All the Dune: Prophecy houses and characters you need to know

Anybody who has learn any of the Dune books, or watched any of the Dune motion pictures, or, heck, talked to anybody who has finished both of these issues will inform you: The world of Dune is difficult. It is a grand sci-fi universe, constructed on a number of millennia of royal politicking, energy performs, manipulation, and violence.

So it’s no shock that Dune: Prophecy has lots of people to cowl. It’s the identical universe, certain, and is loosely tailored from Brian Herbert’s Nice Colleges of Dune, a prequel trilogy to his father’s sequence. However Prophecy is about some 10,000 years and alter forward of when Paul Atreides lands on Arrakis, so there’s a complete host of recent characters and traditions to determine right here. The household names will virtually actually be ones you’re aware of, however the circumstances of the homes won’t be.

In mild of that, we’ve pulled collectively a primer on who to know from Dune: Prophecy and the way they correlate to different characters throughout Dune.

[Ed. note: The rest of this post contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy season 1.]

The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood

Within the pilot of Prophecy we see the Sisterhood at a pair completely different instances: Early on we see Valya Harkonnen (performed then as Jessica Barden) as a sister, known as to the bedside of the dying Mom Superior Raquella. In an effort to protect the Bene Gesserit breeding program, which is simply getting began at this level, Valya makes use of the Voice on fellow sister Dorotea (Camilla Marie Beeput) and makes her drive her personal knife into her neck.

Flash-forward to 30 years later, when the Sisterhood is flourishing, and now-Mom Superior Valya (performed within the current day by Emily Watson) remains to be dedicated to doing something to protect the Bene Gesserit imaginative and prescient of the universe. At her facet is Reverend Mom Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams because the elder, Emma Canning as younger Tula) and Reverend Mom Kasha (Jihae), who at present serves because the very trusted truthsayer to Emperor Corrino.

There’s a group of younger sisters at present finding out with the Bene Gesserit, however we don’t know a ton about them fairly but. Some had been raised by the Bene Gesserit, and others got here once they had been slightly older (like Princess Ynez will); principally what’s essential about them proper now could be Tula and Valya every have their favorites — and perhaps even a plan for every of them.

You may not know the identify, however you actually know the home: Corrino remains to be the ruling household through the interval of Dune. So the complete identify of Christopher Walken’s emperor character in Dune 2 is Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. However right here, 10,000 years earlier than then, Corrino’s Empire is at a really completely different place.

It’s headed up by Emperor Javicco (Mark Sturdy), who at this level is usually involved with how weak his place is (or may very well be perceived as) and is all set to marry off his daughter. He’s additionally fairly reliant on his private truthsayer, Reverend Mom Kasha, a lot to the chagrin of his spouse, Empress Natalya Arat (Jodhi Might). She is anxious concerning the rising gulf between herself and her husband (saying the Empire was extra steady once they had been extra of a unit), and cautions her daughter towards ingesting an excessive amount of of the Bene Gesserit Kool-Support.

However the children are all proper: Constantine Corrino (Josh Heuston), Javicco’s illegitimate son, isn’t striving for the throne and is very happy to deal with some enterprise on behalf of the household. Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) is doing all she will be able to to arrange to be an efficient empress: taking sword coaching, enlisting with the Bene Gesserit, and marrying a 9-year-old so she will be able to have 10 years to herself.

In fact, her marriage didn’t fairly work out (child dies, extra on that beneath), and nobody is basically certain the place that leaves Home Corrino or Princess Ynez, precisely. As Javicco is continually fearful about, his place feels susceptible, and the homes appear to be combating for energy round him. (To not point out he’s always reminded concerning the measurement of his fleet, comparatively.) So pairing up with an essential energy participant appears key on this second…

Although Dune: Prophecy’s pilot doesn’t get into specifics, we all know it is a rocky interval for the Harkonnens. After being branded traitors by the Atreides through the Butlerian Jihad (the books inform us it’s as a result of the Atreides wished to push an assault at the price of human captives, whereas the Harkonnens wished to carry again, and 100 or so years later all anybody can keep in mind is that the Harkonnens abandoned), the household has fallen out of favor. After we choose up with them, the Harkonnens have been banished to a distant, icy planet.

Clearly two Harkonnens make it fairly far within the Bene Gesserit. However past that, crucial Harkonnen participant is… Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis). He doesn’t make a ton of impressions on the princess’ wedding ceremony festivities! Largely his character for now could be winnowed all the way down to: “boring the emperor speaking concerning the utilities of whale farming” and “a Harkonnen with hair.”

There hasn’t been a lot speak of Home Atreides within the first episode of Prophecy. They’re kind of restricted to Valya’s voice-over, that “historical past says it was an Atreides who led” people to victory over the considering machines. She claims this was a historical past “spun out of lies.” However this opinion of hers clearly units up the Atreides-Harkonnen feud going sturdy 10,000 years later.

However there’s an Atreides already amongst our solid of characters, although his home is actually downplayed: Kieran Atreides (Chris Mason), the princess’s swordmaster.

At the least for now, Desmond Hart is being very clear about his allegiances to Home Corrino, saying in his interrogation that he serves “the Imperium, and solely the Imperium.” He freely admits to killing each a toddler and Reverend Mom Kasha as a result of he believed it to be within the emperor’s finest pursuits.

Whereas it actually looks as if there’s extra to find out about this stranger and his powers, for now he’s solely providing up some obscure glimpses into how he got here to be: “Shai-hulud took my eye, and granted me with a present to see what even you [Valya and the Sisterhood] can not.” When the empress asks him if he’s a prophet he wistfully musters: “I don’t know. There are issues that I can do. Stunning… horrible issues.”

Per Kasha’s and now Valya’s evaluation of him, he appears to be holding one thing again; telling the reality as he believes it however mendacity not directly. So what are his true loyalties and what recreation is he taking part in? One factor appears to be for sure: Boy, oh boy, does he hate the Sisterhood.