Dune: Prophecy Review - Bene Gesserit Origin Story Might Be More Than A 6-Episode Season Can Handle

The Dune-iverse is expanding. Just months after Dune: Part Two debuted to critical acclaim, HBO is releasing Dune: Prophecy, a long-in-the-works prequel series that takes place roughly 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides and decades after the Butlerian Jihad (AKA the Machine War). Echoes of the past and the future remain in the series developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker, but Prophecy quickly establishes itself as its own thing.

Prophecy is based on the Dune novelSisterhood of Dune, written by Frank Herbert's son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson. Those novels, written after Herbert's death, are controversial among fans of the series: are they a cash grab or an effort to enrich the beloved sci-fi universe established by the iconic author? Regardless of your opinion, Dune's massive world has officially made its television debut.

Dune: Prophecy Wears Its TV Bonafides Proudly

The Series Tracks The Origins Of The Bene Gesserit

The Bene Gesserit are a mysterious organization in the Dune movies, but Prophecy pulls the veil back to show the beginnings of the group that will accidentally elevate Paul Atreides to power. In this era of the Dune universe, "thinking machines" have been banned and the Bene Gesserit see this as an opportune time to worm their way into the halls of power that the Great Houses occupy.

How they'll get there remains to be seen. It involves the Corrino family, longtime stewards of the Imperium and represented here by Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong, perfectly stoic) and his family, Empress Natalya (Olivia Williams) and their daughter Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina). The Bene Gesserit are trying to shore up power by recruiting Ynez as one of their own before she is installed on the throne.

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Dune: Prophecy's Timeline Can Set Up A Better Post-Dune 3 Future Than The Books

As a prequel set centuries before the events of Paul's story, Dune: Prophecy can properly set up a satisfying ending to the core eight-book Dune Saga.

Overseeing this plan is Sisterhood leader Valya Harkonnen (the always formidable Emily Watson) and her sister, Reverend Mother Tula (Olivia Williams). But there are factions within the Bene Gesserit that reject the Harkonnen's moves for power and seek a holier path. In the first episode alone, there is enough death, betrayal, and scheming to match Game of Thrones.

It's a strong start for a series that Warner Bros. presumably has high hopes for. Whereas Denis Villeneuve's films are austere and brutal in their makeup, Dune: Prophecy is filled with sci-fi excess, less about the fringes of this empire and more about the people and planets that fill it. In its dual timelines, Prophecy explores the history of the Harkonnen sisters at the center of the series, but its present day timeline is much more sprawling, encompassing rebel plots, mysterious messianic figures, and petty squabbles between the Great Houses.

So does it feel like the Dune many have come to know over the last few years? Yes and no. There is talk of Arrakis, visions of sandworms, and that classic Bene Gesserit voice. But what makes Dune: Prophecy feel like a genuine extension of the movies is also what sets it apart. There are echoes of what we see in the movies, but they come in different tones, as if the devolution toward the ascetic in the films is just beginning.

It's a fascinating place to begin from a visual standpoint, even if there are some issues with pacing. The series is still tasked with introducing a massive world and, though we are familiar with the architecture of the Imperium, 10,000 years is a big gap and there are blanks to fill in throughout the first four episodes that distract from the main thrust of the plot.

It made me wonder what the real plan is here. Some may find the series compelling enough to avoid a hollow feeling in the proceedings — Watson alone is reason enough for me. With only six episodes in season 1 (four of which were provided to critics), I do wonder how Dune: Prophecy will manage to reach a satisfying conclusion or, conversely, if Warner Bros. is confident enough in the series to leave us on a cliffhanger, forcing us to wait two to three years before we get any resolution.

Dune: Prophecy premieres on Sunday, November 17 at 9:00 PM ET on HBO. Season 1 consists of six episodes that will air weekly. It is rated TV-MA.

7/10

Set in the universe of Frank Herbert's Dune series, this 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.

Pros

• Dune: Propechy is a compelling look at the Bene Gesserit.
• It feels both like an extension of the Dune universe and an exciting new sci-fi venture.
• Emily Watson's performance as Valya Harkonnen anchors the series.

Cons

• A lot of set-up distracts from the plot of the series.