Bene Tleilax
The Bene Tleilax are an organization that features in Dune.
Contents |
History
The Bene Tleilax were an organization that was formed by a society of genetically altered individuals that were highly religious and xenophobic. They were based on the planet Tleilax that was the sole planet located in the Thalim star system.
Upon presenting their idea to the Padishah Emperor Elrood Corrino IX, in 10,154 A.G. the Tleilaxu were granted the right to occupy the planet Ix by force (with the help of Elrood's Sardaukar army) and remake it into a laboratory station for the project. The old Emperor wanted to remove the spice monopoly by making sure that he had the only access to it, thus controlling the Spacing Guild. The Tleilaxu subsequently renamed Ix 'Xuttuh' after their founder. In the year 10,156 A.G., Elrood IX was assassinated by the Imperial Court's Count Hasimir Fenring at the behest of Crown Prince Shaddam. Shaddam, now under the name of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, gave Fenring the title of Imperial Spice Minister and ordered him to supervise the project.
Although Tleilaxu Master Hidar Fen Ajidica managed to create an artificial Melange (called ajidamal, or amal) that seemed to have the original's properties, it didn't work properly. The test-sandtrouts exploded, and Fenring's test of its use on Guild Navigators ended in catastrophe as one Heighliner was destroyed (along with its passengers) and the Navigator of a second died. When Duke Leto Atreides invaded Xuttuh in 10,175 A.G. and reestablished Prince Rhombur of House Vernius as the Earl of Ix, all the records of Project Amal were destroyed by Fenring.
When the news hit the Landsraad, Shaddam denied all participation, claiming never to have heard of it. He maintained that it was all probably something his senile father Elrood had done in his last days. The Tleilaxu Masters involved were finally executed. Ajidica himself had died from the side effects of ajidamal: his body literally fell apart as the synthetic melange had eaten it away from the inside out.
Overview
A low ranking subordinate level was Scribes were held by Tleilaxu males that served their Elders and Masters who took dictation as well as gathered refreshments during high level meetings. A high rank among their number was held by the Tleilaxu Masters that were the leaders of their order. These individuals would in time regain the ability to access their genetic memory with ease allowing them to effectively live forever by creating gholas of themselves. In appearance, they were described as being short dwarf-like characters with gray skin, hair and eyes along with elfin features with pointed teeth. It was suspected by the Bene Gesserit that these features were designed to cause others to underestimate them. The Masters controlled their creations by forcing them into hypnotic state with some predefined implanted sounds such as specific humming or whistling noises. The highest position within the Bene Tleilax was the secret title held by Masheikhs. These were ten individuals that ruled their empire and plotted to conquer other cultures and organizations.
Project Amal was an early attempt by the Tleilaxu to create synthetic melange in order to remove dependence upon the planet Arrakis, by that time the only source of melange in the Known Universe.
Members
- Burah :
- Uxtal :
Notes
- The Bene Tleilax were created by Frank Herbert to feature in the Dune universe.
- The Arabic word amal means hope, that is what the project tried to induce.
In other media
Television
- In Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, the Tleilaxu feature in the live action television adaptation of the novel storyline. They would stand alongside the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild in the secret conspiracy to overthrow Emperor Paul Atreides. The Bene Tleilaxu would create the ghola of Duncan Idaho who was conditioned to assassinate Paul by triggering it with the use of certain words. This ghola would be presented to Emperor Paul by the Spacing Guild as a gift where they claimed they had purchased him from the Tleilaxu.
Video games
- In Emperor: Battle for Dune, the Tleilaxu were shown as one of the sub-factions available to the players. According to them, they were willing to side with the highest bidder for their services. Their forces included Contaminators that were hideously deformed mutants created from the Flesh Vats to serve as infantry who carried a lethal virus that turned those touched by them into more Contaminators but were otherwise powerless against vehicles. Another unit available to them was the Leech which was three legged organic tanks that were very fast and able to regenerate whilst stationary. Their primary form of attack was implanting a larvae within another vehicle that slowly suffered damage until destroyed whereupon a new Leech emerged from the wreckage.
Appearances
- Dune:
External Links
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