Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… On the lush, green, and water-filled planet of Caladan, the home of House Atreides. Paul spent his childhood training for leadership, but also enjoying the natural abundance around him. Paul is the heir to House Atreides, a powerful family that rules the Planet Caladan. He is special in many ways, not least for the fact that his mother has given him Bene Gesserit training, a special spiritual and psychological force that grants him power over others and heightened self-control.
Living… in a tumultuous time in the known universe, ruled by the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV, in the year 10,191. Paul’s family has been ordered by the Emperor to govern the planet Arrakis, the origin of the spice mélange – a hotly contested and dangerous territory.
Visiting… the desert planet Arrakis, colloquially known as Dune. The Atreides family faces myriad dangers on the sand-drenched planet, including its indigenous population of wanderers – known as the Fremen – and the deadly Sandworms that live underground.
Profession… none. Paul is a young aristocrat, highly trained with many skills but with no real profession, save to inherit his family’s possessions. But, despite this, some say that he has a special quality – that he may be the prophesized messiah.
Relationship Status... destined. Once on Arrakis, Paul begins to have visions, given to him by the magical “spice” that occurs only on Arrakis and makes the planet invaluable. The spice shows him images of a woman he has yet to meet, someone he knows will be important to him.
Challenge… fulfilling his destiny and liberating the planet Arrakis. Paul isn’t only fighting for his own life on the desert planet. He soon finds his own fate bound up with that of its people, the Fremen.
Personality… intense, quiet, and principled. Growing up as a Duke’s son means he was educated in everything from hand-to-hand combat to basic ecology, but Duke Leto also emphasized the personal qualities of an ideal leader: fair, humble, and decisive. Paul is determined to continue on the difficult path in front of him and determine to make it out on top. As Paul says, “I’m dead to everyone unless I try to become what I may be.”
Get to Know him in...
-
Set in the year 10,191 on the desert planet of Arrakis. This is the source of the Spice Melange, the most valuable commodity in all of the universe. Two great houses must fight for control of the Spice, but when betrayal all but destroys one of them, a duke's son must rise to fulfil his destiny in order to take back control of the planet.
-
Dune tells the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who will become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. Paul's noble family is named stewards of Arrakis, whose sands are the only source of a powerful drug called "the spice." After his family is brought down in a traitorous plot, Paul must go undercover to seek revenge, and to bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.
-
Dune Messiah continues the story of the man Muad'dib, heir to a power unimaginable, bringing to completion the centuries-old scheme to create a super-being.
-
Dune II is often considered the first mainstream modern real-time strategy game and established many conventions of the genre. Even though set in Frank Herbert's famous Dune universe, the game is only loosely connected to the plot of any of the books or the films based from them. Controlling either of the three Houses, the player must fight a number of battles against the other Houses. In the early levels, the goal is simply to earn a certain number of credits, while in the later missions, all enemies must be destroyed. The single resource in the game is the Spice, which must be collected by harvesters. The spice is converted to credits in a refinery, which are then spent to construct additional buildings and units. There are two terrain types: buildings can only be constructed on stone, while the Spice is only found on sand. However, units moving on sand attract the large sandworms of Dune, who are virtually indestructible and can swallow even large units whole. As levels progress, new and more advanced buildings and units are made available, including structures like a radar station, a repair facility or defense turrets and, for units, various ground troops, light vehicles and tanks. Each House can construct one unique special unit, and, after building a palace improvement, can unleash a unique palace effect.
