Born from beloved books, the worlds of Dune and Game of Thrones stand as two of the most popular franchises on the planet, both in their respective genres and overall.
On the surface level, director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune film and HBO’s Game of Thrones and now House of the Dragon both follow rivalries within a particular monarchy. Both Westeros and the Imperium are the preeminent powers in their respective universes, dominating their rivals, but not without inner turmoil. The infighting between the Targaryens, the seemingly immortal rivalry between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, and most importantly, the meddling from internal and external forces provide fans with enough evidence of their commonalities.
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Additionally, Frank Herbert and George R.R. Martin explore similar themes of succession, war, religion, and greed. Through their unique characterization, exciting plots, and captivating storytelling, these epics contribute to discussions about human nature. As grand of a topic as that is, both Herbert and Martin manage to make very specific, multilayered conclusions with their works. These conclusions do not entirely lean toward optimism or pessimism but rather interrogate human ambition, desire, and tragedy through various nuanced storylines.
The Prelude to War in Dune
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As House of The Dragon actor Fabien Frankel highlighted, Dune and House Of The Dragon are both complicated stories to tell. The two stories center around conflict; however, the underpinning of their respective conflicts is just as satisfying to watch unfold.
Many have claimed that Dune’s first installment was primarily exposition for the later events of the franchise. While understanding the frustration with Dune’s pacing, the decision ultimately helps contextualize the conflict at hand as well as Paul Atreides’s ascension to power. Nonetheless, the film does capture crucial scenes from the book, including fascinating backstories and suspenseful scenes that tease what has yet to come. The explosive confrontation on Arrakis was gratifying to watch because of the backstory viewers receive about Arrakis, the Fremen, and the Imperium. The two warring houses come face to face in combat baked in deception and mercilessness.
The devastating aftereffects scatter like shattered glass throughout the known universe, setting up the next installment to display how those sharp shards puncture into the many corners of the Imperium and the fallout from said event.
The Politics of War in House of the Dragon
Similarly, House of the Dragon prepares audiences for the forthcoming Dance of Dragons with a season full of intriguing exposition. Executive producers Ryan Condal and, at the time, Miguel Sapochnik were met with some criticism as a result of the many time jumps. Despite the events lost in between the time jumps, the creatives behind the series accomplished plenty of feats with the storylines they did present to audiences.
In every episode, audiences were treated with developments from major players. The meddling from House Hightower’s sly patriarch Otto (Rhys Ifans), the silent alliance between Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), the quasi-innocence of Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), and the attentive decisiveness of Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) all set up the world of Westeros as viewers have come to fall in love with the fictional fantasy world once again.
The traits of the aforementioned players slowly but surely slip into the minds of young Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and her former best friend Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), setting them up for a tense standoff later in their adult life. The now queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) sees the “reckless” Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) as a threat to the dignity of the kingdom and, more importantly, the line of succession despite the latter’s claim to the throne.
Conversely, Rhaenyra is aware of the rumors swirling around and sees Alicent as a sly queen, trying to persuade her father into ultimately revoking Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne. While waiting for the explosion, audiences witness the secret plotting that boils into the infamous Dance of Dragons. Even before then, though, we’ve seen a massive political dance that has striking similarities to the world-building of Dune.
The Many Shades of Betrayal
Both Dune and House of the Dragon offer compelling portrayals of betrayal, from the very nefarious to the somewhat dubious examples commonly displayed on the television. The many instances of betrayal in both projects widen the scope of what can be considered a betrayal.
House of the Dragon is similarly made up of a grand web of lies, largely orchestrated by Ser Otto Hightower. Mainly motivated by his ambitions, Otto strives to secure a beneficial and long-lasting legacy for his family, coming at the cost of the very little agency Alicent has left.
Ser Criston Cole’s eventual vexing of Rhaenyra in favor of the Greens comes with a lot more interpretations from viewers. Many have noted the attraction between Criston and Rhaenyra, culminating in a romantic one-night stand. Rhaenyra’s rejection has been interpreted as callous by some and understandable by others. Furthermore, Cole’s violent outburst and his not-so-uncommon misogynistic tongue earn him the title of just another supposedly “nice guy.”
Betrayal in Dune and its Colonial Themes
Dune saw Dr. Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen) betray House Atreides, acting as a spy for House Harkonnen to receive information on his wife, who is presumably being held in their captivity. Yueh’s betrayal seems minuscule compared to that of the Padishah Emperor, not only because of status but because Yueh’s betrayal was a result of coercion while the Emperor’s betrayal was born out of envy for House Atreides, setting the latter up with their merciless rival to maintain control over the Imperium.
Wellington’s status as a pawn is not due to his ambitions for power or capital but out of necessity, a scenario common in storylines dealing with succession. In cases where imperialism is a major theme in the narrative, films like Dune strongly capture those left in the margins. Those like Wellington Yueh and Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), who serve as intermediate actors in the larger conflict, come face to face with how their decisions pull them towards one side or the other while ultimately being pulled away from their origins. Kynes’ Fremen background and her role as the Imperial Planetologist is seen as contradictory. Her work is seemingly neutral, but both the Atreides and the audience are aware that her service greatly benefits the Imperium which has effectively colonized Arrakis.
House of the Dragon focuses much more on the imperialist qualities of these political families and rivalries, while Dune uses that imperialism as a gateway to further explore themes of colonialism. Despite their differences, both Dune and House of the Dragon portray betrayal in a way that questions the audience’s biases in the real world.
Timothée Chalamet as an Atreides and a Targaryen
As an aside, it’s an interesting thought experiment to consider Dune’s main star, Timothée Chalamet, lending his star power to the world of Westeros in House of the Dragon. His role as Paul Atreides in Dune, along with the regal character of Henry V he played in The King, make him ideally suited to be a Targaryen. In fact, fan casting of the prequel series often listed Chalamet, with many fans hoping to see him as a Targaryen; even after House of the Dragon aired, people were still thinking of Chalamet when they saw Aegon. Although this crossover never existed in reality, the fact that the association is so often made seems like further, almost subconscious proof that Dune and House of the Dragon have some deep connections.
Dune and House of the Dragon Beyond the Screen
Through their engaging plots and masterful characterization, Dune and House of the Dragon are exemplary projects in that the creatives behind both projects understand the importance of nuance, even if some decisions do not land. Nothing in Westeros nor the Imperium is ever simple, but an amalgamation of personal and political choices and dispositions.
Much like the world today, the characters in their respective universes hang in the balance of embracing those complexities, mapping out their route to survival and simplifying the world around them to further their ambitions. For better or for worse, both choices have provided viewers with rich storylines, leaving them with characters that many have already attached to.
Audiences are aware that the beloved characters of Dune and House of the Dragon, and the world they inhabit, all exist as a version of the universe playing out in front of our very eyes. The creatives behind both productions have expertly crafted storylines that interrogate human nature without reducing the characters to either pessimistic or idealistic narratives. Instead, both excel in creating media that beautifully depicts the multifariousness of humanity: its faults and its feats, and everything in between.
