Star Wars borrowed a lot of things from Dune.
The desert planet. The hero emerging from the desert planet.
But in their heart, Star Wars is Dune's opposite.
By the time you get to the end of the Dune books, you are supposed to see the rise of the hero in the beginning as a regrettable tragedy.
That he did not save us, he ruined things.
Star Wars is about having hope in the face of darkness, and celebrating heroes.
Dune is about being cynical in the face of hope, and rejecting heroes.
Someone said that Dune is Star Wars for grown-ups.
No. It isn't.
Dune is Apocalypse Now for Star Wars fans. (and that's okay. It's just not Star Wars for grown-ups.)
Star Wars is Star Wars for grown-ups.
Anyone can give up hope.
Real maturity means finding hope in the face of darkness.
Star Wars teaches us how to be a hero by showing us how Luke Skywalker learns to be a hero.
We need heroes.
We need hope.
Star Wars is Star Wars for grown-ups.
Dune is great entertainment.
If you want an enjoyable and fascinating story and you like stories with messy politics, it's great.
But if you want deep philosophy, it's better to go for Star Wars.
I don't mean to be hard on Dune. It's a fine story for people who like stories with political messy stuff.
It's just not Star Wars.
Star Wars is a masterpiece.
Not every great book has to be as good as Star Wars.
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson