When Frank Herbert Saw “Star Wars”

The author of “Dune” tried to decide if he’d been ripped off

On May 25, 1977, George Lucas’ “Star Wars” was released to worldwide acclaim, going on to become one of the most successful movies in history.

And soon after, Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, found his son Brian telling him on the phone: “You’d better see it. The similarities are unbelievable.”