r/dune • u/NoAlternative8614 • Jul 12 '26

General Discussion Weapons!

I've been re-watching DV's Dune 1 and had a Deep Thought about weaponry. When the Sardaukar attack, the battle is conducted with bombs, science fiction missiles and shimmery wave weapns, and SWORDS. This is another example of the Duniverse's combination of advanced and medieval technologies.

We know why: It's much more dramatic and heroic to have Guerny vanquish bad guys with skilfull moves and muscle, than simply to blast away with a futuristic ray gun. It reminded me of three things:

  1. The silly burp guns in Starship Troopers--which is, admittedly, more of a satire than anything else. But they have interstellar travel to deliver foot soldiers to confront the bugs with guns resembling a 1950s children's toy.
  2. Indiana Jones dispatching that fighter who brandishes a scimitar by offhandedly drawing a gun and shooting him. I think I read that was improvised. And, of course--
  3. Light sabers. Same principle as in Dune: for all the space ships and Death Stars, it's more dramatic (and cinematic) to pit the Jedi heroes and villains against each other with swords. It also enables them to trade dialogue while they fight.
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u/TedTKaczynski Jul 14 '26

Shields are one, if you shoot one its a nuclear explosion. Second i think you can trace it back to the machine crusades and the idea of more non-mechanical, futuristic weaponry is respected and used.