Dune: Prophecy
The bleak Dune universe offers timely commentary on the dangers of charismatic leadership, religious manipulation, and blind adherence. Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction masterpiece highlighted women’s roles in shaping our young protagonist Paul Atreides. His Bene Gesserit mother trained him in her order’s weirding ways. His desert dream girl assimilated him into Fremen life. Throughout the book, the princess who cinched his power grab for the Imperial Throne recorded his history. Herbert wrote female characters who navigated a patriarchal futuristic feudal world order.
With Dune Messiah slated to start filming in 2025, we have a few years before we can see the aftermath of the Battle of Arakeen and how the holy war will stir up the known universe. With Dune: Prophecy series premiering its first episode, we have something to mull over. Viewers get the backstory for the Bene Gesserit, the secretive all-female order that spent 10,000 years trying to breed a ruler they could control. We learn more about Paul’s ancestors. In addition to playing on the orientalism of the source material and erasure of MENA influences, the series reinforces the long-standing trope that women’s indirect power corrupts.
Dune Prophecy is not based on Frank Herbert’s writings. It is inspired by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson’sprequel novel. The series expands the Dune universe but falls short in world-building. The series flattens how feudal orders operate.
The Corrino dynasty was opulent and lacked any sense of military might. They had just beaten the Dune equivalent Skynet and set up a superpower that would last 10,000 years. Imagine how formidable your family would have to be to hold power from 8000 BC, when barley and wheat cultivation began, into the 21st century. Desmund Hart walked into the palace and casually met with the Emperor of the Known Universe. He even got invited to the noble cookout. Security!! Any dynasty caught lacking in militant discipline would have been taken by a coup or assassins.
The Dune series has an opportunity to show how empires operate. They could draw on historical examples to show the cruel efficacy of empire. During the feudal period, families fostered noble children to strengthen political alliances and promote loyalty. French colonizers forced African chiefs and notables to send their sons to hostage schools to discourage rebellion. What would this look like during the early stages of the Corrino dynasty?
Exploring the consequences of abolishing computers could have allowed for some great social thought experiments. I would have loved to see how the methodologies predicting the future differ between the Bene Gesserit, Mentat School, and Spacing Guild schools. But the absence of Mentats, human supercomputers, leaves a huge gap. The Princess and her brother space travel to go clubbing. There is nothing arduous about their trip. They could have woven on the battle over spice nicely into that subplot. I have so many questions and hopes for the series.
I know we’re just one episode into the series. Watch the episode and listen to some of my favorite podcasts below to join the conversation.
