Prescient Shielding

[arnoldo]

In Dune Messiah the conspiracy is apparently shielded from Paul via Edric.  However there appears to be a caveat that the conspirators have to be committed to the conspiracy before they are offered this protection.  Irulan states that Paul can also offer prescient shielding to others via loyalty to him.

  "People who share Paul's aims and loyalties," she said.  "Certain of his Fremen legionaries, then, wear his cloak.

Is it possible that the Sardaukar who killed Paul's first son Leto were shielded by a Guild Navigator since by this time Paul had already converted the WoL. . . . and obviously would've prevented his son's death if he any prescient knowledge of it. 

[Dante]

The whole point of Paul's prescience was that he was trapped, knowing the future but unable to change it. That goes for Leto as much as it does for everything else.

[arnoldo]

The whole point of Paul's prescience was that he was trapped, knowing the future but unable to change it. That goes for Leto as much as it does for everything else.

Perhaps that's why Odrade refused to use her limited prescience whilst planning for the counter offensive against the Honoured Matres. . . 

[arnoldo]

The other possibility that Paul failed to see his firstborn's death was that Baby Leto was prescient himself.  IIRC, Paul later failed to see his second son, also called Leto, because of the child's prescience.

[MrFlibble]

The other possibility that Paul failed to see his firstborn's death was that Baby Leto was prescient himself.

I don't think there's enough evidence to support that. To "see" something in the future, one has to look for it. In Messiah, Paul used prescience to see the fate of Chani, and saw baby Ghanima in the process, while the future Leto II was hidden from him. It is unknown, however, if Paul had used prescience to probe the future of his firstborn. After all, he could have foreseen the entire Harkonnen attack and could have prevented it, but apparently he didn't - he had more important things to take care of.

[arnoldo]

I don't think there's enough evidence to support that. To "see" something in the future, one has to look for it. In Messiah, Paul used prescience to see the fate of Chani, and saw baby Ghanima in the process, while the future Leto II was hidden from him. It is unknown, however, if Paul had used prescience to probe the future of his firstborn. After all, he could have foreseen the entire Harkonnen attack and could have prevented it, but apparently he didn't - he had more important things to take care of.

Point taken, although with the minor quibble that it was a Sardaukar attack which resulted in baby Leto's death and Alia's capture.

[MrFlibble]

Right, those were the Sardaukar. You think Alia had her own prescient-shielding field that hid this incident from Paul's oracular vision?