters... and forty carryalls... and
don't let my uncle know about the silos....
I must catch this Muad'Dib and suck the
blood from him!! SUCK THE BLOOD FROM HIM!!!
The Baron sits in pink light talking with Thufir, Feyd and Nefud.
BARON
But what is going wrong? Why does the
Emperor send me more Sardaukar...? Rabban
suffers, yes... but we will kill this
Muad'Dib... on our own!
THUFIR
The Sardaukar are sent to help put down the
Fremen -- but perhaps also to watch your
activities on Arrakis.
BARON
My activities?!
THUFIR
Stories of the Fremen's strength grow...
He can't believe the Fremen are all that
people say... unless he sees for himself.
And the Emperor may think you're hiding away
this "lost" spice for yourself. Also, a
superior always grows to loathe the inferior
he's in league with.
BARON
Thufir!? This can't be!!
THUFIR
(inner voice)
How easy to keep this pig worrying.
BARON
Nefud... get me the Sardaukar Captain.
NEFUD
Sir.!!!
He runs off.
Nefud bring the huge SARDAUKAR CAPTAIN to the Baron. The Baron
stares at him intensely as Nefud retreat.
SARDAUKAR CAPTAIN
(condescending)
What is it, Baron?
BARON
Is it true that you are the fiercest of the
Sardaukar in my employ?
SARDAUKAR CAPTAIN
Your employ? I am a servant of His Highness
the Emperor Shaddam Four.
BARON
(yelling)
On Giedi Prime you work for me!
SARDAUKAR CAPTAIN
(sneering)
On Giedi Prime or anywhere else in the Universe,
I work for the Emperor...
(sneering)
... fat man.
BARON
(furious -- crazy!)
Feyd!! Kill this spy right now!!
BARON (CONT'D)
Kill him! And run your arms deep into his
bloody filth.
The Sardaukar Captain instantly pulls a knife and takes a step back in
preparation. Feyd slowly stands and draws his knife. The Sardaukar
smiles. The Sardaukar suddenly ROARS and it is truly blood-curdling.
He attacks, but Feyd out-maneuvers him. The Sardaukar is trembling
with a killing rage. He advances again. Feyd moves back and turns.
As he turns he activates needles on the backs of his hands. The giant
Sardaukar ROARS again and leaps beautifully and kicks Feyd back up
against a wall. Feyd is dazed. He gets up just as the Sardaukar
attacks again. The Sardaukar's knife arm swings in and Feyd blocks it
with the needle part of the back of his hand. The Sardaukar feels the
poison but soon attacks and cuts Feyd's leg. Feyd sticks his knife
into the Sardaukar's stomach. The Sardaukar ROARS again and spins,
still possessing tremendous power.
FEYD
You're slowing, and now after your attack I
will reach up and slit your throat. Are you
ready?
The Sardaukar activates several needles on his legs and attacks. Feyd
is barely fast enough to move away. The Sardaukar tries to drive the
needles and his knife into Feyd and at the same time he protects his
neck but Feyd puts his knife into the giant's chest.
FEYD (CONT'D)
Fool!
The Sardaukar falls heavily and Feyd cuts his head off before he hits
the floor. The Baron turns to the wide-eyed Thufir and smiles.
JESSICA
It's the strangeness of my daughter, is that
it? It's the way she speaks of things...
JESSICA (V.O.)
...beyond her years and of things no child
her age could know -- things of the past.
(pause)
... A daughter who knew at birth everything
I know...
JESSICA
But Harah, you and I know she is no demon.
ALIA
(strange little adult
voice)
What do you know about it, Subiay? Would
you deny me the right to use this mind...
ALIA (CONT'D)
Would you deny me the use of these eyes...
ALIA (CONT'D)
Would you deny me the use of these hands...
ALIA (CONT'D)
Would you deny me the use of these lips...
ALIA (CONT'D)
(using The Voice)
Would you deny me the use of this voice...
Subiay's head nearly bursts with pain and she SCREAMS as if she were
dying.
The Emperor sits on his throne. Behind him are his Sardaukar
officers. In front of him are two First Stage Navigators and one
Second Stage wearing a tank suit which ROARS as it recycles orange
spice gas. The two First Stage Navigators hold a large electrical
apparatus up to the face plate of the Second Stage Navigator which
translates his strange voice into English.
EMPEROR
What do you mean one...
EMPEROR
But he was said to...
EMPEROR
Who is this Paul Atreides to the Guild?...
Why?...
(now firmly)
I want fifty legions of Sardaukar on Arrakis
at once.
OFFICER #1
Fifty legions?...
(he looks at the other
officers with worry)
That's all our reserves as well.
EMPEROR
This is genocide... the deliberate and
systematic destruction of all life on
Arrakis.
PAUL
We surprised a band of smugglers.
STILGAR
(racing into thick smoke)
...thought they were Harkonnen.
Paul and Stilgar move through the smoke. A man runs up with a maula
pistol aimed at Paul but Paul spins and punctures the man's chest with
a sound from his weirding module. Paul turns and a large figure comes
through the smoke. They surprise each other. The large figure
reaches for a knife. Paul steps back.
PAUL
Don't reach for that knife, Gurney Halleck.
GURNEY
You know me?
PAUL
You've no need of a knife with me, Gurney.
GURNEY
(peering; whisper of hope)
Paul? Is it Paul?
PAUL
Don't you trust your own eyes.
GURNEY
They said you were dead. Paul...
Gurney moves forward, his eyes tearing, and the two embrace each other
and pound each other on the back.
GURNEY (CONT'D)
(loud)
You young pup.... You young pup!!
PAUL
Gurney, man! Gurney, come with me...
(he looks Gurney in
the eyes)
I can't wait for my mother to see you.
GURNEY
(a strange look in
Gurney's eyes)
Your mother?
PAUL
Mother... Look! It's Gurney...
GURNEY
(screams)
Paul... I swore an oath to slay the betrayer
of your father! He gave me freedom, life,
honor... and friendship. You see his
betrayer under my knife.
PAUL
Gurney! Listen well. It was Yueh.
GURNEY
I... don't believe it.
PAUL
My Father read that Harkonnen message as you
did, but he saw through it down to the thing
it was, a lie. He never mistrusted her for
an instant.
(to his mother)
Mother... I never told you this... you never
knew you were suspect.... I'm sorry.
GURNEY
Yueh?
PAUL
I heard my Father when he spoke of my
mother, as I've heard my mother cry into the
night for the loss of him. I'm telling you,
I know. She is not the betrayer. Gurney,
hear me. It was Yueh.
GURNEY
I am the betrayer now.
JESSICA
(quietly)
No, Gurney, you thought you were doing a
thing for Leto, and for this I honor you.
PAUL
Come with me. Now is the time.
Paul watches while the Fedaykin bring a large baby maker into the
ceremonial rock pit and he stares unemotionally as they prepare to
drown him. Paul turns and opens all the valves for the ceremony of
the Water of Life. The huge wind pipe organ MOANS a low note in the
distance.
PAUL
All the paths I saw have led me here... to
darkness.... I must know what lies
beyond.... Stand guard outside.
The room goes bright then disappears into a tunnel where Paul's
awareness rushes through the faces of all the past Reverend Mothers.
Their faces, though, are dark and distorted with pain.
Alia stands shaking violently in her very dark room. Suddenly blood
rushes from her nose. She forces herself to walk to Jessica's bed.
She finds that Jessica's nose is bleeding also, her pillow soaked in
blood. Jessica wakes in pain. They stare at each other in the
darkness.
JESSICA
What?... What is wrong?
ALIA
It's Paul...
JESSICA
(struggling)
What?
ALIA
He's taken the Water of Life.
Slowly Paul descends into the dark hole. The WIND howls in low
haunting tones. Now only occasional spark stars shoot out and a small
doughnut of light throbs as it moves over Paul. It is very dark.
Paul goes deeper... and deeper. The sides of the hole suddenly
disappear, and Paul is in deep space. His head instantly expands and
the skin flaps. His eyes bulge. He looks slowly around himself.. Dim
stars are dense in the far distance. It is strangely quiet save for a
SOUND of vast space. Paul looks upwards and sees that high above
there is a huge golden tunnel filled with golden light. He begins
moving toward it.
Suddenly he turns and sees sparks moving and rings of light forming in
a distant area of space.... Then out of the new hole hundreds of Third
Stage Navigators race toward him at tremendous speeds. They fly and
hit against his head but especially his eyes. Paul's head has
expanded now so the Navigators appear quite small. They hit and chew
and puncture Paul's eyes -- swarming in and out of the deep blue iris
and lighter blue areas -- fluid and blood flow in dark streams out
into space. Paul's screams are fire and water and earth and air
opening from his mouth.
ALIA
(Paul's voice comes out
of her mouth)
Help me.
JESSICA
Paul's voice...!!!
ALIA
(Paul's voice)
The Guild... they're fighting me in the
mental worlds. They're behind
everything.... They fear the one who will
come... who will know more... who will see
more. The Guild is behind everything. It's
not finished yet.... I'm not formed.
Paul lies on the stone floor. His body quivers slightly. His mouth
opens. A small rushing SOUND comes from it. The floor begins to
shake as in an earthquake.
The Fedaykin look at each other, the rock under their feet shaking.
Deep rumbling SOUND in the distance and a WIND begins to moan.
The Reverend Mother Helen Mohiam is on the floor, bleeding from the
nose and weak from pain. The Emperor looks on in horror.
The stars fall to a white hot blur. The Navigators burn and dive
away, unable to follow Paul into the light. Paul's awareness enters
the golden tunnel. Paul passes through it and enters a Moonlight
Sonata golden water world where surging water droplets stretch into
the spiritual light and dissolve into ten thousand angels.
Paul's face, now perfect, turns to gold as it moves through the golden
world.
Paul lies unconscious on the rock floor. Chani, Jessica and Alia are
beside him.
CHANI
(whispering)
Paul... Paul please hear me?
(to Jessica)
Are you sure he's alive?
JESSICA
Yes, but the life thread is so thin...
Chani picks up the cup of Water of Life and looks at the deep blue
liquid. She takes one drop on her finger and moves it toward Paul's
face.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
No... what are you doing?
ALIA
Be still! It may work.
Chani holds the drop below Paul's nose. The nose quivers. She
touches the drop to his lip. Paul suddenly draws in a long, sobbing
breath. His eyes fly open.
JESSICA
Paul... you did drink the sacred water.
PAUL
I send my awareness surging over you now.
Show me the dark place where you cannot
go... SHOW ME.
Suddenly Jessica's face turns into the old Fremen Reverend Mother
Ramallo's face, then all goes dark and SPARKS fly and rings of light
pulsate.
JESSICA
He has seen.
Paul turns to the narrow slot doorway in the darkness. Feet move and
walk away.
PAUL
The Fedaykin have heard.... The story will
spread as fire across the land.... Muad'Dib
is not as other men... there can be no
further doubt.
JESSICA
Have you seen the future?
PAUL
I've seen the NOW.... The space above
Arrakis is filled with Guild ships. The
Emperor is there... the Baron... every great
House of the Imperium waits above us with
its raiders. The Guild will call the
hour... they think! Mother... we must
change a large quantity of water... we need
a catalyst.... And Chani, send a scout force
to find a pre-spice mass. Mother... do you
understand what will happen is changed water
is poured onto a pre-spice mass?
JESSICA
(suddenly seeing)
Paul!!
PAUL
The Water of Death... a chain reaction
destroying all spice... forever.
JESSICA
You can't.
PAUL
I can... and who can destroy a thing --
controls the thing. The Guild searches for
me right now... How they tremble.... Get
Stilgar... we must work fast or the many
paths I see will lead to darkness.
PAUL
Send word out to every sietch that the
Emperor brings fifty legions of Sardaukar to
Arrakeen by morning light. A storm is
coming... our storm... and it will arrive
before they have time to attack. Keep your
attention on the south wall at Arrakeen.
DISSOLVE TO:
The WIND is howling and is starting to blow the sand. Dark sand
clouds form in the distance.
Another sietch door opens and hundreds and thousands more Fremen pour
out.
Paul, Stilgar and Gurney watch as the Emperor's enormous ship sets
down on the Arrakeen landing field below. Behind them a Communication
Room is being set up. Fremen lasgunners burn through areas of the
rock.
PAUL
Gurney, when the storm hits... set off the
atomics. We want an opening through the
entire Shield Wall there... (he points).
And Stilgar?
STILGAR
Yes?
PAUL
Do we have wormsign?
STILGAR
Usul... We have wormsign, the likes of which
even God has never seen.
Looking down over the huge desert it looks like a living sea of
wormsign. Everywhere ripples appear and worms are surfacing.
Thousands of Fremen are running, positioning themselves to mount and
ride.
Dust clouds grow faster and the speed of the WIND increases. Sand
particles hit at a rock outcropping and up close they sound like giant
warrior drummers pounding before battle.
Space ships come roaring down over the landing field. Some release
'thopters before they land and the little 'thopters soar back and
forth as guards.
The storm is howling now. Sand blasts against rock and rips pieces
away.
EMPEROR
Why have you brought me here? You know I
hate to travel.
BARON
Your Highness... There must be some
mistake... I never requested your presence.
EMPEROR
Oh? But your lack of action, demanded it.
Your dreadful mismanagement, your bad
judgement in assigning Rabban --
(he gestures toward the head)
-- the governorship.... You forced me to
come and set things straight... personally.
And why did you not tell me of the fighting
abilities of these people?! We have just
flushed out a nest of them in the open
desert and the women and children
overpowered several of our Sardaukar. We
only managed one hostage.
(the Emperor turns)
Bring in the hostage.
(he looks back to the Baron)
Only one!
ALIA
I heard you speaking. I wasn't captured....
I allowed myself to be taken. Poor Emperor,
I'm afraid my brother won't be very pleased
with you.
EMPEROR
Silence!... I do not court your brother's
pleasure. Tell this man who your brother
is!
ALIA
Muad'Dib.
BARON
What?
Suddenly the Reverend Mother looks horrified and grabs her throat.
REVEREND MOTHER
(struggling, speaking
as if possessed...)
There's more to the story... Ha ha ha.
(now she gets her
own voice back)
Kill this child!! She's an abomination!!
Kill her.
(points to Alia, who
is smiling at her)
Get out of my mind!!!
ALIA
Not until you tell them both who I really
am.
REVEREND MOTHER
(strained speech void of
emotion)
Alia... daughter of the Duke Leto the Just and
the Royal Lady Jessica.
ALIA
Yes?... Go on....
REVEREND MOTHER
Sister of Paul Muad'Dib.
The Reverend Mother slumps. The Baron's mouth flies open. The
Emperor's face goes pale, his lips tremble.
EMPEROR
(inner voice)
Paul's sister... Paul is Muad'Dib?!
He turns quickly and looks at the two Guild agents present in the
room. They stare at him icily. Alia smiles happily.
Paul smiles.
PAUL
(laughs) (to Gurney and
Stilgar)
Alia keeps pace with the storm.
PAUL
Gurney, take it out!
Alia smiles as they HEAR the tremendous roaring, atomic screams of the
explosions.
ALIA
My brother is coming... with many Fremen
warriors.
EMPEROR
He will meet one million, five hundred
thousand Sardaukar warriors.
ALIA
I believe my brother brings five million.
SARDAUKAR #3
The shield is gone.
EMPEROR
Impossible!
ALIA
Not impossible. I told you... He is here
now.
EMPEROR
(to his officers)
Release the Sardaukar. Baron... give this
little abomination to the storm.
Paul turns.
PAUL
(inner voice)
For you, father.
Alia feigns fear and backs toward the Baron's pudgy hands.
BARON
I have her, Majesty!
Alia turns to him -- still smiling. With a flash of her hand she
reaches out and swipes at the Baron's face. He CRIES OUT in pain,
thrusts her away and doubles over, his eyes bulging out. Alia shows
him the tiny needle she holds in her hand.
ALIA
Meet the Atreides gom jabbar!
BARON
You... Atreides...
He collapses. His suspensors hold him floating inches off the floor.
His face is turning dark grey blue and his tongue swells in his death
throes. Suddenly the wall behind them is completely blown away by a
blast.
SARDAUKAR #4
Majesty! Into the ship!
The Emperor moves quickly away with the dazed Reverend Mother and the
others, but he continues to stare in fear at the smiling eyes of Alia.
A door is shut suddenly and Alia is alone. She pulls out her
crysknife and with a blood-curdling CRY she leaps out to join the
battle.
As the worms enter the Arrakeen basin they meet the Sardaukar. The
Sardaukar don't have a chance -- the worms suck them up by the
hundreds. The Fremen up on the worms' backs fire weapons, killing the
few Sardaukar the worms leave behind.
The space ships which were recently airborne are now crashing because
of the storm.
The entire airfield is now filled with wild worms, Fremen, and dead or
dying Sardaukar.
The Emperor stands in a very dark room looking out on a vast dark sea
of destruction. There is a horrible rumbling from his broken space
ship. In the half light we see a beautiful girl. She turns to the
Emperor.
IRULAN
Father?... What will you do?
DISSOLVE TO:
The battle and the storm are over. Fremen warriors surround the
Palace.
Paul enters the Palace hall and the first thing he sees is an ominous
sign indeed... the giant bull's head.
GURNEY
I remember the day we first came here... I
didn't like it then... I like it less now.
PAUL stares at Chani tenderly. A wind MOANS through the Palace. His
eyes turn to Jessica.
JESSICA
(whispering)
What are you bringing?
PAUL
Watch.
Paul turns. Gurney and several guards bring in the Emperor, Irulan,
the Reverend Mother, Sardaukar generals, Guildsmen, Feyd and Thufir.
The Fedaykin and Fremen troops line the walls.
Paul moves to the group surrounding the Emperor. His eyes meet Feyd's
-- Feyd gives him an evil smile.
Paul turns and looks at the Emperor, who stares back defiantly. Paul
moves his gaze to Irulan, who lowers her eyes.
PAUL
This is the beginning of it, mother.... She
is the key.
The Emperor's eyes flare. Jessica looks at Chani, who is confused and
hurt.
PAUL
Gurney... I see Thufir Hawat among the
captives. That will never do. Let him
stand free.
Gurney, smiling sadly, makes a gesture to Thufir, who looks very old
and bewildered. His rheumy eyes peer at Paul as they come face to
face. The Emperor seems strangely tense at this moment. Paul notices
this. He looks to one of Thufir's trembling hands.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(inner voice)
A gom jabbar in his hand.
(out loud)
In payment of the many years of service to
my family, you may now ask of me anything
you wish. Hear me. Anything at all.
(quietly)
Do you need my life now, Thufir?
He turns his back on him, facing the bull above the mantle.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(quiet)
It is yours.
THUFIR
Lady Jessica, I but learned this day how
I've wronged you in my thoughts. You
needn't forgive. M'lord...
PAUL
I mean this, Thufir. If you're to strike,
do it now.
THUFIR
I will.
Thufir's hand rises, as Jessica gasps, but the old Mentat swipes his
own arm with the needle. Paul turns and catches him as he sags.
Thufir manages to hold the needle up to the Emperor.
THUFIR (CONT'D)
Did you think for one moment that I would
fail my Duke twice?
THUFIR (CONT'D)
Your signet... you signet, my lord.
Paul holds it to his lips which barely possess the strength to kiss
it. Then his face spreads into a weary smile.
THUFIR (CONT'D)
Three... generations... of you...
PAUL
(to the guards)
Carry this noble Atreides warrior away. Do
him all honor.
PAUL
Emperor Shaddam IV... there is a Guild
Heighliner above us containing many of the
Great Houses of the Landsraad.... SEND THEM
HOME!
EMPEROR
How dare you speak to...
GUILDSMAN #2
Stop your speaking!!
More Guildsmen come in now and group around the original two. Some
tanked Guildsmen follow in looking around. Paul turns to them...
pauses.
PAUL
(to the Guildsmen)
You have some idea of what I would do but I
will tell it to one who has never been
seen... one who hides deep in the Heighliner
control rooms. He deserves to hear it
first.
GUILDSMAN #2
(fear)
No!
Suddenly we are in the Heighliner control room, near the floor in the
chemical spills. We move up into the orange gas. The Third Stage
Navigators present here start MOANING and SHRIEKING. They swim off
and cower in a corner. We move higher. THUNDERING begins to shake
the Heighliner and the moaning grows louder.
PAUL (V.O.)
Where are you.... Let me see you or there
will be no spice.
We move into very thick gas and there is a ROARING of gas through
heavy gigantic pipes. Suddenly we see the Fourth Stage Navigator. He
is five hundred feet long. Pasty white. The head of a Third Stage
Navigator... the body of a white worm.
PAUL (V.O.)
There...
The Fourth Stage Navigator MOANS horribly and his body swishes. Pipes
wrench apart. gas spews and EXPLODES out.
The MOAN is now overpowering and the pipes shooting gas into the mouth
bend and break out and tons of heavy tubing begin to sag and fall the
two thousand feet to the floor below. The giant Navigator MOANS again
and flips violently.
The Guildsmen in the room are MOANING and SCREAMING and swarming out
the doorway -- disappearing. The Emperor and all are amazed and
frightened. There is a long hush. The old Reverend Mother then turns
and glares at Jessica.
REVEREND MOTHER
I don't think I can find it in my heart to
forgive you, Jessica, for this...
PAUL
You've never had the right or cause to
forgive my mother for anything.
(he turns to Jessica)
I too misjudged my mother... it's plain that
some part of her has known what had to be
for a long time.
PAUL (CONT'D)
Don't try your tricks on me. Try looking
into that place where you dare not look.
You'll find me there staring out at you!!
You Bene Gesserit have waited ninety
generations to produce the one person your
schemes required. You now know that person
has been produced. Here I stand. But... I
will never do your bidding.
REVEREND MOTHER
Jessica, stop him!
JESSICA
Stop him yourself.
PAUL
I'll give you one thing. You saw part of
what the race needs in the beginning. In
time you perverted the truth. You sought to
control human breeding and intermix a select
few according to your selfish master plan.
How little you understand.
REVEREND MOTHER
You mustn't speak of...
PAUL
(using The Voice)
SILENCE!
The old woman is shot backwards by the power of this shout. Her
breath is knocked out of her.
PAUL (CONT'D)
I remember your gom jabbar, now you remember
mine. I can kill with a word.
FEDAYKIN #1
...and his word shall carry death eternal to
those who stand against the righteous.
FEYD
The righteous!
PAUL
(to Emperor)
There is a Harkonnen among you. You have
promise of protection. But I wish to know
if he is officially with you or if he is
hiding behind a technicality out of
cowardice.
FEYD
You call me coward while you hide among your
women.
GURNEY
Let me, please, my lord.
CHANI
Muad'Dib need not do this thing.
PAUL
But the Duke Paul must.
GURNEY
This is a Harkonnen animal...
JESSICA
Gurney... He's like his father in this
mood.... Let him be.
EMPEROR
If Feyd wishes it, he may meet you with my
blade in his hand.
FEYD
(elated)
I wish it.
PAUL
You've overconfident. There's a natural
advantage I can accept. The Emperor's
blade!
PAUL (CONT'D)
On the floor there.
PAUL (CONT'D)
Now, clear everyone back against the wall
and let the Harkonnen stand forth.
CHANI
Paul!...
GURNEY
My lord...
PAUL
Enough!
(to Feyd)
May thy knife chip and shatter.
Feyd takes up the Emperor's blade with a smile. Paul takes out his
crysknife. They begin to circle each other.
FEYD
How beautifully you dance.
PAUL
(inner voice)
He's a talker. There's another weakness.
He'll grow uneasy in the face of silence.
FEYD
Maybe you would like the Truthsayer to
prepare your spirit for its journey?
Paul smiles, circling still. Suddenly, Feyd leaps, his blade jabbing
savagely outward, but Paul easily evades it, moving away. They begin
to circle again.
FEYD (CONT'D)
Does an Atreides run, or stand and fight?
Your pretty dance prolongs your life... for
a few moments, anyway.
He makes another pass at Paul that comes dangerous close, but again,
Paul is away, a smile frozen on his face.
FEYD (CONT'D)
Oh, come, why prolong the inevitable? Why
don't you speak? Ah, you just smile. Tell
me, has your study yielded anything?
PAUL
You lead with your right hip. A gom jabbar
in your girdle, perhaps?
FEYD smiles. He lashes out, and Paul is slow, receiving a small slash
on his wrist. Feyd LAUGHS in triumph. Paul looks to the Emperor, who
smiles.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(inner voice)
Such elation at so small a scratch. Could
the Emperor have poisoned his blade? I feel
it! A soporific. They don't know that I
can now neutralize all poisons.
FEYD
(whispering)
Just enough to slow the muscles.
Feyd leaps forward jabbing, his right hip also thrust forward. Yet
Paul, although a little slowly, again reels away. Again, Feyd
thrusts.
FEYD (CONT'D)
You see, you were slower that time!
This time Paul jabs with his crysknife, but Feyd moves away
effortlessly.
FEYD (CONT'D)
Yes! Definitely slower.
FEDAYKIN #2
Muad'Dib!
PAUL
Stay back!
GURNEY
My lord!
FEYD
(smiling)
Who is the little one? A pet, perhaps?
Will she deserve my special attentions?
PAUL
(inner voice)
Treachery within treachery within treachery.
FEYD
(whispering)
Ah, you see it now. It's your death. It'll
stop your muscles. My blade will finish
you. There'll never be a trace left to
detect. You're slowing....
FEYD (CONT'D)
(frightened now)
You... you...
FEDAYKIN #3
(inner voice)
Usul no longer needs the weirding module.
PAUL
I will tell you now how it will be. Irulan
shall be my wife, opening the way for an
Atreides to take the throne.
EMPEROR
I sit on the throne!!
PAUL
You will sit a throne on Selusa Secundus,
your prison planet. Either that or you will
die.
PAUL (CONT'D)
(to Chani)
The Princess will have no more of me than my
name... no child of mine or touch nor
softness of glance... nor instant of
desire.... This is my promise to you...
(whispering)
...my love.
JESSICA
Chani... think on it... We who carry the
name of concubine... history will call us
wives.
PAUL
The Fremen have the word of Muad'Dib. They
will have their Holy War to cleanse the
Universe... they will have Arrakis...
Dune... their planet. There will be flowing
water here open to the sky and rich green
oases. For the spice there will always be
some desert. There will be fierce winds and
trials to toughen men. We Fremen have a
saying...
(he stares at the
Reverend Mother)
"God created Arrakis to train the faithful."
One cannot go against the word of God.
Everyone in the room stares at him soundlessly. Alia LAUGHS out loud
with joy.
ALIA
(prompting)
And how can this be?
She gives a small handsignal and the Fremen drummers pound out three
powerful hits.
ALIA (CONT'D)
Because... he is the Kwisatz Haderach!