Apparently, beach worms actually exist.

This is what Dune was about but what you never learn in the book or the movies is that people are actually very very tiny

Hmm.. the ornithopters based on a flying insect.. ive always wondered how that thing wouldnt rip itself apart under its weight, but if theyre tiny.. i think youre right.

Book ornithopters were based on birds, because that’s what ornithopter means. Derived from Greek, ‘Ornis/ornith’ = bird’, ‘pteron’ = wings. These could easily be larger. It was probably a lot harder to animate bird wings on the aircraft as opposed to insect wings that just go up and down until blurry. Hovering action would also be more difficult, as done in some scenes. But after reading the books and playing early Dune games, I was so disappointed they were bugs. I really wanted to see proper ornithopters.

\>It was probably a lot harder to animate bird wings on the aircraft We had the technology in the 90s! See the [Dune 2 intro on the Amiga](https://youtu.be/N0esAtrWZYY?t=164) for reference.

I grew up with Dune 2. I know it well. First game I save scummed due to the deaths head in the final mission.

There is a massive difference between 2D pixel animation in a prerendered cutscene vs modern 3D graphics animated in-engine. Not saying it’s impossible, just…that comparison isn’t even remotely logical.

The comparison was very obviously made in jest.

I remember reading somewhere about a legitimate reason for using ornithopters on Arrakis. Kopp–Etchells effect is caused when rotor blades strike sand and dust in the air. It’s a visually striking glowing halo caused by abrasion of the blade. Needless to say it causes significant maintenance/safety issues. Sand erosion would have a similar effect on propeller or fans on fixed wing engines. While there isn’t anything in canon to say this is the reason they use ornithopters on Arrakis, it is not *wrong*

Eh. Yeah, sand sucks for helicopters, but way more for the engines than the blades. We put this kind of tape on the leading edge. It’s like aluminum tape or something. It protects the blades from stuff like sand and can be replaced easily when it wears. Or maybe not easily, but can be replaced. So yeah, sand sucks, but it’s not like it makes helicopters unusable. Anyway, you’d have pretty much the same issue with the ornithopters. Their wings move really fast too. Maybe not as fast as the blades on a helicopter, but fast enough to have an effect. Anyway, like I said, the engines are the real problem. Aircraft engines need lots of air. Like, a fuckton of air. And when you’re taking off or landing and that fuckton of air has a fuckton of sand in it, not so good. So the design of ornithopters really doesn’t fix the main issue with sandy environments.

Remember: it isn’t a proper ornithopter unless it is powered by a 300 lb land mollusc.

Also worth noting the etymology of the word ‘helicopter’ is the Greek *helicos* (spiral) + *pteron* (wing). https://www.etymonline.com/word/helicopter

>It was probably a lot harder to animate bird wings on the aircraft as opposed to insect wings Also insect wings are much more badass and sound a lot better than ‘flap flap flap”

i really, really really dont think animating bird flight is harder to animate than dragon fly …flight.

Dragonflies are the best hunter and aerial acrobat on the planet, that’s why Denis incorporated the design, don’t look at weight physics and it becomes cooler

There is a Futurama episode with that plot 😂

You’re thinking of Dube, it’s a movie . Paul Atreides.

Dude should have been a parody version of Dune featuring 70s Cheech and Chong. “Just smoke this stuff! You’ll be traveling without even movin’!” – Tommy Chong

That sounds dubious

Didn’t he come up with the concept while working around sand dunes that had worms? I think in Oregon something potentially even by a beach? If so, you’re probably more correct than you realize haha

Use fish to catch worm and then use worm to catch fish

you don’t stop there. Use caught fish to catch huge worm. se huge worm to catch aMassive fish. Use massive fish to catch an elephant, use the elephant to catch a whale. Get arrested for illegal whaling, get locked up in a foreign jail for the rest of your life. Free food, and free accommodation for life, and it all starts with a tiny fish!

Eventually you get to Shai-Hulud

That’s the beauty of it… in the winter, the Shai-Halud simply freeze to death!

And Shai-Hulud is bait to catch an empire.

He who controls the spice controls the universe.

*primal Fremen banshee wailing*

Not gonna find them near any water, though

You sir are a genius

You’re sure showing that kid that traded a paper clip up to a house how it’s done.

but how do you catch the first fish?