The teaser for the first series in the Dune franchise, Max’s Dune: Prophecy, has arrived. Today we will be breaking down any details you may have missed.
What is Dune: Prophecy About?
Dune: Prophecy is set some 10,000 years prior to the events of Dune and follows Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they establish the shadowy Bene Gesserit order in the wake of a galactic-wide war. The series is based on Sisterhood of Dune, a book written by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert.
Pointing The Way Through The Teaser
We are first shown a dark nebula with a voice over from Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) describing the premise of the series. As the camera pulls out the nebula seems to resemble an eyeball with a blue sclera. This then fades into an overhead shot of the Sisters of the Bene Gesserit bowing around a sundial contraption (perhaps a calendar of some kind). After this, we get an out-of-place (in my opinion) Star Wars-esque screen wipe that shows us a ship landing down on the surface of a wet and rocky world.
This world seems to be Salusa Secundus, the Imperial military planet seen in Dune (2021) with the cool guy throat singing over the ritualistic sacrifices. At this point in the timeline, the hellish world actually served as the seat of power for the Imperium. The coven of witches lead a body up to a platform with two large spires towering over each side.
Next, we are shown some shots of the Imperial Palace. Over this we get dialogue from Valya talking about how the members of the sisterhood are “assigned to the Great Houses to help them sift truth from lies.” We get our first look at Mark Strong as Emperor Javvico Corrino, ancestor to Christopher Walken’s Shaddam IV. While Walken’s Shaddam wears what can only be described as a nightgown, Javvico is wearing a military uniform, signaling that he may project a different type of power on his subjects.
After we see a cloaked sister pinch her fingers together, we are shown some abstract shots of sand and other strange particles which I assume to be a representation of ancestral/other memory. Javvico is shown with his head pressed up against that of who I suspect to be Empress Natalya’s (Jodhi May). Valya explains how the Sisterhood created “a network of influence throughout the Imperium” and that ultimately that “power comes with a price.”
Javvico rises from the Golden Lion Throne as Natalya sits by his side and Valya goes on to explain that “nothing is more important” than the witches getting “a Sister on the throne.” A woman in a red dress walks along a platform and is revealed to be Sister Francesca played by Tabu. She is wearing a face covering very similar to that of Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica from the scene in Dune where the Atreides family arrives on Arrakis.
Plans Within Plans
Sister Francesca is joined on a stage with a young boy as the two of them open a fancy golden container that houses a pomegranate. Pomegranates are often associated with fertility which is very in-line with the Bene Gesserit’s long-term breeding plan to bring forth the Kwisatz Haderach. It’s likely that we will see the first phase of this plan in the show. Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) warns that the Sisterhood will be judged for “playing God.” A voice, not dissimilar to the ones that Timothée Chalamet’s Paul hears in his visions, calls out to Valya Harkonnen as we cut to two people training to fight whilst wearing Holtzman shields.
After this, the trailer picks up some pace as we see D U N E spelled out with some quick shots intercut between each letter. We see from the back who I believe to be Josh Heuston as the Emperor’s illegitimate son, Constantine Corrino, leaving a cabin in a forest. Next, we also see what appears to be a Sister using her… powers (the books go into detail about how much control the Witches have over their anatomy).
Quick shots of people gathering and dancing around a bonfire are shown as we get glimpses of an icy world. This planet is likely Lankiveil, a planet important to the Harkonnens and which, in the novel, Rabban (Dave Bautista) is actually the Count of. Furry whales also live in the frozen oceans.
Some quick glimpses of a swordfight are seen as Olivia William’s Tula Harkonnen looks on in horror at something off screen. A pristine white laboratory is shown as we get some horrific imagery reminiscent of The Water of Life scene from this year’s Dune: Part Two. This is most likely to be someone attempting to become a Reverend Mother via poison transmutation. The teaser ends on Valya sitting on a throne as she simply states, “Sisterhood above all.”
Dune: Prophecy will be streaming on Max this Fall. The series stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae, Tabu, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Emma Canning, and Yerin Ha.
If you liked this article, please be sure to check out our review of Dune: Part Two and some other articles here at Feature First. Thanks for reading!
