What Dune Author Frank Herbert Thought About Star Wars

When it comes to "Dune" and "Star Wars," they're both considered peak science fiction. In terms of which came first, it was the former, which was published in the '60s by author Frank Herbert (who would write six "Dune" books). George Lucas' "Star Wars" arrived in the '70s; however, many people pointed out the striking similarities between the two works, including Herbert himself.

Before the release of "Star Wars" in 1977, Herbert was approached for comment about the film's similarities to his book, and if there was room for a lawsuit. "I will try hard not to sue," he told The Daily News. "I have no idea what book of mine it fits, but I suspect it may be 'Dune' since in that I had a Princess Alia and the movie has a Princess Leia. And I hear there is a sandworm caucus and hooded dwellers in the desert, just like in 'Dune.'" Lucas claimed the only similarity between the properties is the presence of a desert in "Star Wars."

In 1985, Herbert spoke about "Dune" and "Star Wars" at UCLA. "Lucas has never admitted that they copied a lot of 'Dune,'" he said. "I'm not saying that they did. I'm just saying there are 16 points of identity between the book 'Dune' and 'Star Wars.'" Herbert added that Lucas owed him dinner at the very least.

Whether George Lucas freely borrowed from "Dune" for "Star Wars" is a conversation that has raged on for years — and will likely continue as long as the fandoms want it to. Make no mistake about it, it's abundantly clear that Frank Herbert's influence played a role in a galaxy far, far away, but how much remains open to debate.

In 2020, cinematographer Greig Fraser — who worked on "Rogue One," "The Mandalorian," "Dune," and "Dune: Part Two" — spoke about working on both franchises, as well as how he actively avoided repeating the same shots, especially when it came to the deserts. "I mean, listen, ultimately, I'm positive George Lucas was inspired by 'Dune' when he made 'Star Wars,'" Fraser told Collider. "I don't know if that's sacrilegious to talk about, but there are a lot of similarities in some areas, so you could tell he was definitely influenced by that. So I had to be careful doing both ['Dune' and 'The Mandalorian'] and not to repeat myself."

So, did "Star Wars" copy "Dune"? That's up to the fans to decide. Whether it did or not, though, everyone can agree they're some of the best sci-fi movies of all time.