The governing body of the entire known universe of Frank Herbert's Dune comes in three parts: One (1) monarchy in the person of the Padisha Emperor. One (1) assembly of nobles known as the Lansraad. One (1) corporation in complete and total control of all faster than light travel anywhere, the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles or CHOAM. The monarchy holds power with its unstoppable army of Spartans I MEAN SARDAUKAR. The Lansraad, an assembly of all of the noble houses and their smaller armies, maintains an unspoken check on his power. Both of the former (with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit genealogy cult) control appointments to the board of directors of CHOAM, which has complete control over who in the galaxy gets to travel faster than the speed of light, i.e., who gets to move their armies around in the first place.
The problem with all of this is the Spice, as you might have heard even if you haven't read the novels. You see, without spice, there's no faster than light travel, and the only source of spice in the universe is one hell hole of a planet covered in religious extremists, any mere child of whom is a match for a fully trained Sardaukar. The Fremen wait patiently for their prophesied savior to lead them on holy jihad across the galaxy. FUN.
If you are not a member of CHOAM, or born into a special society like the monarchy, the Fremen or Bene Gesserit, your best bet for grasping any control over your own destiny is to become a valuable servant in a noble house, probably by becoming a mental, tactical, or martial savant. Tricky, that.
Eric Limer 
Max 
James Plafke 
Rollin Bishop 
Philosoraptor’s 50 Wisest Musings
There is a Beer That Tastes Like Bacon and Maple Syrup
The 65 Best Planking Pictures From Around the World
11 Fantastic Photos and Videos of Yesterday’s Annular Eclipse
Did You Know Gaming? Website Provides Awesome Gaming Trivia
RSS