Spoilers are head for Dune: Part Two’s ending.
Summary
Even though HBO’sDune: Prophecyis set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’sDune: Part OneandDune: Part Two, the HBO series will definitely change how viewers watch a majorDunecharacter’s role in the movies. Created by Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor),the sci-fi prequel will focus on a time of radical change. Based on what is known aboutDune’s timeline,Dune: Prophecywill be setin the immediate aftermath of the franchise’s Butlerian Jihad — a decades-long crusade against computers, thinking machines, and robots that reshaped the Known Universe.
After two generations of bloodshed,the so-called Great Revolt ended with the complete destruction of all intelligent machinesthroughout the worlds of the Known Universe. Bolstered by the principle that humans should not be replaced, the resulting Orange Catholic Bible — an accumulation of many religious texts — put forth an all-important commandment: “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.” That said,Dune: Prophecy’s cast of characterswill deal with the crusade’s fallout. Without thinking machines, seemingly superhuman orders like the Bene Gesserit arose to fill the Known Universe’s new power vacuums.
Dune: Prophecy Will Shed More Light On The Bene Gesserit
The Prequel Will Focus On The Origins Of Dune’s Mysterious Sisterhood
Dune: Prophecy’s storywill largely focus on the founding of the Bene Gesserit order. Roughly 10,000 years before the events of theDunemovies, sisters Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams) Harkonnen combat the forces that threaten humanity’s future by establishing the Bene Gesserit sect. Like other factions inDune,the sisterhood’s members undergo intense physical and mental conditioningin order to obtain superhuman abilities that seem like witchcraft to outsiders. From the weirding way martial art and The Voice to truthsaying and the mental multitasking known as simulflow, the Bene Gesserit’s abilities help them guide humanity’s trajectory.
…the Bene Gesserit [seize] power through indirect means.
Like the Spacing Guild’s members, the Bene Gesserit acolytes use these enhanced physical and mental abilities to fill a void left by thinking machines. For the Guild, that means performing complex calculations during interstellar travel, but for the Bene Gesserit, it means seizing power through indirect means. As depicted in the movies, theBene Gesserit breeding programis a centuries-long scheme intended to bring about the birth ofDune’s Kwisatz Haderach— a male Bene Gesserit superbeing. Given theHBO series' title,Dune: Prophecywill likely interrogatethe very origins of the Bene Gesserit’s long-game mission.
Max’s Dune TV Show Must Set Up A Dune 3 Story Denis Villeneuve’s Movies Cut
to successfully pull off Dune 3, the team behind Dune: Prophecy must include a plot thread that Denis Villeneuve’s movies shouldn’t have cut.
Dune: Prophecy’s Bene Gesserit Focus Will Make Lady Jessica’s Story More Fascinating
Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica Defies The Bene Gesserit Plan & Sets Dune’s Story Into Motion
AlthoughRebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica isn’t inDune: Prophecy, the HBO series will cast a new light on her role in theDunefilms. A Bene Gesserit agent, Lady Jessica is the daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), the concubine of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), and, of course, Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) mother. Not only does Lady Jessica have a direct connection toDune: Prophecy’s Harkonnen sisters, but she was tasked by the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) to bear Duke Leto a daughter. ButLady Jessica defies the order’s instructions, upending their scheme.
This move puts Paul and Jessica, who becomes a Reverend Mother, in direct conflict with the order.
Invigorated by her love for Leto, Lady Jessica uses her Bene Gesserit internal organic-chemical control ability to choose her fetus' sex. Ultimately, she gives birth to a son, Paul — the heir Leto had wanted. By defying the Bene Gesserit’s carefully curated breeding program,Lady Jessica gives birth to the Kwisatz Haderach, also called Lisan al Gaib by the Fremen, a generation early. This move puts Paul and Jessica, who becomes a Reverend Mother, in direct conflict with the order. In addition toanswering Bene Gesserit-related questions,Dune: Prophecycan reiterate just how much Lady Jessica’s defiance means.
Dune 2: Why Chani Really Doesn’t Want Paul To Lead The Fremen Explained
Toward the end of Dune: Part Two, Chani clearly doesn’t want Paul to lead the Fremen, leaving many viewers to wonder why, exactly, she’s against him.
How Dune: Prophecy Can Connect To Lady Jessica’s Dune 3 Story
The Dune Prequel Series Can Provide More Insight Into The Kwisatz Haderach’s Role
Interestingly,Lady Jessica doesn’t appear inDune Messiah, Herbert’s original sequel toDune. While it’s not yet clear if Denis Villeneuve’sDune: Part Threewill also incorporate elements of Herbert’s third book,Children of Dune, the next movie in the series will definitely adaptDune Messiah. Set 12 years afterDune 2’s ending,Dune 3will likely see Paul Atreides ruling as Emperor of the Known Universe, as his zealous Fremen followers continue to wage a bloody holy war in his name. Where Lady Jessica’s absence is concerned, it’s hard to imagine Villeneuve sticking to the source material.
When Alia Atreides is born, she possesses the full powers of an adult Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother — all due to Lady Jessica’s actions.
Not only canDune: Prophecy’s timeline set up a betterDune 3, but it can help shape the trajectory of Jessica’s story. InDune 2, Lady Jessica drinks the Water of Life and transmutes the poison to become a Reverend Mother. However,this transformation has unintended consequences for her unborn daughter, Alia(Anya Taylor-Joy). InChildren of Dune, the circumstances of Alia’s birth make her vulnerable to outside forces, which draws her mother back into the fray. To give Lady Jessica a complete story arc,Dune: Prophecycould foreshadow Jessica and Alia’sDune 3story.
Dune: Prophecywill premiere on HBO and Max in November 2024;Dune: Part OneandDune: Part Twoare both streaming on Max.
Dune: Prophecy
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Dune: Prophecy, a sci-fi epic, follows the political and spiritual struggles on the desert planet of Arrakis. As factions vie for control of the prized spice melange, a prophesied hero emerges, challenging the balance of power and the fate of the galaxy.
