What happens in ‘Dune Messiah?’

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the second book in Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Dune Messiah

With Dune: Part Two finally hitting theaters two and a half years after the first film came out, there’s been renewed interest in the novel series the films are based on. Now, many people are wondering if the second book in the series, Dune Messiah will also be adapted for the big screen by director Denis Villeneuve.

There are six original books in Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi, in which the author crafted an unbelievable world to match that of legends like Tolkien and Ursula K. Le Guin. This rich universe can be quite hard to understand for those who have limited exposure to the book, so if you’ve been wondering just what the Dune series is all about but haven’t quite had the time to sit down and read or listen to them, then you’re in the right place.

We’ve read through the series (and the comics), imbibed all the strange lore, and argued with people on nerdy messageboards so that we can give you the low down on this epic series. Read on to find out what happens in Dune Messiah.

What happens in Dune Messiah?

Dune Messiah is set 12 years after Paul took his seat as emperor. However, his decision to accept the role of the Fremen messiah led to a holy war (jihad) that allowed Paul and his Fremen armies to take control of a large majority of the universe. Despite being more powerful than any previous ruler, Paul is still unable to control the hordes he helped to craft, leading to the death of 61 billion beings across the universe. However, Paul’s visions inform him that it could still be worse, so he sets about trying to divert the course of humanity away from destruction while also continuing his role as emperor and messiah.

However, it’s not just the monster that Paul created that he has to look out for. The Spacing Guild, Bene Tleilax, and Bene Gesserit are all attempting to dethrone Paul to regain the power they once held. As many of their members also have the gift of prescience, they are able to hide their plot from Paul’s visions.

They have also enlisted the help of Paul’s wife, Princess Irulan, in their plot. The conspirators are aided by the resentment she feels towards Paul for refusing to father an heir with her, instead preferring his Fremen concubine Chani as a potential mother to his children. As a result, Irulan has been slipping contraceptives to Chani, stopping her from producing an Atreides heir. Paul’s prescience means he’s aware of this, but he has also seen that Chani will die after giving birth and he doesn’t want to let her go, so he is letting it slide.

The Tleilaxu present Paul with a gift: A ghola (ghost-like figure) of Paul’s childhood instructor Duncan Idaho, whom they name Hayt. They do this in the hope that it will cause Paul to doubt himself, and because they know it will dampen his support among the Fremen as they see the concept of gholas as unclean.

All the while, Chani has switched over to a Fremen fertility diet and soon finds herself pregnant. However, the contraceptives that Irulan has been slipping her have weakened her system, endangering both her life and the pregnancy.

Soon, it’s discovered that there’s a Fremen conspiracy to remove Paul. The embattled emperor accepts the help of the Tleilaxu to break up the plot, despite knowing that they too are plotting against him. An attack is planned against the Fremen conspirators, but it leads to an atomic weapon going off which ravages the area and leaves Paul blind.

As per Fremen tradition, Paul is expected to exile himself in the desert now that he’s been blinded, but he further proves his status as their messiah by showing he can see by utilizing his oracular powers. This means he can see what’s about to happen in his mind despite his eyes no longer working, effectively meaning he can still view the world around him to the most minute detail. Meanwhile, the Tleilaxu programme Hayt to murder Paul under specific circumstances.

Chani gives birth to fraternal twins, but the future Paul saw does happen and she dies during the process. He is surprised by the fact he also has a son, as he’d only foreseen having a daughter. His grief at losing Chani triggers Hayt’s programming, and the ghola attempts to kill him, but his body overrides the instructions of the Tleilaxu and recovers Duncan Idaho’s full consciousness, thus allowing him to be independent.

It transpires that the twins have come into the world fully conscious, with access to the memories of their ancestors. Paul is offered the opportunity to bring Chani back as a ghola, but after seeing how the Tleilaxu controlled Dunacn/Hayt, he declines the offer. They threaten to murder his infants unless he accepts, but Paul is able to kill those standing against him. However, in the process, he becomes fully blind. He then finally engages in the Fremen tradition of walking into the desert to die, ensuring that they will bow down to his children (named Leto and Ghanima) when they’re old enough to rule.

Paul’s sister Alia is left as Regent for the twins, and she embarks on a reign of terror in which she orders the deaths of a large number of the conspirators against her brother. However, she spares the life of Princess Irulan, who suffers from great grief after Paul’s death and promises to dedicate her life to teaching Paul’s kids.

Will there be Dune 3 based on Dune Messiah?

While nothing has been officially confirmed, Dune director Denis Villeneuve has said in a number of interviews that he wants to adapt at least three films from the novel series. He’s even gone so far as to say that there are “words on the paper.” Given that Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two are both adapted from the first Dune book, we can safely assume that the third film (if it’s made) will be based on Dune Messiah.

Early reviews and box office receipts are all pointing to a staggering success for Dune: Part Two, and you don’t need the gift of prescience to figure out that Warner Bros. will be licking its lips at the prospect of another big money hit.

The casting of Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia also shows there is a high likelihood of a third film. Her character is only a teen in the second book, but Villeneuve has already played around with timelines, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see her age up in a potential third film.