WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dune.

Summary

• The Emperor set House Atreides up for disaster on Arrakis to weaken their political power.
• Duke Leto Atreides faced the harsh reality of overseeing spice production and navigating political implications.
• House Atreides' move to Arrakis sparked conflict with the Harkonnens, eventually leading to Leto's demise.

Before the events of highly-anticipated Dune 3 already confirmed to be in development. After receiving the news that House Atreides would leave their home planet of Caladan from The Emperor, who is played by Christopher Walken in Dune: Part Two, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Issac) and his family move to Arrakis to oversee the planet's spice production in Dune (2021).

Without this major occurrence at the start of Dune, the entire story of Paul's ascension to Emperor at the Bene Gesserit's long-established plan according to their highly specified genetic breeding strategies. Paul breaks the convention of the Bene Gesserit's initial vision since his mother, Lady Jessica, was instructed to have a daughter instead of a son, which she eventually does.

The Emperor Sent House Atreides To Arrakis To Start A War

The Harkonnens would not give up Arrakis without a fight

The Emperor was fully aware that taking Arrakis away from the Harkonnens would inevitably set up a major conflict for House Atreides.

Initially, it may have been interpreted that the Emperor was rewarding the honorable House Atreides with Arrakis as a show of good faith. The Harkonnen had been presiding over the planet and the spice production for years, which is how their entire house essentially turned into an industrial complex, and a very wealthy one at that. The Emperor was fully aware that taking Arrakis away from the Harkonnens would inevitably set up a major conflict for House Atreides. The Harkonnens would not simply give up Arrakis without a fight, which led to the death of Leto in Dune (2021).

Weakened and paranoid from his position of power, the Emperor saw the thriving House Atreides as a potential threat to his and his family's reign, which is why he sought to take them out. Doing so deliberately would cause an irrecoverable ripple among the major houses and factions in the Dune universe, so gifting House Atreides with Arrakis was his stealthy and inconspicuous way of essentially giving them the kiss of death. The Harkonnen enlist the help of the Sardaukar in Dune, the Emperor's highly skilled military force. Knowing all this, the Emperor undoubtedly sent House Atreides to Arrakis to perish.

How The Emperor Knew Arrakis Would Weaken House Atreides

The Emperor set House Atreides up for sabotage and disaster

Sending House Atreides to Arrakis would inevitably weaken the noble house based on the heavy burden of living on the planet and harnessing spice production.

Sending House Atreides to Arrakis would inevitably weaken the noble house based on the heavy burden of living on the planet and harnessing spice production. While Duke Leto Atreides is a powerful and charismatic leader, he comes from Caladan, a lush and flourishing oceanic world that is ecologically opposite of Arrakis. Leto was also unprepared to take over the spice production from the Harkonnen and was arguably ill-fitted for the role, given that on his very first trip overseeing the spice harvesting process his goodwill to save innocent workers from a sandworm outweighed a sense of levelheaded business practicality.

If the Harkonnen had failed in their attempts to kill Leto and overtake Arrakis through a surprise attack in the middle of the night as depicted in Dune, Leto likely would still have taken a long time to adjust to the conditions Arrakis and expectations of spice production. The Emperor could have used Leto's potential failure of spice production to publicly shame him and House Atreides, weakening his political power and popularity and thus thwarting his threat to the throne. Whether the Harkonnen got involved or not as they had in Dune, it's evident that the Emperor was setting Leto and House Atreides up for sabotage and disaster.

Did Duke Leto Atreides Know The Truth About Arrakis In Dune?

Duke Leto Atreides was dealt a difficult hand in Dune

Duke Leto Atreides was dealt a difficult hand in Dune and really had no choice but to accept the so-called promotion to oversee spice production on Arrakis. He was surely aware of the political implications and potential repercussions of the Emperor's decision and was hesitant to see it as a reward or even a positive thing for him, his family, and his house. Leto was honorable enough to hold faith that the Emperor believed in him but wise enough to know it was not that simple. Ultimately, the Harkonnens' lust for the Dune planet brought down the noble Leto Atreides but gave rise to Paul.