In the Dune universe, there's immense power in a person's lineage. Political influence is handed down, as is financial wealth. Beyond the traditional endowments of money and status, the genetic lottery can bestow incredible psychic potential onto a newborn infant. The marriage of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica resulted in Paul, the Messiah at the heart of the universe's fastest-growing religion. Their second child, Alia, is almost as impressive.
Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Dune is the best-received on-screen take to date. The upcoming sequel has longtime fans and newcomers waiting with bated breath. According to Villeneuve, the second film will cover the remainder of the original 1965 novel. New fans will be thrilled to see the climactic conclusion to this story.
Who is Alia Atreides?
Alia Atreides is the second child of Duke Leto and Lady Jessica. She's Paul's younger sister. Alia was born on Arrakis eight months after her father's tragic death. While Alia was in the womb, Lady Jessica took the highest ritual of the Bene Gesserit. In the Bene Gesserit faith, a sister must undergo a devastating ordeal to attain the rank of Reverend Mother. Jessica consumed the toxic bile of an infant sandworm. One drop of the substance would kill any untrained person, but a Bene Gesserit can regurgitate the bile into a new chemical compound called the Water of Life. The Water of Life conferred incredible psychic powers onto all who drank it. Alia gained the effects of the Water of Life several months before she was born.
Alia became pre-born, gaining a fully-formed sapient consciousness before emerging from the womb. This allowed her to act with wisdom and competence beyond her years, but it also made her vulnerable to a negative side effect. Pre-born babies frequently become Abominations, individuals born with uncontrollable ego-memories. Alia lived with the consciousness of her dead ancestors alive in her mind. Alia grew up with the Fremen of Arrakis. When Alia was four, her people were led by her big brother Paul. The forces of the Padishah Emperor and the Atreides family's longtime rivals House Harkonnen attacked Arrakis. Alia joined the battle, killing dozens of soldiers for their precious water. Alia killed Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, her own grandfather, with a single touch of the poisonous Gom Jabbar. Alia earned the name "St. Alia of the Knife" along with the undying respect of her tribe.
After an attempt on Paul's life, the Kwisatz Haderach is blinded. He can see through his oracular powers, but his leadership has resulted in a galactic jihad. To avoid deification, Paul willingly follows the tradition of blind Fremen by walking out into the desert. In his place, Alia becomes Regent and slowly succumbs to the corrupting influence of power. She develops a relationship with Hayt, a clone of Duncan Idaho. Just as her grandfather and brother had before her, Alia becomes a tyrant. Baron Harkonnen's ego-memories gradually consume Alia's body as she falls to the Abomination. Rather than allow Harkonnen to take over the all-consuming empire, Alia lept from a high window and took her own life. Alia's existence is defined by overwhelming responsibility and the same deleterious deification that brought down her brother.
Will Alia Atreides Appear in Dune: Part Two?
Alia's story takes place entirely in the half of Frank Herbert's original novel which has yet to be adapted to the screen. Alia will almost certainly be a major player in the upcoming film. No news of her casting has been released. David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of the story cast then-nine-year-old Alicia Witt as young Alia. Fans can see her unnerving omniscience as an infant and her graceful assassination of Kenneth McMillan's Baron Harkonnen in that film. The 2000 Dune miniseries saw Laura Burton in her only acting role. Daniela Amavia portrayed Alia in the 2003 sequel series Children of Dune. That miniseries followed most of Alia's story but famously altered the method of her suicide. Rather than throw herself from a high window, Amavia's Alia took her own life with the blade she used to claim her title. Some critics at the time considered it a massive improvement, adding some personality to a character with a simple bit of flair. Fans can expect to see a new young actress capture Alia in Dune: Part Two on November 3rd.
Alia is far from the most famous character from Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi franchise, but she is one of the most compelling. Though her story follows many of the same beats as her brother's, she does so with a wildly different path. The chosen one, as represented by Paul Atreides, has been copied by countless other stories. The pre-born baby who gradually succumbs to the influence of the evil grandfather she murdered is a much more original concept. Alia might finally become a fan favorite when she joins the cast of Dune: Part Two.