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This article refers to elements from Original Dune Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons: |
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For the character in the film series, see Glossu Rabban
Glossu "Beast" Rabban (10132 AG - December 10193 AG) was the brutish nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, serving as Count of Lankiveil, and Governor of Arrakis during the Desert War.
Biography[]
Rabban inherited the Harkonnen penchant for sadism and cruelty but not much else. He was most known for his tyrannical but impotent governance of Arrakis during the fiefdom of his Great House. The Baron planned to let Rabban rule the untamed desert planet for a time through terror and submission so that when his favored younger brother took over, Feyd-Rautha would be welcomed as a hero. His merciless oppression of the local population prompted a lengthy rebellion that severely hindered spice production, spearheaded by guerilla fighters united under the Fremen prophet Muad'Dib.
Despite his lack of cunning, he did possess at least some degree of common sense and foresight - repeatedly warning his uncle and subordinates not to underestimate the Fremen or their numbers - and he posed an insightful enough question about his uncle's politically-sensitive subversion of Dr. Yueh that the Baron himself reconsidered his prior sentiments.
Glossu Rabban's life ended during the Battle of Arrakeen when he was slain by the populace he had brutalized for years.
Description[]
- "The man who stood outside the doorfield of the Baron's bedchamber was low built, gross of face and body, with the Harkonnen paternal line's narrow-set eyes and bulge of shoulders. There was yet some rigidity in his fat, but it was obvious to the eye that he'd come one day to the portable suspensors for carrying his excess weight."
- ―1965 novel[src]
Quotes[]
"Uncle, how can we let this happen? How can the Emperor...TAKE everything we've built, and give it to that duke?! How!" - 2021 film
Trivia[]
- The fate of Lankiveil following Rabban's demise is unknown.
- All three screen adaptations introduce Rabban much earlier than the book, in which he appears only once after the deaths of Dr. Yueh, Duke Leto and Piter de Vries.
- While the nature of his death is left vague in the book, his first two adaptations assume decapitation. In the 1984 film, the Baron is informed that the Emperor had Rabban arrested while en route to his ship, and arrives to see his nephew's severed head on a platter. In the 2000 miniseries, realizing there's no hope of escape or mercy, Rabban drops his knife and screams toward the sky as Fremen mobs rush him and dismember his body. However, in 2024's Dune: Part Two, he is fatally stabbed in the throat by his former slave Gurney Halleck.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Dune
- Dune Messiah (mentioned only)
- Children of Dune (mentioned only)
- God Emperor of Dune (mentioned only)
| Preceded by Abulurd Rabban |
Count of Lankiveil ? - 10193 AG |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Leto Atreides I |
Governor of Arrakis 10191 AG - 10193 AG |
Succeeded by Stilgar |
House Harkonnen
| |
|---|---|
| Barons | |
| Family |
Abulurd Harkonnen • Abulurd Rabban • Glossu Rabban |
| Retainers |
Piter de Vries • Umman Kudu • Iakin Nefud • Thufir Hawat • Czigo • Kinet • Pardee • Guild Bank Agent |