16 things Star Wars stole from Dune that you simply cannot unsee

13. Devious, slug-like villains

Visually speaking, is there anyone who did not think of Jabba the Hutt while watching Baron Harkonnen in the Dune movies? Both are greedy, burly figures who have difficulty moving, their corpulence a metaphor for their decadence.

Jabba, a ruthless crime lord with a chokehold on Tatooine, fittingly meets his end at the hands of Princess Leia. Carrie Fisher choking Jabba to death with the same metal chains she was bound with remains an iconic scene to this day.

In Dune, Villeneuve ensures that the Baron comes across as adequately repulsive, mirroring his amorality and self-indulgence. For two movies, he moves around using a device to levitate instead of walking. The one time he attempts and tries to reach for the Emperor's seat in Dune: Part Two, he gets stabbed by his grandson, Paul Atreides, as he usurps the throne.

Interestingly, in the original Dune book, the Baron is killed by Paul's sister Alia, not Paul. And speaking of Alia...

14. Princess Alia-Princess Leia

This one is a bit more in-your-face. Princess Alia is Paul Atreides' sister, and the two share a powerful spiritual and psychic bond, much like Luke and Leia from Star Wars. Born with the full powers of a Bene Gesserit, Alia is considered an Abomination by the sisterhood in the novel because of her abilities. We see a quick shot of an adult Alia in Dune: Part Two, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Leia Organa's character almost entirely mirrors that of Alia's, minus the inherent darkness.

15. Lightsabers are somewhat similar to crysknives

The crysknives of Dune, made from the teeth of dead sandworms, are the weapon of choice for the Fremen of Arrakis. They consider the blade sacred and have specific rules and rituals regarding its sheathing, unsheathing, and maintenance. Lightsabers have similar meaning for Jedi. Made with Force-sensitive kyber crystals, the weapon becomes a part of a Jedi knight's existence from the time they are a Padawan. Crysknives can cut through most things and are often poisoned, making them a near-unavoidable weapon, just like lightsabers.

16. Stormtroopers and Sardaukars

Both Stormtroopers and Sardaukars are movie versions of extremist military forces commanded by authoritarian dictatorships. They wear similar head-to-toe armor and wield deadly firearms. They are also experts in hand-to-hand combat. However, when it comes to hitting the target in front of them, one of them may be slightly better than the other. It's anyone's guess which.

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