‘Dune: Prophecy’ episode 1 – ‘The Hidden Hand’: Will Valya’s Sisterhood shape the flow of galactic power?

On November 19, 2024By Littum

Let’s be clear, Frank Herbert’s “Dune” fervor has never been one of cute kittens and bright shiny rainbows, so it’s not exactly an eye-opening revelation that “Dune: Prophecy,” HBO/Max’s expansive new “Dune ” spinoff prequel series that airs Sunday, November 17, 2024, is quite a dark and gloomy affair.

Adapted from the 2012 novel “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, executive producers Alison Schapker (“Fringe”) and Diane Ademu-John have done an impressive job of translating this backstory and explaining how the gene-manipulating The Bene Gesserit sect was formed 10,000 before the birth of Paul Atreides.

This gorgeously rendered but slightly sad six-episode series stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May and Mark Strong in a political sci-fi drama (think “Game of Thrones” in space) revolving around two powerful Harkonnen sisters, Valya and Tula, as they battle external forces that threaten the fate of humanity and establish the legendary supernatural cult while restoring their family’s name.

Sci-fi characters arranged around a galactic background

Official poster for “Dune: Prophecy.” (Image credit: HBO)

Mild spoilers for “Dune: Prophecy” episode 1 ahead!

Screenwriters Schapker and Ademu-John keep the show’s grim tone and bleak visuals in check, presenting glimpses of pure sci-fi geekery, like the premiere episode’s Butlerian Jihad clash with the thinking machines paired with Valya’s impassioned voice-over of how the Harkonnens were labeled cowards and exiled.

In a lengthy set-up, Valya explains how she escaped her family’s troubled past and joined a sisterhood on Wallach IX where women of like-minded ability could be trained to use their paranormal skills to separate truth from lies while assigned the great houses of the empire. This led to a program in which a large genetic index was established to control the breeding of rulers.

But during a deathbed scene, Valya’s superior mother has a vision and entrusts her to the future of the Sisterhood. Determined that getting one of their own on the throne is the only way to ensure protection, it is the genesis of House Harkonnen regaining all that they had lost.

A shocking murder scene early on, in which young Valya unleashes a new skill she’s developed called The Voice to protect the genetic bank from destruction, concludes the 15-minute setup. From there, we jump forward 30 years, where elderly Mother Superior Valya struggles with political intrigue while overseeing her exclusive school for lost “witches” such as Sister Emeline (Aoife Hinds), Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham), Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) and Sister Lila (Chloe Lea).

Two women dressed in black stand together

Emily Watson and Olivia Williams as seen in “Dune: Prophecy.” (Image credit: HBO)

“Prophecy” is exciting, but can be a bit suffocating and heavy at times, especially when big exposition dumps are offered to set up the Empire’s political maneuvers and basic struggles to control spice. The visual effects of planetary vistas and sleek spaceships are exemplary, but most interesting are discussions of the idea that lying is among the most sophisticated tasks a human brain can perform, acting as a necessary evil for survival, and the role of women in positions as powers that serve as behind-the-scenes orchestrators of galactic destiny.

Over on Salusa Secundus, the Imperial homeworld, Emperor Javicco Corrino’s (Mark Strong) daughter, Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), prepares to travel to Wallach IX to be instructed by Valya and Tula in the ways of the Sisterhood to detect lies. . She is smitten with her swordsman Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason), but when the doppelganger Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), the sole survivor of a spice harvest attack on Arrakis, shows up at the palace, it upsets all the order so carefully put in place by the Sisterhood by her brother Constantine (Josh Heuston).

A dusty bearded man stands in a sterile stone room

Travis Fimmel stars in “Dune: Prophecy.” (Image credit: HBO)

An engagement ceremony that concludes the arranged marriage between little Lord Pruitt Richese, the 9-year-old heir to House Richese, and House Corrino’s princess Ynez is well staged and provides an elegant touch of cosmic royalty to the entire production.

Far more formalized than David Lynch’s colorful, opulent 1984 “Dune” adaptation and more akin to the emotionally sterile renderings of director Denis Villeneuve, “Dune: Prophecy’s” launch pilot remains a captivating watch defined by its stellar cast performances, impressive costumes and lush scenes such as the countless betrayals, marriages and alliances between family factions are set in motion.

As Valya and Tula, Watson and Williams make a formidable duo, anchoring the show with prestige and a high caliber of acting, especially with Strong’s regal imperial charisma on display as the conflicted emperor evades the vipers.

A royal sci-fi figure sits on a throne next to his queen

Mark Strong stars as Emperor Javicco Corrino in “Dune: Prophecy.” (Image credit: HBO)

“The Hidden Hand” is a provocative start to HBO’s costly “Dune” experiment in another attractive prequel spinoff akin to “Game of Thrones’s” “House of the Dragon,” and one we’ll be following at Space.com with great attention as it unfolds.

Things really heat up at the episode’s gruesome conclusion, when soldier Desmond Hart carries out a heinous act of murder. Will this royal genetic match chosen by the Sisterhood truly stabilize the Corrino line for centuries, or will their elaborate plan collapse and cause exactly what the scheming sorceress clan strives to prevent?

“Dune: Prophecy” airs Sundays at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on HBO and streamed on Max.