# Timeline question about Dune **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [May 14, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525 "2024-05-14T00:43:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/1 "2024-05-14T00:43:41Z")
How long was it from the day Paul Atreides and family landed on Arrakis to the Harkonnen/Sardaukar attack? At least as far as I can count days mentioned in the book it wasn’t long- 10 days to 2 weeks? Certainly it was a lot less than Duke Leto had counted on. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/2 "2024-05-14T00:52:44Z")
10191 AG - January/February Atreides move to Arrakis (aka Dune). - March Harkonnen attack. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/3 "2024-05-14T00:53:20Z")
According to [this annotated timeline](https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_(Original_Dune)#cite_ref-:4_27-4), a few months. Or what WAM said. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/4 "2024-05-14T01:14:28Z")
Since that mentions several events that all happened on the same night as simply occurring in “March”, the time resolution isn’t very good. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/5 "2024-05-14T01:21:51Z")
It’s definitely not, but Frank Herbert didn’t annotate the events with timestamps, so it can only be vaguely pieced together. You can check the references, though, if you want to come up with your own timeline. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/6 "2024-05-14T01:48:53Z")
I agree. I am not aware of a refined timeline for Dune that gets us a day-by-day series of events. 6-8 weeks from arriving to attack is about the best we can do. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/7 "2024-05-14T01:50:09Z")
For what it’s worth, I had thought the span of events was a bit longer, like closer to a year. Long enough that 1) the drop in spice production isn’t just a handover problem, but a definite Atreides problem. And that 2) there would be a bit more time between the Emperor handing over Arrakis to the Atreides and then the Harkonnens taking it back. A short window looks like the Harkonnens just effectively reversed the Emperor’s decision. A longer window means the Atreides had their chance, but, darn it, the Emperor just had to allow the Harkonnens back in for the good of the galaxy (the spice must flow). Or something like that in my mind, but I’m no Dune scholar. For instance, I forget when we find out that Jessica is pregnant. I guess her pregnancy and the eventual birth and everything else that happens in between must mean that the time scale is pretty compressed. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/8 "2024-05-14T01:54:46Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > For what it’s worth, I had thought the span of events was a bit longer, more like a year. Long enough that 1) the drop in spice production isn’t just a handover problem, but a definite Atreides problem. And that 2) there would be a bit more time between the Emperor handing over Arrakis to the Atreides and then the Harkonnens taking it back. A short window looks like the Harkonnens just effectively reversed the Emperor’s decision. A longer window means the Atreides had their chance, but, darn it, the Emperor just had to allow the Harkonnens back in for the good of the galaxy (the spice must flow). The emperor was in on the Harkonnen scheme from the get-go. That’s what kicks the whole thing off. The emperor is fearful of the popularity of the Atreides in the Landsraad. So, he concocts a scheme with the Harkonnen to put and end to the Atreides. That’s the fist book/movie. The Harkonnen don’t want to wait. They are losing a fortune every day they are not controlling Arrakis. They go back ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/9 "2024-05-14T02:18:36Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > For what it’s worth, I had thought the span of events was a bit longer, like closer to a year. Long enough that 1) the drop in spice production isn’t just a handover problem, but a definite Atreides problem. And that 2) there would be a bit more time between the Emperor handing over Arrakis to the Atreides and then the Harkonnens taking it back. A short window looks like the Harkonnens just effectively reversed the Emperor’s decision. A longer window means the Atreides had their chance, but, darn it, the Emperor just had to allow the Harkonnens back in for the good of the galaxy (the spice must flow). That’s what Duke Leto _thought_ the plan would be. He knew Arrakis was a trap and even that the Emperor would underhandedly help the Harkonnens. But Leto thought the Harkonnens would try sporadic raids and probes first, and that they would wait while the drop in production caused by their outgoing sabotage discredited the Atreides and the Harkonnens sold their spice stockpile at inflated prices. The Harkonnens even pulled a few minor stunts like the assassination attempt against Paul and the treachery that resulted in the loss of a spice harvester, just to confirm what Leto expected. What took Leto completely by surprise was how soon and how overwhelming the attack was. The size of the attack was ten times greater than what Leto’s Mentat Hawat had estimated. By his calculation, the cost of the affair equaled the entire Spice revenue for fifty years. One presumes that the Emperor had to persuade the Spacing Guild to accept time payments for the cost of transporting such a force. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/10 "2024-05-14T02:47:36Z")
Based on Lumpy’s response, I’m going to assume this is an inherently open spoiler thread unless someone wants to correct that. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > The emperor was in on the Harkonnen scheme from the get-go. For sure, but part of the reason for the whole Arrakis trap/ruse is that, for optics reasons, the Emperor can’t be seen to move directly against House Atreides, so instead he sets them up to fail and be destroyed. Similarly, it seems like pretty bad optics for House Harkonnen, an ambitious Great House of its own, to effectively countermand the Emperor’s order about the most valuable planet in the Empire, even if that’s what the Emperor had covertly planned all along. Not the biggest deal, but it kind of makes me wonder why Empy is worrying about the optics in one case and not the other. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/11 "2024-05-14T14:39:16Z")
Well, the Harkonnens and the Atreides had an existing feud which provided the justification for an attack. In the book and Lynch movie, the Baron follows the traditional forms of Kanly, or vendetta. He makes a show offer of reconciliation. He knows Leto will reject it which clears the way for the Baron to go to violence. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/12 "2024-05-14T17:43:06Z")
I just can’t buy that timeline, even setting aside using current names for months. It says the Harkonnens attacked in March, Duncan was killed in April, and Paul killed Jamis in May. Those 3 events were separated by a week at best. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/13 "2024-05-16T18:08:37Z")
The Emperor has to be careful because the combined might of the greater houses at the very least equals his and him taking them out one by one is their greatest fear so he doesn’t want any bloody hands on this so the sardaukar dress as Harkonnen troops and even as Atreides troops (to get the Spacing Guild angry at House Atreides) to conceal his involvement. As others wrote this was the plan from the beginning because he feared Leto’s popularity. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/14 "2024-05-18T06:05:13Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The size of the attack was ten times greater than what Leto’s Mentat Hawat had estimated. By his calculation, the cost of the affair equaled the entire Spice revenue for fifty years. One presumes that the Emperor had to persuade the Spacing Guild to accept time payments for the cost of transporting such a force. IIRC, the Baron paid for everything, he made the comment that it would have ‘ruined us’ if I hadn’t planned for it long ago. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/15 "2024-05-18T13:27:47Z")
I think this is a pretty accurate timeline. All the action is continuous, except the week or so gap between the mining flight and banquet. There’s lots of descriptive text about moonlight, starlight to show time of day. Day 1 ARRIVE ON ARRAKIS. Boxes being unpacked. Jessica meets Mapes. Jessica and Yueh visit a sleeping Paul. Jessica finds the conservatory. Paul gets up and is attacked by a hunter-seeker. Night 1 Duke Leto is angry about the assassination attempt. Meets with Gurney. Meets with Paul, who defends Hawat. All Staff meeting. They meet Stilgar. Hawat tells Leto they found evidence of Jessica being a traitor. Day 2 Leto tells Paul he doesn’t believe Jessica is a traitor. They go on spice mining inspection flight with Kynes. \*\*\* A week passes (approximate) \*\*\* Leto: _“The Illusion I suspect her must be maintained.”_ Jessica, sensing his remoteness, wondered at it, as she had done frequently **the past week**. Night 9 The BANQUET. Jessica woken by a drunk Idaho. Jessica confronts Hawat. \*\*\* Two days pass \*\*\* _“It had been two long days since the dinner party”_ Night 11 _“Dawn was yet a few hours away”_. Leto finds Mapes dying. Knocked out by Yueh. Given poison tooth. HARKONNEN ATTACK. Jessica wakes up tied-up. Baron and Piter discuss what to do with her and Paul. Taken by thopter to the desert. Overpower guards. Piter kills Yueh. Leto uses poison tooth. Paul and Jessica rescued by Duncan in thopter and taken to hiding place. Night 12 Paul and Jessica wait for Duncan. He arrives with Kynes. They go to Eco Testing Station. Harkonnens attack. Duncan dies. Kynes captured. Paul and Jessica escape by thopter into sandstorm. Crash land and cross sand to rock. Set up camp. Night 13 Paul and Jessica cross more sand. Encounter Stilgar’s troop. Travel to Cave of the Ridges. Sleep. Day 14 Wake up in the afternoon. PAUL DUELS JAMIS. Jamis’ funeral at sunset. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/16 "2024-05-18T19:18:56Z")
Yeah the Harkonnen’s paid. The Baron tells Rabban that income is their priority once they take back Arrakis to make up the cost. They are even more desperate in the book because shortly before they are destroyed, the Atreides pulled off a raid that destroyed the Harkonnen’s stock pile of spice they had on Geidi Prime ready to sell. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/17 "2024-05-18T19:57:52Z")
Damn that slippery Duke. That does bring up an interesting point regarding the timeline, though. They decided on the raid after their arrival on Arrakis, didn’t they? They planned it, attempted to recruit Fremen, executed it and the results were known to the Baron by his meeting with Raban. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/18 "2024-05-18T21:44:43Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > and the results were known to the Baron by his meeting with Raban. Before that; the Baron thought it to himself before Leto’s body had even been taken away. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-question-about-dune/1001525/19 "2024-05-18T23:20:39Z")
DAMN that slippery Duke.