In the galaxy-spanning civilization of “Dune,” the new movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, the basic laws of economics still apply
“Begin selling spice reserves, but slowly,” the villain of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” commands an underling. “We don’t want the price to fall.”
In the new film starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and the novel it faithfully adapts, the galaxy’s rivaling noble houses are obsessed with the accumulation of wealth, which they view as the main source of political power in the galaxy. And the primary source of wealth is the scarce commodity of spice.
‘Spice,’ also called ‘melange,’ is the most valuable commodity in the film’s universe, as the substance possesses consciousness-enhancing properties.Meanwhile, on Dune itself water is the ultimate commodity in scarce supply. Natives don “stillsuits” to constantly capture and recycle their bodily fluids; to spit on the ground serves as an honorific greeting involving the sacrifice of precious water.
For all its commercial success though, “Star Trek” has never felt prophetic, while “Dune” frequently has, mostly notably anticipating the oil crises of the following decade. The planet Arrakis itself is an obvious allegory for the Middle East; author Frank Herbert draws heavily on Arabic phrases and references to Islam in depicting its native population of desert-roaming Fremen. Meanwhile spice’s role in enabling long-haul transit makes it a clear allegory for oil.
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