CRRRRS 532 What Would You Be in Dune?

By Roy Mathur, on 2024-03-29, at 23:12:50 to 23:54:30 GMT, for Captain Roy's Rusty Rocket Radio Show

Tired Tired

I really shouldn't be doing this because I am shattered after another busy week.

Both now, and in the year 22,000 CE, it is hard burning the candle at both ends and in the middle.

Goldberry Follow-Up

The picture of Goldberry in the last podcast was of actress Amanda Niel as the character in The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game.

Dune: Part Two

It was so expensive travelling to a thing in London yesterday that I decided to see Dune Part II as well. (Spoilers).

It was a big, bloody, blaring Zimmer-fest, and I largely enjoyed it, but it didn't do the book justice. Paul's later unintentional descent into a jihadic mahdi is watered down as his cold blooded assassination of the Baron, the ordering of the slaughter of Sardaukar, and almost the Emperor too, proves that he's a bastard. This is not the tragic figure of the book with whom we can empathise.

Not nearly enough, but there was one minor cast member of at least partial Arab descent. The beautiful Swiss Tunisian/Flemish actress Suheila Yacoub. The lasts only until incinerated by Feyd.

Careers in the Dune Universe

What would you be in roughly 10,000 AG/22,000 AD? (AG: after the formation of the Spacing Guild). Sure, Dune is a world metaphor for the mess in the Middle-East thanks to colonialism, spice is oil, CHOAM is OPEC, environmentalism, and all the usual jazz that fans bang on about, but what if you lived in that literal period?

There are some choices for the average non-noble, non-Bene Gesserit, non-Tleilaxu, non-Guild Navigator, nor slave, such as merchant, servant, peasant, soldier of a Great Houses, ornithopter pilot, etc.

I've thought about this. If my family followed the same path, we'd be functionaries in the Imperial Civil Service. Given my background in computers, maybe I could even be a mentat.

However, in the appendices my culture is referred to as "the Hindu out-croppings found all through the universe on little pockets of insulated pyons", that is, "planet-bound peasants or laborers". Thanks a bunch, Frank. Thus, if my people are consigned to be insignificant peasants, I'd like to think that I'd seek my fortune as a Dune man and/or a privateer spice smuggler with a Fremen wife if I was lucky, or more fantastically, a brave, extremely short-lived, heroic revolutionary champion for democracy in this hideous future run by vicious autocratic poshos. (Todays's image is of a samurai/pirate-style spice smuggler---with a Jolly Roger-like crest on his chest---by Moebius for Alejandro Jodorowsky's unmade Dune film).

Monkey Man

The Monkey Man trailers look amazing. I got vibes of Spider-Man, Oldboy, The White Tiger, Tony Jaa films, though some of the moves looked overly choreographed. But a Hindu martial arts epic loosely incorporating Mum's favourite deity, Hanuman? I'm there!

Saul Garnell said on Twitter (2024-03-26 22:24), "Yeah it does look good. Not sure if American audiences will like a Bollywood action movie, but it's interesting to see this be released.". To that, I'd reply that movies like RRR, while not appealing to me did well globally and in the USA, and Patel received a standing ovation at SXSW for Monkey Man.

How did Jordan Peele get a producer credit with his named emblazoned across the screen after the film had already been made back in 2021? He made Dev Patel an offer he couldn't refuse. Netflix would have premiered it on streaming, whereas Peele got it into cinemas.

The Acolyte

Star Wars' The Acolyte trailer looks good, i.e. exciting and Star Warsy. I was surprised at the backlash by some fans, until I remembered that those fans aren't fans, they are sexist xenophobes, judging by their comments about race and gender and blah, blah, whatever, so their opinions are worthless.

My only negative comment is the same I have for the MCU: we've had too much; the franchise is becoming diluted and stale.

Digital Planet Listeners Reunion

That "thing in London"? By the end of the day, only part way through the Digital Planet Listeners Reunion (a recently cancelled long-running BBC science radio series and podcast), I was so zonked by a million chores; meaning no sleep the night before and 13.46 km of walking in the sun, rain, and wind that I necked painkillers and buggered off home early. In my addled state it didn't immediately occur to me that disappearing from a small group might raise concerns that I might be dead or under the control of trisolarian aliens, or something. When it did sink in, about twenty minutes later, I dropped the organiser an email.

I wish I had business cards for my pod to hand out (podcasters, do this everywhere you go), but at least I chatted to some fellow listeners, met one of the presenters, and got a little souvenir badge.

Climatey

I heard on the Beeb that a proposal to study dimming the sun has been stymied by a massive backlash. That means the dim-witted idea to darken our sun to reduce the effects of climate change, i.e. the Highlander 2 plan, also put out by Bill Gates in 2021 is on hold, hopefully permanently.

Lets tackle climate by being greener, not destroying the planet.

Cheesy

It's a day after my London trip and I've been nodding off all day. Tiredness, combined with Mum's particularly cheesy spanakopita, has been making me dream like mad.

First, I had one about nodding off, in which I fainted. What's that, three levels of lnception?

Then there was one about Lenny Henry laughing at me. Stop it, Lenny, that's not nice!

Revisit Revisit

I owe you some revisits so expect two next.