I don't understand what the point of that Herald scene was.
It is a scene that very smoothly incorporates a lot of things that would've otherwise been exposition or separate scenes.
* The emporer ordered this family to go to Arakis to rule it.
* The imperium is one of excess and tradition, spending so much on something so trivial.
* It shows Paul is looking at the example his father sets.
* Tells us Leto is a man who highly values honor and that he wants his son to follow in his footsteps.
* It sets up the motif of Leto's ring.
* Introduces Gurney as well as Thufir with his mentat powers.
* Introduces the Spacing Guild, even if only by name and through representatives.
* Gives us the first look at the Bene Gesserit through the intro of Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam while also showing her tension with Jessica.
* And it introduces us to a lot of the visual elements, costumes, ships, while also giving a sense of scale to the house Atreidis.
All neatly packed in such a short scene. I actually found this, and the breakfast scene with Jessica to be the most clever additions in the movie. It gets across a lot of exposition with seemingly very little effort.