RThurmont wrote:Dune vs. Star Wars is a fascinating yet hugely irrelevant technological comparison, in my opinion.
The technology between the two series seem to have evolved in different directions. In Dune, we see a general horror of computerization and a lack of widespread computer usage, although the few illegal computer systems that are displayed are highly sophisticated. We also see a proliferation of technological devices that could be regarded, at best, as being irrelevant, in the Star Wars galaxy, such as "No Rooms", "No Ships" and shielding that as far as I can tell serves no purpose but to force protagonist into using elegant hand-to-hand combat techniques instead of boring projectile or beam weapons exchanges.
One such example of the incongrous nature of the technology platforms of the consecutive galaxies is the Guild ship, capable of instantaneous galactic travel with the help of a human deformed into some bizarre slug like creature that resembles Jabba. The Guild ships, if I am interpreting the material correctly, would offer the Dune forces speed superiority over the Empire, yet one wonders if they could survive combat with an ISD, for example. The technology is oriented into different areas-the focus in Dune seems to be on planetary, versus spatial combat, in marked contrast to the combined nature of Star Wars combat or the almost purely spatial nature of Star Trek combat.
A much more interesting debate would be about the enhanced human capabilities in Dune versus those in Star Wars. How would the various "weirdlings" like the Bene Gesserit, Mentats, and so forth compare with Jedi and Sith in terms of intellectual ability? Would the "human computer" capability of some elements in the Dune universe fully compensate against the sophistication of Imperial automation, where sentient robots and computer systems of amazing complexity perform a huge amount of the infrastructural work required to support the Empire? Finally, how would such enhanced fanatic military forces such as the Fremen, Sardaukar, and Fish Speakers fare in combat with Jedi?
In any event, one could surely enjoy seeing the vile Baron Harkonnen being zapped to death by Palpatine or telekinetically strangled by Vader.
No-Ships shielding aren't just from psychics, they are also literally shielded in terms of sensors and visual sight (meaning it is COMPLETELY invisible). They are invisible pretty much from all detection, and layered with guns (no idea if Las Guns or conventional weaponry, we just know it was covered with enough guns that it could be used as a warmachine and that it was a pain in the ass for Miles Teg and his acquired forces to take. No-Ships have computers powerful enough to serve as Guild Navigators (with some prediction systems/ some prescient vision, likely connected to the external conflicts outside the Imperium lands (the free Gholas). So basically, we got ships here that can predict threats, travel distances either instantly or really really really fast, are covered with guns, and are invisible to EVERY form of possible detection. And I have no idea if they have to be visible to use their weaponry or not...
I would think the Bene Gesserit would compare to the Jedi somewhat in intelligence, in fighting ability who knows. If the Mandalorians were able to put up a good fight against the Jedi, and Jedi do use melee weapons, perahps. It depends if we grant the Gesserit some sort of beam resistant melee weapons.
And on the Mentats... living computers have an advantage over the mechanical ones in Star Wars in that their creativity and possibility for unique calculation and solving new problems in the process never experienced before is high. The Mentats aren't just a fallbehind from the Butlerian Jihad, they're an improvement.
I could see this happening... No-Ship pulls up on Star Destroyer. Manages to slip a couple Gholas aboard. Gholas steal someone's appearance (perhaps memories with the new ones), kills them, and destroys the ship from the inside. The Star Wars galaxy beyond Jedi has no way of detecting Gholas. They're simply not as well trained in the ways of the body. Not to mention we're shown that in comparison to normal humans, humans in Dune from the God Emperor beyond are basically enhanced through genetics and training. One would consider Idaho a very skilled warrior by our standards, but in God Emperor of Dune he is just kicked in the ass by Moneo who basically shows that Idaho is physically just inferior. Moneo was faster, stronger, and had a much greater reaction time. And hundreds upon hundreds years later, in Chapterhouse...
"It is missing the point to think that the martial art is solely in cutting a man down; it is in killing evil. It is in the strategem of killing the evil of one man and giving life to ten thousand" -Yagyu Munenori