Fremen vs. Sardaukar | The War for Arrakis | Dune Lore

[@NerdCookies]

Thank you for watching this video! If you enjoy my content, please consider supporting me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/nerdcookies

[@klyanadkmorr]

Not equating the sides going to war but just the warriors See Star Trek DS9 Klingons(warrior culture getting soft)=Sardaukar, the Jemhadar of the Dominion(religious fervor focus)=Fremen

[@thodan467]

@@klyanadkmorr and we know which side won

[@klyanadkmorr]

@@thodan467 Meaning the warriors involved mean little to the overall War. Which is why I dismissed saying Star Trek Federation coalition or Dominion were similar to DUNE sides because Paul won with Fremen and his overarching dictatorship religious based rebellion won over a massive federated class based oppressive oligarchy. It was forcing a rational choice by the opposing side to cease the immediate killing why Paul is only looked to as the hero because of his violent spread religion Mercy and general fairness but layered over a stranglehold theocracy based on his godhood. Herbert Representing how IRL the spread of Islam replaced earlier oppressive corrupt empires cultures, only to become the same overtime. The ST:Dominion mono religiosity isn't for good nor the Alpha Quadrant federation always non oppressive. Star Trek took ideas from Dune but played it out even more black/white good/bad the point it was massive genocide threats forcing practical life/death choice to make the final call who won. Not badassness or moral goodness

[@thodan467]

@@klyanadkmorr Not really the Klingons had much better independence of command. The Jem Hadar were very good and absolute fearless but on the very short leash of the vorta

[@brotherjohnnyxXxX]

The blood ritual scene of the Sardaukar on Salusa Secundus was an ingenious addition, and an exceptional piece of world building.

[@unclegene5372]

The theater went totally silent throughout that scene. I love to watch people react to things and this scene froze the entire audience.

[@Raxfyr]

its incredible. one of the most "alien" impressions i've ever gotten in a film. crazy since everyone in Dune is human lol

[@phildesnoyers3977]

The throat singing language was a brilliant move. When you first hear it I thought that was going to be the guild navigator speech but this was just as good to me. Looking forward to part 2.

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

That scene has its own fan base.

[@unclegene5372]

@@Unpainted_Huffhines did you ever get all that business with Leonard Smalls sorted out? How are those five twin boys doing?? 😂😂😂

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

I like how the Fremen have a sense respect for the Sardaukar and their skill. It's not even a _grudging_ respect, it's not a hatred, it's a dispassionate acknowledgement that they "fight well".

[@joehill4094]

The Sardaukar also admire the Fremen as worthy opponents. Its a interesting how they are so unforgiving to one another yet still respect eachother.

[@cesaravegah3787]

Paul allowed the Emperor to keep two full legions of Sardaukars on his exile, quite a token of respect.

[@thecappeningchannel515]

​@@cesaravegah3787Paul did not want any revolts or raids to happen on Salusa Secundus. Though some sardaukar troops aided his sister in law when she plotted against Pauls children in Children of Dune.

[@koko40800]

Yeah but it was a somewhat backhanded compliment imo...he said the Sardaukar "fought well" in a battle where the Fremen routed the Sardaukar and even took some of them prisoner (something previously unheard of)....but he said the Sardaukar "fought well" because they actually managed to kill a few Fremen

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

@@koko40800 I don't think it was backhanded at all. The Fremen aren't given to effusive praise, they were used to fighing weak, poorly trained Harkonnen troops who they incomprehensibly outmatched, so for them to appraise the Sardaukar as good fighters was huge. If the Fremen think you fight well, you fight pretty damn well.

[@urbypilot2136]

You also overlooked that the house guards of Atreides were also becoming close to the combat capabilities of the Sarduakar, and Paul himself was receiving the same training from the people that were training the house guards - Gurney Hallek and Duncan Idaho. So when he started to train the Fremen in the Weirding Ways, he incorporated the knowledge he had received when they were still in Caladan.

[@wcraiderevo8078]

You hit on the differences...the Fremen learned to thrive with their environment which led to their being much greater numbers of Fremen compared to the Sardaukar who fought their environment. That is part of the reason they lost a number of their children.

[@Kidarcana]

Your analysis, descriptions of the Dune universe, and your narration makes every one of your videos good viewing. Thank you.

[@liamcore7203]

The sense I had of the Sardaukar in Dune, when they were first bested by the Fremen, was an almost palpable sense of relief that they found someone better than them who they can now sharpen themselves upon. Later by bk3, it was commented they had gained parity with the Fremen, but still lacked that wild abandon. You simply can't spoil a warrior with a dwelling better than most planetary governors and expect them to throw it away at a moments notice. Only a life long dedication to your martial arts and self enforced suffering and scarcity will keep a being moving forward in mind. Musashi's book of 5 rings speaks of this on numerous occasions.

[@kenwood6802]

I like the distinction made between the motivations. When fighting is a means to an end, it can be a tool that serves people. When fighting is an end in itself, people become the tool that serves it.

[@johnpauljones9310]

And those people totally devoted to war become so obsessed with it, they grow dependent on others for sustenance and infrastructure, becoming so weak in the process that they are eventually conquered. See the sad end of Sparta for proof.

[@Kellethorn]

Well said.

[@luisodriozola79]

To me the relation of both warrior factions is a study on complacency and decadence. When in power Sardaukar became complacent, Fremen lived in constant peril that's why they were better and more ruthless warriors. After the Yihad the Fremen became complacent too, so Leto found himself in need of the Sardaukars (once more sharpened by hardship and desires of vengance) to bend the will of the empire under the new God Emperor

[@stephendriscoll7549]

In the original books, the Fremen admitted that the Sardaukar were good fighters but the Fremen were always better!

[@oroboros88]

The version we saw of the sarduakaur in the first book was often remarked as having fell from former glory due to lack of conflict to keep their warriors locked in. Arguably if they had been more disciplined they may have served as an even match for the fremen

[@thecappeningchannel515]

Yes. The Sardaukars by the time of Dune live luxurious lives at home (once recruited) and are not as tough as they used to be. Someone top dog from the Imperium, like Paul easily kills the best fremen fighter like Jaimis.

[@craigsisco1894]

This tale is the intergalactic Prison Rule: There’s ALWAYS someone bigger than you. 😊 thanks for this and all your videos!

[@bconroy2]

Don't you mean the Bruce Lee Rule: "There is ALWAYS somebody who is or will be better than you."

[@brianstanton2721]

There's always somebody that won't have sex with you and there's always somebody that can kick your ass or that is faster with the steel than you are lol! But chin up, that's what makes life interesting. Imagine how boring it would be if everybody would have sex with you no matter what and you could drop everybody in any form of combat... No existence I'd be interested in that's for sure. Just never strive to be better, there wouldn't be any need to improve

[@shanenolan5625]

I think the saudukar. We're suffering from ( victory fatigue for 10 thousand years without defeat, which made them over complacent and overconfident . But in the battle on the plain of arrakeen, a few things happened. First, they lost shield cover. Second, the lost sir power , they were vulnerable to artillery, , thry lost their shields ( personal ) the freman didn't. But most of sll they were broken by a horde of worms being ridden like armoured cavalry. . And the freeman had airpower and desert power. And surprise.

[@skepticalsmurf]

sorta like the Japanese during WW2... earlier in the war,they achieved a number of quick victories to the point they began to believe their warrior spirit made them invincible... history proved otherwise...

[@DavidD-t9x]

These guys are all conscripts

[@shanenolan5625]

@@DavidD-t9x sardukar ? Not all , a great msny are born into it .

[@jamesmcv]

As anyone with any knowledge of military history knows, morale and motivation play an outsized influence in the outcomes of wars. Herbert showed this with the Sardaukar vs the Fremen. Technology and numbers were equal due to the influence of Arakis and Paul's selection of where, when, and how to strike (the shield wall w/nukes) sealed the fate of the Imperial forces. I haven't reread Dune Messiah and Children of Dune in the last 15 years so I don't remember fully, but I believe the full victory of the Fremen over the entire Imperium is not fleshed out too much. Anyway, great video. I think you outlined why the Sardaukar were primed to fall and why the Fremen beat them, very well.

[@Gunnar001]

I believe the control over the Spacing Guild was the main reason for the full victory of the Fremen during the Jihad. You control the Guild, you control all interstellar travel. Essential trade, communication, etc. All of the great houses were isolated and none could coordinate their military power against Paul and his armies. Many planets could be subjugated by simply being cut off from food and spice (spice withdrawal is fatal.) Paul could strike whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

[@austinguthrie5528]

I love the idea of both the Saudakar and Freman.

[@Dan-ud8hz]

“We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” ― Archilochus “As mortals, we're ruled by conditions, not by ourselves.” ― Bodhidharma

[@peterbellini6102]

The difference between extrinsic (Sardaukar) and Intrinsic (Fremen) motivation. The scale tipping moment you point out correctly, is the refinement of the Weirding Way.

[@danbeasley6135]

Thanks for the sci-fi break NC, perfect for a quick distraction. Two conflicting ideologies collide for an epic showdown. The Pacific theatre in WW2 comes to mind when I think of the Freemen VS Sardaukar.

[@skepticalsmurf]

very true,the Japanese during the initial stages of WW2 suffered from victory fatigue and afterwards thought they could subdue their opponents by warrior spirit alone… they were wrong 🤔

[@irishnotsane9365]

In the notes his son used, Salusa Secundus was the Corrino home planet that was nuked during the building of the empire, it was never as hard as Dune. They also didn’t have the actual discipline Dune required to survive, also they depended on shields, something Dune never had but still it was a good overall background for both.

[@thodan467]

which means fighting against shields the fremen were disadvantaged and the sardaukar would have been disadvantaged fighting without

[@irishnotsane9365]

@@thodan467 you see the weakness when Paul fought Jamis

[@thodan467]

@@irishnotsane9365 Killed, Jamis was never a thread

[@irishnotsane9365]

@@thodan467 of course he wasn’t a thread, and you just proved you didn’t read the book

[@thodan467]

@@irishnotsane9365 i read the whole series last millennia the first time

[@TillionTirrion]

Very cool video today and one of my favorite aspects of Herbert's works, the similarities and differences of these warrior traditions. Cannot wait for more content and what we will see when part 2 hits the screens. First viewing at an IMax for me this time.

[@Cardstock1321]

How did you get the Cookie Monster

[@mitchelllawrence2798]

I miss your old music, but your new one is freshing. Great narrating once again.

[@jimkenealy6448]

Actually... I cannot get past the change. The old opening theme was mezmerizing and a signature element of NCs videos. I get disappointment with each new video lacking the jazz piano.

[@cobra8888]

When the redeemer or chosen one arrives, the lust to fight increases amongst the faithful. What increases further is him fighting along side them. A spiritual advantage the Fremen has. As suppose the Saudkar whom doesn’t have the Emperor fighting with their side.

[@purrfekt]

Having control of the Fremen is like having entire armies of special ops teams at your call.

[@starager73]

The Fremen had an advantage in their fighting style. Sardukar were trained to fight "slow" because of the common use of personal shield generators ("The slow blade penetrates the shield"). On any other world the Sardukar had the advantage but on Arakis using a shield generator was a death sentence as it would attract and drive the sand worms into a killing frenzy. Thus the Fremen never used shield generators and trained to fight "fast" and so faced a Sardukar with a SIGNIFICANT advantage in muscle memory fighting techniques. On another planet the Fremen wouldn't stand a chance because a Sardukar's shield generator would deflect all of the Fremen attacks and the Fremen would have to learn to adapt to a "slow" style. This wasn't explained in the first movie but I am hoping it will be in the next because it is kind of important to understand. Also left out was an explanation of what happens when you shoot a shield generator with a laser. GREAT BIG NUCLEAR BOOOOOOM! Mutually assured destruction for both sides which is why hand to hand fighting is so prevalent in the Dune universe. Everyone wears shield generators and nobody wants to be the person to wipe out both forces by using a laser. Ballistic weapons like modern firearms are likewise useless against shield generators.

[@sgttau977]

FWIW it always brightness my day when I see you have posted another Dune video. You are my favorite content creator on this subject.

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

Nothing beats a true believer, except another with even more faith. Plus fighting for home and family, a leader who struggles along side you, will always beat fighting for the far-off emperor who merely gives you the choicest scraps from his table. It's the one thing that keeps empires going; those below are to busy squabbling over what's already on the ground to look up and try to jump on the table. And because he's big and strong, the Sardaukar dog sits by his masters side as he endlessly consumes, not only able to catch the first lick of what falls from the table, but is hand fed little bits and bones, petted by his master all the while. Sometimes he goes after his fellows on the floor, either of his own volition or at his masters request, as sometimes the vermin on the floor annoy him. The sardaukar dog gets to gobble them up, all the while getting fatter and more complacent. He doesn't notice, and his master surely takes no stock, consumed by the corruption of endless consumption, that some of those on the floor are looking up, and seeing the dog coming, are putting up a better fight, leaving the dog more and more wounded each time. And then comes the last order: "Go get those rabble for me, will you? They're making an awful racket." The dog goes out, but alas is overcome. The emperor Then offers to share some of the table but it's too late. He must take his place on the floor or be devoured, and the cycle begins anew. Hence why empire is an inherently unstable form of governance.

[@thodan467]

tell that the achämenids, sassanids, Han, Tang .....

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

@@thodan467 if somebody did maybe they'd still be here

[@Raoh_Shaya]

It reminds me of the Second World War where Germany did well against Russia until they had to fight in the extreme cold. Their equipment started malfunctioning and their soldiers unable to handle it froze on the battlefield. The Sardaukar are formidable but on their Homeworld of Arrakis the Fremen have a great advantage. I think is we changed the environment and placed the fremen and Sardaukar in, let’s say, a thick Jungle terrain, the Sardaukar would win as they have fought in dozens of different environments as opposed to Fremen who had only known war/survival on Arrakis. (This would change later officourse when their holy war expanded….😓)

[@ScottyBeast]

I agree. Both groups are made stronger by a hostile environment, but only one knows of an existence beyond their homeworld. The Fremen's ability to endure and persevere may have been honed to a razor's edge on Arrakis, but put them in a rowboat on Caladan and see how they fare. I'm sure the books address this point in some way, though.

[@tulabead]

Well said!

[@name-vi6fs]

Does this account for the Fremen knowing the weirding way?

[@thodan467]

yes that is the reason the Sardaukar were not able to ambush the fremen, moment how was Thufir taken prisoner

[@tuber7081]

Well they didn’t take over the universe so I don’t think terrain mattered too much

[@legi0n47x]

A standout for me is how the Freman were a tribe protecting themselves and their goals which promoted all to be warriors. Sardaukar always seemed like an organization fuels by gain. There was also little described as far as I know of where they came from so far as family origin, how they were bred etc. Might be there, would be interesting. Given those differences it seems Sardaukar were destined to fail as the Freman at their core had more at stake and would be able to sustain their well rounded capable force.

[@thodan467]

Herbert called the Janissary Assassins The fremen OTOH were tribal warriors, which means mostly less training and skill and in this cause abysmal leadership and discipline

[@GreatGreebo]

A brilliant summary of the differences between the Sardukar & the Fremen. Thank you *Nerd Cookies* ; I really enjoyed this video!

[@seanskre1717]

As a Filipino i'm thankful for the philippine influences in this movie, from the fighting style (kali), crysknife (moro kris knife), and the guerrilla warfare of the fremen against the sardaukar/harkonen akin to the resistance movements in the philippines against japan during world war 2. This film is a masterpiece and shows non western cultures beautifully

[@TheTrueMalice]

Respect to the Philippines from America. If only McArthur had listened to his intel. You guys fought hard and long. We should have been there like we promised

[@janusjones6519]

Not really, the Fremen are based on the Bedouin, and their storyline is based on a combination of resistance against western imperialism, which can be clearly seen in the way the Harkonnens ruthlessly extracted Dune's natural resources and oppressed it's people, and the historical rise of Islam under Muhammad and the jihad that followed. not sure about the crysknife - kris knife connection as it's never mentioned anywhere, but there really aren't any filipino influence at all.

[@seanskre1717]

@@janusjones6519 i said "philippine influences" not that the whole basis of dune and fremen culture was based on the philippines

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

The strictly book Fremen were mostly based on the Arab rebels that waged guerrilla war againsts the Ottoman Turks, and somewhat on the Caucus Muslims who resisted the Russian Empire. In the movie, there's room to showcase other influences, like Kali knife fighting, since you can't really describe a knife fighting style in depth on the page, and the Arabs, as far as I'm aware, don't really have a well known knife fighting style.

[@minigrande1939]

I know not enough of Filipino history to agree or disagree with you but Paul and his rise is loosely based on the prophet Mohammed rising as a diresprcted Bedouin into a spiritual leader /prophet and general Asking the question when does killing in the name of religion change from a holy jihad to genocide

[@MrHellsing76]

Personally, I think the Sardaukar are still superior to the Fremen in combat ability as a military force, they just faced them in arguably the worst placce to do so, where they're training to overcome shields was useless, hampering, and fatal as they themselves couldn't use shields in the desert. due to Sandworms.

[@briandfox16]

You're right, they are. The Fremen had two Unstoppable advantages: 1. Paul, who knew the future, and 2. DUNE, which gave the a huge home field advantage. In a 1v1 gladiatorial match Sardukar always wins. In fact, if the Atreides never governed Dune, the Harkonnen would have easily annihilated all of the Fremen. The Sardukar wouldn't factor in.

[@JR_121King]

I agree I'm team sardukar all the way. Everyone says their cowards in Dune 2, but they are one of the most fearless army I could see in a sci-fi film. They were up against Millions of fremen, Sandworms, Paul atredies. Seeing the future, nukes, and fighting in an unknown and harsh environment with the odds against them, they charged the fremen knowing they were outnumbered 100 to 1 and died fighting to the last man like a warrior should do.

[@jackloomes5752]

Another great video! Very insightful! I've been following your channel since the early days; keep up the great work!

[@NerdCookies]

Much appreciated!

[@champisthebunny6003]

I often wondered, just how much actual combat experience the sardaukar had during the battle for Arrakis. The empire was basically at peace, and most of the 'fights' in Duneverse, took place between small groups of fighters, assassins', political maneuvering and the like. The Dune imperium, was actually set up in a such a way to discourage large scale conventional warfare. Mass battles were possible of course, but were likely rare overall. While I am sure there was always some place in the galaxy where the Sardaukar could actually practice their skills, I bet most sardaukar actions were probably limited affairs. So highly trained and well-equipped, yes. Experienced? Maybe not as much as assumed. The same holds true for the Fremen. The Fremen are very clan and tribe oriented, so, they dont have any real experience in mass, organized warfare either. If there are fights and disputes between Fremen, their preferred way seems to be single combat, not mobilizing for total war with their fellows just to prove a point. The novel, handwaves this by saying Paul teaches them how the Imperials fight. Although, the story does give them time to learn fighting the Harkonens under Paul for several years before the Imperial army arrives in force.

[@danielsmith336]

The Sardaukar fought each other for the right to live from childhood. Those that survive to adulthood were molded by their religion and superiors into soldiers who work together for the Emperor instead of for themselves. While they might not have had large scale battles, every Sardaukar in the book had a perfect kill streak leading up to the events of Dune. A lifetime of practicing their skills, because if they hadn't, they simply wouldn't have been alive to be the individuals that the Emperor sent to Arrakis. The Fremen fought every foreign governing body, except for one, that were tasked with ruling Arrakis to keep the Spice flowing. Every government before the one established by Duke Leto Atreides had tried to exterminate them, so they had generations of highly organized guerilla warfare. Farther back in time they had been enslaved and their warrior culture coupled with the harshness of the planet is the only reason they had their freedom by the time Spice became a commodity. I wonder how often the Emperor (or even his predecessors) had secretly used the Sardaukar to help one house beat another to tip the balance of power in the Landsraad like he did for the Harkonens. No house that received such help would ever speak of it out of fear of the reactions from the other houses or retribution from the Emperor for not keeping the secret. If the Baron hadn't been so certain of his victory that he decided to humiliate and gloat before killing the Duke, he would have personally made sure that all of the Atreides would have died and the Landsraad would have been none the wiser that the Emperor had chosen a side.

[@thodan467]

combat experience is highly overvalued , discipline, skill, training, cohesion and leadership are important. Things the Lions have in spades, the fremen do not before Paul came

[@shaneashby5890]

The difference between the Fremen and the Sardaukar is the Fremen fight because they have to and the Sardaukar fight because they want to.

[@brianstanton2721]

That's a good point! That fundamental difference will always lead to the latter losing against the former!

[@thodan467]

No, the only chance for the Pre Sardaukar to survive was to become Sardaukar

[@shaneashby5890]

@@thodan467 We are talking about the what happened in the first book. When the Emperor ordered the Sardaukar to invade Arrakis they could have refused the Emperor’s orders because they are the Sardaukar. In reality, no one can tell the Sardaukar what to do. But the reason the Sardaukar invaded Arrakis is because they wanted to and the Fremen fought because they had to for their very survival. That is a very big difference.

[@thodan467]

@@shaneashby5890 The Sardaukar are the military of house Corrino

[@shaneashby5890]

@@thodan467Wow, I must of missed that the two times I read the books!

[@nektariosmaniatopoulos262]

The two major reasons why the Fremen won is that 1 the Fremen had home truf and 2 they were taught the weirding ways.

[@antcow1239]

Im bias, i like the Sardukar. Cool name too. I used both the Sardukar and Fremen in the strategy games

[@timtheskeptic1147]

It was pretty fun airdropping a ton of Sardaukar into the enemy base in Emperor.

[@antcow1239]

@@timtheskeptic1147 I made a battle line of Sardukar and Atreides when i invaded house ordos. A pair of Fedykin accidentally snuck behind enemy lines and i used them to demolish power generators before i swept my army across the map. Good times X3

[@timtheskeptic1147]

@antcow1239 I loved that game but the maps were too small.

[@AlternicityBlogspot]

Yeah it's a cool name. Like the Myrmidons

[@helvis7336]

what about fact that the fremen are constantly exposed to spice? i thought that stuff increase reflexs and the prescience would maybe alow the fremen warrior to see the attacks their opponents would make a little before they make them.

[@july9566]

Yeah not smart fighting drugged up on spice fanatics .

[@korpiz]

I really hope we get many awesome battle scenes in Dune 2 between these two factions.

[@shanenolan5625]

Thanks, Elaine. You had me with the title 😆

[@kdog3908]

Also, the Sardaukar condition, as they are prisoners, is forced. The Zensunni wanderers who were the forefathers of the Fremen *chose* to live upon Arrakis. It is one thing to have hardship forced upon you. Quite something else to choose and embrace hardship.

[@SOLAR-BALLSNUMBA1FAN]

Wasn’t Salusa secundus also a stopping point on the freman’s journey if I’m not mistaken before they moved onto arrakis? Could be kind of a parallel like the sunni Shiite division in Islam which the freman are loosely based upon

[@thodan467]

No they choose not, they wanted Arrakis turned in a paradise a garden.

[@kdog3908]

@@thodan467 Yes, *eventually*. But they chose the very harsh conditions as a test of themselves. Arrakis could not be turned into a paradise in the short term. That means extremely hard times in the interim. It's a parallel to a test of faith. In the case of the Fremen, they wanted an earthly paradise, a *real* one rather than a paradise promised, as in the vein of Christianity or Islam. In pursuit of that, they chose a *real* test.

[@thodan467]

@@kdog3908 Source AFAIK they did not leave earth voluntarily

[@kdog3908]

@@thodan467 I too would have to do some digging. I can't recall the Zensunni reasons for their diaspora.

[@wert7773]

Sardaukar would definitely wipe the Fremen in a pitched skirmish, but not all skirmishes are equal and for the most part Fremen set the terms via ambushes

[@Evasivefiah]

Enjoyed this video!

[@viewernewest]

Without the Bene Gesserit's weirding ways, I personally believe the Fremen would have eventually lost to the Sardukar.

[@frankrobinsjr.1719]

Shaddam IV is much maligned in the books for his failure to realize what was really happening. Sadly, I think he knew what was happening and never had the power to change it. That was what he was fighting for. The failure of the Sardaukar was the continuation of the Bene Gesserit training. In the books it mentions that Lady Jessica had the strength to withstand the orders of her superiors to give Leto a son. Meanwhile, Shaddam IV was given a lesser woman that obeyed her superiors and only gave him daughters. With no one to carry on his name, or his line, is it any wonder that Shaddam fought using the tools he had?

[@wyvvernstone]

In the extended lore Anirul, Shaddams wife, got pregnant one last time then permanently killed his sperm count. Afterwards, Shaddam gradually moved on to concubines to try for another kid but he was shooting blanks.

[@ThePerks2010]

I only watch these cos you've got a nice voice, already a dune nerd so I'm learning nothing new but you're so good for falling asleep to(sorry)😂😂😂

[@AGoodJoe]

Another good videos…though I like the old intro music better. 🤙

[@NerdCookies]

Thanks! Unfortunately, the old into intro got false copyright claimed, and I have to doxx myself to fight it.

[@eaglesclaws8]

the freman also have a sort of unconscious telepathy, thanks to the spice orgies, in battle this yields unique outcomes....

[@flywheel986]

Adding the abilities of Paul, Jessica and Gurney to the already formidable warrior ethos of the Firemen, made them unstoppable and Feyadeen on Jihad.

[@thedoughnutking9514]

always great content

[@thomriley1036]

Has anyone lined up the Wagner Group(real life) with the Sardaukar(fiction)? Former prisoners, unmarked uniforms, battlefield hellscapes, oppressed populations, uneasy alliances, fuel barons, treachery, bribes...

[@Emanon...]

Except the Sardaukar are actually competent...

[@thomriley1036]

@@Emanon... Well, there's always the promise of exile to Tupile.

[@normknapp4404]

Wagner group only started using convicts due to loses in combat!

[@artur5308]

Wagner group are a bunch of rabid dogs - untrained brutes, rapists and murderers. Sardaukar are elite soldiers….but yeah, there are some similarities.

[@derek96720]

​@@Emanon...the Wagner group has been one of the most capable forces in the Russian arsenal. Every man fighting in their ranks is there by choice.

[@vendora1]

spice melange had a great deal to do with fremens battle skills as well and jessics/paul teaching them the bene gesserit style of combat

[@rafaeldenuzzidias2523]

Excellent video!

[@tulabead]

Fremen had home turf advantage and the hand of God!

[@marknovak6498]

The two worrier groups were forged differently. The emporer was a person they could see and it became obviouse to them they were being used. Under Paul, the Freyman had a cause in alinmrnt with a goal they had develope before their was a lead e r.

[@randyriddle4824]

Dune has been one of my favorites since it was released in 1965, one of the very first sci-fi fantasy books I read when i was younger. And is still one that i read at least once a year or so, and after Frank Herbert's death his son and others have compiled a complete history of the dune universe. I would recommend that everyone that's interested in the history of the dune universe check it out. Also, your analysis of this particular subject in my opinion is good., I understand that time for these types of videos is limiting . keep doing them..

[@_A.d.G_]

Meh. Something doesn't fit. First, Sardaukar had a clear technological advantage over the Fremen. It's plenty of descriptions about their weaponry and hidden armaments concealed all over their bodies. Second, in the following installments of the saga, the all-female army of Emperor Leto II was bred by genetically mixing both the Sardaukar and the Fremen, thus implying those warriors cadres were basically evenly matched.

[@tomaskops7119]

One non mentioned thng is misusing of saudakar by emperor and Harkonen ... For example send scout unit to frontal atack is not good idea. Evn if you have best troops

[@RubyMarkLindMilly]

Brilliant stuff as always 👍 😊

[@steventcunliffe]

Great video, thank you

[@Agamon]

Brillant! Love the Dune content!!!!!!!!!!!

[@aliensoup2420]

Didn't the Sardaukar fight under the influence of a drug to enhance their fighting performance and ferocity? Isn't that why they wore enclosed helmets? This feature was emphasized in Lynch's DUNE depicting the Sardaukar wearing a glass faced head covering filled with a green gas.

[@sakajungle]

Waiting for your review of the 2nd trailer released today!

[@Jacob-Ironside]

Very good video! The Fremen vs. Sardaukar is like Sith vs Jedi in my book.

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Thank you for another fine video Nerdie. The truth of DUNE is simple, everyone is flawed and power corrupts.

[@scottcooper4391]

And absolute power corrupts ABSOLUtely !

[@kenaustinardenol1338]

Once again I find myself drawn to some similarities between Dune and the Dorsai books of Gordon R. Dickson, a SF writer probably many of you never heard of. He talks about specialized worlds, the natural evolution to a superhuman ( dune was more staged though by the Bene Gesserit) and, as a reference to this post, a sublime warriorcaste, the Dorsai. They are far from the depth of Dune, but easy and enjoyable to read. The link that got me thinking of Dorsai is that a overwhelming force could not win against a left strength of Dorsai women, children and old man. But now for the big surprise: I thought Dune was way older than Dorsai, but that is not so. Dune is 1965, Dorsai 1960. Interesting, isn't it?

[@busterjay64]

Well done 👍

[@thatotherguy8138]

This is an aspect I wish Frank had been able to delve into - 10,000 years of victories? How do you keep a people at the peak of combat readiness for THAT long when they (apparently) never lose? At some point, the mindset of "We are ALWAYS victorious." will sink in and cause them to become complacent at the wrong time. As a child, I took it at face value. But as an older adult, I'm starting to see it as Propaganda told to the rest of Humanity - the Sarduakar are ALWAYS victorious, do not even attempt to challenge them. It didn't occur to me until much later in life that there must have been times when the Sarduakar were defeated, that they weren't nearly as invincible as portrayed, because a comparatively TINY group of fighters within House Atredies was considered such a threat to them that the Emperor was motivated to move to wipe out the entire house. And that's with Leto, apparently, having no motivation to actually try to take the Throne for himself - he was just creating an army as powerful as he could make it, to protect his own house. (and... maybe wipe out the Harkonnens) Some time in the last 10,000 years, someone HAD to have had intentions of taking the throne and intentionally hid their actions. But alas, Frank was not able to delve into that. (also the 10,000 year reign of the same family strikes me as being propaganda as well, but that's not the topic of this video. the timeframes in the first Dune novel are just off to me; from God-Emperor onwards, the timeframes make sense, but pre-Dune timeframes seem to be more like Biblical time than Historical time)

[@thodan467]

they always won the war

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

I thought that was the point, they lost to the Fremen because they'd become complacent and accustomed to lifes comforts.

[@thodan467]

@@user-zp4ge3yp2o That is sorry utter Nonsense. They lost because FH wrote it so, these reasons make little if any sense

[@Gunnar001]

@@thodan467There’s several reasons. It’s explained pretty well in the novels: 1. The current Sardaukar have become complacent and soft over the centuries, due to being the unchallenged top dogs with vast power. While they’re still some of the best soldiers in the Imperium, they are not as deadly now as they used to be in the past. 2. The Arrakis environment is thought to be even more harsh than Salusa Secundus. The Fremen, after many years of surviving the environment and the brutal attrition wars against the Harkonnens, are tougher than some of the toughest Sardaukar. Living in the Dune environment means they’ve also been exposed to high levels of spice their entire lives (in the sand, air, food, etc.) which has enhanced their mental and physical being. 3. The Sardaukar, like almost everyone else in the Imperium, are primarily trained to fight against opponents protected by shields (fast defense, slow attack.) Arrakis is a unique case though. Shields can rarely be used out in the open, as they attract worms and drive them into a killing frenzy. The Fremen are trained and highly experienced at fighting without shields involved. This gives the Fremen a home turf advantage over the Sardaukar’s shield combat fighting style. 4. Once Paul and his mother show up, they begin training the Fremen warriors in the Weirding Way, which is basically a super advanced martial art developed and used exclusively by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. This training gives a person supreme control over their own muscles and nerves, allowing them to fight at incredible peak human level speeds. This would put the already formidable Fremen warriors well beyond the Sardaukar in combat. 5. When Paul takes over and begins leading the Fremen against the Harkonnens and Sardaukar, it’s implied he uses his growing prescient sight to see the future paths and win seemingly unwinnable battles (e.g. placing his Fremen fighters in just the right place and attacking at just the right time.) This too would make the Fremen appear like terrifying, unstoppable supersoldiers to their opponents.

[@thodan467]

@@Gunnar001 1 except the symptoms do not make it so 2 this is utter nonsense, history shows how wrong that is 3 only under those circumstances 4 gone rather fast 5 i never saw it that way maybe because most of what FH writes about that is Utter Nonsense

[@isaiahkayode6526]

When an Unstoppable force meets an Immovable Object.

[@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2]

Forgot to baked my last cookies batch. Dang that was pasty LOL

[@byronwilliams7977]

Well done.

[@toonsis]

I always found this as a bit of a stretch in the books. The Freman had the heart but just not the weapons. leadership and training of the Sardaukar . They only lost one fight and that was so Hawat could be captured as a plot device !

[@sholamontoute77]

I love the concept of religion in the Dune saga

[@rafaeldugatto]

The Fremen were able to defeat the Sardaukar in Arrakis, because: 1) they were being led by a precog, and well-learned military leader who knew Empire tactics. 2) they had homefield advantage. I believe that, If any of these two elements were absent, the Sardaukar would beat the Fremen in 10 out of 10 at this point in the story.

[@alexedi]

the irony, which though not all that subtle, escapes some readers/viewers, is that the Fremen were driven by a manufactured religion. sure, it was ”real” to them, but... The movie touches upon that as best it can, considering the format. ”a path has been laid”, ”they see what they`ve been told to see”, ”the BG have been at work here”. it seems, fortunately, that this misconception about ”the white savior” (which i have sadly seen mentioned in many reviews) will be further disproved (as well it should) in the 2nd part - see trailer: ”that`s not hope!”. great contribution, as always :)

[@Stitchman3875]

I'd say it was more because of the Sardaukar got too arrogant and didn't evolve. The Fremen on the other hand were given the weirding way, and were made into a more disciplined army. IE the Sardaukar weakened and the Fremen got stronger. By Dune Messiah, they were pretty much unstoppable as they were conquering the Universe. The Fremen had a decline eventually too by the time of God Emperor of Dune.

[@Kidarcana]

I respectfully disagree, as the Fremen go out into the empire on their jihad, they lack both the homefield advantage and the precog general. It's been 2 decades since I last read the books, but I think the Sardaukar would have had some chance to prove they were superior once the Fremen left Dune.

[@Stitchman3875]

@@Kidarcana that’s right. By the end of Dune the Fremen were virtually invincible.

[@rafaeldugatto]

@@Kidarcana we're not talking about the same thing. I was talking about the first book, you're talking about the far future, where the Sardaukar culture had already fallen and the Fremen were nothing like they were back in Arrakis.

[@camwedel]

I really like your new opening song. Not as mythical but very relaxing. Do you have an artist credit for that?

[@NerdCookies]

It's called Honey Juice by Harris Heller

[@camwedel]

@@NerdCookies Thank you!

[@khartog01]

Death worlds that would be great for space marines recruits.

[@pyroromancer]

pls whats the name of your intro title tune

[@NerdCookies]

Honey Juice

[@pyroromancer]

@@NerdCookies ty

[@yecnay25]

Sardaukar feel like Janissaries in sci fi

[@behavior852]

Once the Sardaukar lost faith, all was loss.

[@shannonmcstormy5021]

Sadly, we will still not see The Weirding Way in the newest adaption of Dune...... Lady Jessica doesn't appear to teleport around Stillgar (sp?), yet he says, "you didn't say you were a Weirding Woman?" Don't get me wrong, she was bad__s and Stillgar never stood a chance. Plus I LOVE this Lady Jessica. But I was really hoping to see how the....teleporting (or near so) would look in the new movie. Perhaps they will do more with it in Part 2.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

I don't remember her teleporting in the book, did that really happen??

[@filippos13]

Too bad the film didn't have the balls to call the war a "Jihad" rather a "Crusade"

[@jasonbladzinski5336]

They mean the same thing

[@filippos13]

@@jasonbladzinski5336 No, not even close

[@Nadamos]

They do don't they? I could have sworn I heard the. Say it.

[@dakotalange2858]

I wonder how they both would fair against each other at the high of their powers before they declined in strength etc

[@AsttoScott]

Why aren't the Sardaukar super charged with spice in the new Dune movie? Why is there no mention of it in this video? I specifically remember them talking about in the original movie.

[@thodan467]

the original movie is not true to canon

[@ComicGladiator]

@@thodan467 Like the new movie doesn't change a lot of things.

[@thodan467]

@@ComicGladiator But not those

[@Davepool-hs7vr]

The Sardakar became complacent and lost on the Fremen’s home planet

[@RodneyGraves]

The Sarduakar had not faced an enemy who posed a real challenge in centuries, if not millenia..

[@2777davies]

Nice

[@chafsiz4396]

Sardaukar faught because it was their duty. Firemen faught for their faith

[@EthanCollins-u9b]

I for one believe that their differences in religion and survival prowess are quite brutal and not to be very dangerous 😢😮

[@frankmontez6853]

You must be talking about Dune 2 . There were no clashes between Fremen and Sardaukar in Duine 1 . it was strictly berween House Corrino and Sardaukar vs House Atreides . But as to why or how the Fremen were stronger than the famed Sardaukar is never explained in the books ( I thinmk ) . Just supposition . I personally don't know really . Been many decades since I read Dune books

[@cevapipapi8920]

I see new nerd cookies vid, turn into dj Khaled! "Another 1!"

[@danielmcelroy8533]

If I recall correctly, they never mention how many losses the Sardaukar and Harkonen forces took invading Arakis against the Atreidies. I wonder if their losses, especially leadership, were heavier than anticipated, and may have lead to diminished capabilities later. Given the nature of the Imperium, Shaddam would not have wanted that to be open news within the Landsrad. The Sardaukar may have hidden such facts from him as well.

[@thodan467]

the sardaukar hunted the fremen for sport after the conquest

[@danielmcelroy8533]

@@thodan467 Most definitely, but that doesn't indicate what there losses were during the assault. It does, however, lead to a very dangerous view of an opponent, which is contempt.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

@@thodan467 It wasn't really for sport, they decided they needed to wipe them out.

[@thodan467]

@@user-zp4ge3yp2o Why? Show me the need

[@armandtanzarian3809]

@@thodan467 Not for sport. In the first book a Bashar (or Burseg) justifies continued rotation of Sardaukar (can't remember if it was a few brigades or entire legions at a time) through Arrakis because they needed to "practice killing". IMHO this gives us all the insight we need into how the Sardaukar higher ups reacted to their initial encounters with the Fremen (eg. what happened to the Sardaukar guarding the Harkonnen guns during the siege of Arrakeen). If the guild's invoice for the initial Horknonnen attack was high, just imagine the strain of moving large numbers of troops in & out of Arrakis on a constant basis (over a period of years) was taking on the Sardaukar's already reduced budget. Especially when Imperial spice tax revenues would have been on the decline due to ever increasing insurgent activity. My point being that the Sardaukar most certainly did not treat this hunt as a sporting event, they couldn't afford to.

[@patrickg3872]

And the Fish Speakers would wreck both Sardaukar and Fremen at their heights.

[@deano2160]

Two scene struck me from the book. The first whe thufir has the 'water problem' when he meets the fremen. One sacrifices himself by striking the sardauka transport ship with a thoper killing hundreds and the second when the sardauka infiltrate the fremen and are stood in the triangle fighting stance, backs to the wall realising how many of them have been killed and never having suffered that before.

[@jasonkanyike3245]

How I wish I could meet a woman who loves the Dune series like I do..! Too rare

[@DavidD-t9x]

Salusa Sacundus is a prison planet, these guys are All conscripts.

[@marksnyder8305]

The spice was not even mentioned. The Freman are saturated with it…

[@NerdCookies]

It didn't give them an advantage in fighting. They were healthier and had longer life spans because of it.

[@Deridus]

A just and righteous mission, officers who can lead, the right equipment, knowledge of the foe and terrain... METT-C, I think the US Army called it. Any one deficient factor can lose a battle. If the mission is batshit though, and the troops know it, if falls to discipline. Discipline is a mixture of faith in the cause and personal adherence to it: you can delude yourself in to believing anything, but once that belief cracks, well... I need only point at Afghanistan.

[@toddfallon179]

Ultimately, no-one stood a chance against the fremen, think of the Vietnamese 1945-1975, even one farmer or a shop keeper fighting for his home (or out of a sense of revenge for dead children... 🤔) is worth more than a whole battalion of semi-motivated conscripts

[@thiawroane]

Sardukar are prisoners, Fremen are FREE, hardened by life itself!

[@rolf3806]

Donken Idaho killed 19 Sardaukar by himself clearly as I read the books my impression of the mighty Sardaukar was that of disappointment

[@RoninTF2011]

As a swordmaster of ginaz...that was to be expected

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

They believed their own hype, that was their problem.

[@sagebiddi]

I'm not even the political type. And I definitely wasn't even thought of or a itch in my dad's pants ....but gd ...it's Vietnam. It's a fkn spitting image of that exact dynamic save the singular leadership roles....tell me that ain't Vietnam. The jungle=arrakis. The Suda-wtfever dudes?=us military and etc

[@littlerougue]

The Fremen were fighting for their home and the Sardurkar were fighting for their honor I know who wins that fight