MENTATS (Bio-Computers of DUNE) EXPLAINED

I love how insane and human the Dune universe is. Robots bad, drugs good.

I find the concepts of mentats fascinating. They are living embodiments of what Dune is: a story where Humanity focused on advancing themselves, rather than technology.

I loved the way they showed their eyes kind of rolling back when they're making their calculations. Same as this interpretation of the voice, both were done really well.

A society without computer and instead use humans like computers is such a cool concept.

Effects: +2 Intelligence for 4 minutes +2 Perception for 4 minutes +1 Charisma for 4 minutes

If there was one thing wrong with Dune’s (2021) portrayal of mentats, it’s that we hardly got to see how they work and are used by the various Houses in their never ending schemes to rise to the top.

A student in my class at college was a human calculator and could do algebra in his head nearly as fast as you could type it in one of those fancy graphing calculators. Several years later the guy got tested as to how he was able to do math so quickly. It turned out that he had an abnormal connection in brain wiring that was using the motor coodination area to do the math. It also explained why he was a bit clumbsy on one side of his body and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as well. This idea of the mentats is totally plausible.

Dune Lore is so ahead of it's time. That great AI purge, the expansion beyond earth, the way the galaxy functions. You can see the inspiration for Star Wars and The Matrix.

The fact that there is no AI or computers in general makes Dune such a fantastic sci fi series. It feels so much more rough

Frank Herbert was inspired to create Mentats by his illiterate Appalachian grandmother who could do incredible mathematical calculations in her head.

"It is caffeine alone that sets my mind in motion. It is through beans of java that thoughts acquire speed, that hands acquire shakes, that shakes become a warning." - An old internet meme.

Before electronic computers existed, people used table books for big numbers division, logs etc. The people who wrote the books were called computers. If you needed a custom table book you hired a computer to write one.

I like to say that Dune is the grandfather of the space fantasy genre. It heavily inspired both Star Wars and Warhammer 40K which went on to inspire just about everything else.

"I love mentats, so delicious and smarty" -Dr. Mobius

Mentat: " I am a human computer" 40k Mechanicus Adept (rubbing mechandrites) : " I like your skull and what's in it; the rest... "

Interesting. Since a "computer" was what they used to call people before modern computers became available, they were used to compute numbers and such

Growing up, I saw DUNE as a Walmart version of Star Wars. The more I learn about DUNE and its universe though...the more I realize the opposite is true.

I did love that original scene with Pieter De Vries. "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of saphu the thoughts aquire speed, the lips aquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion." Knew it by heart after watching it for the first time and rewatching that scene for its poetry. As poorly as it kept to the books, the original movie will always be special to me for it's more memorable moments. Plus weirding modules kick ass when you're a kid watching sci-fi.

Mentats Mental Freeze is the most human experience a person can have, the feeling of inadequacy because of a failure that is beyond your control thus leaving you in a constant state of fear and doubt. For a being considered less than human, more of machine to have such a human experience like that is Franky H is a goat. Could you imagine if your computer or phone froze but should still be fine and work because nothing is physically broken but its emotions and trauma of freezing is stopping it from functioning again.

Mentats are easily one of the coolest concepts from Dune. Imagine if we engineered/ unlocked the way to train people in a similar manner in real life? All of the advantages of being a perfect savant, and none of the disadvantages.