Most adaptations struggle to capture the spirit of their source material. Dune has gone through the wringer several times, eventually producing a near-perfect take on the material with Denis Villeneuve. The two-part epic redefines the potential of blockbuster cinema, transforming a seemingly unfilmable work into an undisputed classic. Fans who only experience the Dune universe through its modern film adaptation may never learn how wild the franchise gets beyond its first novel. Dune Messiah introduces new elements like the Bene Tleilax.
The opposing factions that vie for control of the universe keep Dune dynamic and engaging. Paul Atreides is a descendant of a Great House and the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. His quest brings him into conflict with the Padishah Emperor. When his actions change the universe, new players seem to emerge from the depths of space to challenge his domination.
Dune: Ornithopters, Explained
The go-to aerial vehicle on Arrakis is a complex mechanical marvel with a variety of designs and explanations.
How was the Bene Tleilax formed?
Some 11,000 years before the events of Dune, a religious organization called the Zensunni formed after a schism sent followers away from the Third Muhammed. Zensunni, a combination of Zen Buddhism and Sunni Islam, is a dominant faith among the poor and underprivileged. A small sect of Zensunni radicals abandoned the flock to live in isolation. This splinter group of a splinter group bred xenophobia and scientific curiosity. They wisely hid their beliefs and intentions, instead devoting their considerable resources to perfecting genetic manipulation techniques. This group became the Bene Tleilax or Tleilaxu, named after their beautiful home planet, Tleilax. Their unnerving silence, zealous ambitions, and flagrant amorality earned the widespread condemnation of nearly every other considerable power in the universe. Their biological accomplishments made them a necessary evil.
What does the Bene Tleilax do?
The Bene Tleilax are masters of genetic engineering. Their understanding of biology outclasses that of any other scientific body. Their first notable accomplishment was artificial organs. Their predecessors, the Tlulaxa, developed working organ farms but used them as a front for slave-harvesting operations. While claiming to provide ethically-grown body parts to those who lost them, the Tlulaxa stole from slaves to supply transplants to the wealthy. The Tleilaxu outgrew their first steps through several failed projects. Their longest gambit involved creating artificial spice, which would have ended the struggle for Arrakis and placed the Tleilaxu in charge of the universe. Though they failed, they found critical assets the universe couldn't ignore.
The Bene Tleilax produces human clones called gholas. When a wealthy person loses someone, they can pay the Tleilaxu an exorbitant sum to collect a small skin sample and grow a duplicate. Gholas lack the memories of their source, leaving most ineffective at their primary purpose. Through experimentation and convenient circumstances, the Tleilaxu discover a way to awaken a ghola's genetic memory and restore the dead person's personality. The Tleilaxu's other substantial accomplishment is twisted Mentats. After the Butlerian Jihad wiped out thinking machines, the Order of Mentats gathered and educated humans to behave like computers. They have advanced mathematic skills and all known information on instant recall, but their Order restricts their behavior. The Tleilaxu's twisted Mentats have no moral scruples. They're said to be carefully crafted to suit the buyers' whims, but some argue the Tleilaxu pilfer failed Mentat students and encourage their worst excesses. Many frown upon twisted Mentats, but House Harkonnen and others rely upon them. They're a microcosm of the Tleilaxu's place in the universe, which The Dune Encyclopedia sums up like this:
While their numerous particular actions and products generated significant ill will, it is more likely that the Tleilaxu were generally loathed for a more primordial reason. Their genetic manipulations massed life and nature. The Bene Gesserit could be tolerated, even admired, for their pretension at improving humanity, but Bene Tleilax's distortions only inspired primal horror.
Where does the Bene Tleilax appear in Dune?
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen mentions Tleilax once in Dune, calling for one of his servants to request a new twisted Mentat from the isolated planet. They don't arrive in person until Dune Messiah. They will not appear in Dune: Part Two, but they may reach the big screen if Denis Villeneuve gets to direct the end of his trilogy. They become one of several forces working to unseat Paul Atreides after the events of Dune. The Tleilax contribute a ghola of Duncan Idaho, intending to use him to assassinate the new Emperor. They return in later sequels, providing an army of clones before their religious motivation is revealed. They are almost eliminated by the time of Chapterhouse: Dune.
The Bene Tleilax are one of the most viscerally unpleasant groups in the Dune universe. Their actions are behind the scenes, but it takes a considerable effort to stand out as morally objectionable among the other powers in Dune. Through cloning and mutations, the Tleilaxu made themselves essential, even as the rest of the galaxy pretends they don't exist.
Dune: Caladan, Explained
Before they migrated to the unforgiving deserts of Arrakis, House Atreides spent 10,000 years on the beautiful world of Caladan.
