How far did humanity travel during the Scattering?

[TMA_1]

Do any of you guys know what the boarder of the known universe is after the scattering, when the Honoured Matres came back to the boundaries of the old empire in the last two books? just curious if you guys know.

[MrFlibble]

I think the nature of the Scattering suggested that even the Scattered themselves didn't know everything about how far humanity had spread. This endless variety of the Scattering ensured the development of different ways of human survival.

[Vanguard3000]

The scattering had no boundaries or organization.  Once space travel became 'privatized', independant groups could go wherever they wanted.

I think if you had a map of the universe, you wouldn't see the Known Universe, much less the areas of the Scattering, as a sphere around some central point (Earth?  Kaitain?).  The nature of folding space removes such limits.  Yes, many planets would be located neat our solar system (Arrakis, Caladan, Geidi Prime, Ecaz, and so on, orbit stars visible from Earth's night sky), but I see no reason why some planets and colonies could not be in entirely different areas of the universe.  The areas of the Scattering would be even more, well, scattered.

[TMA_1]

very true, but it seems that there was a definite region where the Old Empire  existed. I guess a better question is how far did the expansion go throughout the universe? How far did the known universe expand as compared to the Old Empire regions.

[NHJ BV]

The Old Empire was, at it's core, still focused around a group of systems close together, from the pre-foldspace days. After the Scattering either there was no real definable border anymore (like the Internet, if you forget the geographical locations of servers), or the border was now much, much further away from the Old Empire that before (tenfold at least, and don't forget we're talking about a sphere here). This because it makes sense that people will, at least initially, go to just beyond where they had previously been, and may not have made the jump into the unknown at first.

[3ngel]

Basing on the 6 books, concerning the pre-scattering empire, i mean in the time until Leto II it's located in a precise region of space, not so big, 'cause we never know about a "so exhausting long travels" from the characters. The systems involved are rather few, related to the big houses first, and then scaled down to two or three (ixians, tleilaxlu, BG) areas of influences.

Concerning the scattering, the things we know for sure is that is organized in rather a spherical way, with the center being the center of the old empire. This because a phrase repetead in the last 2 books over and over is "The necrotis start from the center" (excuse for the translation), and Odrade more than one speaks about a concetrical dimension of the scattering.

The precise dimension, of this sphere for what we know is infinite.

[Davidu]

I think that the Old Empire was quite gathered toghether.

Because the way I see it the colonisation goes this way:

1. spot a suitable planet.

2. fly there with a normal thrust-engine ship

3. scout see chart, etc, etc.

4. if suitable send coordonates to the Guild and get a highliner with colonists and materials there.

So the new systems were quite near each-other. You cannot fold space anywhere. You risk to fold space into a star or planer if you're not careful. It's like teleportation. You need beacons or specific coordinates.

[Abelian]

In GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE there is the interesting statement in the 'Minority Report' at the end of the book that not only has humanity burst from the original multigalactic empire of Leto but to many other universes as well. Humanity itself doensn't know how farflung it is now. And duncan Idaho's last words in CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE are: 'We're an unidentifyable ship in an unidentifyable universe.' So Frank Herbert is really giving us the concept of infinity to play with - anything is possible! And that has entered into the collective psyche of the humans of this future time. It's for this reason I just can't get enough Spice!