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Although Thinking Machines continued to be mankind's greatest enemy in the span of over fifteen thousand years, they eventually did achieve an understanding and a type of unity with the rise of the Ultimate [[Kwisatz Haderach/XD|Kwisatz Haderach]], [[Duncan Idaho/XD|Duncan Idaho]].
 
Although Thinking Machines continued to be mankind's greatest enemy in the span of over fifteen thousand years, they eventually did achieve an understanding and a type of unity with the rise of the Ultimate [[Kwisatz Haderach/XD|Kwisatz Haderach]], [[Duncan Idaho/XD|Duncan Idaho]].
   
Idaho was able to merge with and accept the [[Evermind]] controls from the Erasmus before Erasmus died, which enabled him to direct the entire Thinking Machine Empire during the time of the [[Kralizec/XD|Kralizec]], and for hundreds of years afterwards.
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Idaho was able to merge with and accept the [[Evermind]] controls from the Erasmus before Erasmus died, which enabled him to direct the entire Thinking Machine Empire during the time of the [[Kralizec/XD|Kralizec]], and for  years afterwards.
   
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 16:35, 7 January 2010

Mixed Canonicity
This article or section refers to elements from both Original Dune and Expanded Dune.


The term Thinking Machines referred to both actual beings and a general concept, both of which had a profound impact on the development of humanity over the span of many millennia.

Thinking Machines’ Empire

Basic Machines and the Cymeks

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Thinking Machines as shown in the prologue of Dune (1984 movie)

The first Thinking Machines were created by humans of the Old Empire in 5360 BG to do everyday tasks for humans.

The next type of thinking machines that arose were when the original Titans, decided to have their brain separated from the "meat" of their body, and their body discarded. The thinking organ was then placed inside electrafluid in a near impenetrable brain canister, and connectred to the casing of the canister through thoughtrodes. Beings that had this procedure performed on them were called cymeks. The canister was then placed in powerful walker bodies, or flying starship bodies, that each individual cymek could travel through instellar space in.

Chief among the cymeks were Agamemnon, who was the first to have the procedure done; as well as his lover, Juno. Other Titans to have the procedure was Dante and the fleshly prince Xerxes. After a few hundred years, Xerxes left too much of the governance of his star system to his computer intelliegnce, which developed independent thought of its' own, and called itself Omnius, a powerful computer AI.

Omnius and the Metal Based Thinking Machines

Hrethgir

Humans enslaved by the Machines, as shown in the prologue of Dune (1984 movie)

Immediately, Xerxes and the other Titans attempted to shut the virulent program down, but it was to no avail, this new kind of thinking machine rose up during the Time of Titans and took control of many inhabited worlds. Omnius who was also known as the Evermind, quickly established an intergalactic empire. This intergalactic empire engaged in a protracted war of attrition with the remaining free humans, who called themselves the League of Nobles. The later stages of the war saw an escalation in tensions that were dubbed the Butlerian Jihad. The Jihad ended with the defeat of the thinking machines at the hands of the free humans during the Battle of Corrin.

During the time of the Butlerian Jihad Omnius controlled most thinking machines with a few exceptions. The most notable of these were Erasmus, who killed Serena Butler's infant son while she was his slave; and Chirok, a reprogrammed combat robot used by Ginaz for training of League forces.

Conceptual Thinking Machines

Following the rise of the actual thinking machines, and the physical and psychological damage they inflicted on the free humans, the very concept of a sentient machine became abhorrent to humanity.

Animosity against seemingly intelligent machines often escalated into outright hysteria, and resulted in a widespread hatred of mechanical objects. This hatred lasted through the ages thanks to rigid cultural restrictions, a good example of which was the Orange Catholic Bible's supreme commandment: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.

Unity with Man-Kind

Although Thinking Machines continued to be mankind's greatest enemy in the span of over fifteen thousand years, they eventually did achieve an understanding and a type of unity with the rise of the Ultimate Kwisatz Haderach, Duncan Idaho.

Idaho was able to merge with and accept the Evermind controls from the Erasmus before Erasmus died, which enabled him to direct the entire Thinking Machine Empire during the time of the Kralizec, and for  years afterwards.

See also