In 1963, with the publication of the first installment of Dune — then titled “Dune World” — in Analog magazine, Frank Herbert hinted at a deeper backstory to his far-future feudal galactic empire. Though Dune was set in the year 10,191, that dating system began after a major upheaval in the universe, one which saw humans fighting for survival against advanced AI. This event — the Butlerian Jihad — is literally ancient history in the backstory of Dune, but in the new TV series, this moment is fresh in the cultural memory.
For the first time ever, the Dune franchise has actually depicted AI uprising this on screen. If you were jarred by seeing murder robots in the world of Dune, here’s what that prologue was all about and what it means for the rest of the series.
