WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dune: Prophecy episode 1.
The swordmaster inDune: Prophecyis a distant ancestor of Paul Atriedies and has a great chance to disrupt Valya Harkonnen’s plans for control over the Empire.Dune: Prophecyis a six-part series based on the 2012 novelSisterhood of Dune, which was written by originalDuneauthor Frank Herbert’s son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, which is chronicled inDenis Villenueve’sDune(2020) andDune: Part Two(2024).Dune: Prophecyreveals theorigins of the powerful shadow sisterhood known as the Bene Gesseritand how they manipulated the fate of humankind.
The Great Houses once fought together against the Thinking Machines, which placed House Harkonenn and House Atredies on the same team. As seen in the Dune films, there is a great deal of bad blood and conflict in the history between House Harkonnen and House Atreides, as the former tries to destroy the latter completely by setting them up for failure and death on the spice planet Arrakis.As revealed inDune: Prophecy, this rivalry began long before the rise of Paul Atreideswith the determination of the Mother Reverend Superior, Valya Harkonnen, who aims to wed a Bene Gesserit in-training, Princess Ynez Corrino, with a young prince named Pruwet Richese.
New episodes ofDune: Prophecyrelease every Sunday at 9 PM on HBO & MAX.
Keiran The Swordmaster Is From House Atreides In Dune: Prophecy
He lives on House Corrino’s home planet Salusa Secundus
Keiran Atredies, the swordmaster, is introduced inDune: Prophecymuch like Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck was introduced in the recentDunefilm. Keiran trains Princess Ynez in close combat techniques and sword fighting as she proves herself to be a competitive warrior.There is also an undeniably romantic tension between Keiran and Ynezwhich is acted on later in a club scene that involves drug use and sexual intimacy. Although he is introduced in the early moments ofDune: Prophecy, he does not play much of a role in the pilot episode, which could hint at his eventual impact as the series goes on.
When is Dune: Prophecy Set in the Franchise’s Timeline?
Dune: Prophecy is the latest installment of the Dune franchise, but when exactly does it take place?
The arranged marriage between Princess Ynez and Prince Richese was orchestrated as part of a deal between Emperor Javicco Corrino and Duke Ferdinand Richese in exchange for a fleet of spice excavators to improve cultivation on Arrakis. By theend ofDune: Prophecyepisode 1, however, Desmond Hart of Arrakis has taken matters into his own hands and has mysteriously killed the young Prince as well as one of the Bene Gesserit sisters through a powerful dark magic.House Atredies has no connection to Arrakis duringDune: Prophecyand resides onSalusa Secundas with the Imperial House Corrino.
House Atreides' Status In Dune: Prophecy Explained
House Atreides is considered one of the noble Great Houses in the series
Valya Harkoennen is determined to regain the honor of the Harkoennen family name after they were exiled following the Battle of Corrin in 88 BG. This involves enacting revenge onHouse Atreides, who she believes is directly responsible for the downfall of House Harkonnen. According toDune Wiki, “There was no one in the Known Universe who Valya hated more than Vorian Atreides, who had caused her family’s downfall during the Battle of Corrin. Her hatred for Vorian led to her wish to eliminate all of the Atreides, repeatedly putting this plan above her loyalty to the Sisterhood due to her rage towards him.”
Why The Harkonnens Aren’t Pale In Dune: Prophecy Like They Are In The Movies
Dune: Prophecy is centered around characters from House Harkonnen, but they don’t look like Austin Butler’s character from the Dune movies.
Valya blames Vorian Atreides for the shame brought upon House Harkoenn that took place before the events ofDune: Prophecy.Vorian had accused Valya’s great-grandfather, Bashar Abdulurd Harkonnen, of cowardice after the Battle of Corrin, which took place before thewar against the Thinking Machines known as the Butlerian Jihad.Dune: Prophecystates that an Atreides showed great valor during the Butlerian Jihad while Valya’s great-grandfather showed cowardice, which is why she hates House Atreides. The series leaves out the Battle of Corrin entirely, which is what actually caused the feud between the two houses for the next 10,000 years.
How Keiran’s Relationship With Princess Ynez Could Cause Conflict In Dune: Prophecy
Valya will almost certainly place a target on his back
Valya and her sister Tula Harkoennen are bound to disapprove of the romance between Princess Ynez and Keiran Atreides, which they should eventually find out inDune: Prophecy.TheDunebooks reveal Tula to be more sympathetic towards House Atreidesas she is the less emotionally charged of the two sisters. This likely won’t be enough to prevent Valya from setting a target on Keiran’s back, especially considering how important Princess Ynez is to the Bene Gesserit’s plans,particularly preventing The Reckoning from occurring. Valya is expected to go to great lengths to take out Keiran Atredies inDune: Prophecyas he will likely become the biggest threat to her vision and control of the Empire.
Dune: Prophecy
Cast
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Dune: Prophecy, a sci-fi epic, follows the political and spiritual struggles on the desert planet of Arrakis. As factions vie for control of the prized spice melange, a prophesied hero emerges, challenging the balance of power and the fate of the galaxy.
