Dune: People: Duncan Idaho
Duncan was born on Geidi Prime, the home world of the Harkonnen. At an early age the Idaho’s were enslaved by Harkonnen’s for allegedly having anti-Harkonnen feelings. The Idaho’s were ratted out by a family friend, so that she could advance a notch up the pyon ladder. Duncan’s sister was sent off to a Harkonnen Brothel, and his parents were locked up in a tiny cell. Duncan on the other hand was hunted for sport. Every day for over a year he played a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with the Barony guards. Duncan was told that if he wasn’t captured for along period of time that his family would be set free.
Duncan did just that. Too bad for him that his captures were compulsive liars! Duncan’s parent were summarily executed, and he was taken to game preserve to be hunted by “the Beast” Rabban and his lackey hunting party. The clever Duncan used the situation to his advantage, and managed to escape killing several members of the hunting party. Unfortunately Rabban was not one of them. His escape was aided by the traitor. It turns out her information was unrewarded, so she decided to help free Duncan as revenge against the Harkonnens. Not to make up for her cruelty though!
She took him to Caladan and told him to swear his loyalty to Duke Minthros Atreides. But he first had to get to him. The traitor dropped him off on the wrong side of the planet! A year later, Duncan managed to gain audience with the Duke. His efforts were rewarded with the position of Salusa Bull Stable Hand (he cleaned up bullcrap).
Eventually he worked his way up to the Atriedes guard, this time serving the old Duke’s son, Leto I. After showing great battle savy he was sent to Ginaz to be trained as a swordmser. Seven years alter, Duncan returned to command the Atreides army.Duncan lead many Atreides campaigns, most notably the recapturing of Ix.
When the Atreides moved to Arrakis, Duncan was sent on a mission to enlist he Fremen to help protect the Atreides fief. Duncan became the first 
Atreides-Fremen, forging an alliance with Stilgar’s Seitch Tabr.
Soon afterward Duncan died during the Harkonnen invasion of Dune. Specifically, allowing Paul and Jessica enough time to escape while he took on the Sardikar troops. It took seven of the Emperor’s best fighters to take him down!
Duncan Idaho lives on in ghola form, in the rest of the Dune novels.
Duncan Idaho is played by James Watson.
Duncan “Hayt” Idaho
Duncan Idaho was reborn as an experiment. The Tleilaxu regrew his cells with one of two goals in mind. 1) Produce a ghola (regrown cells of a dead person) that can regain his former memories, or 2) Kill the Emperor Paul Muad’Dib Atreides.
Duncan’s dead body was transported to Tleilax for restoration and regeneration. Soon afterward Duncan was reborn and renamed Hayt. He was trained as a mentat and zensunni philosopher. Fourteen years after his “death” Ducan was given as a gift to his former friend and master Paul Atriedes. At this point his programming was to kill Paul. However when he tried to do so, his memories were forced back into his body, by the stress of trying to kill someone he swore just great loyalty to. Duncan restore allegiance to House Atreides.
After Muad’Dib walked out into the desert, Duncan married his sister Alia. Several years after the marriage, Alia slipped into abomination (went insane), and began to cheat on Duncan with Javid. He soon realized Alia’s insanity; and how she was destroying the Atriedes Dynasty, and hers attempts to kill the royal twins Leto II and Ghanima. He broke away from his wife and began to side with other Atreides, namely Jessica.
To usurp Alia, he had to get Fremen support. At the time Seitch Tabr was neutral in the Atreides-Dune civil unrest. To force Tabr to attack Alia, Duncan “Hayt” Atriedes forced Stilgar to kill him. In doing so Stilgar broke neutrality and by default had to fight against Alia.
Duncan’s story is far from over!
Duncan “Hayt” Idaho is mstered by Edward Atterton
Discuss this character in the Dune Forum
Dune reviews are © 2003 Ryan Bechtel and Greg Frantz.
Not for reproduction without the authors express permission.
Dune names, characters and everything else associated with the series are the property of Sci-Fi Channel, New Amsterdam Entertainment, and the assorted publishing companies who own the rights to the various Dune novels.
