Why can he fly in Dune?

The ability of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen to float in the Dune series is due to his use of suspensors, which are gravity-defying devices that allow him to move about as he wishes, committing extreme and terrifying acts of brutality as he goes. These suspensors operate by generating a low-energy Holtzman field, which uses subatomic repelling to essentially nullify gravity in relation to an object’s mass and energy expenditure.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. How did Baron Harkonnen survive the gas? – Two things saved him, one being his shield, which blocked fast expanding gas, and second was his belt-mounted suspensors which he used to cling to the ceiling as gas appeared to be heavier than air.
2. What is the Baron eating in Dune? – During a dramatic meeting with Isaac’s Duke, Harkonnen shows all his cruelty while eating ragged meat, a delicacy chosen by Skarsgard for his character.
3. Why are Harkonnens bald? – In director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel, the Harkonnens are hairless as a signifier of their relationship to nature.

Character Background

4. Why is Vladimir Harkonnen so fat? – The Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy explains that Harkonnen was once a fit, attractive but vain man who is given an incurable disease intentionally by the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother.
5. Is Vladimir Harkonnen Lady Jessica’s Father? – Jessica is revealed to be the secret daughter of the Baron Harkonnen himself, although neither Leto, Harkonnen, nor Jessica herself knew about this relationship initially.
6. Does Baron Harkonnen know Jessica is his daughter? – No, they didn’t know she was there to create a particular component in a broader plan, and this knowledge remains hidden to them.

Plot and World Details

7. Why can people fly in Dune? – People, specifically characters like Baron Harkonnen, can appear to fly due to the use of suspensors, advanced technology that manipulates gravity.
8. What’s the point of shields in Dune? – The “Dune” universe features a game-changing ultimate shield made to deflect fast objects and projectiles, making bullets, for instance, irrelevant as they are deflected automatically.
9. Why don’t they use shields in Dune? – The most obvious reason is that the shields attract the sandworms, and active shields will send the worms into a killing frenzy, making them dangerous to use in environments like Arrakis.

Character Relationships and Fates

10. Who kills Feyd Rautha? – Paul manages to defeat Feyd Rautha without the command, killing him, and goes on to accede to the throne of the Emperor.
11. How is Alia Atreides related to Harkonnen? – Alia becomes possessed by the persona of her deceased maternal grandfather, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, after marrying the ghola Duncan Idaho.
12. Was Lady Jessica pregnant in Dune? – Ultimately, Jessica does give birth to a daughter, Alia, who becomes susceptible to Abomination due to the effects of the Spice Agony on Jessica during pregnancy.

World and History

13. What happened to Earth in Dune? – According to the history established by the Dune books, Earth was supposedly struck by an asteroid, which devastated the planet, and while Earth’s environment was eventually restored, the planet was designated a nature preserve.
14. Why are there no navigators in Dune? – Guild Navigators don’t show up in Herbert’s books until Dune Messiah, which is why they’re not in the first novel and didn’t appear in Villeneuve’s film, with their appearance in Dune: Part Two not guaranteed.
15. Why is Jessica always crying in Dune? – Jessica is often troubled by emotions that intercede with her loyalty to the Bene Gesserit, particularly regretting that she groomed Paul so well for the messianic role of Kwisatz Haderach, leading to her emotional distress.