Quick Links
The interstellar politics of Dune are rife with malfeasance and scheming. Before his death, the political landscape had Duke Leto Atreides I and his men worried about the concentration of excessive power within the premier House Major, Corrino, and the Bene Gesserit, who rule from the shadows. As the Great Houses tiptoe around Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the rights of prisoners, armies, and populations are all thrown into disarray.
Human society has regressed to feudalism in Dune, and the power structure sees the Padishah Emperor at the top. He heavily relied on his elite military force, i.e., the Sardaukar, to do his dirty work for him. The fearsome Sardaukar legions cannot be expected to respect human rights in their operations. They undergo rigorous training on the third planet of Gamma Waiping, Salusa Secundus, where they end up as merciless killers.
Dune: Who Is Princess Irulan?
Dune: Part Two introduces a critical figure in Paul Atreides' rise to the universe's highest offices of power.
What Is Salusa Secundus?
Emperor Shaddam IV's Prison And The Homeworld Of House Corrino
Salusa Secundus appears midway through Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One. One of the most interesting observations about this portrayal is the planet's dark and dull ambiance. Described as "the Imperial Army Planet," it is the Sardaukars' home and a world unlike any other. The opening shot of Salusa Secundus in Dune: Part 1 shows thousands of elite armored warriors kneeling on a solid rocky surface, amid heavy rain. They quietly wait to be daubed on the forehead with blood, while a priest sings an unintelligible litany in the distance. The vicars anoint the Sardaukar in this ritual ceremony, and the warriors are coming for the Atreides on Arrakis.
Salusa Secundus' visual representation in Villeneuve's Dune is brilliant and on par with Frank Herbert's literary description. In Dune Book III - The Prophet,the Old Mentat Thufir Hawat and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen discuss at length the Corrino prison planet. At this time, this place is seen as analogous to the unforgiving desert planet, Arrakis. The Baron says:
It's a penal colony. The worst riff-raff in the galaxy are sent to Salusa Secundus. What else do we need to know?
Hawat adds that the conditions on the prison planet are inhumane, and that it is a symbol of torture. He says that the Baron needs to give thought to Salusa Secundus' notoriety:
That conditions on the prison planet are more oppressive than anywhere else. You hear that the mortality rate among new prisoners is higher than sixty percent. You hear that the Emperor practices every form of oppression there. You hear all this and do not ask questions?
People call Salusa Secundus a dungeon where prisoners rot, or the place that takes away every ounce of the Sardaukars' humanity. The practices on the planet confirm that it is a disgraceful blot on the Corrino name. Hawat leaves little room for doubt in the Baron's mind when he says the Emperor "gets his Sardaukar" from Salusa Secundus.
What Are The Conditions On Salusa Secundus?
The Desolate Planet
As seen in Dune: Part One, Salusa Secundus experiences gusty winds, unforgiving rains, and extreme temperatures. Simply put, it exhibits a rigorous climate and is akin to a massive military base. It has everything: Ornithopters, gunships, troop carriers, and Shaddam's flags bearing his crest of a golden lion. This setting is a breeding ground for the Sardaukar, who kill and commit dishonorable attacks and indulge in a series of exploits. Many in Dune, including the Baron, find hard their deeds to believe. The ecological doom on Salusa Secundus conditions the troops to survive in the worst possible conditions. This, compounded by the rigorous and demanding military training, weeds out weaker recruits and leaves "the strong to grow stronger."
The Old Mentat's quote puts the whole thing into perspective:
A man who survives Salusa Secundus starts out being tougher than most others.
House Corrino's Link to Salusa Secundus
The First Capital Of The Corrino Empire
The dumping ground that produces the Sardaukar is, in fact, where House Corrino originated. Salusa Secundus and III Delta Kaising are the only two planets where the highly tensile Shigawire could grow. This material can be made into reels and wires that the Sardaukar use for garroting. Salusa Secundus served as the personal fief of the House before their exile to Planet Kaitain. It served as their fief until a House Major, Tantor, reneged, and quite literally nuked the planet in the 2nd Millennium AG.
The event is known in Dune lore as the Salusa Holocaust, Salusa Catastrophe, or Salusan Disaster. As a result of its ecological impact, the Corrinos abandoned their seat and moved the Imperial Throne to the paradise planet Kaitain. A few members survived, and House Corrino was nearly obliterated in the attack. While it managed to rise from the rubble and rebuild on Kaitain, Salusa Secundus was devastated. It remains unknown whether humans inhabited Salusa Secundus before the Emperor sent the first batch of prisoners there. What's confirmed is that wild beasts typically inhabit the prison planet.
After House Corrino shifted its capital to Kaitain, they used their ancestral planet, Salusa Secundus, as a dumping ground to keep the economy rolling. The empire thrived on Kaitain, and used it as the seat of the Imperium's governmental and bureaucratic infrastructure. Meanwhile, Emperor Shaddam IV ensured military balance in the Landsraad by raising his fanatical blades on Salusa Secundus. This was a win-win situation for House Corrino, as Shaddam had the required military capacity for successful deterrence. The Sardaukar were the reason House Corrino remained unrivaled in the Landsraad.
There is no question why Hawat drew parallels between Salusa Secundus and Arrakis. The dishonorable Sardaukar are rivaled by the gallant Fremen of Dune. The unforgiving nature of both planets makes them a breeding ground for the most resilient people in the Dune universe. In the words of Thufir Hawat:
The recruits come to believe in time that such a place as Salusa Secundus is justified because it produced them - the elite. The commonest Sardaukar trooper lives a life, in many respects, as exalted as that of any member of a Great House.
Dune: CHOAM, Explained
This massive conglomerate controls all mercantile commerce in the Dune universe, cementing its power through the noble art of monopoly.
