On May 25, 1977, Star Wars was released to worldwide acclaim, going on to become one of the most successful movies in history. Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, a well-known Science Fiction novel, finds his son Brian telling him on the phone: “You’d better see it. The similarities are unbelievable.”

Brian Herbert recalls in Dreamer of Dune: “The film was shocking to me, for all the similarities between it and my father’s book.” In each, he notes, there were “an evil galactic empire, a desolate desert planet, hooded natives, strong religious elements, and a messianic hero with an aged mentor.”

The Associated Press does a story on August 17, 1977, asking: Does Star Wars copy Dune? Herbert is interviewed, and notes he’s heard of similarities. “The editor of The Village Voice has been calling me and asking me if I have seen Star Wars and if I’m going to sue,” he says. But, “I will try hard not to sue.”

George Lucas is interviewed as well. They are similar, he agrees, in that “they both have deserts.” He “declines to say” whether Dune had been an inspiration.

Herbert had certainly wanted a movie of Dune to be made—down to the minutest plot point, even. There’d been ongoing attempts. The director Alejandro Jodorowsky had just given up on finding funding for a 14-hour treatment.

A complex space epic — as a commercially viable movie — hadn’t seemed possible. If Dune was to be brought to the big screen, Star Wars might be the only time?

Herbert is asked about it, over and over

In an August 19, 1977 news article, he “says he wonders about similarities between his Dune trilogy and the hit motion picture Star Wars — but only because he’s asked about them so often.”

In a news article of September 11, he “finds speculation that Star Wars derived largely from his Dune trilogy a ‘lot of bull.’”

There are similarities, he suspects. But Star Wars copied many Sci-Fi authors? “There’s probably a good number of similarities there with the work of Isaac Asimov.” He isn’t considering a lawsuit.

Finally, he does see it, and was “bored,” he’ll say. His wife had fallen asleep.

In Eugene, Oregon, on December 1, 1977, he seems to be undecided on what to do. “I’m not going to get into any technical arguments about that,” he tells the Statesman Journal. “They have in other words invaded my copyright and I have to fight them.”

To the Register Guard, he tries to be peaceable, dismissing Star Wars as “a comic book for the screen”—that had copied him. “I just hate to get into this damned thing,” he laughs. “I’m going to try very hard not to sue.”

Though, he adds, he may have no choice.

Did Lucas plagiarize Dune? the reporter asks.

“I think there’s reason to believe he did,” Herbert replies. “Whether’s it’s actionable, I’m not the one to judge.”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4950991&forum_id=2#43341342)

huh really makes you think

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4950991&forum_id=2#43341347)