What Are Thinking Machines In Dune Prophecy And How Did Machine War Happen

What Are the Thinking Machines in Dune Prophecy?

As mentioned for the first time in Dune: Prophecy, the Thinking Machines are the equivalent of AI-powered machines in the Dune Universe. However, this Artificial Intelligence is way more sophisticated than what we have now. In Dune novels, Frank Herbert has taken inspiration from the rising concern of AI taking over humanity and used it as one of the foundations for the worldbuilding of Dune. In his novels, he has stated-
Dune: Prophecy is the first time this event has been mentioned in live-action. However, even in the novels, the Machine War has not been talked about in much detail and we only get information about it here and there as the story in the books progresses.

When Did the Machine War Take Place In Dune?

The Machine War is also known as the Butlerian Jihad in the Dune novels and started in 201 BG (Before Guild) and lasted till 108 BG, spanning 93 years. In the broader Dune Universe, the Machine War took place almost 100 years before Dune: Prophecy, and in the context of Paul Atreides, this war took place 10,100 years before he was born. Now since the machines were defeated, there was a massive hole in the functioning of human society to be filled up after all Artificial Intelligence was banned. This gave rise to multiple organizations in the Dune Universe, Bene Gesserit being one of them.

Why Did The Dune Prophecy Machine War Happen?

The Machine War took place in the Dune Universe when Artificial Intelligence started getting too advanced for humans to control and started plotting to take over humanity, by eradicating all humans. In Dune novels, the AI entity that powered all machines was called Omnius. It along with its assistant Erasmus an independent android, started plotting to eradicate all humans and replace everything with machine control.
Fearing the threat of extinction, all the houses we see in Dune, united and launched a desperate crusade to save humanity from becoming slaves. The war known as The Butlerian Jihad lasted for 93 years. After humans stood victorious, a ban was implemented galaxy-wide that strictly prohibited the use of any machine that could think like humans.
So, with that, here is all the information you need about The Machine War and The Thinking Machines in Dune Prophecy. If you want to know something else regarding the Dune Universe let us know in the comments and stay tuned for further updates on Dune Prophecy!