Frank Herbert’s novels — and some late-stage prequels — go into great detail about Shaddam IV. He belongs to House Corrino (there are many Houses in the “Dune” universe), and serves as the 81st Padishah Emperor (“Padishah” is merely the inherited title of the emperors in House Corrino, and is derived from the Persian words for “master king”). At the end of “Dune,” Paul technically became the Padishah Emperor, and his son, Leto II, also eventually took it on in “Dune” sequels, but the title ceased to be when the Imperium fell. 

Advertisement

Herbert described him as a tall, thin redhead with “cold eyes,” and he was compared by some characters to a predatory bird. He regularly ingested spice, making him look a lot younger than he actually was (by the novel’s gauge, he was 72 but looked 35). He appeared in the first “Dune” novel, but was presumably killed before the events of Herbert’s first follow-up “Dune Messiah” (1969), and was only mentioned in the third book, “Children of Dune” (1976). 

Shaddam IV also played a key role in Brian Herbert’s and Kevin J. Anderson’s “Prelude to Dune” prequel trilogy which included “Dune: House Atreides,” (1999), “Dune: House Harkonnen” (2000), and “Dune: House Corrino” (2001). The story of the trilogy is set only a few decades before the first “Dune.” In the series, Paul is about to be born, and Duke Leto Atreides is fighting against the machine planet of Ix. Shaddam IV, attempting to seize control of the galaxy’s spice resources, creates a synthetic version, and begins destroying the natural stuff. Brian Herbert, incidentally, helped with the script of the 2021 “Dune” film. 

Advertisement

Shaddam IV also appears in “Paul of Dune” (2008), which is set in between “Dune” and “Dune Messiah,” and is a supporting player in the Caladan trilogy, which includes “Dune: The Duke of Caladan” (2020), “Dune: The Lady of Caladan” (2021), and “Dune: The Heir of Caladan” (2022). 

Like most of the politicians in the “Dune” universe, Shaddam IV is defined by his deviousness, ambition, and complete lack of morals.