A scene involving Lady Jessica that would have improved on a storyline has been cut from the theatrical release of Dune. With a running time nearing three hours, it makes sense that director Denis Villeneuve decided to excise one or two scenes to make the epic length and scope of Dune, which cost a pretty penny to make, more manageable for the general audience. However, doing so may have had an adverse effect on a character and their journey during the film.
Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name, Dune is a mammoth of science-fiction drawing from source material that set the standard for the genre almost six decades ago. It’s daunting enough to cram all the worldbuilding and exposition necessary for the book to make sense on the big screen—others have tried and failed—without ending up with a preposterous running time. That being said, the scene in question that was shot and didn’t make the final cut would have really aided in bringing one particular storyline to its rightful bear (which would have been very welcome considering how many questions Dune leaves unanswered).
The scene that was cut involved an interaction between Lady Jessica and Dr. Wellington Yueh. Little is known about what the specifics of the scene would have entailed, but it reportedly contained a discussion where Dr. Yueh’s wife is brought up in an emotional manner. Considering what direction Dr. Yueh’s storyline ends up taking in the film, this scene may well have been helpful in providing House Atreides’ physician with some nuance and justifying his tragic decisions later on.
As the biggest twist in the film—namely Dr. Yueh’s betrayal—relies heavily on understanding the motivation behind the decision, it would have been useful to have more of an explanation behind why Dr. Yueh sells out House Atreides in the hope of being reunited with his wife. After he incapacitates Duke Leto, Dr. Yueh reveals to him that the rival and villainous House Harkonnen plotted to capture and re-release the wife of the Suk doctor in exchange for disabling the shields protecting the House Atreides base on Arrakis.
As it stands, this just about passes as sufficient information to make sense of the treason that Dr. Yueh commits against House Atreides. However, the cut scene where he interacts with Lady Jessica and purportedly breaks down in tears over his wife would really have made his Dune storyline more resonant and Dr. Yueh himself more of a sympathetic character.
