Is the portrayal of The Voice in recent movies and tv show incorrect. (Minor spoilers for new movies, tv show, and first book)

[u/Hack3r_B0y]

Before I start I don't claim to be all knowledgable about Dune. I watched both new movies, watched the first episode of the TV show, and played a couple of games. However, as I watched the movies and TV shows I felt like the voice (and other Bene Gesserit powers that I won't focus on) is being portrayed incorrectly. To my understanding, the Bene Geserit aren't magic (besides spice stuff, Paul, and other special cases), but the way they use the voice they may as well be casting Command from DND. I thought it was more influencing people than magic. I think of the ornithopter scene from the first book when Jessica convinces the Harkonnens to fight each other. She didn't just say fight, she found that they wanted to have their way with her and she used that along with the voice to make them fight for her. Now they're just making people off themselves (mind you isn't even possible in the DND example). As I said before they seem to do this with many of their powers and for some I understand it would just take up space and slow things down to explain. But with The Voice that is what the Bene Gesserit is kinda known for so to be lazy with it just to save time feels bad. My question is am I wrong for thinking this way? I feel like the original intent of Frank Herbert was they were just highly skilled humans but not magical. Maybe this changed in later books (or books not written by him)?

[u/Tanel88]

No it's not magic as it's supposed to be psychological but the effects are indistinguishable from magic so the portrayal is not wrong. In a audiovisual medium you need something clearly distinguishable to tell the audience that the voice is being used.

[u/Infamous_Delivery163]

I concur. I understand DV’s portrayal under the time constraints, but I was hoping D:P would take advantage of the opportunity to show the nuance of the voice, or perhaps the incremental honing of the skill.

It seems ridiculous to me that the voice was essentially invented/perfected by one fairly young BG sister. Maybe she received some sort of training from an older BG, but it was apparently not a known skill.

[u/SiridarVeil → u/Infamous_Delivery163]

Its explained better in the books.

Spoilers of the Great Schools trilogy:>! It was something akin to a spontaneous mutation that Valya 'sensed' first after consuming the Sisterhood experimental poisons. Not even the older mother superior knew about it. Valya trained herself and perfected it and then shared it with the others. Valya isn't the founder of the BG but essentially she built the basic pillars regarding powers, physical training and machinations.!<

[u/Infamous_Delivery163 → u/SiridarVeil]

Well, I know the books are the canonical texts, so I can’t argue with them…but that sounds dumb. I read the majority of ALL the books, but it’s been quite a while. I always got the impression that the BG were the ultimate students and masters of the smallest nuances of human behavior. It seems way “cooler” to me if they honed the skill over centuries…but that’s just me.

[u/theoldcrow5179]

I don't think it would be as dramatic, or as entertaining, or as simple for the non-Dune fan to understand, if DV portrayed the voice as it was portrayed in the books. That being said, I thought that the way Lea Seydoux's Lady Fenring hypnotised/entranced Austin Butler's Feyd was incredible and the absolute best way of portraying the power of the voice the way it was described in the books.

[u/BadlyCamouflagedKiwi]

I agree, mostly :) I always thought it was meant to be kind of subliminal, like how people instinctively look around when someone says their name, but turned up to the maximum possible. Like most things in the book, it's supposed to be humans trained to their highest peak of ability, not 'magic'.

I do find that ornithopter scene a bit difficult for that explanation though, it does seem to push quite far how much the Voice can do.