In Dune, there is a shield that repels projectiles. This means hand to hand combat has relevance. In the Intergalactic Bounty Hunter PNP roleplaying game, the shields developed by warp technology bends space time around you. This means any normal projectile that is not actively being redirected will strike you. Melee, though space time is warping, you are still redirecting the position, so it strikes. Also lasers and such are too high of velocity to be bent away with redirection… unless you jam the shield’s frequency by hacking or such… The only two ways to hit someone with personal shielding is melee or laser attacks.
Laser attacks are weak compared to melee, but being ranged, they were still used in World War 2 & 1/2 on Earth at its destruction. This is because a large army can focus fire well in the open. Also melee was used in close quarters such as cities for melee does much more damage than lasers.
Of course since wars are waged by lasers and melee, conventional weaponry became outlawed and manufacturers had their doors shuttered. Things like magnums, ak47s, shotguns, and rifles were still collected, but were considered civvy killers and shunned. These relic weapons still remain, but are hard to find, and ammunition is even more scarce. In the Starfighter General/IGBH universe, they are of immense usefulness, since the economy has been trucked and not everyone is rocking Personal Shielding. Conventional ranged firearms are just hard to find and supply.
