Dune: Prophecy has just wrapped up its first season, fresh off being renewed for Season 2. This is great news because the finale, "The High-Handed Enemy," doesn't make things easy for the viewers, and although it provides answers to some mysteries, it also raises many questions about the future. The series actually breaks new ground in the Dune universe and goes beyond the Great Schools of Dune trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. With this in mind, there are four main questions about what's on the horizon for the series, with smaller ones following.
Who Is the Person Valya Harkonnen Sees in Desmond Hart’s Vision?
Image via HBO
The most enticing question that remains after watching "The High-Handed Enemy" is: who is the being at the very end of Desmond Hart's (Travis Fimmel) vision? Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) is able to get to the very end of this virus-induced nightmare, but all she sees is a robed silhouette overseeing Desmond's eye transplant after he is swallowed by Shai-Hulud. The transplant is made by a thinking machine, but one of the central themes in Frank Herbert's original writings is that machines are often the most terrorizing when there is a person behind them, and that's the whole point: who is that person?
Some possible answers were initially discussed earlier in the season, tied to the possibility (still open) that Desmond is actually a Tleilaxu ghola, a genetically engineered clone of a dead person, although the Tleilaxu have shown up in Dune: Prophecy only through Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka), who is actually a rogue experiment. In the realm of foreign threats, the dark figure could also be an Ixian. They are a secretive society in the Imperium that still uses technology, which could explain the thinking machine.
Vorian Atreides also can't be ignored right now, as he should be alive at this moment in the timeline. Radicalizing Desmond, a person born from both Atreides and Harkonnen bloodlines, could be a way for him to lure Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) and kill them both, finally ending his feud with House Harkonnen.
The Sisterhood faces a schism on Wallach IX, while the Harkonnen sisters team up to stop Desmond Hart.
What Is There on Arrakis for Valya, Princess Ynez, and Keiran Atreides?
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One of the greatest faults in Dune: Prophecy so far has been how Arrakis, its most important planet, has been sidelined; for Season 2, however, it seems this will change. In this season's last scene, Valya arrives at the desert planet with Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) and Swordmaster Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason), following what she says to Tula on Salusa Secundus: "If the shadows are where they want to fight, then that's where I shall go."
There are two important hints about Arrakis in Season 1. First, that's where Desmond is swallowed by Shai-Hulud. Also, in his vision, the dark silhouette appears against a glowing yellow background, probably a window showing a little of Arrakis' landscape. In the books, characters like Vorian Atreides and even Griffin Harkonnen (Earl Cave) eventually find themselves on Arrakis, but Valya herself has never been there.
There is a member of the Sisterhood residing there whom she can count on, Sister Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin), despite the fact that they part on not-so-good terms in Episode 5, "In Blood, Truth." Mikaela could become the first of the Sisterhood's missionary arm, the Missionaria Protectiva, and they could play a key role in aiding Valya in her fight against the hidden enemy.
What Will Become of the Sisterhood on Wallach IX?
Leaving for Salusa Secundus may have been an important decision for Tula Harkonnen, but it left the Sisterhood headquarters and school on Wallach IX without a proper headmaster. This deepens the schism among the students and other members, whowere already divided between Valya's faction and the Butlerians, who secretly follow the late Mother Dorotea's (Camilla Beeput) teachings, with Sisters Jen (Faoileann Cunningham) and Emeline (Aoife Hinds) leading each, respectively.
With Mother Dorotea being back through her granddaughter Sister Lila's (Chloe Lea) genetic memory, she takes advantage of the Harkonnen sisters' absence and takes over, even destroying Anirul in the process. Her hold over Lila's body certainly won't last forever, though, which will certainly endanger her hold over the Sisterhood. Sister Avila (Barbara Marten) is her eldest follower, so she could carry on in Dorotea's absence. However, Avila herself called Lila an "abomination" when she was possessed by Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson), which is how the Bene Gesserit describe this form of possession. It goes against Dorotea's own teachings, so it poses a complex moral dilemma for the Butlerians.
Sister Jen seems to be the only one aware of the madness that has taken over the Sisterhood in the Harkonnens' absence, despite her always having an opinion about how they lead the school. This is the growing opportunity she has been unknowingly craving all along, as well as the moment for her to assert where she stands in terms of what the Sisterhood's true purpose is. Without Valya and Tula, Jen is the one who may yet save the Bene Gesserit from becoming Butlerian zealots.
Who the Hell Rules the Imperium Now?
With Javicco Corrino's (Mark Strong) suicide and Princess Ynez being on Arrakis, the Imperium is left without a leader. The idea that Javicco didn't actually rule is present throughout Season 1, but he was an important figurehead, with other actors manipulating him. Now, there is no one officially attached to the throne — at least not in principle. Given how things happen, however, it's likely that Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) will formally take the throne. Her alliance with Desmond Hart has proven fruitful for her political position, and, with him as her Bashar, they can bolster the Imperium's rule over more rebellious systems.
There is an obstacle, though: Prince Constantine Corrino (Josh Heuston). He may be a bastard, but he is still the Emperor's son and commands the Imperial armada. Most importantly, he is ever eager to prove himself and, now, knows that his purpose is to protect his sister Ynez. With his parents dead and his sister disappeared, it falls to him to protect the Corrino lineage. Tula being close to Desmond may present an opening or a fault in the Imperium's structure and threaten Natalya's rule, which Constantine could exploit with the Sisterhood's help.
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.
Release Date
November 17, 2024
CastEmily Watson
, Olivia Williams
, Jodhi May
, Travis Fimmel
, Mark Strong
, Jade Anouka
, Chris Mason
, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina
, Shalom Brune-Franklin
, Faoileann Cunningham
, Aoife Hinds
, Chloe Lea
, Josh Heuston
, Edward Davis
, Tabu
, Yerin Ha
Image via HBO
Image via HBO
Image via HBO
English (US) ·