Sentient Life in the Duniverse

[dczx]

Hi,

I've read all of the original series except for Chapterhouse which I am reading now and I was wondering... was there any other intelligent sentient life in the Dune stories besides humans? The Tleilaxu were just genetically modified humans right?

[Mahdi]

There is no other biologicalsentient life, however at one point before the books were writtent here was sentient artificial (robot) life.

[Vanguard3000]

Just to add to what Mahdi said: There were no sentient "alien" races (the sandworms, I believe were the only non-earth "natural" beings). The closest thing would be genetically modified/changed things, such as the Guildsmen or the Futars (which you got a glimpse of in Heretics of Dune).

Also, not to be picky/mean, but in the future, could you please make your subject line a bit more descriptive? I've noticed this a few times lately, and I thought I might as well say something while I'm posting. Thanks.

[dczx]

thanks, fixed the subject... I guess Frank Herbert wanted to tell more "human" stories. One wouldn't think that Bene Tleilax and such fit into that, but with genetic engineering becoming more of a reality, maybe it is.

[Vanguard3000]

Thanks (about the subject thing, that is).

I always liked that about Dune. In a lot of sci-fi, you have really wierd/stupid aliens. Aliens with fish heads, aliens with fish bodies, fish with alien heads, and so on. :)

[Caid Ivik]

Shai-Hulud isn't sentient?

[AlteaDeo]

what is sentient? ;)

[Vanguard3000]

"Sentient" means they think for themselves, and are above using only their animal instinct/drive (i.e. humans).

And no, Caid, Shai-Hulud (the Worm) isn't sentient.

[Acriku]

Shai-Hulud isn't even real. Unless they show him in the laer books...

[Anathema]

The worms that descended from Leto II were sentient...kind of...they really got me confused with that part.

[TMA_1]

they werent really sentient. They had an "essense" of intelligence but it was a collective mind of Leto the tyrant. Basically the worms were a manifestation of Leto's intelligence.

[Anathema]

I know that. I pretty much remember the exact words of that part. But if you break down a sentience in multiple pieces, what do you get?

[TMA_1]

a sentient being with many bodies? lol They dont think seperately. They are all apart of one. Kind of like the idea of Nirvana. Where all enlightened souls come to a state of collective consciousness.

[AlteaDeo]

"Sentient" means they think for themselves, and are above using only their animal instinct/drive (i.e. humans).

thanks :) I'm now a bit better an english talking men then ever before! :) lolol.... ::)

[Vanguard3000]

Glad I could help. :D

[exatreide]

Well couldnt leto II be considered as not human?

he was a big worm....who thought for himself...he didnt have a fishead though....

[Caid Ivik]

Leto II. died. His body left something, what became new worms. But he himself, his humanity died, his soul left him. So if Shai-hulud is an animal, all worms, pre- or post-Leto, are animals.

[Anathema]

Hardly my point, TMA. If you break something into multiple pieces, you have multiple things, but none of them are like the original. I believe the worms were "directed" by Leto IIs soul.

[Caid Ivik]

So if he said "they'll call me Shaitan" he ment personally himself? Then pre- and post-Leto worms were different...

[AlteaDeo]

of course they where different.

Still, it doesn't mean that worms after Leto II where intelligent. In that matter, they where exactly the same as before him, they just have a part of leto II, peoticly talking, because they all come from Leto II's dead...

well, only my little opinion though ;D

[TMA_1]

true true altea. This is just my opinion though and tell me if you agree. Remember the inhabiting of the thoughts of the baron in alia or the voice of paul in leto the tyrant? I think that the worms had an essense of leto the second. one essense. still though you could be right about it just being fluff altea. dont know. dont think it is supposed to be known. its fiction.lol

[Anathema]

LetoII mentioned that the worms that came from him would have an animal like mind- so pre-LetoII worms didn't have minds?

[TMA_1]

no what that meant was they would be even more dangerous than they were before. Remember that leto the tyrant would go in and out of the shui-hulud state where he went berserk.

[AlteaDeo]

true true altea. This is just my opinion though and tell me if you agree. Remember the inhabiting of the thoughts of the baron in alia or the voice of paul in leto the tyrant? I think that the worms had an essense of leto the second. one essense. still though you could be right about it just being fluff altea. dont know. dont think it is supposed to be known. its fiction.lol

the worm being a kind of abobination? could be true. Still, if a worm had that kind of memory, that would make then REAL god, as they would be so evolved with all those memories in them... If they can "know" what those memory mean of course ;)

[Caid Ivik]

We'll see in Dune VII. I hope...