There is a trope that's used in poorly written stories where the villain, who is very powerful, can at any moment can destroy the Main Character and end the story. To explain this away, the writer may use the justification of 'I'll let you go and get stronger because I'm so powerful I could never lose.' And lo and behold, some time later our Main Character is now strong enough to not only disrupt the plans of the villain, but is obviously growing stronger to the point where they can fight the villain and defeat them. This all is very clear to the reader, which wholly undermines the competency of the villain. It leaves the audience with two options. Either the villain is not that bad or not that smart.

From there the entire plot is cut under because a villain that is not that bad or not that smart doesn't require much of a hero to defeat them. It all becomes a lukewarm dual between two people who are kind of moral opposites of good and evil and eventually they'll meander through some tension and we'll find out who wins in the end.

Dune eliminates this completely by setting up highly competent main characters and this is all the moreso seen in contrast to the villains. The Harkonnens try to kill Paul Atreides., They attempt not by walking into his room with a gun nor by sitting around and waiting to see if House Atreides will pose a threat to them. They begin by locking one of their soldier's with cement into the walls where he will wait for three weeks to try and kill Paul, and certainly die. it's a suicide mission that could only be completed by someone who cares nothing for the soldier, a soldier who cares nothing about his own future, and is willing to spend over 500 hours in a tiny cement cell. It creates a great villain and leaves the audience wondering what they will do and certain there is nothing they won't do to achieve their goals. It also serves to build up Paul Atreides as an even greater hero for overcoming the Harkonnens.

Music by Simon Swerwer,
Cuggin's Cove,
Emergence,
Inith and Od Travel North