The trailer for Denis Villeneuve's Dune has instilled a newfound thrill for the saga’s long-standing fans while provoking awe among those not familiar with the novel’s premise. The rich, layered narrative textures of Dune have inspired countless works, including the Star Wars saga, in which, Sandcrawlers (mobile fortresses) are an obvious nod to Herbert’s iconic sandworms. Desert ecosystems aside, water is symbolic of life, or hope, on multiple levels throughout the Dune saga, especially for the Fremen, inhabitants of the desolate desert planet, Arrakis.
In essence, Dune is a manifesto for overcoming fear - a coming-of-age story for Paul, male heir to House Atreides, who comes to with his transformation into the fabled Kwisatz Haderach, donning the title of Muad'Dib after being accepted as the Fremen as one of their own. As Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation will cover a distinct portion of Herbert’s book, it is only fitting that much of the film’s act will be set in Caladan, a stark contrast to Arrakis, with its complex underwater ecosystem and plentiful rainfall.
On arriving at Arrakis, Paul comes to recognize the precious nature of water on the barren planet, as it is a limited natural resource that is shared at a community level. Be it Arrakis’ stillsuits (full-body gear that recycles bodily fluids into potable water) or rites of the Fremen that incorporate water into their oaths and funeral customs, water holds a sacred place in the lives of the Fremen. While the sands of Arrakis are invaluable due to the presence of the spice", a valuable commodity that fuels the world of Dune, the planet’s water scarcity prevents the Fremen from flourishing in the near future. As oceans are not a common sight on Arrakis, the beach stroll that Paul takes in the trailer is most likely on his lush home planet Caladan, ruled by his father, Duke Leto Atreides I.
Apart from creating a stark contrast to Arrakis’ bleak, barren landscape, water bodies in Caladan also symbolize Paul’s psychological and moral growth throughout his bildungsroman, as his fate is intertwined with the future of Arrakis, which hinges upon his shoulders. Also, Paul’s dreams of water are a foreshadowing of the secretive underground reservoirs on Dune, which serve as a singular source of hope for the planet’s inhabitants. It is also interesting to note that Paul is the only man to have survived after ingesting the poisonous Water of Life (extracted from a sandworm prior to drowning in water), which in turn, grants him superhuman prescience.
As Villeneuve’s much-anticipated has been officially delayed to 2021, a long wait lies ahead for hardcore fans of the novel. The trailer, along with the movie stills released so far look extraordinarily promising, so hopefully, it will be worth the wait. Until then, all one can do is dream about the capricious yet captivating desert planet.
