Questions tagged [sandworm]

A fictional creature native to the planet Arrakis in the Dune universe. Always use in conjunction with the [dune] tag.

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How can a worm digest a harvester?

In the Dune films a well as the book (IIRC), there is a situation where a worm swallows a spice harvester. E.g. in the film of Villeneuve: To the extend of my ...
Shade's user avatar
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Dune sand tent underground - why wouldn't digging and just being in a tent attract a worm?

Seems like being inside a sand tent down inside a dune would act like a vibration amplifying chamber -- even the vibration of simply breathing, snoring. etc - much less any movements would be ...
user5479's user avatar
8 votes
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Use compact protective field generator to attract sandworms instead of bulky tam-tam device

Why should one carry bulky device to attract a sandworm? It is much easier to carry several (very compact and very basic, simple) shield generators. Set one and wait for the sandworm. Edit: https://en....
Yaroslav  Kornachevskyi's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
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Why don't the sandworms attack outworlder cities in Arrakis?

I recently watched Denis Villeneuve's version of Dune. It is mentioned that the sandworms are always attracted to artificial vibrations. I remember the books also mentioning multiple times that ...
mustard's user avatar
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3 votes
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Do the sandworms know why humans are on Dune?

Recently I've re-watched David Lynch's Dune, and particularly the sandworm attacking a spice harvester has made me wonder something, as strange as it might sound- do the sandworms see humans as pests ...
Nu'Daq's user avatar
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25 votes
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How did Fremen produce and carry enough thumpers to use Sandworms as de facto Ubers?

In Dune, Fremen travel regularly on the backs of enormous Sandworms (variously "Shai Hulud" or "the Maker"). They summon them through the use of a device called a "thumper" (presumably Frank Herbert ...
bob's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why do we see lightning when a sandworm breaches the surface?

The sight of a sandworm of Arrakis (Shai-Hulud) breaching the surface is usually accompanied by lightning. Is there any explanation given for this phenomenon? Is it supposed to be due to accumulation ...
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7 votes
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The second rise of the sandworm

In God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert, Leto states that when his 'metamorphosis' into a sandworm is complete, he will return to the sand. He goes on to say that the sandworms that would come from ...
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Why do only the 'little makers' produce the water of life?

In Dune by Frank Herbert, Sietch Tabr has a cave that contains a little-maker or stunted worm. This worm is surrounded by water so that it cannot escape. Paul decides to try and change the water of ...
Quiquȅ's user avatar
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Who introduced the Sandworms to Arrakis?

This question explores if the Sandworms are native to Arrakis, which we know to be untrue. This then raises a question. Who introduced the Sandworms to Dune? This question indicates how it may be ...
Athena Widget's user avatar
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What happens to the sandworm after its riders release it?

We know that sandworms are territorial and control an area up to 400 km2. Paul leaned forward, touched Kynes’ shoulder. “How big an area does each worm stake out?” Kynes frowned. The child kept ...
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What does the word "thumper" mean when used to measure distance?

There are several places in Dune where the word "Thumper" is used as a measure of distance: On the north polar map of Dune, there's an arrow pointing to the left with the caption: 20 Thumpers to ...
Niall C.'s user avatar
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32 votes
4 answers
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How do the Dune sandworms move?

The sandworms of Dune are huge and powerful. But how exactly do they move beneath all that sand? They don't necessarily skim above the surface as they apparently only raise smallish (relative to their ...
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5 answers
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Why didn't the Empire transplant sandworms to other planets?

Later in the Dune series, the Bene Gesserit have transplanted some sandworms and there are sandworms living on other planets besides Arrakis. Considering the importance of melange and that it was ...
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In Dune, how is water replaced after being transformed into melange in a pre-spice mass?

If the sandtrouts turn water into a pre-spice mass resulting in desertification, wouldn't the water source deplete, which would stop the production of melange? Then the sand plankton, which feed on ...
Dune Dude's user avatar
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How did the sandworms and sandtrout appear on Arrakis?

Were they native species? My impression was that Arrakis was turned into Dune fairly recently, geologically/paleontologically speaking.
DVK-on-Ahch-To's user avatar
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4 answers
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In the Dune universe, how do the sandworms enlarge the desert?

In Chapterhouse Dune and in Hunters of Dune, it is clear that the Sandworms are causing the desert area to grow and take more and more of the surface of the planet. However, the sandworms need desert-...
Zottek's user avatar
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