Now that Warner Bros. is the proud owner of a thriving “Dune” franchise, they’ve begun the process of brand expansion via the HBO series “Dune: Prophecy.” Set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s theatrically released sensations “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two,” the show is set some time after Brian Herbert’s “Great Schools of Dune” novels and deals with the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. It’s got a great cast led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, boasts some tremendously impressive production/costume design, and is dull as dishwater.
Apologies to those who love prequels and origin stories, but they are by rule abominations of storytelling, and there are precious few exceptions. Patton Oswalt has a stand-up bit titled “At Midnight I Will Kill George Lucas with a Shovel” that explains hilariously, profanely why this is true, but, basically, all prequels are fill-in-the-blanks endeavors that dramatize stuff we already know. Yes, there are often odd twists and turns within the backstory to which we were not previously privy, but these incidents are nothing more than glorified trivia. This approach to pulp narrative has become so mind-numbingly widespread that it’s only a matter of time before we get a whole movie centered on the jeweler who sold Martha Wayne her pearl necklace.
Harkonnens. You’re here for Harkonnens and why they look so gosh darn different in “Dune: Prophecy” than their relatives 10,000 years in the future. Would the simple answer of “evolution” slake your thirst for knowledge? I suppose not. Here’s how the Harkonnens became the pasty, hairless, pains-in-the-patooty that they are in Villeneuve’s movies.
The Harkonnens of Dune: Prophecy are not from Giedi Prime
As embodied by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams in “Dune: Prophecy,” Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen and Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen are notable for their caucasian skin color and hair. They couldn’t look more unlike the severely pale and shorn Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), Glossu Raban (Dave Bautista), and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). Why is this?
The Harkonnens of “Dune: Prophecy” hail from the planet Lankiveil, a cold planet that is far more hospitable than the volcanic, industrialized Giedi Prime, which orbits a black sun. That kind of dark, harsh climate will do a number on your pigmentation and temperament. As for why House Harkonnen bopped over to Giedi Prime from Lenkieveil, this might be depicted in “Dune: Prophecy” at some point, but, man, 10,000 years is a long stretch (the series actually depicts events further back in time). This feels like the kind of societal displacement that happens over eons and multiple conflicts. So if you’re into watching fictional history unfold over (maybe) multiple seasons of television, I’ve a feeling your cup of tea will slowly, glacially runneth over. The rest of us will cool our heels and wait for Villeneuve’s third film due sometime (hopefully) in 2026.