Director Denis Villeneuve offers a couple of explanations — both physiological and cultural. I wanted to gather what information I could because Lady Jessica, the Baron’s daughter, does not resemble a typical Harkonnen. The Baron’s Mentat, Piter De Vries, is not a Harkonnen nor (presumably) a native of Giedi Prime, especially if Villeneuve follows the canon that Piter comes from a renegade Bene Tleilax Mentat school.
The planet Giedi Prime is essentially stripped of all biodiversity — every inch mined, industrialized, exploited, and polluted. It’s covered in synthetic, plastic-like structures. With limited sunlight and poor nourishment, Harkonnens have adapted to become hairless, with dark eyes and pale, veiny skin. At the same time, they culturally reject body hair. There’s a kind of obsessive “purity” in their aesthetic: a desire to strip away anything organic or reminiscent of their origins. Their bodies are so chemically saturated that even the Fremen refuse to reclaim their water, instead repurposing it for cooling systems. Rituals reinforce this identity — Harkonnens coat themselves in a black, viscous, plastic-like substance.
To expand on that, according to Villeneuve and other contributing artists, the Harkonnens represent an “evolved” form of humanity — one shaped by extreme technological advancement and total disconnection from nature. Their culture is sensual, violent, and largely devoid of redeeming qualities. Their sun bleaches away color, conditioning them to perceive reality in stark black and white. Whether male or female, Harkonnens present a homogeneous appearance: similar physiques, similar dress, and a kind of collective identity. They function almost like a hive — parasitic, insular, and bound by both fear and devotion to their supreme leader.
So what about Jessica, Piter, and the Baron’s nephews? Harkonnen hairlessness is both an adaptation and a deliberate choice. Jessica’s mother was a Bene Gesserit, so she isn’t “fully” Harkonnen in upbringing or conditioning. Piter, meanwhile, may have chosen to emulate the Baron’s appearance out of devotion and admiration. As for Feyd-Rautha and Glossu Rabban, their mother was not Harkonnen, while their father was the Baron’s half-brother. Given how strongly both seek to please — or imitate — their uncle, their appearance could be partly affectation as well, though that remains speculative.
𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫y Tags : Angst. Enemies to Lovers. Smut. Porn with Plot. Blood Kink. Weapons Kink. Knife Play. Obsessive Behavior. Feral Fucking. Fear Kink. Possessive Sex. Feyd is His Own WARNING. Sadism. Masochism. Humiliation Kink. Praise Kink.
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:
It's been one year since Chani has been claimed as Feyd-Rautha's "Pet".
As the days continue to unfold in her new reality, she realizes that she has as much of a claim on Feyd, as he does on her.
In a world where Paul Atreides is dead and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen's imperial power reigns, Chani Kynes finds herself struggling to find balance with her captor.
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞:
This is a dark romance. This is gonna have some fucked themes, complex trauma, complex relationships, and feral fucking sex. I enjoy the conflict and dynamic between Harkonnen and Fremen, and I was one of the people that questioned everything after I saw Feyd lick his blade during that scene. Honestly, it was all downhill from there.
Bon appetit!
Prologue Beneath The Cut
It had been one year since Feyd-Rautha had killed Paul Atreides in front of her, followed by the Emperor, Stilgar, and then he had turned his knife to her.
Chani had been prepared to die the day that Paul did, and as Feyd-Rautha slowly advanced on her, the tip of his blade getting closer and closer until it pressed against her skin, Chani kept her gaze locked with his. She even lifted her chin as an act of defiance. She was not afraid of him, because she was not afraid of monsters. She faced them— looked them in their pale faces and bared her teeth to show that she could be as monstrous as them.
Even though she knew fighting against him would be a useless pursuit. she wanted him to know she did not fear him.
She remembered the way he had cocked his head to the side when she stared into his eyes, and the way it reminded her of a predator analyzing it’s prey. His eyes had slowly looked her up and down, and his mouth twisted into a sick sneer as he grabbed her by the hair, and brought her closer to whisper in her ear.
“You will be my Pet, and you can thank Paul for his failure to kill me.”
It had been one year since Chani had been claimed as Feyd-Rautha’s “Pet”, and as the days continued to unfold in her new reality, she realized that she had as much of a claim on Feyd-Rautha, Emperor of the Known Universe, as he did on her.
—
The first time Chani realized she had any effect on Feyd-Rautha at all was the day that Glossu Rabban came to Arrakis to give report of Geidi Prime.
She had been bored of listening to Rabban go on about how the fremen were nothing but rats in need of exterminated. His pale lips moved in the condescending way that they did, his beady eyes looking at her every time he brought up how soon they’d learn that either they’d come to heel or they’d face brutality and swift retribution.
Chani had finally had enough and finally rolled her eyes when she knew he was looking, curling her lip in disgust at his words.
This was enough to make the Harkonnen baron narrow his gaze.
“You have something to say?”
His voice and tone clearly said “if you do, you’d be smart to pretend you don’t”. Chani, though, was never one to pretend… Especially not when asked a direct question.
“The only thing you know is brutality. All you know is taking by force. It’s because you don’t have the intelligence or the power to get anything any other way. You’re a weak man leading only because—”
Her statement was cut short as Rabban jumped from his seat, sending his cup and papers that had been in front of him flying. Chani’s heart jumped in her throat as Rabban advanced on her from across the table.
Foolish. Her mouth was going to get her killed. She didn’t care though. She refused to allow her voice to be taken any more than it already had been. She was prepared to use her fists, and even threw them up to shield herself from Rabban’s attack.
She never felt his hands grab her though, and she watched in shock as Feyd snarled and stood up himself.
The Emperor had snatched his brother’s ankle and yanked Rabban towards him.
Chani almost felt like she was watching the entire thing outside of her body as Feyd had wrapped one hand around his the Baron’s neck and was pinning him to the table.
“You disrespect me in my own home?”
Chani’s hear thad jumped in her throat as she watched Feyd’s face contort in rage, and she realized that he had no intention of letting go. In fact, his other hand had brought out the chrysknife that was always at his side and to her horror and budding fascination, he pressed it against his brother’s neck.
She had no doubt that Feyd was furious, she could tell the way his eyes dilated as he slowly slid the blade against Rabban’s throat— just enough to still his brother and just enough to cut the surface of his skin.
No one had dared move. Not even a guard.
Chani jumped up and shouted with more confidence than she actually felt.
“Feyd! Do not kill, Rabban!”
She didn’t know why she did it. Rabban deserved it— he was filth; a complete fucking degenerate male who the desert would gladly take and make a forgotten name.
But she knew that Feyd needed Rabban on Geidi Prime, and that it would do no good to kill him. It posed too big of a risk to lose control of the planet. Chani didn’t know why she cared if he lost control of it; she didn’t care if he lost control of it.
Even so, when Feyd locked eyes with her, she silently pleaded with him to listen. She hadn’t commanded him since the day that he usurped the imperial throne, and she wondered if she’d suffer at the end of his blade for doing so.
She couldn’t imagine whatever horrible things he would do to punish her. Hell, Chani suspected he had been looking for an excuse to hurt her further than he already had. Perhaps she had just given the reason to him.
To her surprise though, he dropped his gaze and sneered.
“If you ever raise even your voice at her I will cut your fucking tongue out myself, and you’ll be lucky if I don’t kill you during the process.”
Chani had watched as Rabban scrambled out of the room, his hand to his neck and eyes wide in disbelief.
When she caught Feyd’s eyes again she couldn’t quite make out if it disgust or anger in his eyes but she knew the look sent a searing jolt of hot embarrassment through her, and before she could voice her thanks or her own personal disdain, Feyd stalked out of the room leaving Chani confused and reeling.
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞:
I've got a lot of this written. My next update will be on Monday (08/11). I also am on archiveofourown.
I'm watching Dune Part Two and I'm really digging the architecture of Geidi Prime. It's an interesting mix of Brutalism and Giger. It has the strong, bold nature of brutalism with some of the curves and endless uniformity seen in many of Giger's landscapes. They come together to create a world that feels inherently oppressive and devoid of originality. Which is fitting for the Harkonnen homeworld.
[ meet the setting ]
In a shadowed hangar deep in the Harkonnen spacing hall, a woman in betrothal chains stands defiant before the furious Na-Baron.
“I’ve had my fill of concubines in the past. I kept them naked and wanting, but by the time I slaughtered them, I was done with entertaining such petty relationships. If I wanted to keep you around to function as a tight little hole to shove my cock into, then I’d do so. But you’re too precious to be just a toy. I won’t let you have a say in the matter, but you are mine, Laera Druegelle. If I want you in these chains—you’ll wear them. If I want you in these chains and nothing else—then that’s what I’ll have. Do you understand?”
"Your display of favor insults me."
Find the story on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54217396/chapters/137290048
another girl with a bio degree here! I think the first few months on Giedi Prime would be like hell: low energy, food tastes like shit, air quality is non-existent, etc. Cannibalism would make sense if these ppl are getting no vit D from the sun, which makes me question what is Feyd eating? he's also a cannibal? is he taking supplements? the girls want to know
This ask is in reference to this post.
I honestly don't think cannibalism is super rampant on Geidi Prime. That's how you get rampant prion diseases (Mad Cow is an example of a prion disease for those who don't know, and the big outbreak in the UK was caused by cows being habitually fed beef).
I do think that it's likely that Geidi Prime natives have evolved some internal mechanism that makes them either somehow able to create vitamin D from their black sun, or a mechanism that makes their bodies super economical with the vitamin D they do have.
Additionally, I could definitely see them having a diet rather rich in organ meats. Aesthetically and practically, that's a fit in my opinion. As all food on Geidi Prime has to be imported I don't think they'd waste half the animals they imported.
Sometimes when I feel like disturbing myself I wonder: what's it like to give birth on Geidi Prime? The Harkonnens and their subjects have fully rejected their humanity for hundreds if not thousands of years, their population are sickly slaves and cruel slavers, most everybody is kept on a cocktail of drugs 24/7 to keep them in line and when those fail, the inkvine whip is always at the ready. But underneath it all they are still human beings, with instincts and the ghosts of memories that extend far back before the planet's habitation. I have to believe that, maybe for just a moment as the baby is being born, the horror dawns on the mother. Some instinctual understanding, without the vocabulary to even express it because it's been beaten out of the Harkonnen language, that she has just brought her beloved into Hell. That her precious child is about to be abused and twisted by an omnipresent system of abject cruelty into something wholly monstrous–and worse yet, she's completely powerless to stop it. The hospitals are probably accustomed to it, trained for it: a moment of screaming, crying, agony, quickly put down by a sedative at the ready, administered by a nurse thinking only, "it's for your own good, it's kinder this way." Then it's back to numbness, obeisance, cruelty, this moment of trauma stored away inside the body never to see the light of day but poisoning its person's soul until her death.
Sweet dreams <3
