Okay, I've finished Dune, and I have a question (SPOILERS!)

[Orrex]

I saw the Lynch film about 15 years ago. I have a vague recollection of Jose Ferrer talking to some kind of non-humanoid creature in a cylindrical tank of some kind, with some talk of "folding space" thrown into it.

Having finished the book, I don't recall that scene or any sentient non-humanoids. Am I missing something?

I'm guessing that this scene was culled from another book in the series and added to give context or background, but beyond that I'm stumped.

Can somebody clue me in? I warn you that many have tried...

[China_cat]

1. This was Lynch's attempt to make visual

the beings that allowed space travel. The ones that had to have the 'spice' in order to be able to do what they did. Without their support, no emperor could retain the throne. I don't have my books handy and can't remember what they are called.

But if you think the Lynch film had any relationship to the book outside of the name and a few characters, you're wrong. It was the worst possible corruption of a book.

[Salviati]

2. The creature is a navigator...

...and each of them used to be human, until they were transformed by massive doses of spice which gave them the presciant ability used to navigate the hyperspace ships...

[Orrex]

5. Does that mean

That the guys that I thought were human during the climactic scene were actually in tanks instead of standing there?

Thanks for the clarification--I was really lost, if you'll pardon the lame-ass play on words.

[Salviati]

6. There are also regular humans in the spacing guild...

in the books, there isn't any normally any real contact between the navigators and any humans outside the guild. The guild emmisaries act as go betweens for the navigators and everyone else.

It's been so long since I've seen the Lynch version (and then only bits of it) that I'm not sure if in the climactic scene there were actual navigators there or not.

In the Sci-Fi network version, (as well as the book I believe) there were guild emmisaries (i.e. normal humans working for the spacing guild) at the climactic scene.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Egads! Surely you did not make it all the way through the book

and never notice mention of the navigators of the Spacing Guild?

They are absolutely critical to the plot!

[Orrex]

4. Well...

I guess I noticed them, but I didn't connect them with the guys in the tank. I think I was looking for approximately the same sequence of events, and the scene with Emperor Jose didn't match with the text in my brain.

Thanks, though!