WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for the Season 1 finale of Dune: Prophecy.
Dune: Prophecy lays the foundation for Dune 3 in several intriguing ways. Dune: Prophecy is a six-part series based on the 2012 novel Dune Brotherhoodwhich was written by the original Dune son of author Frank Herbert, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, narrated in the book by Denis Villenueve. Dune (2020) and Dune: Part Two (2024). Dune: Prophecy reveals the origins of the powerful shadow brotherhood known as the Bene Gesserit and how they manipulated the destiny of humanity.
Dune: Prophecy episode 1 "The Hidden Hand" introduced Valya Harkonnen, a fierce and calculated leader, and her biological sister, Tula Harkonnen. Dune: Prophecy episode 2 reveals what happened to Lila and her grandmother, Reverend Mother Dorotea, after Tula and Valya encouraged her to endure the Agony. In Dune: Prophecy episode 3, Tula takes Lila's life into her own hands after she apparently died during the Agony ritual and attempts to resurrect her through the use of forbidden technology. Episode 4 reveals that Lila was resurrected through the Thinking Machine, Anirul. Episode 5 shows Desmond Hart's rise to power, while episode 6 shows Tula reconnecting with her abandoned half-Atreides son, Desmond Hart.
Dune: Prophecy introduces even stranger elements before Dune 3
It’s a good precursor before the “weirdness” of Dune 3
Image via Max
One of the best aspects Dune: Prophecy The first season is that it introduces new elements, and some even stranger elements, than the recent film series. For example, the power of the Voice of the Bene Gesserit is one of the most compelling aspects of the Brotherhood and the original Dune films. It is without a doubt one of the most powerful abilities in the Dune universe and is accessible only to the Bene Gesserit. While Lady Jessica and others use the Voice throughout the Dune films with intriguing ends, Dune: Prophecy season 1 makes the Voice even more dangerous by introducing its origin and its creator's lack of moral restraint.
Additionally, some of the stranger elements the Dune universe that are introduced into Dune: Prophecy include Thinking Machine technology and the various ways it is used within the Bene Gesserit and beyond. This opens up many opportunities for Dune universe, especially Dune 3 and other eventual films and television series, to delve deeper into these "weirdest" areas of Dune tradition. Based on original material written by Frank Herbert, Dune: Messiah should be a big step up from the weirdness of the first two Dune films.
Dune: Prophecy Lays the Groundwork for Gholas in Dune: Messiah
This helps set up Duncan Idaho's return in Dune: Messiah
Image via Max
Dune: Prophecy successfully lays the foundation for other types of species in the future Dune installments, such as Face Dancers and Gholas. Theo's character Dune: Prophecy it is an example of introducing superior concepts that go beyond what we have seen so far and show that there is more to this universe than has already been shown. According to Dune Wiki"Face Dancers were a sterile race of shapeshifting transhumans engineered by the Bene Tleilax.." The Bene Tleilax, or Tleilaxu, are "a group of secretive, genetically altered humans who inhabited Tleilax, the only planet of the star Thalim" (via Dune Wiki).
Another interesting type of Dune species is a ghola. According to Dune Wiki"a ghola was an artificially created human being who was replicated from a dead individual." This would explain the return of a fallen Dune character in the first film of 2021, Duncan Idaho. Duncan Idaho returns in the Dune: Messiah book and you should do it in Dune: Messiah film too. With a lot of focus on Thinking Machines in Dune: Prophecyincluding one being placed inside Desmond Hart, is best positioned to extract this key element of the character Dune: Prophecy.
Dune: Prophecy explains more about the Bene Gesserit before its role in Dune 3
The Bene Gesserit are mostly unknown and inaccessible in the world. Dune films
The dark mechanics of the Bene Gesserit in Dune: Prophecy configure what's coming in the future Dune installments, including any third Dune film Dune: Messiahwhich will be directed by Denis Villeneuve. No spoilers for the next one Dune: Messiah film, the intrigues and plans of the Bene Gesserit to overthrow Paul in Messiah fit with what we see of them in Prophecy.
Although the Bene Gesserit are for the most part an unknown and inaccessible force in the Dune films, they will become an integral part of Paul's affairs as emperor in Dune: Messiah and remains one of the most interesting aspects of Dune universe as a whole, which is probably why HBO already greenlit a second season in Dune: Prophecy.