Sci-Fi Do Want: Dune Spacing Guild Highliner

After our last couple of Sci-Fi Do Wants focusing on a some death dealing pieces of futuristic gadgetry, the last of which saw me pay homage to the awesomeness that is the Chainsword from Warhammer 40k, I thought it would be appropriate to cast my loving gaze on something a bit less destructive.

Back when I started Light Speed Gaming I proclaimed my love for the Dune universe. Much like Warhammer 40k the Dune universe is a fairly bleak place for the most part. Filled with scheming houses of nobility that are all constantly trying to grab as much power as possible using whatever underhand methods that will get the job done.

The Machiavellian plotting is not just a favorite pastime activity of the various noble houses, it is also something that the many other powerful political factions of the universe partake in.
One of these factions is the Spacing Guild. Made up of humans that have been hideously mutated by prolonged exposure to huge amounts of the mystical Dune substance "Spice", they are the only beings that are capable of navigating spaceships safely through folded space, which is the only means of faster than light space travel in the Dune universe.

For these trips through folded space the Spacing Guild use gigantic freighters called "Highlingers". These massive cylindrical transports are over 20 kilometers long and able to hold absolutely enormous amounts of cargo.

The Guild Highliners have a simple and utilitarian quality to them. Which just makes them all the more impressive

"Okay, so it's a big container ship basically, why is that so cool?", you may be asking right now as you shrug your shoulders and roll your eyes, impatiently doodling laser pistols on a post it note while you wait for me to get on with it.

3 Sci-fi movies you may not have seen but should consider

In the sci-fi movie universe there are the behemoths like Star Wars and Star Trek, or more recent mainstream smash hits like the Matrix (or well, the first one at least).

However there are a lot of cool sci-fi movies out there that went more under the radar but are still worth your time if you are a fan of the genre.

Okay, so maybe you've seen this already..

Here are 3 movies that I would gladly recommend to any sci-fi geek:

The Spice must flow -The wonders of the Dune universe

Aside from the Warhammer 40k universe another big favorite of mine is the Dune.

Sand worms are a big part of the Dune mythos.  They'll happily gobble up the huge harvesters that collect the Spice. Nom nom nom!

Like 40k it presents a pretty bleak view of the future with lots of political scheming and maneuvering between different "Houses".