Cast
Atreides:
Atreides Duke Achillus - The head of House Atreides embodies all the virtues of the people of Caladan. He is fit, intelligent and reserved, and yet his standing as a commanding officer of the Caladan armies inspires a grave respect and loyalty among soldiers. His stake in Arrakis is not personal or even planetary; Duke Atreides wants the spice to flow for all, and knows that in the hands of House Harkonnen or House Ordos, melange's life-enhancing qualities would be warped into a tool of subjugation. Thus he fights for all; yet his pride in his Atreides heritage guides him with a fervor rarely seen in the theater of war.
|
Kalinar Koltrass (Atreides Mentat) - Koltrass briefs young Caladanian commanders on the basics and intricacies of their missions -- and yet never fails to emphasize the broader importance of what this battle for Arrakis means. It's a perspective gleaned from age and experience. But even Koltrass would agree that none of the wars he ever fought in were as crucial as this.
|
Harkonnen:
Harkonnen Baron Rakan - His manners are those of a pig: the Baron Rakan is a bloated, disgusting lout known as much for his loathsome personal hygiene as he is for his brutal manner indeed, his habit of pulling out the heartplugs of his incompetent minions is considered an act of mercy. But beneath the coarse manners is a vicious, methodical, devious mind that is more than willing to break a few pesky Guild ordinances to attain an upper hand in the war over Arrakis. While he openly flouts intergalactic law to forward the Harkonnen cause, he knows that only paranoia will insure his personal survival. Indeed, the Baron mistrusts his generals, advisers, even his heirs, and on his pollution-choked homeworld of Giedi Prime, it's a necessary frame of mind. After all, betrayal, treachery and backstabbing built Rakan's nightmarish empire.
|
Harkonnen Prince Gunseng (Younger Brother) - His calm, detached manner and scrupulous grooming hide a scheming mind that his father Baron Rakan admires as much as fears. And fear it he should. True, Prince Gunseng is the younger of the Baron's two sons, but Rakan knows that Gunseng's even-keeled demeanor -- which erupts into swaggering arrogance when he gets his way -- only means he is more than capable of the brutality necessary to rule the Harkonnen and crush the rival houses. The Harkonnen are known for being aggressive and boorish. The fact that Gunseng is quiet and reserved makes him twice as dangerous.
|
Harkonnen Prince Copec (Older Brother) - Like father, like son. Prince Copec stands ready -- perhaps too ready -- to fill his father's shoes. Copec is every bit as brutish, belligerent and haughty as Rakan, and not crippled by the degenerating diseases that hound the decrepit Rakan. He lacks the keen intelligence of his brother and rival Gunseng, but Gunseng would be a fool to underestimate Copec's classic Harkonnen strengths of brutality, tenacity and hate.
|
Yanich Kobal (Harkonnen Mentat) - The gaunt, nervous Yanich briefs new Harkonnen generals as they gleefully turn Arrakis into a bloodbath. Don't be put off by his superior demeanor. He may seem condescending to new generals as he gives mission briefings, but it's merely a cloak for his fear that if he is part of a failing campaign, a slow death awaits. Just as it awaits any general who suffers defeat on the dunes.
|
Ordos:
The Ordos Executrix Council - Four beings with one supermind -- aside from that, little is known of The Council, the mysterious entity that rules the icy planet Draconis 4 with all the efficiency of a computer and all the casual brutality of a dictator. With shields blocking their withered faces, the four beings are neurally networked into a single mind to maximize the efficiency of their plans to rule Arrakis and turn a nice profit. All verbal contact is performed through a hideous Speaker, pictured here.
|
Roma Atani (Ordos Mentat) - A human interpreter of the barely-human Ordos Executrix Council, Roma Atani briefs new Ordos generals on the state of the war on Arrakis. Cool and impassive, Atani is not one given to praise or criticism. Like a classic Ordos, her mind is a binary one: either the general fulfills the battle plan or does not. Besides, if the new general does not perform with maximum efficiency, criticism is moot. The Ordos have designed exquisite tortures to express their disapproval.
|
SubHouse / Other:
Reverend Mother (Bene Geserit) - A high priestess of the Bene Geserit clan, the Reverend Mother is respected and feared for her powers of mind, made even more awesome by her ingestion of the "Illuminating Poison." Such capabilities only augment her natural cunning and diplomatic prowess, and will serve her well in her dealings with the houses vying for control of Arrakis. But keeping these competing factions in check hardly means the Reverend Mother isn't above hatching a few plots on her own to secure the spice for her ends -- and perhaps those of the Guild, the supposedly neutral council that oversees the battle for Dune.
|
Corlen (Fremen Leader) - The commander of the Fremen typifies the classic traits of a desert fighter. He is tough, resourceful and dedicated, and his lined and sunburnt face reflects a rich history of victories and setbacks. That history has turned Corlen into an often gruff general whose stubbornness and mistrust might imperil the Fremen's claim to Arrakis. This war cannot be won alone, and even the solitary Fremen will need allies to save their native planet from domination.
|