Dune: Prophecy presents the audience with a complex web of political intrigue, and from the first episode, there's already a ton of material to sift through. Dune: Prophecy The cast is led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, who play sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen. The HBO prequel series is set 10,000 years before the events surrounding Paul Atreides and Denis Villeneuve. Dune films, examining the rise of the Bene Gesserit and the order's influence across the Known Universe.
The first episode sees Valya Harkonnen gaining control of the Brotherhood to fulfill the first Mother Superior's goals, using the Voice to force Dorotea to kill herself. Throughout the episode, the audience is introduced to a political plot surrounding House Corrino and the Emperor (Mark Strong). In order to strengthen his military position, he agrees to a marriage alliance with House Richese. However, the the end of the episode shows Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) killing the young heir Richesepreventing the planned wedding.
Why and how Desmond Hart killed Pruwet Richese at the end of episode 1
Desmond Hart is working against the Brotherhood
Dune: Prophecy Episode 1 introduces Desmond Hart, an original character to the series. He is a soldier who survived the recent Fremen attacks on Arrakis, although he arrives at Selusa Secundus claiming that it was not the Fremen who attacked his forces, but rather allies of the Empire. Not much is revealed in this opening scene, but Desmond exchanges an antagonistic look with Kasha, the Emperor's Truth-Revealer, hinting at his plans. At the end of the episode, Desmond Hart attempts to gain Emperor Corrino's trust by suggesting that House Richese is one of the many enemies attacking him..
He also states that he has been "given great power”, which he appears to use to kill Pruwet, causing the boy's skin to burn without touching him.
The Emperor suggests that he would like to be released from the marriage, which Desmond takes seriously. He encounters young Pruwet Richese, who says he was awakened by a nightmare. Desmond tells Pruwet that there is a war being fought by an enemy who has become indispensable, referring to the Brotherhood. He also states that he has been "given great power" which he appears to use to kill Pruwet, causing the boy's skin to burn without touching him. The exact nature of his power is still unclear, but Desmond's plan is to thwart the Brotherhood's efforts.
What happened to the sandworm that Emperor Corrino sees on Arrakis
Desmond Hart somehow survived a sandworm on Arrakis
Emperor Corrino, like Pruwet Richese, is awakened from a nightmare in the middle of the night. He then enters a room where a chip with holographic images was left for him, presumably by Desmond. Emperor Corrino watches the scene Desmond describes earlier where for some miraculous reason Desmond Hart is the only survivor of an attack and is later crushed by a giant sandworm. Somehow, Desmond survived and reemerged with a newfound power and sense of purpose.
The scene shown is very similar to Mother Superior's vision at the beginning of the episode, which saw a giant sandworm crushing a building on Arrakis before showing burned skin and blood. Desmond Hart seems to be directly linked to her vision as some representative of the existential threat that Mother Superior warned Valya against.
Valya's plan for the sisterhood explained
Valya seeks to plant a sister on the throne of the Empire
Valya Harkonnen is motivated by the treatment of House Harkonnen following the Butlerian Jihad, where House Harkonnen were dubbed cowards and traitors. Therefore, he joined the Brotherhood and became faithful to the first Mother Superior. The Mother Superior had dying dreams of the end of the world, "Tiran-Arafel", in the hands of a corrupt tyrant. She believed that to prevent it, the Brotherhood would have to genetically create ideal leaders and plant a Sister on the throne of the Empire. Valya Harkonnen intends to fulfill this mission at any cost.
Valya seems to believe that Ynez may be the planted ruling sister who can stop Tiran-Arafel.
Princess Ynez must travel to Wallach IX and train with the Brotherhood. Valya and Tula are selecting one of their students to guide Ynez upon her arrival. Since the Emperor has no legitimate children, Ynez's son will be the heir to the throne, so the Brotherhood plans to bring Ynez under their control through whichever Sister they select to guide her. Valya seems to believe that Ynez may be the planted ruling sister who can stop Tiran-Arafel.
Reverend Mother Kasha's vision explained
Kasha prophesies that Valya's plan has gone wrong
It should be noted first that Kasha was one of the girls who conspired with Valya Harkonnen in the flashbacks, so she is a Sister who is aware of Valya's plan and was placed on the Emperor's side to spread the Brotherhood's influence. After meeting with Desmond Hart, she has a vision that shares similar qualities to the Mother Superior's dying vision at the beginning of the episode: blood and sandworms. In her case, she sees Princess Ynez, who is about to get married, apparently dying and accusing Kasha of her involvement at your own risk.
Kasha then travels to Wallach IX to meet with Valya and Tula Harkonnen suggesting that Princess Ynez may not be the ideal candidate they are looking for. She warns Valya that placing Ynez on the throne as Sister could cause the devastation she hopes to avoid. Valya, believing that the previous Mother Superior chose her for a specific purpose, is set in her ways and intends for the marriage to proceed as planned. Valya later suggests that they remove Kasha from the Emperor's side, as she no longer trusts the alignment of her ideals.
What does Valya Harkonnen's line "I See, Mother" mean?
Valya is not giving up on her plan
One of the final moments Dune: Prophecy The opening episode shows Kasha burning in the same way as Pruwet Richese, causing her death. This reminds Valya of Message from Mother Superior, where she said that she would be the one to see "the burning truth" and know what to do with it. The scene likely reassures Valya that she is right in her path and should continue to take the Brotherhood to the extremes she intended. How Kasha died is unclear, but it appears to be related to Desmond Hart killing Pruwet Richese.
Why thinking machines were banned from the Dune universe
Humans fought against thinking machines in Butlerian Jihad
Thinking Machines are a form of artificial intelligence in Dune universe that were prominent before Dune: Prophecy. At some point, humanity became dependent on Thinking Machines, which began to become very powerful. Humans were forced to go to war with them in an event called the Butlerian Jihad, and the effects of this war lasted thousands of years. Thinking Machines were banned and through the point of Dune"Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind"It's a well-known commandment.
Why House Corrino is forced into a marriage alliance
House Corrino's influence on Arrakis is waning and they need military help
The audience is introduced to Emperor Corrino as he negotiates an alliance with House Richese, who promise him warships in exchange for the marriage between nine-year-old Pruwet Richese and Princess Ynez. Emperor Corrino inherited the Empire after a line of wartime emperors and is by no means the most energetic and aggressive leader. He rules in a time of fragile peace, with his marriage to his wife, Empress Natalya, having united the Empire to be what it is at the start of the series.
Duke Richese offers House Corrino a fleet of warships to help collect spices on Arrakis. Just like in the films, Arrakis is the most important planet in the universe due to the ultra-powerful substance that can be harvested there. Furthermore, like the films, the Empire is having problems with spice production due to Fremen interference. This leads Emperor Javicco Corrino to make an undignified deal with House Richese in Dune: Prophecyas he desperately needs their military support.