Vladimir Harkonnen
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Vladimir Harkonnen is a fictional character from the science fiction series Dune.
Born in the year 10,110 after the foundation of the Spacing Guild as son and heir of Dmitri Harkonnen and Victoria Harkonnen. His father served as head to the House Harkonnen and as Siridar (planetary governor) and Baron of the planet Giedi Prime. Vladimir was trained since youth as a possible successor to him. Vladimir presumably proved to be the most promising candidate as he was eventually chosen over his younger half-brother Abulurd Harkonnen.
Abulurd eventually married into House Rabban and renounced the name Harkonnen and his rights to the title. Under the name Abulurd Rabban he reigned as Count and governor of planet Lankiveil. Vladimir was uncle to his heirs: Glossu Rabban (year 10,132 - 10,193), nicknamed Beast Rabban, and Feyd-Rautha Rabban (year 10,174 - 10,193). Vladimir later adopted them back into House Harkonnen and the latter became his designated heir as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
Vladimir never married and his homosexuality was additionally something of an open secret. This, however, did not prevent at least two sexual encounters with a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, Gaius Helen Mohiam. Blackmailed into supporting their elaborate and covert breeding program, the Baron was forced to father an offspring which was to be raised on the Bene Gesserit homeworld of Wallach IX. Gaius Helen Mohiam used this opportunity to exact retribution upon the Baron, for his violent treatment of her during sexual encounter, by infecting him with a disease which resulted in his later obesity. Ironically, this child would later become the Lady Jessica Atreides. Thus, the Baron Harkonnen was also a biological ancestor of Paul Atreides and his line, including the God Emperor Leto II.
Vladimir was a skillful, if ruthless, politician with an apparent talent for manipulating people and events towards his chosen ends. During his reign the House Harkonnen progressively gained in both wealth and power. His major sources of wealth were his dominance in the whale fur market and his control of the Melange-producing planet Arrakis. The Baron was able to finance elaborate political schemes that further added to his power. For several years he was assisted by the sadistic mentat Piter De Vries. Much of his success at political maneuvering was due to a ruse that he was rash and overtly brutal, using such overtures to mask his subtler primary plots.
The Baron's most prominent political rival was his distant cousin Leto Atreides, head of House Atreides and Duke of planet Caladan. The true heritage of the Duke's consort, Lady Jessica, was unknown by either. In year 10,176, his grandson Paul Atreides was born.
In year 10,191, Vladimir was apparently contacted by Shaddam Corrino IV, 81st Emperor of House Corrino with the proposal of an alliance against the Duke. Vladimir was content in accepting, although uncertain of the Emperor's motivation.
Leto was pressured to surrender Caladan to Vladimir and receive Arrakis instead. He complied, though he sent a small invasion force, really no more than a raid, against Geidi Prime.
Shortly after this, a much larger invasion force arrived on Arrakis, consisting of both Sardaukar and Harkonnen forces. The Sardaukar were disguised by Harkonnen uniforms, so that outsiders would not recognize the hand of the Emperor in destroying Duke Leto. The Duke had not yet had time to establish a solid presence on Arrakis, and soon most of the Duke's army was slain.
The Baron Harkonnen was known for his creativity. This showed itself in the war against the Duke Leto, when the Harkonnen soldiers fought the Atreides at one point with old-fashioned explosive artillery. While artillery and firearms were generally worthless against the Holtzman effect shields that were commonplace in the Empire, shields were not used on Arrakis and the Baron calculated that the Atreides soldiers would retreat to caves. The artillery sealed them in, causing the Atreides soldiers to die by the thousands of suffocation and starvation. This tactic greatly reduced Harkonnen and Sardaukar casualties. It is not known if the Baron had studied the ancient history of humankind, but the Baron's re-introduction of a weapon that was obsolete since the days of Old Earth helped him achieve a crushing victory.
Vladimir had arranged for the Duke to be taken prisoner by Dr. Wellington Yueh, his own physician. But Yueh had personal reasons to hate Vladimir. A tooth of the captive was filled with poisonous gas intended to kill him and those around him. The Baron survived Yueh's assassination attempt but Piter De Vries did not. He was replaced with Thufir Hawat, Mentat to the deceased Duke, under duress. Vladimir apparently managed to convince Hawat that they could join forces against the Emperor.
The following two years saw Vladimir becoming increasingly aware that both of his nephews were conspiring against him to obtain the Baron's throne. The Baron let them continue to do so, reasoning that they had to somehow learn to organize a conspiracy. However as punishment for a failed assassination attempt against him, Vladimir forced Feyd-Rautha to single-handedly slaughter all the female slaves who served as his lovers, while the Baron watched. He explained that Feyd-Rautha had to learn the price of failure.
By year 10,193, the Fremen of Arrakis had managed to gain a series of victories against Beast Rabban and to capture most of the territory of the planet, which threatened to disrupt the trade of Melange. The Emperor decided to take control of the situation and arrived on Arrakis along with five legions of Sardaukar forces. Vladimir and Feyd-Rautha escorted him with a vastly larger Harkonnen army, made up mostly of conscripts but also containing seasoned Harkonnen troops.
Vladimir was shocked to learn that Paul Atreides led the Fremen. The imperial forces fell prey to a surprise attack by the Fremen. Part of the Fremen/Atreides strategy was to wait until a sandstorm shorted out the force field shields of the Harkonnen/Imperial transport ships, disable them with projectile weapons, and then attack with a vast assault force, using Sandworms under cover of the severe weather to break the enemy lines. The Sardaukar and Harkonnen forces were trapped on the planet, astonished at the Sandworm mounts and vast numbers of their attackers, and their past ruthlessness gave them little hope of quarter from the enraged Fremen.
Beast Rabban died in the initial part of the battle. The Harkonnen army was massacred to the last man, almost all the 300,000 Imperial Sardaukar died, and Vladimir was poisoned by Alia Atreides, his own granddaughter, and took his last breath at the age of 83. Feyd-Rautha was killed by Paul in a duel. The death of the three men and the massacre meant the end of House Harkonnen as a galactic power. But, since grandson Paul subsequently was named emperor, Vladimir's descendants would long reign as the Imperial House Atreides.
The Baron's story does not end with his death however. Paul's sister Alia was born with her ancestral memories in the womb, a circumstance the Bene Gesserit call abomination, because in their experience it is inevitable that the individual will become possessed by one of their ancestors. Alia falls victim to this prediction and initially shares control of her body with the Baron, gradually falling under his power. At the end of Children of Dune Alia commits suicide, in part because she realizes the Baron has virtually surpassed her abilities to contain him.
The anime and manga Hellsing features a giant rifle named the Harkonnen, and Baron Vladimir has a cameo.
Appearance
Frank Herbert's representation of the Baron Harkonnen portrays him as an imposing, powerful man. His eyes are described as "spider-like" and his voice a deep, rumbling basso with a style of dress often including a flowing robe and a collection of rings adorning large hands. The original explanation for his excessive weight was simply attributed to overindulgence. This was later retconned by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson in their first prequel trilogy, explaining that the Baron was once an exceedingly handsome young man, possessing a near-perfect physique. In this version, his bodily deterioration is said to be the result of a rare disease caused by Jessica's mother, a Bene Gesserit named Gaius Helen Mohiam, in punishment for the Baron's actions leading to her pregnancy. After which, his physique began to slowly atrophy into the obese one. In Dune: House Harkonnen, he at first walked with the assistance of a cane, then relied on belt-mounted suspensors to retain mobility. He tried to force Mohiam to reveal the means to reverse the disease, but doesn't succeed, for the affliction was uncurable. In all instances, he displays extreme intelligence and carries an air of ruthless cruelty.
In David Lynch's 1984 box-office flop, he was played by Kenneth McMillan. In addition to being grotesquely overweight, he was shown to be covered in large, black pustules which required constant draining and treatment. He is further displayed as a raving lunatic, screaming and laughing incoherently at any given moment and going so far as to drink the blood of a servant after removing a "heart plug." None of these features are ever mentioned or assumed in the book and are admittedly attributed to Lynch's inspiration from Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt who had appeared in Return of the Jedi the year before. Lynch had previously turned down the offer to direct Jedi in favor of Dune.
The latest incarnation of this character appeared in a 2000 miniseries produced by the Sci-Fi Channel. Perhaps in attempt to move from McMillan's portrayal, the Baron is played by British actor Ian McNeice and is given a much lighter tone. While still said to possess the ruthlessness of Herbert's creation, he is nonetheless shown to be somewhat effeminate in nature. Among the most frequently cited criticisms are his overly flamboyant robes, his lack of vocal command, and a tendency to speak in rhyming verse (iambic pentameter) at the close of each scene, considered ridiculous by many fans. Nevertheless, this portrayal is generally thought to be far closer to Herbert's creation and is considered an improvement over his previous film depiction.
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