‘Dune’, what happened to Earth in Frank Herbert’s science fiction universe?

Arrakis, the sands of an arid desert, flanked by gigantic, murderous worms, creatures as imposing as they are transcendent to society. They are the producers of Melange, the spice that acts as a narcotic and stains the eyes of those who consume it. This is one of the main settings of Frank Herbert’s literary saga, which will soon return to theaters with ‘Dune: Part Two,’ the long-awaited sequel directed by Denis Villeneuve. Although Earth does not appear in the movie, it exists in this science fiction universe, but what happened to it?

Humans are a species that originated on ancient Earth. Relying on the advancement of technology, they managed to colonize other planets and use the energy of their stars to travel farther and farther. Because the systems are so scattered, a single empire can’t rule all of humanity, so the various colonies are located in different parts of the universe.

The event that changed everything in Dune

Thousands of years ago, an asteroid collided with Earth, causing a debacle that took a long time for the planet to recover from. As a result, the ancestral home of mankind lost its crown and ceded its throne to Ceres. In the years that followed, during the era known as the Rescue of the Treasures, several expeditions returned to Earth to recover historical artifacts preserved in other systems of the known universe. Gradually, over the years, the ancient cradle of civilization became home to other humans and animals as the ecosystem recovered and the Empire declared it a natural park.

References to Earth in the Dune books are quite limited, but Paul Atreides even mentions Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan. There are also glimpses of Christian traditions and even languages like French spoken by the twins Leto Atreides II and Ghanima, Paul and Chani’s children. In short, Earth still exists, but the story told is far removed from it.

‘Dune: Part 2′ opens next March 1 in theaters only. The reviews are extraordinary.