Thufir's Parasol In Dune Was Added On A Whim

Mentats are among the most confusing elements of Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" adaptation. Though they are never properly explained in the movie, mentats are essential to the world of the film, and to the world of Frank Herbert's novels. They are basically human computers, capable of complex calculations — which makes them great political advisers due to their ability to forecast how any action will affect their lords. The smartest of all mentats is Thufir Hawat, who (in the novel) discovers the secret to Shaddam Corrino IV's Sardaukar, and is a major element in Duke Leto's plan to defeat his elite troops.

As played by Stephen McKinley Henderson in Villeneuve's first "Dune" film, Thufir Hawat also has the honor of being in one of the two funniest scenes in the movie when he suddenly shows up with a little parasol. (The other scene, by the way, is when a guy shows up and starts playing some space bagpipes.) Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Henderson said the parasol simply came about because of necessity.

"It was a very hot day in Hungary, and the makeup people knew that I might burn or something," Henderson said. "So they brought me this little frilly parasol that they had."

"When I was using it, Denis saw me sitting there with it and he said, 'Oh, I deeply love that,'" the actor added, laughing. "Then he said, 'How do you feel about it?' And I said, 'Oh, you're serious? You think Thufir could have this?' And he said, 'Yes, if you don't mind.' And I said, 'I love it, man. I love it.'"

In the lore of the "Dune" novels there was a revolt against computers and robots that resulted in the prohibition of thinking machines, so the mentat profession was developed to take over cognitive thinking and computing. Mentats were mostly used as political advisers, as they have vast memories and are able to organize exorbitant amounts of data, giving them incredible insight. Thufir Hawat is particularly important because he is not just a mentat for the Duke Leto and a mentor for Paul; he is also the Master of Assassins for House Atreides. That makes him personally responsible for security of the House, anti-espionage, and protection of the family. 

Though he is one of the key reasons why House Atreides rose to prominence by the start of "Dune," Thufir makes a bunch of terrible decisions during the actual plot of the novel. For once, he is unable to deduce who the Atreides spy is — obsessing over it being Jessica and dismissing Dr. Yueh (the actual spy). After the death of the Duke, Thufir is captured by the Harkonnens, and forced into their service. He covertly tries to take down the entire house by playing na-Baron Feyd-Rautha against his uncle. 

Unfortunately, in his attempt to destroy the Harkonnens, Thufir is unknowingly working against Paul Atreides and his Fremen army. Once he discovers this, Thufir commits suicide, ending his tragedy ... a tragedy that is completely ignored in "Dune: Part Two," as Thufir is nowhere to be found.