Luke Skywalker vs. Paul Atreides

[Orrex]

As a dramatic character, which is more interesting?

I vote for Luke, because not once in the entire 100,000 pages of Dune does the reader ever doubt for a second that Paul is indeed the prophesied Messiah. At most, we're led to believe that he might not believe it, but even this perception is fleeting IMO. Paul starts out as the kid who's going to wind up being a Messiah, spends a few years in his journey toward becoming a Messiah, and ultimately winds up as a Messiah.

Luke, in contrast, confronts his own failures and, ultimately, grows because of them. As a result, his transformation from whiny farmboy to generally less whiny Jedi knight is a more interesting dramatic journey.


Your thoughts?

[madinmaryland]

1. Since I have no idea what you are talking about, I'll post this..

:hi:

[Deep13]

2. I still find the Dune characters more interesting.

Sandkitties of Dune

[Orrex]

3. Any post including a lolkat must be ignored outright

But I will agree that Dune has a more interesting supporting cast. Even Han Solo is interesting primarily because, when reading him, we read Harrison Ford. But when we read Gurney, we don't necessarily read Patrick Stewart.

[Deep13]

6. I think of the European miniseries.

I also have it on audiobook. I can't get into the David Lynch version. There's too much for a two-hour film. Besides, what's with all the extra crap he added: the yelling weapon, the Baron's skin condition, the heart-plugs?

[TZ]

9. That lolcat

has better F/X than the original Lynch movie!! The sci-fi miniseries is sooo much better...
And yes, I actually think the Paul Atreides character is a bit more interesting. Maybe just because there is so much social commentary woven into the story..Star Wars, for as good as it was, was a much less deep story.

[Dr. Strange]

4. But doesn't Paul ultimately fail?

Paul has the chance to be messiah, but doesn't have the spicified cojones to don the stillsuit. And Leto Jr has to get the job done.

In fact, I think the messianic images are diametrically opposite. Luke strives to become messianic, while Paul realizes the trap of being messiah.

So I'm going with Paul as the more dramatic character.

I did not type this...I am not here.

[Orrex]

8. See my comment above about lolkats

And I'm not sure that Luke wants to be a messiah, either; he wants to become a Jedi and redeem his father, so if he's a messiah at all, it's in a pretty narrow sense.

And I guess that I should clarify that I'm referring to the single book Dune and the three primary Star Wars books. Other works could easily change the dramatic value of the characters, but I'm just not familiar with them...

[Dr. Strange]

11. It's not a lolcat--it's a lolworm.

I think I still find Paul's journey more interesting. He has to get the Fremen on his side. Luke confronts his father and the Emperor and that's pretty much it.

By the way, you really should read the rest of the Dune series, at least through God Emperor of Dune. It will make you a better person. (Also, GEOD has nekkid yoga pics of turtlensue.)

[Midlodemocrat]

5. It would help if I had any idea what you are talking about.

:thumbsup:

[Deep13]

7. It's about the novel Dune. nt

[Westegg]

10. Are you kidding? "Star Wars" vs. "Dune"?...

...Lucas vs. Herbert? That's like comparing "Saved By the Bell" to the collected works of Shakespeare. Well, almost. Two of the six "Star Wars" movies were quite good.

[Dr. Strange]

12. I think Screech wasn't very believable as messiah.

Although the episode where Elizabeth Berkley went off to become a Showgirl was Shakespearean in its grandeur.

[TZ]

14. okay

I'm going to have to take away your good taste card. I've heard even pevvy people in real life talk about how "Showgirls" managed to make sex uninteresting..quite a feat!!:P

[Westegg]

15. Honey, "Showgirls" was soooo Tennessee.

[Orrex]

13. Not the whole work vs. the whole work

One character's dramatic journey vs. another character's. A very different question, I think.


And it's interesting that you cite Saved by the Bell, because of course Jessie from SBTB and Paul from Dune meet years later in Las Vegas in that cinematic masterpiece Showgirls!

[TZ]

17. I still think Paul Atreides is the more interesting character

He discovers a who new world inside himself that he has to battle. Somehow, someone battling the demons of accepting dealing with accepting a godhead is more interesting than the growing up of a naive farmboy. Isn't Luke Skywalker pretty much always likeable? Whereas Paul Atreides does things that aren't exactly likable or admirable but practical. A much more complex personality, IMHO.
Stars Wars is kind of a black and white universe (literally!) whereas the Dune characters are more gray.

[eyepaddle]

16. I'm going with Luke, ecause like you I have only read the first Dune book

and in that one the inevitability of Paul's "messianism" was just sort of stifling.

I started the second Dune book, but just sort of drifted off....

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. OMG! Totally Paul.

IMO.

Though you do raise some interesting points, I find Paul's growing awareness AND his eventual decision to live into that role but not quite fully, to be more compelling than Luke's. Paul, in a sense, has great success and yet at the same time, refuses to be as great as he could have been. Paul has a lot more ethical and emotional depth - remember, he committed a genocide of billions.

But there is something to be said for the farm boy who finds out he's of great lineage and decides to live into that as well.

[tigereye]

19. Paul, actually

much more complex character IMHO

[KG]

20. Paul Atriedes drinks his own pee..

that's gotta be good for something.