Dune: Prophecy the first season has come to an end and there's a ton of new material and season two possibilities to speculate about. The HBO prequel series is set 10,000 years before the events of Dune films, expanding Denis Villeneuve's epic cinematic universe with a narrative about the early stages of the Bene Gesserit. Mainly based on the novel Brotherhood of the Dunes by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Dune: Prophecy it also developed several plots of its own, many of which are resolved by the end of season 1.
Emily Watson leads Dune: Prophecy cast as Valya Harkonnen, an ambitious woman who leads the Brotherhood in their mission to establish control and their secret genetic breeding plan across the Empire. The narrative of the first season ends with a confrontation with Desmond Hart, alongside his sister Tula, who is also Desmond's mother. After discovering that his entire life has been controlled by the Brotherhood, Emperor Javicco Corrino takes his own life. Lastly, the Season 1 finale saw Keiran Atreides and Princess Ynez flee the capital.
Why Valya Harkonnen Goes to Arrakis with Ynez and Keiran in Dune: The End of the Prophecy
Valya will continue to unearth the enemy behind Desmond Hart
Valya Harkonnen finished Dune: Prophecy the first season in an attractive destination with even more attractive travel companions, and it's important to analyze all of this. Firstly, Valya's interest in Arrakis stems from Desmond Hart's original confrontation with the sandworm. At some point before season 1, an unknown player recovered Desmond's body and implanted a Thinking Machine in himin hopes of spreading the new version of the Omnius Plague. This version of the plague is activated by fear, killing Sister Kasha and Pruwet Richese, and slowly spreading among the Brotherhood, causing their nightmares.
Keiran Atreides does not trust Valya or any Harkonnen, which he has made clear, but his only purpose now is to protect Ynez.
Valya's intention is to discover who exactly commissioned Desmond Hart to carry out this task, and Arrakis is the prime location to begin the search. She brought Princess Ynez to keep her safeas Ynez is the Brotherhood's ideal candidate to be planted on the Empire's throne, ensuring their control and influence over the Known Universe. Keiran Atreides does not trust Valya or any Harkonnen, which he has made clear, but his only purpose now is to protect Ynez. He still disagrees with the Empire's overwhelming power, but he loves Ynez and wants to help her.
Who was behind Desmond Hart's thought capture machine implant?
A hidden enemy is lurking in the dune universe
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Much of Desmond Hart's origin was clarified in the series' final two episodes, with him being revealed to be the son of Tula Harkonnen and Orry Atreides. At some point on Arrakis, he was swallowed by a sandworm and woke up with new powers, and the Season 1 finale shows that the abilities were given to him by a Thinking Machine Implant, which allowed him to spread the Plague of Omnius. As for who specifically selected Desmond as a candidate, operated the procedure, and sent him on his mission, It's probably a character we haven't seen yet.
That said, there is still room to speculate about what this unknown assailant wants. His goal is to destroy the Brotherhood, and they selected Desmond Hart to use his already existing hatred for the organization as a weapon. The figure would be someone who was wronged by the Brotherhood, possibly during or shortly after the Butlerian Jihad. There's also the possibility that they could be the Thinking Machines themselves, angry at the Brotherhood for overriding their position in society, although the Season 1 finale appears to implicate a human.
Why Desmond Hart arrests his mother, Tula Harkonnen
Desmond still doesn't trust Tula
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Desmond Hart and Tula Harkonnen, finally reunited after being separated at birth, have a rather tender scene for a brief moment before he decides to arrest her. The audience knows that Tula has a deep love for Desmond and that the only reason she sent him away was for the honest intention of him having a better life rather than being a tool for Valya and the Brotherhood. However, all Desmond knows is that he was sent away and lived a horrible lifeSo it will take a little more convincing before they have a proper mother-son relationship.
What will happen to the sisterhood now that Dorotea is back?
Who knows how long Dorotea will control Lila's body?
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Lila's procedure resulted in her genetic ancestors taking control of her body, with episode 5 showing Mother Superior Raquella returning to help Tula Harkonnen. The season finale saw the return of Dorotea, who has been… much less helpful. Dorotea, channeled through Lila's body, essentially leads the Brotherhood in a mutiny against Valya Harkonnen, destroying Raquella's banned Thinking Machine technology that allowed them access to the genetic archive. It's unclear how long Dorotea will be in control of Lila's body, but the Sisterhood is lost to the Harkonnen sisters for now.
Why Tula lied to Valya about her baby
Tula didn't want her baby to be a tool for the sisterhood
Tula Harkonnen has been in a state of conflict throughout Dune: Prophecy season 1. She is deeply loyal to her sister, but even though she committed the atrocities against House Atreides in the name of Valya's wishes, she is not 100% sure of her sister's character. In episode 6's flashback scene where Valya makes the remaining sisters swear eternal loyalty to her, Tula shows a conflicted expression before doing so. Like Francesca with Javicco, Tula is loyal to the Brotherhood, but even she has limits she's not willing to crossand her son's life being dictated by Valya's conspiracy is one of them.
Who will replace Javicco Corrino as emperor?
Constantine and Natalya will compete for power
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The future of the Empire is one of the most significant question marks now that Javicco Corrino is dead. Javicco's only real son is Ynez, but she ran away with Valya Harkonnen. This leaves two possible options: Prince Constantine Corrino was Javicco's bastard son, or Empress Natalya could try to create a Cersei Lannister-like situation where she would become queen. Given that Natalya just killed her sister Francesca, she probably won't want the walking reminder of her husband's infidelity to ascend as the new emperor, so that could put her at odds with Constantine, who now controls the fleet.
Is Dune: Prophecy returning for Season 2?
Dune confirmed by HBO: renewal of the prophecy
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On December 20, 2024, HBO confirmed the renewal of Dune: Prophecy for season 2. Previously at New York Comic Con, co-creator/showrunner Alison Schapker and executive producer Jordan Goldberg expressed excitement about continuing the series with more stories, and Season 1 proved to be worth it for Warner Bros. Dune being one of their major ongoing franchises, they likely want to continue developing the narrative in anticipation of the Dune: Part 3 grows. Dune: Prophecy will be back.