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Arrakeen
Arrakis ()—informally known as Dune and later called Rakis—is a fictional desert planet featured in the ''Dune'' series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's ''Dune'', is considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time,Touponce, William F. (1988), ''Frank Herbert'', Boston, Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers imprint, G. K. Hall & Co, pg. 119, . "''Locus'' ran a poll of readers on April 15, 1975, in which ''Dune'' 'was voted the all-time-best science-fiction novel ... It has sold over ten million copies in numerous editions.'" and it is sometimes cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. In ''Dune'', the planet is the home of the Fremen (Zensunni wanderers), and subsequently is the Imperial Capital of the Atreides Empire. Arrakis is the third planet orbiting the star Canopus, and it in turn is orbited by two moons, one of which has an albedo pattern resembling the desert kangaroo mouse, Muad'Dib, on it; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel ''Dune'', the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis (also known as Dune), which is the sole known source in the universe of the all-important spice melange. Long overlooked by the rest of the Imperium and considered backward savages, in reality they are an extremely hardy people and exist in large numbers. The Fremen had come to the planet thousands of years before the events of the novel as the Zensunni Wanderers, a religious sect in retreat. As humans ''in extremis'', over time they adapted their culture and way of life to survive and thrive in the incredibly harsh conditions of Arrakis. The Fremen are distinguished by their fierce fighting abilities and adeptness at survival in these conditions. With water being such a rare commodity on the planet, their culture revolves around its preservation and conservation. Herbert based Fremen culture, in p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dune (novel)
''Dune'' is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in '' Analog'' magazine. It tied with Roger Zelazny's '' This Immortal'' for the Hugo Award in 1966 and it won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. It is the first installment of the ''Dune'' saga. In 2003, it was described as the world's best-selling science fiction novel. ''Dune'' is set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which various noble houses control planetary fiefs. It tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis. While the planet is an inhospitable and sparsely populated desert wasteland, it is the only source of melange, or "spice", a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities. Melange is also necessary for space navigation, which requires a kind of multidimensional awareness and foresight that only the drug provides. As melange can only be prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dune (1984 Film)
''Dune'' is a 1984 American epic science-fiction film written and directed by David Lynch and based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan (in his film debut) as young nobleman Paul Atreides. It was filmed at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City and included a soundtrack by the rock band Toto, as well as by Brian Eno. Set in the distant future, the film chronicles the conflict between rival noble families as they battle for control of the extremely harsh desert planet Arrakis, also known as "Dune". The planet is the only source of the drug melange (spice), which allows prescience and is vital to space travel, making it the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe. Paul Atreides is the scion and heir of a powerful noble family, whose inheritance of control over Arrakis brings them into conflict with its former overlords, House Harkonnen. Paul is also possibly the Kwisatz Haderach, a messianic figure expected by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lady Jessica
Lady Jessica is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. A main character in the 1965 novel ''Dune'', Jessica also plays an important role in the later installment ''Children of Dune'' (1976). The events surrounding Jessica's conception, her birth and her early years with Leto are chronicled in the ''Prelude to Dune'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001) and the ''Caladan Trilogy'' (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The character is brought back as a ghola in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, '' Hunters of Dune'' (2006) and ''Sandworms of Dune'' (2007). Lady Jessica was portrayed by Francesca Annis in the 1984 David Lynch film ''Dune''. Saskia Reeves played the role in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel TV miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'', and was succeeded by Alice Krige in the 2003 sequel, ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune''. Rebecca Ferguson portrays Jessica in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film adaptation an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muad'Dib
Paul Atreides (; later known as Paul Muad'Dib, and later still as The Preacher) is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is the primary protagonist in the first two novels in the series, ''Dune'' (1965) and ''Dune Messiah'' (1969), and returns in ''Children of Dune'' (1976). The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels which conclude the original series, '' Hunters of Dune'' (2006) and ''Sandworms of Dune'' (2007), and appears in the prequels ''Paul of Dune'' (2008) and ''The Winds of Dune'' (2009). According to Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert's son and biographer, House Atreides was based on the heroic but ill-fated Greek mythological House Atreus. A primary theme of ''Dune'' and its sequels is Frank Herbert's warning about society's tendencies to "give over every decision-making capacity" to a charismatic leader. He said in 1979, "The bottom line of the ''Dune'' trilogy is: beware of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kangaroo Mouse
A kangaroo mouse is either one of the two species of jumping mouse (genus ''Microdipodops'') native to the deserts of the southwestern United States, predominantly found in the state of Nevada. The name "kangaroo mouse" refers to the species' extraordinary jumping ability, as well as its habit of bipedal locomotion. The two species are: *Dark kangaroo mouse – ''Microdipodops megacephalus'' *Pale kangaroo mouse – ''Microdipodops pallidus'' Both species of kangaroo mouse live in sandy desert ecosystems, and forage for seeds and vegetation amongst the scrub brush of their native habitat. The dark kangaroo mouse is also known to feed occasionally on insects and carrion. The mouse rarely drinks water, instead deriving it metabolically from the foods it eats. The kangaroo mouse collects food and maintains large caches in their burrows, which are excavated to a length of between 3 and 8 feet (1 to 2.5 meters). The burrow, the entrance to which the mouse covers during daylight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Princess Irulan
Princess Irulan is a fictional character in the Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. She first appears in ''Dune (novel), Dune'' (1965), and is later featured in ''Dune Messiah'' (1969) and ''Children of Dune'' (1976). The character's birth and early childhood are touched upon in the ''Prelude to Dune'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001) by Herbert's son Brian Herbert, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson, and she is a principal character in the Herbert/Anderson series ''Heroes of Dune'' (2008–2009). The character of Irulan serves as a ''de facto'' narrator in ''Dune'', with excerpts of her later writings used as epigraph (literature), epigraphs before each chapter of the novel. Within the storyline, Irulan is established as the eldest daughter of the 81st Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and Anirul, a Bene Gesserit of Hidden Rank, and has four younger sisters and no brothers. In ''Dune'', the character appears in person only near the end of the novel, but continues as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Herbert's Dune
''Frank Herbert's Dune'' is a three-part science fiction television miniseries based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. It was written and directed by John Harrison. The cast includes Alec Newman as Paul Atreides, William Hurt as Duke Leto Atreides, and Saskia Reeves as Lady Jessica, as well as Ian McNeice as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Giancarlo Giannini as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. The miniseries was shot in Univisium (2.00:1) aspect ratio, although it was broadcast in 1.78:1. ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' was produced by New Amsterdam Entertainment, Blixa Film Produktion, and Hallmark Entertainment. It was first broadcast in the United States on December 3, 2000, on the Sci Fi Channel. It was released on DVD in 2001 by Artisan Entertainment, with an extended director's cut appearing in 2002. A 2003 sequel miniseries titled ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune'' continues the story, adapting the second and third novels in the series (1969's ''Dune Messiah'' and its 197 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor (reaching 100% relative humidity), so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or falls. Thus, fog and mist are not precipitation but colloids, because the water vapor does not condense sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called showers. Moisture that is lifted or otherwise forced to rise over a layer of sub-freezing air at the surface may be condense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mu Draconis
Mu Draconis (μ Draconis, abbreviated Mu Dra, μ Dra) is a multiple star system near the head of the constellation of Draco. With a combined magnitude of 4.92, it is visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax estimates by the Hipparcos spacecraft, it is located approximately 89 light-years from the Sun. The system consists of a single primary star (designated Mu Draconis A, officially named Alrakis from the traditional name of the system), a secondary binary pair (Mu Draconis B) and a further single star (C). B's two components are designated Mu Draconis Ba and Bb. Mu Draconis A and Ba are nearly identical F-type main-sequence stars, with masses of and , respectively. Both have the spectral class of F5V, and have similar apparent magnitude, at 5.66 and 5.69, respectively. The secondary, Mu Draconis B, has a drifting radial velocity, and is itself a spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 2,270 days.SB9 catalog entry The distance between both st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melange (fictional Drug)
Melange (), often referred to as "the spice", is the fictional psychedelic drug central to the Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert and derivative works. In the series, the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe is melange, a drug that gives the user a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness. In some humans, the spice can also unlock prescience, a form of precognition based in genetics but made possible by use of the drug in larger dosages. Among other functions, prescience makes safe and accurate interstellar travel possible. However, melange is also highly addictive, and withdrawal is fatal. Harvesting melange is also hazardous in the extreme, as its only known source is the harsh desert planet Arrakis, and melange deposits are guarded by giant sandworm (Dune), sandworms. Description Properties Melange is a drug that prolongs life and bestows heightened vitality and awareness, and in some humans unlocks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canopus (star)
Canopus is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina and the second-brightest star in the night sky. It is also designated α Carinae, which is Latinised to Alpha Carinae. With a visual apparent magnitude of −0.74, it is outshone only by Sirius. Located around from the Sun, Canopus is a bright giant of spectral type A9, so it is essentially white when seen with the naked eye. It has a luminosity over 10,000 times the luminosity of the Sun, is eight times as massive, and has expanded to 71 times the Sun's radius. Its enlarged photosphere has an effective temperature of around . Canopus is undergoing core helium burning and is currently in the so-called blue loop phase of its evolution, having already passed through the red-giant branch after exhausting the hydrogen in its core. Canopus is a source of X-rays, which are likely being emitted from its corona. The prominent appearance of Canopus means it has been the subject of mytholog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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