Tleilax / Mentats

[AeonGrey]

I have a question regarding the planet Tleilax (and the Tleilaxu in general) and mentats.  The whole "mentat" program is really more of a training program that happens from birth right?  It doesn't necessarily have to happen on any one planet.  The only connection the Tleilaxu have to mentats is in engineering/training their "twisted" mentats like Piter right?  Thanks.

[Dunenewt]

I think Mentats are trained on Beta Teleguelse (sp?)

[AeonGrey]

I think Mentats are trained on Beta Teleguelse (sp?)

Well yeah but in Dune when Paul finds out he's been receiving the Mentat training his whole life, it's a surprise to him at first.  I would think if there were a certain planet they were trained on, and Paul went there, he would have made the connection considering how smart he is.  Oh well.

[Vanguard3000]

It is never mentioned where the primary school or "home" of the mentats is.  All we know is that Tleilax is home to the renegade school where the custom-order "twisted" Mentats are trained.

Remember that Paul was being trained as a mentat his whole life, although he didn't know it.  Mentat potential is discovered, and training is begun during infancy, and the potential mentat must not be aware of this training until a certain age, at which point the person will choose to continue or abandon further training.  Perhaps this training takes place in a special school on some special planet, or simply at the subject's home, being taught by a House mentat (i.e. in Paul's case, Thufir probably would have trained him on Arrakis, since Paul must remain with his family to be groomed to be Duke).

You can read about this fairly early on in the book.  Pages 47-8 in my The Illustrated Dune, which is slightly different from the newest paperback version.  It should be within one or two pages of that, though.

DuneNewt:  It's Bela Tegeuse.  ;)

[TMA_1]

yup you are right vanguard. I think there is a lot of confusion though, since it isnt made super clear at times, and some who have watched the 1984 movie first might remember when bene tleilax is said to be home of mentat training.

[AeonGrey]

yup you are right vanguard. I think there is a lot of confusion though, since it isnt made super clear at times, and some who have watched the 1984 movie first might remember when bene tleilax is said to be home of mentat training.

That's it!  That's what threw me off. I knew I had seen/read in either the book, miniseries, or movie that tleilax was the "home" of the mentats.  That must be an element that Lynch added/changed himself though, but it's pretty clear by what they say in the books that the mentat training is something that can be given anywhere.

[Harq al-Harba]

On the same issue, regarding the Tleilaxu, was I the only one who thought that this was not a human race?  At least the first time I read the Dune series.  Reading the prequels, it is much more apparent that they are "human," (though they would not be considered as such by the Bene Gesserit, among others).  But not my first impression...

Harq al-Harba

[AeonGrey]

On the same issue, regarding the Tleilaxu, was I the only one who thought that this was not a human race?

[Harq al-Harba]

Yeah, they are described as quite un-humanly.  If I remember right...they're described as small "gnomish" people with gray skin and pointed teeth.  Quite undesireable.  But I think what's really going on is that the Tleilaxu have been tinkering with their own genes for so long that they look hideous.  If I remember right we find out in one of the later books that this is on purpose.  That this hideous appearance is just part of their "Great plan" or something (I still haven't picked up on it completely).  I think it was either Waff or Scytale who said/thought this stuff.  Something about how if they look hideous and disgusting it keeps people out of their business because they'll want nothing to do with them...thus giving them secrecy for whatever "plan" they're working on.  Thoughts?

The odd thing is that while I remember the first four rather vividly, I really cannot remember much about Heretics or Chapterhouse, aside from the revelation about the axtlotl (sp?) tanks and the end of Chapterhouse.  I remember that there was a Tleilaxu named Scytale, but not much beyond that.  I am restarting the series again this month (actually buying the books this time -- the only thing I own is DE), and look forward to rediscovering it.

Harq al-Harba

[Colonel_Worf]

I was also under the impression that the Tleilaxu were aliens. It took me a while to figure out they were humans who completely messed up their appearace.