The popularity of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune on HBO Max and in cinemas brought about a significant amount of world-building. Many people learned about the Atreides family and their legendary blood war with House Harkonnen (or were re-introduced to it in the case of lifelong fans). On the sand-covered surface of the planet Arrakis, this plays out intensely, but many of Herbert’s star-spreading epic’s finer nuances haven’t been given a closer look on the big screen. This makes sense given that the Dune series consists of multiple main books as well as ancillary prequels authored by Kyle Herbert, Herbert’s son.
When taken at face value, the technology of Dune in particular can be somewhat baffling. Butlerian Jihad is to blame for the fictitious world’s lack of conventional computing equipment, yet there are still some highly advanced technologies. For instance, what is the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgrd) doing wandering around like that? Just how does that operate? Does he have a specific motive for doing it? Although the Baron enjoys drama and elevating himself above others, there are also practical and technological factors at play in his hovering.
In the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, Baron Harkonnen used to be far more physically fit. The baron’s rise to prominence over House Harkonnen following the death of his father brought him excesses galore. Physically domineering like his nephew, The Beast Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista), the baron was equally as physically domineering. He was left to indulge in his sensual cravings and went to great lengths with food, drink, and sexual adventures. Vladimir Harkonnen aged into a massive man (although some Dune extended universe material insists he was poisoned by the Bene Gesserit), horribly unfit, and unable to walk without the help of his Holtzman Suspensors, which are seen strapped to his body in almost perpetual motion. Obviously, excessive eating and drinking is not kind to one’s waistline.
Even though they aren’t always visible, The Baron’s suspensors actually function similarly to how Holtzman Shields do in Dune and are employed on a daily basis. Many of Dune’s technical occurrences can be attributed to the Holtzman Effect, a scientific idea that Herbert first proposed in response to the repelling properties of subatomic particles. This comprises the equipment that allows the evil baron to move about, as well as shielding, space flight, and artificial gravity.
The suspensors work by creating a low-energy Holtzman field, which effectively negates gravity in connection to an object’s mass and energy consumption by using subatomic repulsion. In essence, this means that the Holtzman effect can make objects appear to be hovering or flying by suspending natural gravity for them. The hovering light sources known as glowglobes, which are capable of following the Atreides’ household members about, are another illustration of this effect in action. In a manner, when it comes to the mechanics of Holtzman field generators, Baron Harkonnen is basically one gigantic, cunning, violent, and hateful glowglobe.
In Dune’s make-believe world, Holtzman Suspensors are also utilised on furniture like chairs or tables in addition to glowglobes and the baron. Additionally, they can be employed to keep some big structures together when their size would ordinarily make them incredibly unstable and prone to collapse. Frank Herbert himself never really provided a concrete explanation of how Holtzman technology functioned, but the assumption he offered has worked just well to explain some of Dune’s most recognisable inventions. One of science fiction’s most hateful antagonists is able to take a stroll on Giedi Prime thanks to the same technology that deflects fast missiles on a character’s personal shields, or at least what Vladimir Harkonnen considers to be a stroll.
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