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02/ 5/25 11:01:46 [ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4 ]

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Date Posted: 16:42:29 08/26/03 Tue
Author: Ghanima
Subject: I know, I know...
In reply to: IDAHO 's message, "Yes, but none of the questions have been answered..." on 15:48:25 08/26/03 Tue

I only responded to your question about whether the worms would be important to Dune 7. I got all caught up in the future of the worms, then felt I'd babbled enough for one post. But its a slow day at work so to open up a "can of worms"...(gah! horrible pun)
I think Frank made it clear that the worms were deliberately brought to Arrakis. So the ways this could happen are:
1. The worms got there by space-spores (as in they are dumb)
2. The worms got there intelligently
3. Ancient humans put them there
4. Ancient non-humans put them there
Now throw in the fact that many people believe that Arrakis is also engineered...I'm not sure where this idea comes from exactly. Is it ever stated explicitly in the books about the axis being perpendicular to the sun or being artificial? If this is true, #1 is out.
So. Generally speaking, 2 through 4 imply powerful and intelligent life traveling the universe long before the Butlerian Jihad. I'd tend to eliminate #3 because there is nothing to suggest that humankind learned space travel, terraforming, worms etc, and then forgot. Just doesn't fit the dune universe.
So if the worms were planted there by non-humans to produce spice, then that begs the question, why would someone "plant" spice?
A. For their own purposes.
B. For the sake of humankind.
I 'm leaning toward A here. Something tells me that Leto was the first being to act epically (and epochally, gah!) for the good of humankind.
So I think its narrowed down to either the worms were at one time intelligent being who devolved, or a non-human race planted them on Arrakis. Which is more likely?
Part of the problem is that Dune contains no such characters or history to suggest that whoever "created" Arrakis is coming back. I mean, Frank destroys the planet and everything. So it could just be that it is simply not important to the storyline. Also, the only "ancient enemy" in the Dune series is the machines. Everything points to the machines as enemies and we know the machines didn't put the worms there.
Unless we are all soooooo wrong about Daniel and Marty being super-facedancers (good term Superstring) and they are actually members of the race that planted the worms. But D&M sure don't seem to care, do they?
Maybe the "enemy" is actually ancient relatives of the worms that evolved differently and are super-intelligent, while the worm-race on Arrakis went all primitive. Now they are re-conquering the universe and we will only be able to fight them by using the new worms or even "joining" with them like the BG/HM conflict...but that would still make them a new enemy, not an ancient one.
I don't really see a relevant way to tie in the "creation" of Arrakis with the story. But then again I am not an award-winning science-fiction author, either.
I really could go on like this for days. But I'd like to hear some responses.

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