Arrakis

Arrakis (, ə-RAK-iss), informally known as Dune and later called Rakis, is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time and is among the best-selling science fiction novels in history. In Dune, Arrakis is the most important planet in the universe, as it is the only source of the drug melange. Melange (or "the spice") is the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe, as it extends life and makes safe interstellar travel possible (among other uses). Harvesting the spice is also hazardous in the extreme, due to both the harsh climate of the planet and the fact that melange deposits are guarded by giant sandworms. Arrakis is also the home of the Fremen, a people conditioned by the planet's harsh environment. The planet eventually becomes the capital of the Atreides Empire.