Dune: What Happened After The Butlerian Jihad?

Key Takeaways

The Butlerian Jihad influenced the Known Universe by outlawing machines and AI, leading to the Great Convention and Kanly.
Post-Jihad, Mentats, Bene Gesserit, and the Spacing Guild emerged to fill the void left by thinking machines.
The Jihad’s repercussions included the emergence of a repressive, feudal class system, maintaining stability in the Imperium.

As a historian who has spent countless hours delving into the intricate world of Dune, I cannot help but marvel at the profound impact the Butlerian Jihad had on shaping this grand cosmic empire. Having studied various societies and civilizations throughout human history, I’ve come to appreciate the resilience of our species in adapting to adversity and forging new paths forward.

In Frank Herbert’s works and those who followed him, such as Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the Butlerian Jihad is a crucial event and a pivotal moment in the history of the Dune universe. This war had a profound impact on the entire cosmos, particularly since it resulted in the ban on Artificial Intelligence or Thinking Machines.

In Herbert’s storyline, the ban on computers and AI forms a significant foundation. This ban, in turn, lays the groundwork for the happenings depicted in Denis Villeneuve’s dual-part Dune saga, which transpires over 10,000 years following the Jihad. The events of Dune: Prophecy, however, unfold approximately a century post-event, when its repercussions are still palpable. The Butlerian Jihad has been extensively discussed in Dune, but what were its broader societal, political, and technological impacts?

The Historic Great Convention

Kanly, War Of Assassins, OC Bible, & The Ban On Thinking Machines

Following the annihilation of intelligent machines during the Butlerian Jihad, the dominant powers in the Universe – the Imperium, the Great Houses, and the Spacing Guild – gathered together. They forged an agreement soon after this event, promising to ban atomic weapons from being used against humans, and swearing to safeguard human life.

To establish the belief that humans are superior to other life-forms, the Grand Assembly established stringent guidelines for war and conflict. This led to the emergence of a custom called Kanly, designed to settle deep-seated grudges without causing harm or damage to the innocent. The honorable families Atreides and Harkonnen were involved in such a Kanly. It allowed for specific types of confrontations but prohibited the deployment of nuclear weapons. Additionally, the Grand Assembly permitted covert warfare: the War of Assassins, which encompassed deceitful actions and professional killings as acts of vengeance.

The Orange Catholic Bible was created following the Butlerian Jihad by a group called the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. This holy scripture is frequently mentioned in conversations between the Bene Gesserit and Gurney Halleck from Dune. The gathering where it was produced took place on an impartial island on Old Earth, and representatives from all religions throughout the Known Universe were present. After seven standard years, the Orange Catholic Bible was completed, and one of its most well-known directives is:

Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.

According to an edict from the Old Testament of the Orthodox Christian Bible, the construction of conscious or thoughtful artificial entities is prohibited. This religious decree serves as a cornerstone for the philosophical concepts in the Dune series. As a result of their rebellion against thinking machines, humans sought liberation from their control. For instance, the Sisterhood focuses on developing human capabilities further. The first season of Dune: Prophecy, episode 1 titled “The Hidden Hand,” reveals that after the Butlerian Jihad concluded, any technology capable of thought was outlawed.

Mental-Physical Training Schools

The Order Of Mentats, The Bene Gesserit, & The Spacing Guild Filled the Vacuum

Following the destruction and prohibition of machines, certain individuals within society adapted to fill specific roles as mental calculators, or Mentats. As Paul Atreides and his family make their way to Arrakis, Thufir Hawat – a skilled Mentat – is serving under the Atreides household, while Piter de Vries, a cunning but deceitful Mentat, is allied with the Harkonnens.

In the wake of the Butlerian Jihad, unique institutions like the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood (as depicted in HBO’s Dune: Prophecy), the Order of Mentats, and the Spacing Guild emerged. These institutions adapted to the values of the post-war era and upheld the ban on creating artificial intelligence, known as Thinking Machines.

Within the Imperium, two distinct groups, the Mentats and the Bene Gesserit sisters, exhibit extraordinarily developed mental skills and talents. Each group assumes unique roles within the empire’s structure. The Bene Gesserit ladies are often found in positions of power, with a Bene Gesserit adept serving as Truthsayer by the side of every Padishah Emperor. On the other hand, Mentats serve the Great Houses as political strategists. Completing this three-part foundation supporting the Emperor at the pinnacle is the Spacing Guild, which assumes duties that were once handled by conscious machines. The Navigators within the Guild are powerful due to their exclusive control over all interstellar travel.

Emergence Of A Repressive Class System

A Ramification Of The Butlerian Jihad

Although the galactic civilization has impressively rebuilt itself following the Butlerian Jihad, it’s undeniable that the society depicted in Dune functions under a harsh and unyielding interstellar feudal system called Faufreluches. This system is designed to protect the power of the hereditary Padishah Emperor and House Corrino, while maintaining some degree of balance through various restrictions. As Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam tells Paul Atreides in Dune, this society is far from free or democratic.

In our world, there are three main powers: the Imperial Family, who hold authority, counterbalanced by the Grand Alliances of Noble Houses in the Council of Lords, and sandwiched between them is the Guild, with its troublesome control over interstellar travel.

In the Imperium, each prominent family or Great House has a seat within the council called the Landsraad. These families wield influence over their respective planetary estates or Siridars, granted by the Emperor. They also share ownership of the CHOAM company, which holds exclusive rights to interstellar trade. The Imperial Houses, the Landsraad, the Bene Gesserit, and the Spacing Guild all have a stake in this venture. The more significant the stake, the greater the power they possess. During the reign of the Corrino Empire, the Emperor’s establishment of a stringent socio-political system proved beneficial for his rule.

In the world of “Dune”, this particular form of power devolution allows the Great Houses to enact the Emperor’s decrees on their respective planets. However, it’s not always that these nobles, such as Dukes, Barons, Archdukes, and Counts, rule with fairness. The House Harkonnen, for instance, exploited Arrakis ruthlessly to mine the valuable Spice Melange, a move that brought nothing but destruction to the native inhabitants of the planet.

Stepping into the captivating realm of ‘Dune’, I find myself among humans gifted beyond ordinary, honed by training and genetics. In this future, feudalism serves as a powerful tool propelling interplanetary expansion. Even after the Butlerian Jihad, the Empire clung to feudalism, not for tradition, but because of its immense scope. As I delve into ‘Children of Dune’, I can’t help but agree with the Mentat who saw Feudalism as an ideal social structure for conquering vast, unexplored frontiers – new planets.

The Butlerian Jihad significantly molded the essence of the Imperium, serving as a strong base for its system of governance and social classes. The justification for the Faufreluches class system lies in maintaining stability within the Imperium, even though it fosters inequality. Social hierarchy is crucial to preserving the rigid structure of the Imperium. In the world of Dune, the feudal system resulted in the subjugation of common people, particularly the Fremen, under the Harkonnens.

2024-12-07 18:05