Aliens

[Grallon]

Is there any mention by Herbert as to why there was no aliens in the Duniverse ?  The closest thing are those strange evolved facedancers who seem to have mutated outside of the human race.  There are also those killer machines seen in Sheana's visions in GEOD.  Who built them ?  Btw I've read the first Anderson/Herbert prequels - crap all the way.  So I've dismissed the 'explanation' given in those books about the origins of the machine threat.

G.

[Timenn]

Well considering "aliens", if you meant beings which didn't originate from Terra, then there would be a few to name. One of them is the sandworm.

But considering intelligent aliens:

They are probably not in Dune because they wouldn't fit. Dune is about men, and bringing another intelligent species would disrupt the story too much. But a real explanation on why they aren't out there isn't given (and isn't needed, really)

[Egeides]

Humans, intelligent specy, are from what I see a rare case in the Duniverse, almost an anomaly to be preserved. Therefore the Golden Path.

[TMA_1]

hmm not sure but I remember that in the original six books at times they would mention that there were always small fears that they would stumble upon aliens, and in fact I think there was mention of a kind of plan in the landsdraad if there was a sort of first contact made. But no, no aliens, except if you consider the navigators as aliens, evolved humans buts till aliens.

[Mahdi]

hmm not sure but I remember that in the original six books at times they would mention that there were always small fears that they would stumble upon aliens, and in fact I think there was mention of a kind of plan in the landsdraad if there was a sort of first contact made. But no, no aliens, except if you consider the navigators as aliens, evolved humans buts till aliens.

Yeah, all guild ships are armed with lasguns and shield technology in the good old "well, there probably arn't any aliens out there, but better safe than sorry" line of thought.

It is also implied that some other spiecies is responsible for the presence of Sandworms on Arrakis (they are not native to the planet).

 

[MrFlibble]

Someone told me in the "Duniverse questions" thread that the Great Houses kept their atomics not only to have a balance among themselves but also to fend off aggressive aliens if such were to be encountered. However, I don't think such like information was mentioned in the books. At least, I don't remember anything... ???

[Tako]

well I did mention something like that (could be me you're talkin about. Don't know if it wat mentioned in the story or in the background, I do know it was mentioned in the first book.

also KJA/BH mentioned in the last house book that there was a great danger (guild navigater whats-his-name)said so, they had to leave now! becaus it was getting closer, that could implie somthing afterall, they are wordking (how sad actually) from FH  notes.

I don't think they would risk making such a great alteration to the story by them selves. Must be inthe notes

[Egeides]

I don't think they would risk making such a great alteration to the story by them selves. Must be inthe notes

I don't think we can guess what's in the notes, and I think that they already added lots from their own heads so they already did "risk making such a great alteration to the story". I'm curious to know what these notes are, but I don't expect too much from Brian/Anderson.

[Tako]

as I understand there may be a chance to "see"the notes when the whole story hes been completed so after the last book (ehm sorry last two damnit)

@Spectral Paladin why do you think a supernova? it is not mentioned in the book only a grave danger ( or something was really lost in the dutch translation)

so it could be virtually anything and everything

[Dante]

The absence of the mention of an unstable sun nearby would suggest that a supernova is actually less likely than some form of intelligent threat. In fact, the emphasis on emptiness, blackness, would suggest an unknown factor, rather than a huge, blazing ball of light and fire. In other words, aliens, machines, or whatever the Honoured Matres would eventually run from, is more likely.

I'd favour the latter option, myself. It would fit in nicely with other, similar mistakes in the prequels.

[Umma Kynes]

I think mabye the humans wiped out aliens with the lasguns... possible? ;D

[Dante]

Nope. Such a drastic event would certainly have been mentioned in the books, and have had a massive impact on the lives of the characters, even if it had occured a long time ago.

[3ngel]

Concerning aliens, i can agree that only "alien" form of life in Dune Books are worms, but as i can remember it's not clearly mentioned that worms were brought on Dune by an "intelligen alien" form of life (different from human race). But it's not mentioned either worms were brought by humans.

Regarding from what Mater Honorates are escaping from, they are the New Face Dancer race, that i think can be considered in the end the only true "Aliens".

In this sense i see a kind of Deja Vu and referring, from the Asimov books on "Spacers", where in the end on the books, on a world named "Solaria" (Italian translation), the humans were so isolated they evolved in a so different thing (coductive horns, telephaty etc..) they can't be considered humans anymore (and so "Aliens").

[Emperor Harkonnen]

to me it is crystalclear that what the navigator saw was probably the machines which omnius(wasn't that the name?) had sendt out many thousand years earlier. it seems likely. perhaps is this the threat the humans will face in dune7?

but there are of course more aliens than the sandworms, all other animal life on the other planets are just as much aliens as the sand worms.

[Dominator]

1. humans couldnt have brought sandworms to arraks cause that would have been before the guild thus it would take way too long to get there, and then they would have had to wait for the sandtrout to break down the oceans and lakes into desert before there were worms.

2. the zenzunni wanderers (fremen) were the first humans on arrakas and they arrived when it was desert.

3. (ok this is outside the books) isnt the speaker alein

[Dante]

'Humans' does not imply that these were humans known to the current civilisation. And I believe the wanderers arrived on Arrakis when it already had some academic life. People studying the enviroment and atmosphere and the like. And no, the speaker isn't an alien. It's known as a 'creature,' but whether mutated human or simply of human creation, it is not an alien.

[Tako]

lets (for only this one time) take the prequels into concideration.

1. The threath could then very well be the machines of omnius (remember:  "so old and so new" or something like that was said by the navigator)

2. before the wanderers arrived on arrakis there where also people on arrakis living from the spice. much before the spice and the first wormrider there where testlabs constructed on arrakis en inhabited by academic life as dante call it

3. all of the animals where transported by humans (sometimes also altered by them) to there new home's

4. the worms are not native to arrakis so they could also be geneticly altered by a tleilaxu like race.

[Chosenone]

Well considering "aliens", if you meant beings which didn't originate from Terra, then there would be a few to name. One of them is the sandworm.

But considering intelligent aliens:

They are probably not in Dune because they wouldn't fit. Dune is about men, and bringing another intelligent species would disrupt the story too much. But a real explanation on why they aren't out there isn't given (and isn't needed, really)

He said it the best. Aliens and Dune do not mix. The closest thing to an alien probably are guild navigators (who were originally human). This is what makes Dune THE science fiction story, it never made any cheesy "evil race" or anything like that.

[Davidu]

The human-fighting-human idea is very correct because we always fought eachother. He tries to tell us that some things weill never change.