Now that Warner Bros. is the proud owner of a thriving “Dune” franchise, they have begun the process of brand extension through the HBO series “Dune: Prophecy.” Set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s theatrically released sequels “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two,” the show is set sometime after Brian Herbert’s “Great Schools of Dune” novels and Bene Gesserit. Relates to the origins of the Sisterhood. It has a great cast led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, it has some very impressive production/costume design, and it’s as dull as water.
Apologies to those who love prequels and origin stories, but these are abysmal as a rule of storytelling, and there are precious few exceptions. Patton Oswalt has a stand-up bit It’s titled “At Midnight I’ll Kill George Lucas with a Shovel” which hilariously explains, impurely Why this is true But, basically, all prequels are attempts to fill in the blanks and dramatize what we already know. Yes, the backstory often takes strange twists that we were not previously aware of, but these events are nothing more than glorified trivia. This approach to pulp fiction has become so mind-numbing that it’s only a matter of time before we get an entire movie centered on the jeweler who sold Martha Wayne her pearl necklace.
Harkonnens. You’re here for the Harkonnens and why they look so different from their relatives from 10,000 years in the future in “Dune: Prophecy.” Will the simple answer of “evolution” quench your thirst for knowledge? I don’t think so. Here’s how the Harkonnens became the sticky, hairless, pain-filled patooties they are in Villeneuve’s films.
Harkonnens of Dune: Prophecies Are Not from Giddy Prime
As portrayed by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams in “Dune: Prophecy”, Mother Superior Valya Harkonen and Reverend Mother Tula Harkonen are notable for their Caucasian skin color and hair. They couldn’t look more different from the severely pale and bruised Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), Glossu Raban (Dave Bautista) and Feyd-Routha (Austin Butler). Why is it like this?
The Harkonnens of “Dune: Prophecy” are from the planet Lankivil, a cold planet that is far more hospitable than the volcanic, industrialized giddy Prime, which orbits a dark sun. That type of dark, harsh climate will have a great effect on your pigmentation and temperament. As for why House Harkonnen moved from Lenkiviel to Gidi Prime, it may be depicted in “Dune: The Prophecy” at some point, but, man, 10,000 years is a tall Stretch (the series actually depicts events backwards in time). It feels like this is the kind of social displacement that has happened throughout the ages and throughout many conflicts. So if you’re interested in seeing a fictional history broadcast over (possibly) multiple seasons of television, I think your cup of tea will slowly be over, glacially runneth over. The rest of us will dig in our heels and wait for Villeneuve’s third film to arrive sometime in 2026 (hopefully).
