Jessica x Stilgar

"I should like friendship with you... and trust. I should like that respect for each other which grows in the breast without demand for the huddlings of sex."

- Stilgar to Jessica, Dune, Frank Herbert

Jessica x Stilgar is the het ship between Jessica Atreides and Stilgar Ben Fifrawi from the Dune fandom.

Canon
After House Harkonnen attacks Arrakis and Duke Leto isdead, the remains of House Atreides, his son Paul and Paul’s mother Jessica, go renegade. They seek refuge in the dune and find it with Stilgar and his tribe of Fremen. Stilgar speaks out on the issue, he says they can take in Paul, Jessica's son, but Jessica herself isn't so young and won't be an easy learner. Jessica proves him wrong by unarming him and besting him in combat.

When they reach Cave of Ridges, Stilgar takes Jessica side to show her his people working. He tells her about his dream to have the new generations of Arrakis live in a green world, enjoying the privileges of having water and vegetation. They talk for a while, and Stilgar says they must come back least the others might think he “dallies” with her. He notes that some of the men are already jealous after Jessica fought him and he managed to get her touch on himself.

Jessica senses that Stilgar is offering himself to her. She wonders if he needs a wife and thinks it’s reasonable to breach the conflict by marrying him. She looks at him and sees that he is staring back, waiting for her answer. Stilgar says that their union is possible, but not necessary, as his men might think that he is too vain and “concerned with pleasures of the flesh”. The decide to be friends and teach each other what they know to improve the odds of their survival.

The Fremen ways also imply that if Jessica son wants to inherit the rule over the tribe and be the troops’ leader, he must kill his predecessor — Stilgar. When Paul comes up with an idea how to prevent that to save Stilgar’s life, Jessica supports it wholeheartedly and thinks that Stilgar dying would be “the highest tragedy”.

According to Paul, all troop leaders, Stilgar included, ask for Jessica’s advice in every major decision.

Quotes
"She had heard what she had heard in Stilgar's voice - the unspoken offer of more than his countenance . Did he need a wife? She realized she could step into that place with him."

- Dune, Frank Herbert

"There was a feeling of inevitable dignity about him, the way he stood without talking."

- Jessica about Stilgar

"We must not lose that man. [...] Paul’s plan must work. Anything else would be the highest tragedy."

- Jessica about Stilgar

Fanon
isn't considered popular or well-known among the Dune fans, as many admirers of the original book series haven't considered the possibility of the two being together. Although, some enjoy the dynamic between them in the books, especially in the first one, when Jessica and Stilgar discuss a possible union and marriage between them, although they choose to remain friends, as Stilgar has noted, because he doesn't want to be killed by his own tribesmen who will compete for the hand of such a beautiful woman as Jessica. They two are obviously good friends and trust each other unquestioningly. Jessica's son, Paul, has also become Stilgar's friend, when they started living together as one tribe.

The surge of the new fans can be explained by the new Dune adaptation released in 2021. In the film, Stilgar and Jessica are played by Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson, and many fans have noted theexcellent portrayal of the characters and the chemistry they managed to created in their scenes together. The new film and the book had a few differences when it comes to Rebecca and Stilgar's meeting: in the film, when Jessica overcame Stilgar in fight, and he agreed to comply, she mockingly kissed him on the forehead.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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