To enjoyDune : Prophecy , you do n’t need to have watched Denis Villeneuve’sDuneorDune : Part Two , or have read Frank Herbert’sDunenovels ( includingSisterhood of Dune , free in 2012 and write by Herbert ’s legacy - continuing son Brian Herbert with Kevin J. Anderson ) . make a certain knowledge of the world is certainly a bonus , butthe unexampled HBO series — set 10,000 year before the birthing of Paul Atreides — infuses its story with machination that will find familiar to fans of other late streaming adaptations of big genre kit and caboodle : fellow HBO showsGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragon , of trend , but alsoFoundationandWheel of Time .
But just because it ’s conversant ( power struggles in the ruling course of study ; a shadowed spiritual order that puts its own interests first ; a broken alien who suddenly send away in from a far-off Din Land to cut off everything ) does n’t mean it ’s not entertaining . And the fact that it’sDunelends a certain overlay of sci - fi dignity to almost everything . It ’s a prequel , so we know where things will eventually end up . But 10,000 years take into account an awfully recollective clip before Paul emerges into the universe , much less mounts a sandworm and approaches his destiny .
Another ingredient that makesDune : Prophecyeasy to climb on base is that it ’s not exactly subtle . Much like the Villeneuve pic , we get an epigraph at the very get-go of the first episode , “ The Hidden Hand ” ( it read “ triumph is celebrate in the lightness , but it is won in the darkness ” ) , survey by an exposition - laden orifice flashback introduce Valya Harkonnen — a last name we know to shiver at — and backgroundingProphecy‘s chief plot arc .
© Attila Szvacsek/HBO
After humans come out triumphant from its war with “ thinking machines , ” the general reason was that the Atreides class were heroes , and the Harokonnens were coward . But was that accurate — or just the consequence of who got to gyrate the narration first ?
To that end , Valya ( played as a young womanhood by Jessica Barden , and inProphecy‘s main timeline by Emily Watson ) gives us another neon - bright radical to consider ( “ What apply more true statement : history or divination ? ” ) as we get a glimpse of the Bene Gesserit ’s formation under the guidance of Raquella ( Cathy Tyson ) , a war hero who becomes the radical ’s first Mother Superior .
char who link the sisterhood learn to discern truth from lies , and are assign out to the great houses to facilitate ( and influence ) their leaders in make decisions . As we see , the enhanced baron Lady Jessica taught to Paul in theDunemovies—”the vocalization , ” for instance , which we see used for apparently the first time here — are soon incorporated into the training , in no modest part thanks to Valya , who becomes the Sisterhood ’s loss leader after Raquella dies .
The Emperor and Empress. © Attila Szvacsek/HBO
But she does n’t come up peacefully ; Valya and her babe Tula ( Emma Canning in her youthful version ; Olivia Williams in the main narrative ) are big truster in the Sisterhood ’s eugenics program to “ breed well leaders”—rulers the radical can manipulate to forbid a doom - laden prophecy from coming true . Valya ’s ultimate prevention programme is to maneuver an actual member of the Sisterhood onto the can . Not everyone is in agreement , including Raquella ’s own granddaughter — andDune : Prophecywastes no time in indicate us how ruthless Valya can be when it come to acquire her way .
WhenDune : Prophecy‘s main story kicks in ( 30 years later on , 116 years after the golem warfare — but still 10,148 long time pre - Paul ) , we meet the chess game pieces Valya is working with . Mark Strong act Emperor Corrino , weary and cautious leader of the Imperium , whose bragging worries go around around growing problem on Arrakis ( hey , we know that place ! ) , where in high spirits - value spicery excavation operations are being threatened by either Fremen attacks or an insurgency from within , count on who you believe . It take 20 minutes or so , but the air “ the spice must flow ” does indeed find its agency intoDune : Prophecy .
Emperor Corrino is also dealing with / dreading the wedding of his daughter , Ynez ( Sarah - Sofie Boussnina ) to a much , muchyounger suer — a match made for political reasons , but also so that Inez can channelize to the Sisterhood ’s homeworld after getting hitch . There , she ’ll spend a 10 training before give back to her royal duties , finally rising to king and becoming “ one of ours on the throne , ” following Valya ’s design to the letter .
The Emperor and Empress. © Attila Szvacsek/HBO
Also in the mixture : the outspoken Empress Natalya ( Jodhi May ) ; Inez ’s flirty half - sidekick Constantine ( Josh Heuston ) ; and hunky royal swordmaster Keiran Atreides ( Chris Mason ) , who sparks with Ynez but alsodid you notice his last name ? Definitely going to need to keep an centre on that guy .
Another character whose purpose is to stir the pot is Desmond Hart ( Travis Fimmel ) , a soldier who brag in from Arrakis exact to be the sole survivor of a spicery - mine disaster , which he fault on insurgent , but whose motivations go far beyond “ guy cable with a remarkable tarradiddle of survival of the fittest . ” We do n’t sleep together yet what ’s driving Desmond ’s intentions , but we do jazz he has some opinions about the level of restraint exercise by the Sisterhood , referring to them as “ witches”—and he ’s unafraid to enjoin the Emperor that he ’s not so sure eliminating all engineering science was the best form of legal action .
He also raise a very good peak about the fact that spiciness profits are hog by the smashing houses , never shared with the veritable folks who risk their lives to harvest it .
Yes, there’s a pretty comical age gap. © Attila Szvacsek/HBO
Desmond ’s nuptials - crashing brings catastrophe — he causes the agonizing death of both the young groom - to - be and the Emperor ’s personal Truthsayer , who perishesaftershe returns to the Sisterhood homeworld . The purpose of her visit : to secernate Valya and Tula about a horrific nightmare that seemingly bring out the nightmarish fallout that could come from Ynez ’s impending marriage .
Valya might be all about prophecy , but she dismisses the pipe dream — and she does n’t prognosticate the topsy-turvyness Desmond unleashes . It ’s leave to a next sequence for her to calculate out her next move , now that her cautiously orchestrated matchmaking has gone up in skunk .
While there was quite a snatch of position - setting and fictional character - introducing in “ The Hidden Hand , ” and we also have some high - stakes wedding drama ( George R.R. Martin would approve ) , the episode ’s most intriguing scenes were the unity set within the Sisterhood ’s grooming land . “ If you wish barren landscapes and minimal art , you ’ll be very happy , ” Constantino jokes to Ynez about her future dwelling house , but while the visuals might be bleak , the type are colorful as infernal region : beyond the Harkonnen Sister , the place is mostly populated by acolyte with multifariously disruptive backgrounds and equally wide-ranging personality , which will clearly get into gaming as the series progresses .
Desmond (Travis Fimmel), fresh from Arrakis.© Attila Szvacsek/HBO
It ’s no small feat to discipline yourself to become a virtually super - powered being — as young Valya order it , to “ push boundary of what it means to be human”—and truly it ’s the Sisterhood that coiffure this show apart . In a landscape painting of illusion series that’ve followed similar plotlines — and in a world where two blockbusterDunemovies have already established what will become of Arrakis , the Harkonnens and Atreides , and that freaky royal fosterage program — here ’s hopingDune : Prophecydevotes most of its screen metre to the secrets of sci - fi sorcery .
New episodes ofDune : Prophecy , which will run for six installments , come Sundays on HBO and Max .
Want more io9 news ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on pic and telly , and everything you need to eff about the future ofDoctor Who .
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