Dune’s Atreides Family Tree and Character Ages, Explained

Warning: Spoilers for Dune 2.Based on the classic 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, the universe of Dune has an expansive and rich history as well as a slew of thoughtfully developed characters. Within its realm, the cosmos is controlled by an entity known as the Galactic Padishah Empire. The Emperor sits as its ruling leader, whose arrangement with the great houses maintains a reasonable sense of order throughout the universe. One of those houses, the Atreides, lies at the center of the Dune films, and its surviving descendants ultimately spark the fuse that inevitably leads to the prophesied Holy War between all the great houses.

House Atreides originally ruled over Caladan, a beautiful planet covered in lush forests and vast oceans, and was one of the most respected houses that ruled benevolently over their fiefdom. Threatened by their popularity, Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) reassigns them to Arrakis to oversee its spice production, which was previously the responsibility of House Harkonnen. In stark contrast to their ancestral home, Arrakis is a desert planet on which few inhabitants could survive. However, because of its spice, a resource required for space travel, it’s the most valuable planet in the known universe.

Although their power and influence dwindled following their arrival on Arrakis, House Atreides is a mighty force to be reckoned with, nonetheless. As such, it’s important to understand how each member of the family fits into the larger narrative of Dune and its sequel, and, how House Harkonnen fits into the larger web of the family.

The Atreides Family Tree

Duke Leto Atreides

Paul’s Father, Mid-to-Late 40s

Portrayed by Oscar Isaac in the first Dune, Duke Leto Atreides was the leader of House Atreides and father to the protagonist of the film, Paul. He was a benevolent leader who sought to form an alliance with the Fremen, the indigenous population of Arrakis, rather than wage war against them. Known as a compassionate and just Duke, Leto never married but maintained a Bene Gesserit concubine named Lady Jessica, who bore his children. During the night of the Harkonnens’s attack on Arrakis, he is paralyzed and taken to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), who plans to kill him. However, unbeknownst to the Baron, Leto was given a fake tooth filled with poison to bite on that would expel gas and kill everyone in his vicinity. He ultimately dies in an effort to kill the Baron, who manages to survive the poison.

Lady Jessica

Paul’s Mother, Mid-to-Late 30s

Portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson, Lady Jessica is not technically a member of House Atreides, but she is the consort to the Duke and is Paul’s mother. She’s a member of the Bene Gesserit, an order of women who are trained in special abilities and use their status as political advisors to influence the leaders of the great houses as well as the Emperor. The order pulls the strings of politics behind the scenes to further their own agenda via the prophecy of the chosen one. They also secure the bloodlines of the great houses by conceiving daughters with each house’s leader when the time calls for it. However, Jessica defied her orders and bore a son because she loved Leto and wanted to provide him with an heir.

Initially his paramour of sorts, Jessica and Leto never marry, although the night before they’re attacked on Arrakis, he tells her he should have married her. In the first Dune film, it’s revealed she’s pregnant with a girl, Alia. Jessica is also the daughter of Gaius Helen Mohiam (the reverend mother at the time) and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, one of the men responsible for the destruction of House Atreides, but she’s unaware of such a fact until she drinks the Water of Life. After she drinks the worm’s poison, Lady Jessica becomes a Fremen Reverend Mother and works to convert the nonbelievers of her son’s identity as the Lisan al-Gaib.

Paul Atreides

15-years-old

Played by Timothée Chalamet, Paul Atreides is the protagonist of Dune and its sequel. He is the heir of House Atreides and is believed to be the Lisan al-Gaib, also known as the messiah or chosen one, in the eyes of many Fremen. Despite being a boy, he is trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit and is a very skilled fighter. After his family is attacked, he and his mother are left for dead in the desert of Arrakis, where he eventually learns the ways of the Fremen and is taken under their wing. He falls in love with Chani (Zendaya) but ultimately loses her when he offers to marry the Emperor’s daughter in an effort to ascend the throne as well as fulfill his destiny as the chosen one.

In the beginning, Paul rejects the notion of the prophecy, but as his visions begin to plague him more, he decides to drink the Water of Life. As a result, his visions become clearer and his path as the messiah is cemented by his followers. Hellbent on revenge after the murder of his father and the destruction of his house, Paul makes the ultimate transformation from a reluctant hero to a vengeful villain.

Alia Atreides

Paul’s Unborn Sister

Voiced and briefly played by Anya Taylor-Joy in Dune’s sequel, Alia is Paul’s sister whom he sees in a vision at an unknown age in which she’s standing on a beach of Arrakis. She has yet to be born, but because she was in utero when Lady Jessica drank the Water of Life in Dune 2, she’s no ordinary baby. She talks to her mother from the womb and already possesses vast knowledge akin to any Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit. With her mind awakened, and the stage set for the imminent Holy War, Alia is likely to play a much larger role in the next Dune film if one should ever come to fruition.

How Is House Atreides Connected to House Harkonnen?

A big twist that came in Dune 2 is that Paul is blood-related to House Harkonnen. As mentioned, his mother, Lady Jessica, turns out to be the daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, making him Paul’s Grandfather. This, in turn, means that Paul is related to both Rabban and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who are also Baron Vladimir’s Grandchildren — making them his cousins.

Dune is currently streaming on Max, and Dune 2 is in theaters now.