Denis Villeneuve previously commented that “Dune: Part Two” would be treated less like a sequel and more like a continuation where the first film left off. The trailer proves the truth of that comment as we begin with Paul and Chani sharing a quiet and peaceful moment among the sand dunes of Arrakis.
Chani, who has lived in the desert world her entire life, couldn’t be more different from Paul, who grew up among the vast oceans and bountiful pools of Caladan. We get a glimpse of the Atreides’ homeworld at the beginning of “Dune” and now Paul can share her childhood memories with someone who can truly appreciate it, even if she has a hard time understanding it. Her brief but sweet interaction here also aligns with Villeneuve’s intention to make their relationship the heart of the sequel. The trailer is packed with sweeping landscape shots and images of war and threats soon to befall Arrakis, but it says a lot that the footage opens up into something as small and intimate as two space jerks trying to flirt.
The Atreides family, of course, has been decimated by Harkonnen forces and forced to flee into the desert. As the last survivors of their House, Paul and Lady Jessica have no choice but to carry on the late Duke’s (Oscar Isaac) legacy and try to survive among the indigenous Fremen clans deep in the desert. But does the rest of the planet, and indeed the galaxy in general, assume that all members of House Atreides have also been extinct? The answer to that is heavily hinted at in the following video snippet.