Fancying living on a planet which is nothing but desert and rock? The only place you can live is at the “polar” ice caps. It’s also very windy and there are enormous worms roaming the sand that will consume you in a heartbeat. No? Well, what about if I tell you it is the only place that a special kind of “spice” can be found that allows interstellar space travel. In fact you don’t actually travel at all, the person taking the spice “folds” space around your ship and you appear at the destination you want to go to. Travelling without moving, as it were.
The worms don’t like you taking the spice and nor do the locals. Descended from travelers the Fremen live in rock formations out on the planet. They actually use the giant worms to get around. The Fremen have plans to turn Arrakis into a forest paradise in a move that would impress a Land Remediation Service company.
Remember I said it was very windy on the planet? By cleverly manipulating the breezes through the rocks the Fremen have created condensation and most importantly collected water. They have vast reserves of it all ready to go. They are just waiting for the right person to come along and lead them. Your first name isn’t Paul by any chance…