A Dune Council

[TMA_1]

I talked with Mahdi about this idea, and it is still tentative. I myself am really busy with school as I know others are but this is definitely something where everybody will have their work cut ou for them. No worries though! it will be fun :) This is my idea.

We start a Council, its not really a council as everybody is included but we are all like minds and I guess the Council would be everyone in the Dune community who wants ab etter understanding of Dune. Anyways all of those that want to be apart of it are welcome, especially all you Dune nuts out there.

But before the Council comes together to discuss the issues, we need to know what the issues are and what the purpose of all of this is for. I am thinking we should put together 15 to 20 great issues of debate in the Dune universe, or issues that are hazey. Things like the nature of Leto II, the Divided God. The Spice Cycle, questions like this. We should come up these issues and then once they are set, we will discuss, and even debate on what these issues are that we choose, and what they really mean and what the purpose of these things are. For example the Golden Path. We would set this issue out and all would talk about what the Golden Path really is, and what it's implications are throughout the entire series. Then after we all talk about our ideas we make a concensus on all of our ideas and create one final statement on what the Golden Path is from all of our council discussions. We will brand all other opinions as "heretical" more for the silliness of it with us being dorky fans and all.lol  We would then make these 15 to 20 issues into 15 to 20 answers to the Duniverse. These would then be placed in Honor in the Duniverse Boards so that all can go to see lengthly concrete answers about the toughest topics in Dune. All decided by debate and discussion, and finally polls.

what do you guys think of the idea? I know Ididnt explain it that well, but I really just wanted to push this idea out. I think it would be wonderful, and people that dont usually go to this website who are Dune fans can find some really useful info about the hard topics in Dune.

are you fellow dune fans into this? I hope so! :)

By the way, I am getting into Dune like never before. I dont know why but I am just loving the series like I did the first time. I cant wait to see if this plan comes to fulfillment.

[Khan]

Yeah sounds like a great idea, would love to be part of it.

[MrFlibble]

I like the idea of the Council by itself.

Then after we all talk about our ideas we make a concensus on all of our ideas and create one final statement on what the Golden Path is from all of our council discussions. We will brand all other opinions as "heretical" more for the silliness of it with us being dorky fans and all.lol

[Dante]

Can't hurt to try.

[TMA_1]

Okay sweet. Ill start coming out with the layout for all of this, wondering if any of you would like to chat about this so I can get some help for the concept, that would be great. Also lets start coming up with the 20 ideas or concepts that need clarification.

Speaking of the Golden Path, lets throw that one out there. Once we get a sizable amount of concepts to question and discuss about, then lets choose the top 20 and by that time the council idea will hopefully be completed so we can start.

So Ill throw a few more out there.

The Spice Cycle

The Nature of Leto II

The Nature of Paul Muad'dib Atreides

The nature and aims of the Fish Speakers

The nature and aims of the Honoured Matres

Information on CHOAM and how it works

The workings of the Landsraad

The goal of the Butlerian Jihad and its repercussions

The evolution of the Navigators

Information about the Face Dancers and their use

The effects of the Spice on the body and mind, as well as it's history.

The nature and aims of the Mentats

The nature and aims of the Tleilaxu

The concept of The Scattering partaining to the Golden Path and its causes

Details on what the Futars are

Technology in the post-butlerian age

The concept of the Kwizats Hederach and where it comes from

Of course these ideas need some cleaning so that they can be summed up into a more digestable and uniform idea. But please post concepts and questions you guys think should be apart of this Council. Once we get a lot of good ideas and find the real core questions, we can start. still not sure if it should be set at just 15 to 20, might want to do 25, really just depends on how it goes. So any ideas you guys may have please post. :)

[Egeides]

I don't know if I would actively participate, but here are some topics and if some are of interest to others then great:

Tleilaxu-Ix as two extreme opposites (conservation-advancement, dogmatic-rationalist?) of Mankind in Dune

Leto II's anti-historian stance (and would it extend to academics or something?), or his view of other factions

The elite-population dissociation in Dune, and how an elite manages it in such a world

The dynamism/sclerosis of Leto II reign, and the wisdom of this (w/in Duniverse, or in general)

Difference on how the Duniverse and reality work in your opinion, on the extent to which a novel can explain things when it has a setting chosen by the author

[Dante]

Ok, a few more suggestions. I'd hope that a lot of the ideas that will be suggested can be combined, rather than dismissed.

The differing political ideals of the Imperium (the Bene Gesserit's democracy, the Tleilaxu's theocracy, the imperialism/monarchy/oligarchy of the Landsraad... This would make a large topic, but would mean no need for seperate political debates).

The long-term goals of the Bene Gesserit. What did they plan to use the Kwizatz Haderach for? Why? For how long? To what end? What about the other projects?

Pre-Bulterian Jihad era. What was it like? Why was there a need for a holy war? Was there a need at all?

The schools and their aims. Bene Gesserit, Guild, Mentats, (Swordmasters, if you must...).

Worms. Origin of and biological structure.

The Golden Path. How and why? It hinges on supposedly random details (such as the betrayal of the Atreides), what if these had not occured?

Nature of religion. OC Bible, Religions of Paul & Leto. Alia.

Non-human humans, unusual biology. Navigators, Face Dancers, Futars, Gholas. Other memory, Prana-Bindu, Mentat computations, ghola memory, spice agony, worm transformation...

The natures of Harkonnen, Atreides and Corrino, and how the three compare.

Politics and Religion. Both seperately and interwoven.

Wheels with wheels. The plots of Dune.

[NHJ BV]

The organizational structure of the Spacing Guild.

[Andrew]

Sounds good, but I won't be able to participate until Christmas at the earliest.

[Caid Ivik]

hm, if so then let's focus on Golden Path, it may have some practical use  ::)

[Dante]

;D

With a bit of immortality, we may even get to implement it.

[Caid Ivik]

IMmorality? I would say we really need to focus on it  ;D

[TMA_1]

Just need a few more posts with some ideas, and I think we can sum some down. Really think of the hard hitting ones, even the ones you may totally understand. I am talking about the core mysteries of the Duniverse. Not many more till we can actually set all of this up. Still any volunteers who want to help create this project? it wont be a huge undertaking by any means, just a bit of chatting on what to do and how to organize it. Once that is in place, we can start the real Council stuff. Heck, is the Mirc site for Dune2k still open? We can use that as a primary meeting ground. Anyways hope to hear from more of ya. :)

[nemafakei]

Mmmm, no. Not IRC.

I think perhaps the best place to do it would be the forum. Considered debate rather than chats befits the nature of the project more.

A few more topics

- Shields, lasguns, and the use of weaponry in the universe.

- Holtzmann technology

- The stillsuit and how it worked

- Miscellaneous gadgets from Ix and elsewhere - a list with descriptions.

- Genetics and the KH breeding programme

- Fusion, separation, and innovation of philosophies and cultures

[Caid Ivik]

Or what about a camp in some neutral location, ie somewhere in Germany or so? A big offline-treffen action for 2006. Or perhaps two, linked, like one in America and another in Europe...

[Tako]

sounds great I'll trie to participate but as you put it TMA very busy so I hope I get there in time each councel meeting,

one for the topics:

social, economical and governal structure of the empire after the death of Leto II

[3ngel]

Wow, i'm really interested into this council :) I think it's a more than beautiful idea ;)

Concerning me, about the arguments i can debate on everything you propose ATM, and i can contribute with my ideas.

Concerning the place of the meeting, i think IRC is a good place, in conjunction with this forum, pheraps creating a dedicate section, or better a "private" section reserved to the members of the council.

In the end, if you do, i'm definetively in :)

Waiting for news.

[MrFlibble]

I'd like to discuss the following points:

- The Bene Gesserit training: prana-bindu, the Voice, etc.

- The Bene Gesserit breeding program, its aims and means; the mating index; the Kwisatz Haderach as viewed by them.

- Leto II's Golden Path, as it continues after his death; connection of the Golden Path and the Scattering.

- Political situation on the Old Empire after Leto II's reign. Origins and purposes of the Scattering.

- The Scattered Ones as evolved from the factions of the Old Empire: Honored Matres, Faceless Ones and their connections with the Bene Gesserit, Fish Speakers and Tleilaxu.

- The origins of Tleilaxu religion, their goals, and purpose of their secrecy. Leto II as the Tleilaxu Prophet.

- Development of Mentat schooling, before and after Leto's Peace.

I think the forum is the best place for discussion, we can start a new thread for each topic we deem worth of examination.

[TMA_1]

okay there are a lot of great ideas here. Yeah yo uguys are right, lets just leave it all in the forum. What we need to do now is take a few of the ideas that are really central to the Duniverse, or really popular, and simplify them so that they are a bit more general. We want to hit the really conventional mysteries so that the hard questions are hit first.

[3ngel]

@TMA

Sincerely, considering the 6 books i don't think there is an argument more importan than other, cause in a certain contex (book) every argument is fundamental :)

I was thinking in opening single threads regarding single arguments, without priorizing this or that. Everyone puts his ideas, or debate in the thread of his interest.

The importan thing, i think, is to separate in a good way the various thread, in the sense, make it a kinda encyclopedia, so that each argument has more section regarding every aspect of it, so a user is not lost searching the answer in a mega-thread.

In substance, more threads regarding and argument, but more focused.

I hope i've been clear :)

[Egeides]

No idea of if it's of any interest to others but...

Caid made me think of a pertinent topic:

What's the actual use of all this? Is all of it directly  useful, or are some parts just recreational? Which parts can bring to more after? (For those so inclined, it expands: the use of the novel, or of the art/poesis added to the rational structure.)

Also, the topic of Herbert's influence might have some potential for a more complete web of ideas around what is found in Dune. Also at times, these sources might push further and show more links.

[TMA_1]

Hmm, I dont think talking about frank's influences would be a proper way of doing this.

This is really just for fun guys, and to cement ideas that are debated about all the time, but are never set in place. So that is really why.

[Dante]

Considering the vast range of topics suggested, it might be practical to divide them according to 'product' rather than process. In other words, instead of such broad headings as 'Politics in pre-Muad'dib Imperium,' which examines politics over all factions and in all circumstances, but excludes related factors such as economy, it might be possible to simply discuss all factors relating to 'The Tleilaxu,' or 'The Bene Gesserit.' Not very exciting I grant you, but it means that politics, religion, goals, methods, persons, call all be discussed under a single heading. Which in turn makes more space for more questions.

So CHOAM, for example, would be a single topic. But this topic would in turn have subtopics, such as history, inner workings, purpose in the Imperium... you get the idea.