Biggest Unanswered Questions In Dune

Discounting the two miniseries Syfy aired in the early aughts, Denis Villeneuve's ambitious and mega-budgeted "Dune" is the first time the influential science fiction saga has been adapted for the screen since David Lynch's much-maligned take on the material in 1984. But even after the Covid delays — and now making its debut on HBO Max concurrently with its theatrical debut — "Dune" is an incomplete event, more a promise of a future complete story than a satisfying experience all its own. Onscreen the film is titled "Dune: Part One," and it covers a little less than half of the book's story across its two-and-a-half-hour runtime.

It's an understandable conundrum, given the relative density and narrative depth at play within the source material. But as efficient and economical as the film's sturdy screenwriting from co-writers Jon Spaihts, Eric Roth and Villeneuve himself can be, there is still a lot to keep track of — in terms of character, motivation, mythology, and more. This sprawling saga about the planet Arrakis and its would-be savior Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) comes complete with a plethora of supporting players and exotic, intergalactic locales to be familiarized with, such that by the time the credits roll and the story more or less pauses until an eventual sequel, there may be a lot left to unpack.

So, knowing there's going to be some heavy spoilers ahead, we're going to try to address the many unanswered questions left in the film's wake. Some of these, we must assume, will be answered in a potential "Dune: Part Two," but should this film underperform theatrically, perhaps they'll just make for fun watercooler talk — or better yet, even more reason to finally crack the spine on that "Dune" paperback you've left sitting around for too long.

In "Dune: Part One," Dr. Liet-Kynes is portrayed by Black actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster in one of the film's more affecting individual performances. Though the character is canonically male in the source material, this iteration is not drastically different outside of gender, especially considering that, within the context of the film, there are no overt changes made to how the character is presented or interacted with. Introduced as an objective observer of the regime change between the Harkonnens and House Atreides, it becomes clear that while Dr. Kynes is loyal to neither opposing force, she is also not exactly loyal to the Emperor, instead considering herself a Fremen first and foremost.

In the novel, Kynes is presented with an almost secret identity-like stature as a dual persona, with Dr. Kynes being the planetologist Duke Leto meets with, and "Liet" being a name spoken of as someone the Fremen show close allegiance with. But Villenueve's film doesn't have room for those narrative complications, instead positioning Dr. Kynes as an impartial emissary of the empire whose heart belongs with the native people of Arrakis, who worships Shai-Hulud, and who has a murky, unexplored past with a Fremen lover who died.

But one key element missing from this film is that Dr. Kynes has a child, Chani, a Fremen played by Zendaya in the film. Chani doesn't appear onscreen until the film's final act, only showing up throughout in Paul's visions of the future. Dr. Kynes seemingly meets her fate, being swallowed up by the great sandworm before the film's last act begins in earnest, so we never see any interaction between her and her would-be daughter. 

It remains to be seen if a "Part Two" will follow up with this information, or perhaps even delve into Dr. Kynes' origins as a half-Fremen as outlined in Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's "Prelude to Dune." Perhaps this genealogical tether might be abolished altogether in an effort to streamline the rest of the book, which is just as dense and nuanced as this half we've seen brought to life. Time will tell...

In one of the film's most touching sequences, not long before House Atreides suffers such heavy casualties, Duke Leto can feel the walls closing around him and he makes a heartbreaking confession to Lady Jessica. While she consoles him over the growing fears this move to Arrakis has been little more than a trap, he tells her how much he regrets not marrying her. Lady Jessica was a concubine, and a sister of the Bene Gesserit, so her siring a son with Leto was not a conventional or well-advised development. But he allowed her to raise their son and teach him the Weirding Way of the sisterhood, with Paul developing preternatural abilities in the process. 

Knowing that in all likelihood, he's not long for this world, he asks her and the Bene Gesserit to protect his son, because he won't be around to do it anymore. But there's such a rueful, harrowing tenor to Isaac's last scenes as Duke Leto. His undeniable chemistry with Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica imply a deep, rich and storied love affair we the viewer, at least through this particular adaptation, can't be privy to.

While it isn't as essential to the plot as some of the other unanswered questions, Isaac and Ferguson leave the viewer wanting more of their history together, wanting to know what kept Duke Leto from making an honest woman out of Lady Jessica.