In itsseries premiere,Dune: Prophecyshows a very different universe from the one depicted inDenis Villeneuve’sDunemovies, but there is a particular moment that stands out.Valya Harkonnen(Emily Watson), Mother Superior of the Sisterhood, denies House Harkonnen’s request for a Truthsayer for the fourth time. This is meant to show the audience that House Harkonnen still has a lot to grow before becoming the pale villains from the movies, but why exactly would Valya, one of their own, deny them such an important request?
Valya Harkonnen Needs To Convey an Image of Neutrality to the Sisterhood
Prophecyis setten millenniabefore the events of the movies, mostly following the Sisterhood and how it will eventually become the order of the Bene Gesserit. In the premiere, Valya Harkonnen briefly explains how she became Mother Superior, and the role the Sisterhood’s Truthsayers play in the Imperium,helping the Great Houses shift truth from lies, but, most of all, ensuring humanity follows their grand plan.
More than being the Sisterhood’s instruments, however, the Truthsayers are responsible for keeping the order’s image of neutrality. Theymay influence everythingin their favor from behind the scenes, but, at the front, they are what keeps the Great Houses from perpetually fighting among themselves and ensures there is stability.To put in a request for a Truthsayer is to ask for that protection, which explains the scene where Valya considers which houses to answer.
InProphecy, House Harkonnen is mostly looked down upon by the other houses. As Valya explains, they werebranded as cowardsby House Atreides following the Machine War, and are still being punished.Denying them a Truthsayer proves the Sisterhood’s neutrality, reliability, and dependability, even with a Harkonnen as Mother Superior.
‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 1 Recap: A Conspiracy Begins To Unfold
It’s time to return to the ‘Dune’ universe.
Valya’s Refusal May Be Part of Her Plan for House Harkonnen
There may be another reason for Valya’s refusal. In the opening flashback sequence, she explains how, after the Machine War, House Atreides became heroes, and Harkonnens were branded as cowards for “deserting the fight.“She also states her personal mission to set the record straight and change how the Imperium sees House Harkonnen. But, then, she joined the Sisterhood and became their Mother Superior, which, in theory, prevents her from doing it.
The Sisterhood is known by the audience fortheir Grand Plan, and, right now, this may be an obstacle to the rise of House Harkonnen, which could explain Valya Harkonnen’s denying their request for a Truthsayer.Assigning a Truthsayer to House Harkonnen would force them to adhere to the Sisterhood’s designs, not their own. Without a Truthsayer, House Harkonnen can operateoutside the boundariesof the Sisterhood’s Grand Plan and grant them more freedom to act in their own interest, even if they are not aware of it right now,
Valya cannot openly advise or influence the path House Harkonnen chooses. Still,she can steer them in the right direction by allowing or refusing their requests, for example, without tarnishing the Sisterhood’s image of neutrality. In the series premiere, we are briefly introduced to the current head of House Harkonnen, BaronHarrow Harkonnen(Edward Davis), who tries to talk Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) into buying whale fur. Perhaps in the future Valya may come to actually meet Harrow and covertly offer him proper guidance, but, right now, her actions as a Harkonnen are just as significant as the ones she takes as Mother Superior of the Sisterhood.
Dune: Prophecy
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, this 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.
Dune: Prophecyis available to stream on Max in the U.S. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
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