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The Dune Encyclopedia
Glossu Rabban, known as Beast Rabban, was a Harkonnen enforcer infamous for his brutal governance of Arrakis.
Biography[]
Lineage and Family Background[]
Siridar-Regent of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen on Arrakis during the period House Harkonnen held it as a subfief. Count Glossu was the son of Abulurd, Vladimir's youngest demi-brother. Glossu's regency on Arrakis was notorious for its cruel suppression of the natives, which earned him the epithet "Beast Rabban." He was killed during the assault on Arrakeen by Fremen forces. Glossu's father, Abulurd, was the product of Gunseng Harkonnen and Gunella Sorvaag; of the children of concubines, only Abulurd survived the deadly political climate of the royal palace of Harko. Once Vladimir was pronounced na-Baron, Abulurd renounced the Harkonnen name and all rights to the title in exchange for the subdistrict governorship of Rabban-Lankiveil. He really had no choice: Gunseng wished a clear and undisputed succession, and Abulurd could not compete with Vladimir. While Count of Rabban-Lankiveil, Abulurd took as concubine Thora Rabban, daughter of Elsun Rabban, a House Minor ruler. She bore him two sons, Glossu and Feyd-Rautha. Feyd-Rautha's superior talents made him na-Baron of Giedi Prime, but even so, Glossu won a name for himself, though an infamous one.
Character and description[]
Glossu was stocky of build, with the Harkonnen paternal line's narrowset eyes, and as slow-witted as he was thuglike in appearance. What he lacked in brightness he more than made up for in crude power of will. Once he made up his mind to do something it was done with tenacity, not with style or subtlety. He delighted in crushing his opponents by sheer strength. But above all, he obeyed orders, having little personal initiative.
Governance of Arrakis[]
Such a character appealed to Vladimir when he was awarded the melange riches of Arrakis. The Baron had great ambitions for this financial coup — a CHOAM Directorship and the defeat of House Atreides. Vladimir had too many other irons in the fire to administer Arrakis personally and Feyd-Rautha was too young to serve in his stead, but Glossu was trusted and available. House Harkonnen needed all the capital it could get for Vladimir's schemes. Consequently, when Glossu was made Siridar-Regent. his orders were to produce high yields of melange with the lowest possible overhead, to squeeze the planet's population and economy. In addition, his success would also be measured by how much spice he was able to stuff into secret Harkonnen warehouses. The Count was the needed steamroller. Arrakis' native population became a slave-labor force. But as repression continued, more and more Arrakians either plotted rebellion or fled to the desert. And with each instance of sabotage, real or suspected, Glossu increased the numbers of agents, executions, and police sweeps. By these techniques the general population was cowed. Yet the dungeons of Carthag became the central symbol of evil as they continuously swallowed anyone evenremotely associated with anti-Harkonnen intrigue or propaganda. Meanwhile the Arrakians worked reluctantly for minimal wages and neglected the maintenance of spice-production equipment. The major cost of this repression was the number of Fremen who fled to the desert. Beast Rabban could not reach man there, nor could he survey their activities, because the Guild refused to orbit reconnaissance satellites over the southern polar regions of Dune. Harkonnen expeditions there were invariably wiped out. Fremen enclaves remained outside his control, resulting in the Revolution undertaken by Muad'Dib. Then Glossu's cruelty returned to him, fatally. This cruelty is usually attributed to House Harkonnen itself, whose genetic constitution over the centuries acquired a sadistic nature. Yet this cause fails to perceive Count Glossu as an individual in his own time. Much of his bullying was probably the result of sibling rivalry between him and his younger and more intelligent and attractive brother, Feyd-Rautha. An older brother, passed over for approval, will often turn bitter, especially if the reasons for the preference are sound.
Final Campaign and Death[]
Following the defeat of the Red Duke on Arrakis and Glossu's restoration as Siridar-Regent, he squeezed the Arrakians even harder, not only for personal relish but to gain favor with his uncle. He had something to prove. Even though Feyd-Rautha was na-Baron, Glossu thought he could advance his own fortunes by surpassing his previous history of ruthlessness, with a supreme demonstration of loyalty, as it were. Little did he know that this brutality was exactly what Vladimir wanted before deposing him to bring in Feyd-Rautha as the savior of Arrakis. But Vladimir's scheme was frustrated. Before the rupturing of the Shield Wall, Glossu had been sent to review the perimeter of Harkonnen forces around Arrakeen. There he was killed during the onslaught of Wormriders storming through the breach.
Legacy[]
In spite of his reputation for ferocity, Glossu Rabban must go down in history as a mere tool, used at every turn by Baron Harkonnen. He might feel better were he to know that both Feyd-Rautha and his uncle also died in the greater game of empire.