In the Dune 2021 we see Duncan Idaho being shot at with a projectile weapon. He had to use his sword to pry the projectile off his shield. But imagine a dozen of those projectiles working their way through the shield at the same time. Even Duncan couldn't survive that. So why don't armies use those projectile weapons on a massive scale? Where are the rifles and gatling guns that fire these projectiles? Why isn't every soldier equipped with one?
-
8I don't think the original mentions such projectiles. Might be worth starting a specific dune-2021 tag, since it takes some creative license with the work.– Misha ROct 30, 2021 at 2:34
-
6sigh Herbert just wanted to make a space fantasy with swords, mental powers etc. Therefore there was no guns etc. These shields are just a lame idea how to make this happen.– MithoronOct 30, 2021 at 14:00
-
Although there are various projectile weapons in Dune, most of them are used in combat only in specific circumstances. Mostly because shields are in use, which prevent from passing through it any object moving faster than 6-9 cm per second, [Dune: Terminology of the Imperium: SHIELD, DEFENSIVE] which means object either pierces the shield or it doesn't. Binary solution set. Such speed is too low for any projectile to attain 80 J of energy to just penetrate skin, much less about 120 J to do enough damage to the body, which is why blades are used, because they can be slow enough.– AcePLDec 22, 2021 at 11:14
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
Briefly: The projectiles move too fast and therefore they would typically bounce off the shield. As Mithoron mentions Herbert was using his story to bring give us a space fantasy. And projectiles in Herbert’s universe are obsolete because of velocity issues with regard to the shield-armor. Think about how the hunter-seeker going after Paul must move slowly to pierce the shield.
This is input from a person who is well versed on the books and watched the new movie once. And is blind so experienced the movie via audio description service.
-
2Hi, welcome to the site. This has the potential to be an excellent answer, but right now it's lacking in terms of canon evidence. If you could you edit this answer to provide a relevant quote from the books, or at least cite a specific book and chapter / page number where a relevant passage of text can be found, it would benefit this answer a lot. Oct 30, 2021 at 21:41
-
1I believe Paul's hunter-seeker is different from Duncan's projectile. Hunter-seeker was guided by a person, and was slow because person could not find Paul, but got pretty fast when person found another human target. Duncan's projectile looked like something that didn't need guiding, like a normal bullet, but designed to pierce the shield. Big projectiles of this kind were used to destroy some of the buildings. One possible answer could be that this hand-held technology was recent Sardaukar invention, and they used it only in cases where they could maintain its secrecy. Oct 31, 2021 at 0:51
-
3FWIW, Paul's realization in both book and movie that he'd been caught without his shield imply that the shield would have defeated the hunter-seeker. Oct 31, 2021 at 2:19
-
thank you for the critique and the welcome, Logicdictates. Typically I lurk this stack for enjoyment only. I’m happy to remove my answer if it is inappropriate. Nov 1, 2021 at 0:53
-
1For the record, in the novel large scale artillery is used by the Harkonens in the attack on Arrakeen. Thufir Hawat muses to himself "Who would have thought they would have used artillery in this day of shields". Page 248 in my edition.– skyjackDec 22, 2021 at 3:27
We have kevlar body armor right now. Do we make guns that shoot dozens of bullets at once, to break through/hit unarmored spots? If you're good enough with a foam sword, you can block Nerf darts? Does that make it a good idea for the enemy to bring in a 100-lb cannon that takes several minutes to set up?
Because such a weapon would be unwieldy and heavy, not to mention nearly useless. Think about it: Making such a weapon specifically for fighting those who can deflect single darts (probably not a lot of people) makes no sense. Yes, it might work if you could wheel it in, with an air tank to propel the darts, and fire at Duncan, but there just isn't enough space in a Sardaukar uniform to fit such a weapon.
One more thing: There's another way to stop Duncan besides darts.
Good old melee combat. It worked.
-
I think you've got less chance beating the greatest swordsman in the galaxy in melee combat. Dec 22, 2021 at 16:11
-
-