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There’s no place more hostile to life than the rolling sands of Arrakis inDune. Covered from pole to pole in an unending sea of sand, if the oven-broiling heat of the day doesn’t get you, then the freezing nights and the Worms will have whatever’s left. For many, being exiled to the dunes is a death sentence, but with the right bit of kit, you can not only survive but thrive.
The piece of equipment in question is the Stillsuit. Worn by all the deep desert Fremen, this marvel of technology is an important lifeline in a land where even the smallest drop of moisture is sacred. Here’s a deep dive into what is a Stillsuit.
What Is A Stillsuit?
For the uninitiated,a Stillsuit is a full-body survival outfitthat’s worn by someone who’s going to be spending a lot of time inthe dunes of Arrakis. The suit is vital for staying alive out there even for a short period of time, and it keeps the wearer alive bycollecting and distilling their bodily fluids.
Whilst it may sound disgusting, and it is, when your sources of drinkable water are so extremely limited it’sthe best option you’re going to get. It’s most notablyworn by Fremenboth in and outside of the deep desert as well as various members ofliaison groups that interact with the nomads, such as Duncan Idaho, members of the Atreides family that become exiled, and so on.
With a Stillsuit someone is able tosurvive for weeksin the open desert of Arrakis.
How Does A Stillsuit Work?
A Stillsuit is afull-body suitthat’s often worn over the face and extremities, essentiallycovering the whole bodyin order to ensure the maximum amount of moisture can be processed. It manages this byfiltering sweat, urine, and other secretionsthrough a series of microdermal layers.
Think of it like asandwich of extremely efficient micro-fiberssquished up against each other and pressed onto the skin. The action of pumping or passing the captured moisture through these layersoccurs with natural movement.
The liquid is filtered and collected in special pockets on the suit and thendrank through a tube connected to the catchment areasthat leads to the wearer’s mouth. Essentially like a Camel Pack, butfilled with your body fluids. There is also aspecial tube within the mask portionof the outfit that not only filters the blowing dust and spice in the arid air, but also ensures anywater vapor from breathingis absorbed, filtered, and collected.
Whilst wearing a suit it’s said that someone won’t lose more than asmall thimble full of moisture a day. When every little drip counts, a Stillsuit can mean the difference between surviving another day in the desert or becoming just anotherdried-out huskdrifting with the sand dunes.
In the future Arrakis would become alush green worldonce more, rendering Stillsuits obsolete. The Fremen themselves would evenend the practice.
The Origins Of The Stillsuit
The Stillsuit wasoriginally a Fremen invention, but over time they began to be manufactured and used byprivate groups and entrepreneursthat were exploring or harvesting the sands for Spice on Arrakis. Though the design of the suit was aclosely guarded secretat first, as the tribes met and mingled with outsiders, it became commonplace to seenon-Fremenwearing Stillsuits.
Rather interestingly,manufactured Stillsuits are considered subpar. Those made either directly by or with the help of the Fremen are highly sought after as they’re of ahigher quality. This is of course because the Fremen are so strict in thediscipline of Stillsuit usethat they’re the absolute experts on the subject of creating, maintaining, and wearing a suit.
There aredifferent styles to the suit. For example, Paul Atreides sets his suit up in the way of theold Fremen, a layout that’s both efficient and symbolic.
Stillsuits In The Dune Franchise
Whilst the Stillsuits areprevalent in the Dune Booksand at the time you could only use your imagination, the movies finally brought us a good look at these odd survival suits. It’s worth checking in on them asthe designs are pretty distinctwhilst also being similar yet different.
The two movies in question areDune 1984 and Dune 2021. Whilst there is a sequel for the 2021 movie, the designs are the same so we’ll just be dipping into the first “section” of the long Dune storyline.
Dune 1984
Dune 1984 hadKyle Maclachlan as Paul Atreidesand the design for his Stillsuit was the best the 80’s had to offer. A very tight black number, its surface is rubber-like and itresembles a divers wetsuit. There’s alsoa lot of paddingto it which implies that it’s not only got protective layers but the chunky bits seen on screen on the suit conceal theneat science and moisture pocketsused by the Stillsuit.
It’s avery sci-fi-looking designthat fits with the aesthetic the movie was going for. Whilst it wasn’t particularly sturdy looking, it was apassable design choiceand it must have been a nightmare for the actors to wear and gratuitously sweat in under thebaking desert sunwhilst filming.
The most notable difference in the 1984 version of the suit compared to future adaptations is thecomplete lack of facial protection. There’sno mask and no hoodto filter the blasting desert winds and sand, and there’s only anodd tube reminiscent of an Oxygen Tank’s nasal feedstuck up the cast’s nostrils.
The lack of masks and the nasal tubes are very distracting, but it makes sense practically for the time as they were more focused on showingKyles’s handsome features.
It’s the equivalent of modern Sci-Fi shows makingcharacters with helmetsremove them for no reason other than the studio getting their money’s worth forcasting someone famous.
Dune 2021
Dune 2021 is where things got muchcloser to the books. The prop team in charge of clothing the cast reallydid their homeworkand it shows. This time around the Stillsuits are much more believable assurvival suits in a harsh environment.
For example, as we take a look atTimothy Chalamet’s version of Paulin his Stillsuit we see amuch sturdier-looking piece of kit. Again the design is amix of black and dark brownsto blend in with the rocks, and the material is ablend of cloth, hard rubber, and chunky protection pads.
There’s also amask and full face coveras well as plenty of tubing, gloves, and thick covers on the knuckles and knees toaid in combat. It instantly gives the impression of a suit that doubles both as asurvival and combat outfit. There’sno skin shownat all unless we need to see Chalamet’s face for a dialogue scene or some more wooden acting.
Of the two,the 2021 Stillsuit is the better onewhen it comes to believability for the movie. But, the 1984 version wins a lot of points with people for beingsuitably camp and nostalgically sillyfor what’s already a very weird movie.
The Dune Miniseries
Before packing things up it’s worth checking in with theDune miniseriesthat aired on SyFy in the early 2000’s and starredJames McAvoy as Paulbecause the choice of the Stillsuit design was; unique.
Looking predictably cheap for a Syfy production, it’s acomplete cloth ensemblewith afew hoses taped to random pointson the wearer’s body. Whilst it does have aheadpiece and facial mask, it leaves the eyes exposed and is incrediblyloose-fitting.
Not only does it look like something from the70’s era of Doctor Who, it also comes in a number of green, white, and grey shades. It’s arainbow cacophonythat’s not exactly the best color palette choice for a suit in the desert. Doesn’t really blend in much.
Finally, aside from looking like abad Halloween Ninja costume, it also leaves the wearer’s hands completely exposed around somevery loose-fitting sleeves. Top it all off with theodd leather long bootsand you’ve got an outfit that looks silly, in no way provides any benefit, and is extremely distracting with howodd and out of placeit is.
The weird Stillsuit doesn’t seem to bother this version of Paul much as the majority of James McAvoy’s screen time later on has himshirtless and in flared pants.
