This is a scientific analysis of the shields in Dune (2021). It's more in-depth than the ones in the databases.
Shield Characteristics
Shields form a solid barrier that repels physical objects.
Shields conserve momentum. If someone body-slams a person wearing one, the latter will still be knocked down.
Shields appear as translucent "bubbles" for a few seconds after activation, and upon contact with a solid object. However, the floor, and and any object the person was holding when they activated the shield, do not cause such a glow.
Matter can pass through a shield if their relative velocity is low (about 5 m/s based on the Harkonnen bombs, but may depend on setting—the generators have sliding switches). A reddish glow appears when this happens.
Shields are stated in the book to be chargeable. Paul is told by Hawat to keep his shield at full charge. Why would the generator need power if the shield doesn't use it?
Shields are form-fitting.
Upon contact between a shield and a lasgun beam, energy is released explosively. The amount varies between "killing anyone standing nearby" and "multi-nuke blast". This effect is stated in the book to be due to "subatomic fusion".
A "shire-sized counter charge" can short a shield out. This may simply be a shorting-out of the generator.
They're Not Forcefields
Forcefields (such as gravitational and magnetic fields) do not behave like a wall. Their effects form a field. Anyway, they of course don't have the "slow blade" effect.
The Art And Soul of Dune does describe shields as "electromagnetic fields," but this could simply be an indication that they rely on some aspect of the electromagnetic force.
They're Not Walls of Matter
Again, why the necessity for low velocity? And where does all this matter go when the shield is switched off?
They're Not "Pure Energy"
Pure energy is light. Light doesn't stay stationary, and the fact that we can see the shields means that some light from them is hitting the camera. Also, energy doesn't somehow block other energy.
Theory About the Glow
The glow that happens when the shield is hit may be from some of the kinetic energy of the impactor being harvested and reemitted.
Lasgun-Shield Interaction
At least some of the energy that's released must be from the lasgun beam itself. Otherwise, where does the energy go? However, some of the released energy may come from another source—the "subatomic fusion" mentioned by Herbert. This can be shown by the fact that a mere several terajoules is not enough to make a high-megaton blast. Subatomic fusion between "bottom quarks" has been shown be capable of nuclear-level energy release, so it's not impossible.
Why Does the Interaction Destroy the Shield?
Think about it. If the shields are invulnerable, why can explosions destroy them? The answer, I think, is either that the blast crushes the shield generators with its momentum, or that the shield actually does survive—it just tears the person wearing it apart.
Are Lasguns Actually Blocked By Shields?
This may seem irrelevant in light of the fact that the interaction between the shield and lasgun will destroy both, but lasguns must be able to penetrate shields. Why? The lasers have wavelengths in the visible spectrum, and we can see through the shields. So shields almost certainly don't actually block lasguns.
Comments