Pardot Kynes
Encyclopedia
Pardot Kynes is a fictional character
in the Dune universe
created by Frank Herbert
. He was the Imperial Planetologist (Planetary Ecologist) of Arrakis
prior to the start of the novel Dune
, and was featured in the Prelude to Dune
series by Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson
.
Pardot Kynes was first introduced in the original novel Dune. Although he didn't directly take part in the story, his introduction into Fremen
society and his ecological plan for Arrakis are described in the first appendix of Dune.
Pardot Kynes first appeared as a character in Dune: House Atreides
as "an expert and well-respected ecologist
, geologist
, and meteorologist
, with added specialties in botany
and microbiology
. Driven, he enjoyed absorbing the mysteries of entire worlds. But the people themselves often remained a complete mystery to him." His interest in the sciences and the environment came from his studying of his homeworld, Salusa Secundus
.
On his visit to Kaitain
for an audience with Padishah Emperor
Elrood Corrino IX, Kynes noted:
Kynes was named the Imperial Planetologist of Arrakis by Elrood IX. Originally from Salusa Secundus
, a planet that since ancient times had been the Imperial prison planet of the Corrino dynasty
, Kynes was ordered by the Emperor to go to Arrakis to find out exactly how the spice melange was produced. Arrakis was, of course, the only known source of melange, the precious spice without which the Imperium would collapse.
The planetologist arrived to Arrakis in 10,154 A.G. After being on the planet a few months, Glossu Rabban
took him out for hunting sandworms
. Rabban blew up a sandworm with explosives to find that the worm disintegrated. This prompted Kynes to begin to investigate the ecology of the planet, soon realizing that it was possible to change Arrakis to a green and lush paradise.
Kynes found his way into Fremen
society after saving the lives of three young Fremen, one of them named Stilgar
. They took him to their sietch, but the naib and the elders council considered him a risk and decided to assassinate him. The Fremen Uliet was given the mission, and was trusted to do this act using a poisoned crysknife
, a traditional Fremen weapon that once drawn, had to draw blood. But when Uliet finally stood before the outworlder and heard that amazing dreams of a green flourishing Dune, he killed himself with the cryknife, taking Kynes place as the one to die. The Fremen took this as an omen
, and Kynes was declared a prophet, Umma, and "went native." He married the Fremen woman named Frieth, and together they had a son, who was named after the man who was supposed to kill Kynes, and gave the boy the name Liet Kynes. With his dream as a goal, the Fremen started uniting, helping Kynes to unravel the mysteries of the planet and achieving his dream of a green Dune. Kynes estimated that this would take 400 to 500 Standard years.
Kynes finally died trying to get fruit to give to his wife, when one of his cave-biostations crashed in. The Fremen decided not to search for his corpse and take his water, which was the Fremen custom, and left their beloved old prophet to rest in peace among his beloved plants.
Several millennia later, under the rule of his great-grandchild, the God Emperor Leto II
, his dream came true, and the great ocean then covering much of Dune, was named the Kynes Sea in honour of him and his son, and their work.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Dune universe
Dune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
. He was the Imperial Planetologist (Planetary Ecologist) of Arrakis
Arrakis
Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is...
prior to the start of the novel Dune
Dune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
, and was featured in the Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe....
series by Brian Herbert
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert....
and Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
.
Pardot Kynes was first introduced in the original novel Dune. Although he didn't directly take part in the story, his introduction into Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
society and his ecological plan for Arrakis are described in the first appendix of Dune.
Pardot Kynes first appeared as a character in Dune: House Atreides
Dune: House Atreides
Dune: House Atreides is a 1999 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the first book in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune...
as "an expert and well-respected ecologist
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, and meteorologist
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, with added specialties in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
. Driven, he enjoyed absorbing the mysteries of entire worlds. But the people themselves often remained a complete mystery to him." His interest in the sciences and the environment came from his studying of his homeworld, Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus is a fictional planet appearing in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. With harsh conditions rivaling those of the desert planet Arrakis, Salusa is used as the Imperial Prison Planet, and is one of two planets on which shigawire is grown .-Dune:In "Terminology of the Imperium," the...
.
On his visit to Kaitain
Kaitain (Dune)
Kaitain is a fictional planet in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.In Herbert's 1965 novel Dune, it is mentioned briefly as the seat of power of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the Royal Court being previously located on the planet Salusa Secundus.The Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy ...
for an audience with Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor is the title given to the hereditary rulers of the Old Empire in the science fiction Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.-Original series:...
Elrood Corrino IX, Kynes noted:
Official Imperial reports claimed it was always warm, the climate forever temperate. Storms were unknown. No clouds marred the skies ... when the ornate GuildSpacing GuildThe Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. With its monopoly on interstellar travel and banking, the Guild is a balance of power against the Padishah Emperor and the assembled noble Houses of the Landsraad...
escort craft descended, [Kynes] had noted the flotilla of weather satellites, climate-bending technology that — through brute force — kept Kaitain a peaceful and serene place ... Climate engineers could certainly strong-arm the weather to what someone had foolishly decided was optimal — though they did it at their own peril, creating an environment that led, ultimately, to malaise of the mind, body, and spirit. The Imperial family would never understand that. They continued to relax under their sunny skies and stroll through their well-watered arboretums, oblivious to an environmental catastrophe just waiting to unfold before their covered eyes.
Kynes was named the Imperial Planetologist of Arrakis by Elrood IX. Originally from Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus is a fictional planet appearing in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. With harsh conditions rivaling those of the desert planet Arrakis, Salusa is used as the Imperial Prison Planet, and is one of two planets on which shigawire is grown .-Dune:In "Terminology of the Imperium," the...
, a planet that since ancient times had been the Imperial prison planet of the Corrino dynasty
House Corrino
Imperial House Corrino is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The Corrinos come to power after mankind's victory against the thinking machines at the Battle of Corrin , and rule until deposed by Paul Atreides approximately 10,000 years later during the events...
, Kynes was ordered by the Emperor to go to Arrakis to find out exactly how the spice melange was produced. Arrakis was, of course, the only known source of melange, the precious spice without which the Imperium would collapse.
The planetologist arrived to Arrakis in 10,154 A.G. After being on the planet a few months, Glossu Rabban
Glossu Rabban
Glossu Rabban is a fictional character in the science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert.The Appendix IV: The Almanak of en-Ashraf Glossu Rabban is a fictional character in the science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert.The Appendix IV: The Almanak of en-Ashraf Glossu Rabban is a fictional...
took him out for hunting sandworms
Sandworm (Dune)
The sandworm is a fictional form of desert-dwelling creature from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. They first appear in the 1965 novel Dune, considered to be among the classics in the science fiction genre, and are iconic of the Dune series.In the series, the sandworms called Shai-Hulud...
. Rabban blew up a sandworm with explosives to find that the worm disintegrated. This prompted Kynes to begin to investigate the ecology of the planet, soon realizing that it was possible to change Arrakis to a green and lush paradise.
Kynes found his way into Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
society after saving the lives of three young Fremen, one of them named Stilgar
Stilgar
Stilgar is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He appears in the first three novels in the series: Dune , Dune Messiah and Children of Dune . His early life is explored in Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
. They took him to their sietch, but the naib and the elders council considered him a risk and decided to assassinate him. The Fremen Uliet was given the mission, and was trusted to do this act using a poisoned crysknife
Crysknife
A crysknife is a fictional weapon in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. According to the 1965 novel Dune, it is made from the crystal tooth of Shai'Hulud, the giant sandworms that live below the sands of the desert planet Arrakis....
, a traditional Fremen weapon that once drawn, had to draw blood. But when Uliet finally stood before the outworlder and heard that amazing dreams of a green flourishing Dune, he killed himself with the cryknife, taking Kynes place as the one to die. The Fremen took this as an omen
Omen
An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
, and Kynes was declared a prophet, Umma, and "went native." He married the Fremen woman named Frieth, and together they had a son, who was named after the man who was supposed to kill Kynes, and gave the boy the name Liet Kynes. With his dream as a goal, the Fremen started uniting, helping Kynes to unravel the mysteries of the planet and achieving his dream of a green Dune. Kynes estimated that this would take 400 to 500 Standard years.
Kynes finally died trying to get fruit to give to his wife, when one of his cave-biostations crashed in. The Fremen decided not to search for his corpse and take his water, which was the Fremen custom, and left their beloved old prophet to rest in peace among his beloved plants.
Several millennia later, under the rule of his great-grandchild, the God Emperor Leto II
Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah , Leto is a central character in Children of Dune and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
, his dream came true, and the great ocean then covering much of Dune, was named the Kynes Sea in honour of him and his son, and their work.