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Dune - 1984
In the opening monologue, Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen) explains that after the fall of the machine titans and the reclaiming of the universe by humans, the people established training programs to gain knowledge they had lost in their apathy. The two training regimens, each gender specific, enabled humans to establish knowledge in math and psychic abilities. The universe is dominated politically and economically by the spice melange, which extends life and enhances certain psychic powers.
The Galactic Spacing Guild and its prescient navigators use the spice to "fold space" and safely guide interstellar ships to any part of the universe instantaneously. Melange can be obtained in only one place: the desert planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. The inhabitants of Dune, the nomadic people called the Fremen, have a legend that tells of the coming of a messiah from another world.
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The year is 10,191. The Guild sends a navigator emissary to the planet Kaitain to discuss a threat to spice production with the emperor of the known universe, Shaddam IV (José Ferrer). The emperor confidentially shares his plans to destroy one of the noble houses, the Atreides. The popularity of Duke Leto Atreides (Jürgen Prochnow) has grown, and he is suspected of amassing a secret army wielding sonic weapons called weirding modules, making him a threat to the emperor.
Shaddam's plan is to give the Atreides control of the planet Arrakis to mine the spice, then have them ambushed by their longtime enemies, the Harkonnens. The navigator commands the emperor to kill the duke's son, Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), a young man who dreams prophetic visions of his purpose. The order draws the attention of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood (a training institution for women), as Paul is a product of their centuries-long breeding program which seeks to produce the superhuman Kwisatz Haderach.
Gaius Helen Mohiam (Siân Phillips), a Bene Gesserit reverend mother who serves as an adviser to the emperor, plans a visit to meet with Paul. On the planet Caladan, watery homeworld of House Atreides, Paul cannot understand why the Harkonnens would give up their hold on Arrakis to the Atreides, but understands that the family must go there. Thufir Hawat (Freddie Jones), a mentat (a human computer trained in pure mathematics), tells Paul they are going because of the promise of a new army.
Paul's tutor and mentor, Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart), tests him in the limits of hand-to-hand fighting in preparation for his manhood trials and discusses Paul's amazing abilities with Thufir. Paul's mother, Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis), is also a member of the Bene Gesserit, and serves as Duke Leto's concubine. The reverend mother arrives on Caladan to test Paul. Jessica is worried that her son may not live through the test. Mohiam tells Paul about the Water of Life, bile from the giant Arrakis worms, which no man has ever drunk and survived.
Only the Kwisatz Haderach, the true messiah in whom the Fremen inhabitants believe, can drink it. With a deadly gom jabbar at his throat, Paul is forced to place his hand in a box which subjects him to excruciating pain, but he resists the urge to withdraw his hand (which would result in death) and passes the test to Mohiam's satisfaction.
Meanwhile, on Geidi Prime, the industrial homeworld of House Harkonnen, the physically sick, deformed, and sadistic Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan) plans his personal revenge against House Atreides by finding a traitor who will kill the duke. He assigns his nephews Glossu Rabban (Paul L. Smith) and Feyd-Rautha (Sting) the task of crushing House Atreides.
Upon arriving on Arrakis, Leto is informed by one of his right-hand men, Duncan Idaho (Richard Jordan), that the Fremen have been underestimated; they exist in vast numbers and could prove to be powerful allies. Paul and Leto meet with Dr. Kynes (Max von Sydow) a spice mining leader who takes them by aircraft to a remote area where they witness a giant worm attacking a mining ship.
Faced with the destruction of the mining facilities, Duke Leto orders the place evacuated rather than risking lives by trying to save the precious spice ore, and even saves many of the workers by bringing them on his shuttle before the facility is destroyed, earning him the trust and recognition of Dr. Kynes and the rest of the Fremen workers. But before the duke can establish an alliance with them, the Harkonnens launch their attack against Arrakis.
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