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This article refers to elements from the cinematic universe established with Dune (2021) Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons: |
"The Beast" Rabban Harkonnen[1] was the eldest nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and the elder brother of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. An irascible and violent man, Rabban often took out his rage on his subordinates, an occurence that became increasingly common as Muad'Dib led attacks on Harkonnen Spice mining operations during Rabban's tenure as Governor of Arrakis. Rabban was replaced as Governor by his brother Feyd and was killed by the Atreides Warmaster Gurney Halleck, seeking revenge for the many deaths of his loved ones that Rabban was responsible for.
Character description[]
As animalistic and savage as his given name implies, the “Beast” Rabban is the towering enforcer and nephew of the sadistic Baron Harkonnen. Tasked with securing the Baron’s empire by any means necessary, he is a brutal force of nature, prone to explosive and petulant bouts of rage. Of those that cross him, few live.[2]
History[]
Early life[]
As the eldest nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Rabban Harkonnen grew up to become a brutal enforcer for House Harkonnen, with his viscous nature earning him the moniker of "The Beast”. At some point, he murdered the family of Gurney Halleck, and gave him an Inkvine scar on his left cheek to remember him by.
Rabban was promoted as Planetary Governor of Arrakis, and was thus given control of Spice production. However, Vladimir became disappointed in Rabban's brutal and aggressive nature, and favored Rabban's much younger and more cunning brother, Feyd-Rautha, whom was later chosen as Na-Baron of House Harkonnen, as opposed to the older Rabban.
Atreides Usurpation[]
After House Harkonnen is removed from Arrakis by decree of the Padishah Emperor, Rabban is furious with the ordeal and turns to his uncle to express his frustrations. Vladimir and his Mentat Piter de Vries assure Rabban that things will return to normal soon enough, and that their removal from Arrakis has presented them with an opportunity to deal with (and eliminate) one of their biggest rivals — House Atreides.
Rabban took part in the attack on Arrakeen by the Harkonnen troops and the Sardaukar, where he personally decapitated numerous tied up Atreides soldiers. After House Atreides fell, however, and both Paul and Jessica are assumed eliminated, Rabban is put in charge of Arrakis after Piters' death, and was ordered to restart Spice production and sell off their reserves on Giedi Prime, with his uncle ordering him to squeeze hard over the planet.
War with the Fremen[]
Under Rabban's reign, Spice production faced constant attacks from the Fremen, led by their mysterious prophet Muad’Dib. Rabban eventually led a counter-attack against the Fremen after the bombing of one of their spice crops. However, it failed miserably, and Rabban was forced to retreat, almost being killed by a female Fremen.
As punishment for his nephew's failure, Vladimir demoted Rabban and promoted Feyd as the new planetary governor of Arrakis. Rabban confronted Feyd and was knocked to the ground, with his younger brother forcing him to kiss his feet as payback for humiliating their family through his failures.
Demise[]
Later on, the Emperor came to Arrakis along with the Imperial Court and his Sardaukar army. Rabban, along with Vladimir and Feyd, was brought before the Emperor, who chastised the Harkonnens for their failures. When the United Fedaykin led by Muad’Dib attacked, Rabban shared one last glance at his brother, before leaving to support in defending the capital of Arrakeen.
As the Fedaykin began conquering the city and massacring all Harkonnen troops, Rabban attempted to escape with his surviving men. However, he was approached by Gurney Halleck, who seeked revenge for all his loved ones that perished at Rabban's hand. Rabban attempted to fight back, but was swiftly stabbed in the chest and fell to the ground. Rabban died from his wound, thus ending the reign of the Beast.
Physical appearance[]
Much like other members of House Harkonnen, Rabban has a rounded face with extremely pale skin. He has a shaved head and clean appearance, but one which strikes fear into the eyes of his enemies. His appearance is eerily reminiscent of his uncle, Vladimir.
Personality[]
Rabban is a ruthless, sadistic and feared lieutenant within the Harkonnen ranks, and takes no prisoners. Upon hearing of the Harkonnens' removal from Arrakis, Rabban is furious and turns his anger at the situation to the new stewards, House Atreides. Rabban expresses his hatred and anger to his uncle, and vows that the Atreides soldiers be taken care of once and for all. He also has contempt for the Fremen forces, to the extent that he also repeatedly refers to them by dehumanizing terms such as rats. He has little regard for human life, and is known for killing his subordinates over frustrations.
Rabban is considered by many, even by his own family, as a brute and a fool. He did show some degree of foresight, however, as he did insist that their forces search the uninhabited south portion of Arrakis for the possible presence of Fremen.
Quotes[]
- Rabban : "Uncle, how can we let this happen? How can the Emperor...TAKE everything we've built, and give it to that DUKE?! HOW?!"
- Piter : "Don't be too sure it's an act of love."
- Rabban : "What does he mean?"
- Baron : "When is a gift not a gift? The Atreides voice is rising. And the Emperor is a jealous man. A dangerous...jealous man." - 2021 film
- Rabban : "We chased them...into a coriolis storm. Winds at 800 kilometers an hour. Nothing survives such a storm. They're dead. It's a certainty."
- Baron : "So it's done, finally. Send word to Giedi Prime, to begin selling our spice reserves. But slowly. We don't want the price to fall. You have no idea how much it cost me to bring such a force to bear here. Now I only have one requirement. Income. So squeeze, Rabban. Squeeze hard."
- Rabban: "Yes, uncle. And the Fremen?"
- Baron: "...kill them all." - 2021 film
- Commander : "L-Lord Rabban. Now that the spice fields have been secured, I...strongly recommend bringing our troops out of Fremen territories. We're losing too many men to the desert."
- Rabban : "Rats."
- Commander : "...I beg your pardon?"
- Rabban : "We're losing men. To rats."
- Commander : [Another officer mouths "Fremen" to him] "Fremen! I can't confirm, my lord. Communications are hectic in the open sands."
- Rabban : "Your orders...were to control the whole planet."
- Commander: "...we are."
- Rabban: "I see only half of it."
- Commander : "As you may recall...the South is uninhabitable, my lord. M-May I suggest you get some rest..." [Cut off by a strike to the throat]
- Rabban : [Smashes the man's face into a console repeatedly] "RATS! HAIRY! RATS! KILL THEM, KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL! KILL! THEM! ALL!! RATS!!" - Dune: Part Two
Differences from the original character[]
Rabban is adapted from the character of Glossu Rabban from the original Dune novel. In the novel, he carries the surname Rabban as a result of his father Abulurd renouncing the Harkonnen name prior to his birth after he became Count of Lankiveil. Dialogue in Dune: Part Two however, establishes his name in the film series as Rabban Harkonnen. This also results in his unfavored status among the Harkonnen family being downplayed to the extent that Baron Harkonnen specifically entrusted him to be brutal to the planet to keep it firmly under Harkonnen control.
Unlike the novel, where the Baron used Rabban in order to build up Feyd as the future savior and governor of Arrakis, the Baron uses Rabban's final term as governor of Arrakis as his final test to prove if his eldest nephew is cut out to succeed him.
Unlike prior adaptations, this version of Rabban is stabbed to death rather than decapitated, though the manner of his death is not specified in the book. He is also never stated to be Count of Lankiveil in this version.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Sardaukar officer bringing news to Shaddam IV during interrogation of Harkonnens (Dune Part Two, 2024).jpg (149 KB)")
_by_Keith_Christensen.jpg "Glossu Rabban Harkonnen in custom Harkonnen armour concept art for Dune (2021) by Keith Christensen.jpg (253 KB)")
Promotional images[]
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| Characters from Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two | |
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