‘Dune: Prophecy:’ What was the War of the Thinking Machines?

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”

One of the obvious questions when it comes to portrayals of the “Dune” universe, whether in film, comics, books, or HBO’s new prequel show Dune: Prophecy, is “Where are all the robots and computers?”

You’d think that in such a futuristic galactic society technology would have all kinds of wild AI-infused androids, smart machines, and quantum computers that spit out brain-busting computations and interstellar navigation numbers in a nanosecond. But they’re nowhere to be seen! Where did they all go and how did this world survive without them? Well, we’re here to tell you in this deeper dive into the topic!

Why are there no robots or AI in Dune?

The answer is actually quite simple… they were all banned and outlawed as treasonous during a vicious interstellar conflict — some 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides — called the Butlerian Jihad.

The war was named for Manion Butler, a Viceroy in the League of Nobles whose descendants, including Faykan Butler, were vital personalities in the war against the Thinking Machines that later helped found the Imperium. House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and House Corrino can link their heritages directly back to this important clan of the “Dune” world.

In “Dune: Prophecy’s” first episode, we leap back roughly 116 years earlier to witness a “Terminator”-like segment of that century-long Machine War for the very first time.

It’s an awesome spectacle that was never such a sci-fi sensation in Frank Herbert’s original books, which described something more akin to over-reliance on Thinking Machines tempting Humankind to crush and dominate those without the superior technology. The war culminated in a systematic obliteration of all iterations of machine-based technology, AI computers, Thinking Machines, or sentient androids, and a complete reboot towards a more human-centric philosophical evolutionary track.

In an explanatory voice-over, Valya Harkonnen recounts the history of this epic uprising and revolt 100 years past; one that ended with humanity’s triumph and her family name disgraced when a Harkonnen relative fled the battlefield as colossal engines of war marched along spitting brilliant blue beams of coherent light. This interpretation is far more dramatic and comes from elements of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s 2002 prequel book, “Dune: The Butlerian Jihad.”

Why did Pruwet’s pet robot lizard cause such a commotion?

This is precisely why in “Dune: Prophecy’s” premiere, “The Hidden Hand,” the engagement ceremony guests are so alarmed and freak out over the sudden appearance of Prince Pruwet Richese’s little toy lizard. To them, the harmless mechanized creature is something highly forbidden and considered a capital crime to even own. The scrambling toy runs amok amid the ceremonial room as guests gasp and scream at the sight of it, darting out of its path and running for safety.

Luckily for Pruwet, Desmond Hart whips out his dagger and bravely skewers it with the tip of his blade to end its wriggling run. Emperor Corrino is aghast but lets the harmless pet incident slide after Duke Richese asks him to not take the mechanized amusement so seriously. To his controversial way of modern thinking, the destruction of Thinking Machines was given far too much concern, and he believes society could one day have use for them again. What could possibly go wrong?

The crowd’s horrified reaction to any intelligent robotic device, even a tiny child’s plaything, directly reflects the heightened level of fear and paranoia still simmering over anything resembling contraband tech. That’s not to say there are no industrial machines and spaceships present in the Duniverse, it’s just that they’re not controlled by some level of self-aware AI system or free-thinking robotics.

What are the Mentats?

In the absence of advanced artificial intelligence and Thinking Machines, the “Dune” realm introduces the Mentats as a solution. These ultra genius-level human computers are trained in accomplishments of extreme logic. They replaced the Thinking Machines and possess unimaginable cognitive abilities, all enhanced by an energy drink that amplifies their mental prowess called The Juice of Sapho. If only Red Bull was so potent.

Hopefully “Dune” fans might be fortunate enough to someday get a “Dune: Prophecy” prequel where we turn the clocks back once more to fully flesh out the horrors and the heroics of that old war and get a proper exploration of the conflict known as The Butlerian Jihad. It never hurts to dream a little killer robot dream!