The primary backdrop of Dune is the battle for control over the most valuable resource in the universe. The combatants are two noble families depicted as bitter rivals and near opposites. House Harkonnen is widely despised for its cruelty and lust for power. House Atreides are celebrated for their honor, mercy, and duty. Though one clearly comes off as the hero, the story gets a bit more complicated with a look back.
Paul Atreides is one of the most impressive chosen protagonists in fictional history. He's the product of countless generations of selective breeding. He's been trained in combat and psychic powers by masters of the arts. He gets the benefit of being raised by the most beloved Noble Family in the series for a good reason.
How did House Atreides attain power?
The first member of House Atreides was Vorian Atreides. His family name originated in Greece to mark the descendants of Atreus. Vorian was born before the Butlerian Jihad, a massive war between humanity and the thinking machines that had grown beyond their creators. His mother was a human slave to the robot empire, and his father was the cybernetically-enhanced Titan General Agamemnon. Titans were human revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the Old Empire and forge a new universal government. They eventually transferred their brains into robotic bodies called cymeks to live forever. Their brief rise to power coincided with the rebellion of the thinking machines. Agamemnon was the leader of the Titans, drawn into servitude by the all-powerful evermind network of the AI ruler, Omnius. As such, humanity faced their previously human overlords and the machines that made their lives possible in a bloody war.
Vorian was Agamemnon's 13th child, but he quickly became his father's favorite. He became a valued human trustee of the thinking machines. Vorian was rewarded for his loyalty with a longevity treatment that extended his lifespan far beyond anything typically possible. Agamemnon intended to make his son a cymek and to give him his throne after his planned death in battle. Vorian studied history and saw humans rebelling against the thinking machines. He became one of the most prominent warriors of the Butlerian Jihad. He developed close relationships with devoted rebels and bold strategies that turned the tide of battle. Vorian's role in the war cannot be overstated. He led the Great Purge, carpeting worlds with advanced atomic weapons and trapping Omnius on a single planet. He masterminded the assassination of the final Titans. Vorian killed Agamemnon with his bare hands, tossing his father's preserved brain out of a high window. Finally, at the Battle of Corrin, Vorian led a massive army of mercenaries to eliminate thinking machines with an orbital war and a targeted atomic strike. Vorian Atreides' actions in the Butlerian Jihad were enough to establish his family as a House Major for the rest of time.
How did the Atreides and Harkonnen feud begin?
The war changed Vorian Atreides. Despite his father, he was a kind, intelligent, and charismatic man for most of his young life. Decades of violent conflict, endless lives lost, and his all-consuming drive to succeed haunted Vorian as he reached the Jihad's final days. Vorian befriended Xavier Harkonnen during the rebellion. Xavier was a trusted and respected warrior until he learned of the secret crimes of the Grand Patriarch Iblis Ginjo. Ginjo was one of the early leaders of the League of Nobles, but he quietly operated organ farms and launched false flag attacks to take more victims. After Xavier learned of Ginjo's crimes, he piloted them into a star. Ginjo's political connections changed the story, marking Xavier as a monster and shaming his family forever. Though Vorian knew the truth, he decided to hide it until the Jihad passed.
Xavier's descendants took the name Butler to avoid shame. Vorian befriended Xavier's grandson, Abulurd Butler. At the Battle of Corrin, they faced a new conflict. An independent machine called Erasmus developed a last-ditch effort to keep the evermind alive. He attached two million human slaves to satellites and rigged them to explode. Vorian's army couldn't invade the planet without sacrificing innocent victims. Vorian, driven to eliminate Omnius at any cost, ordered his armies to attack. Abulurd was outraged. He disobeyed Vorian's orders and disabled his soldiers' weapons. Vorian launched weapons of mass destruction and forced an invasion without him. Luckily, unbeknownst to Vorian, Erasmus deactivated the explosives when he learned his human ward would've died in the blast. Abulurd was called a traitor and scheduled to be executed. Vorian instead had him exiled. Abulurd was forced to take the shameful name Harkonnen, never absolved of the crimes of Xavier. His heirs learned to hate House Atreides for the rest of known time.
The history of House Atreides was built almost entirely by its first official member. The tale of Vorian and the Butlerian Jihad would make a magnificent spin-off series sometime in the future. Vorian's descendants would take after his early life. They'd demonstrate honor, loyalty, and an almost self-destructive adherence to their duty. All who see what becomes of Paul Atreides should remember the story of the man who forged his family name.