Is Chani Now The Biggest Op For Paul?

RJ Writing Ink Looks at new Trailer for Dune: Part Three

Paul Atreides is not a hero. If you went into Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies blind, then that must shock you. But this isn’t just the opinion of a fan; it’s a fact. Frank Herbert, the author of the original Dune books, outright said that Paul wasn’t meant to be a hero, but a trap. That trap being believing so much in heroes or leaders that you stop questioning if what they’re doing is right. In fact, any changes Villeneuve made to the story were probably because he thought they were necessary to get that point across. But if there are still any lingering doubts about that, then I think that the latest trailer for Dune Part Three pretty much erases them.

Also, how the heck did Warner Bros drop this thing without me hearing about it on social media?

Paul has Gone off the Rails, hasn’t he?

So, in a typical hero’s story, you would think that Paul overthrowing the Emperor and taking his place would be a good thing. That he would do away with the corruption and scheming that led to his father’s death and his exile into the deserts of Arrakis? As the trailer is all too happy to point out, that’s not the case. In fact, the universe might be an even worse place now that Paul is in charge.

Throughout the first half of the trailer, we get glimpses of what has happened in the almost two decades since the Fremen were unleashed upon the universe, and it’s not pretty. Planets are being sacked and burned, with countless people dead at the hands of Paul’s followers. Between the sight of the army of Fremen fanatically devoted to Paul and the giant statue of his likeness on Arrakis, it’s safe to say that he’s either gone off the deep end or is utterly trapped by the expectations forced onto him. And it’s made him a lot of enemies.

Scytale is a menace

In the book Dune: Messiah, there is a conspiracy at work to overthrow Paul, made up of the groups who have lost the most power thanks to his rise. The one that I think stands out the most in the trailer, though, is that of newcomer Scytale. Played by Robert Pattinson, Scytale is a member of the Bene Tleilax, a group of scientists who specialize in genetic engineering and experiments that disgust almost everyone. They’re also the ones who created Hayt, AKA the ghola, or clone, of Duncan Idaho, as a supposed gift to Paul. In reality, they’re hoping this reborn Duncan will mess with his emotions and lead him to make a mistake that they can exploit. In addition, it should be noted that Scytale is a face-dancer, a kind of shape-shifter that can mimic the appearance of almost anyone. So, he’s dangerous.

While the conspiracy to destroy Paul stems from the book, I don’t think that that’s the biggest threat to his rule. Instead, I think that honor belongs to Chani.

Chani, friend or foe to Paul?

Villeneuve had to make a number of changes to the plot of Dune to get Herbert’s point about Paul across to the audience, and from what I’ve heard, some people still didn’t get the message. However, I think that the best change he and his team made was to the character of Chani. In the books, she was more or less a supporting character meant to serve as Paul’s love interest, whereas the movies have made Dune as much about her as it is about Paul. She’s a fighter like Paul and we get to see plenty of moments where she kicks ass, which already gives her plenty of agency. But her importance goes beyond being an action woman.

Throughout Dune: Part Two, Chani gives voice to Herbert’s beliefs about the dangers of prophecies and chosen ones, as she sees the legend of Lisan al’ Gaib for the lie it is. Yet she is forced to watch as her people fall for the lie, and then Paul is forced to give into it to meet everyone’s expectations of him. The fact that she becomes the only person to love Paul for himself rather than his hype and is unable to stop him from becoming what he does is especially heartbreaking to watch. So is it any wonder why she ended the film by choosing to bail on Paul rather than stay by his side?

Judging by what we see of her in the trailer, it seems that even after all these years, Chani remains bitter toward Paul for his choices. That’s in stark contrast to her book counterpart who remains faithful to him and will ultimately give birth to his children. And while the trailer hints that this may still happen in the film, I think that Chani will spend the majority of the film opposing Paul and doing everything she can to stop him. The sad thing is that this might end up being a better alternative to her fate from the books.

Dunesday is gonna be EPIC

Overall, I’m happy to see that Dune: Messiah is getting adapted into film, and I’m excited to see it this December. Between it and Avengers: Doomsday releasing the same day, it’s looking as though we’re in for another Barbenheimer. But what do you guys think? Are you excited for Dunesday?