Dune: Part Two was recently released on 1st March, and audiences and critics alike have been raving about the second installment of the intended trilogy. Denis Villeneuve has created the world of Dune from Frank Herbert’s novel extraordinarily, and Timothée Chalamet and team has made sure to bring all the characters to life perfectly with the two movies so far. With such an expanded source material, it is no surprise that Villeneuve has not been able to touch upon every single plot point from the books.
The story of the movies have been moving forward with certain distinct points from the source so far. Given Villeneuve’s fascination and love for the Bene Gesserit, the movies mainly focused on the sisterhood along with the story of Paul Atreides. The first movie was Paul’s introduction to Arrakis and the Fremen, and the second was his assimilation with the tribe and his ascension to becoming their Messiah. But in both movies, Denis Villeneuve has skipped through one very important part of the novels – the Spacing Guild.
Denis Villeneuve Skipped On The Spacing Guild
So far with Dune and Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve has walked a tight line on what to include in his movies and what not to. The plot revolves around Timothée Chalamet‘s Paul Atreides, who comes to planet Arrakis with his family. The first movie, by the end, saw the brutal annihilation of the House of Atreides along with their lord, Leto – played by Oscar Isaac. Except for Paul, Lady Jessica, and Gurney Halleck, the whole of House Atreides falls at the hands of House Harkonnen.
In the most recent installment, Dune: Part Two sees Paul and Jessica joining the Fremen, his evolving relationship with Chani – played by Zendaya, and his ascension to becoming the Messiah for the Fremen and the new Emperor, after disposing of Feyd-Rautha – who stands as the champion of Emperor Shaddam IV. But the one thing Villeneuve completely skipped over in his movies is the Spacing Guild.
Denis Villeneuve‘s focus on Arrakis as well as the Bene Gesserit did not leave much room for the story of the Spacing Guild. With already a long runtime in both movies, the director probably could not stretch the story more to add the Guild and focus on their importance to the story. But with the next movie being the adaptation of Dune: Messiah, it would be difficult for the director to move the story along without the Guild in the frame.
What is The Importance of The Spacing Guild to The Story of Dune
The Spacing Guild is an organization that monopolizes the economy of the empire through Interstellar travel. And the most important aspect of navigating space in the world of Dune is melange – or what we commonly know as “the spice” – which is the root of the whole story. Arrakis is rich in spice, the only planet that has it, and the reason why the planet and its people have been ravaged by outsiders like the Harkonnens. Spice production is one of the most profitable business in the empire, the only thing that enables space navigation, and the only thing the Spacing Guild depends upon.
In Dune, after Paul takes over the Empire after Emperor Shaddam IV, the Spacing Guild is forced to side with Paul Atreides. But in Dune: Messiah, a navigator of the Spacing Guild conspires to take down Paul by joining hands with the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, and Paul’s consort – Princess Irulan. The navigator’s prolonged exposure to the spice has given them prescience, which helps them navigate space as well as hide their doings from other prescients.
But given the Spacing Guild has been completely absent from the story so far, it will not be an easy task for Denis Villeneuve to incorporate them in Dune 3 without a solid foundation. Before Dune: Part Two was released, fans had hoped the Guild would be slowly introduced into the story with the second installment, but given that has not yet happened, it will be interesting to see how the director brings them and the Dune: Messiah story to the screen.
Dune: Part Two, in theatres worldwide.
