Includes SPOILERS for Dune: Prophecy season 1.
Desmond Hart’s true identity is revealed toward the end ofDune: Prophecyseason 1, butthe series' creators left clues from the beginning that were tell-tale signs of who he really was. Set 10,000 years before theDunemovies, HBO’s prequel series examines an era of Frank Herbert’s expansive sci-fi universe that’s scarcely realized in the books, with several original characters being invented for the series. Among those original characters are Emperor Javicco Corrino, Tula Harkonnen, and, of course, Desmond Hart.
Travis Fimmel plays Desmond Hart inDune: Prophecy’scast, delivering on a complex, enigmatic villain. He enters the series as a war veteran from Arrakis who’s survived under strange circumstances. Throughout the season, audiences are introduced to more of his goals and background, including his parentage.Desmond Hart is the long-lost son of Tula Harkonnen and Orry Atreides, whom Tula sent away at birth so he could be free from the whims of Valya and the Sisterhood. This sets Desmond on a path of revenge, but the season 1 finale reveals he still has complicated feelings for his mother.
How Dune: Prophecy Episode 1 Teased Desmond Hart’s Harkonnen Identity
The Black Fabric Was Always A Hint At Tula Being His Mother
At a press conference for the series, showrunner Alison Shapkner announcedDune: Prophecyseason 2and also spoke about the first season. She mentions a major clue regarding Desmond Hart’s identity:the small black piece of fabric he’s been carrying throughout the season. This is the same bit of fabric that Tula placed in his baby clothes, and he’s been carrying it the entire time as a reminder of her and his desire for revenge. A piece of black cloth could have meant anything, but it feels obvious in retrospect that this was a clue for some deeper Sisterhood connection.
He may be a killer out for revenge, but he’s also a small child who grew up without a mother, probably wondering why she would leave him with this token to remember her if she truly didn’t care about him.
Desmond first fondles this piece of cloth as he enters the palace on Selusa Secundus and continues to do so throughout the season. That is, as Shapkner says, “until finally he meets her and is clutching her actual dress.” It’s an interesting bit of foreshadowing for Desmond’s story, and it shows the duality of his character. He may be a killer out for revenge, but he’s also a small child who grew up without a mother, probably wondering why she would leave him with this token to remember her if she truly didn’t care about him.
Other Clues To Dune: Prophecy’s Desmond Hart Twist
Dune: Prophecy Didn’t Leave Many Clues To Desmond’s Parentage
ThroughoutDune: Prophecy, there aren’t many clues to Desmond’s birth on his end.The flashback episode where Tula has her fling with Orry could lead to questions, as generally, in fantasy-like media, forbidden love flings often end up in a child with immense narrative purpose (think Jon Snow inGame of Thrones). The fact that Tula and Orry had some genuine feelings for each other and engaged in a sexual relationship should have raised some flags regarding the child’s fate. The age certainly lines up to be Desmond.
Dune: Prophecy Continues A 25-Year-Old Dune Franchise Curse That Started With The Books
Dune: Prophecy wasn’t as strong as we’d hoped, continuing a 25-year issue with the Dune title that could be a problem for future adaptations.
Part of what made Desmond Hart’s secret so alluring was that there wasn’t much information to go off of from the books. Some ofDune: Prophecy’sstory is based on the bookSisterhood of Dune, but a good portion of it is uncharted territory. With that in mind, book readers could draw strands of narrative from the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels to try and theorize about Desmond, but there was never anything that could concretely point him to being Tula’s.
What Desmond Hart Being The Son Of An Atreides & A Harkonnen Means For Season 2
Desmond Hart Has Notable Genetic Potential
The possibility of a baby born from the Atreides and Harkonnen lines has great potential in theDuneuniverse, as shown by Valya’s interest in Tula’s baby and, of course, Paul Atreides himself. Desmond is a man with significant genetic potential that the Sisterhood would typically want control over, but his own powers and hatred for them will make that an obstacle. Notably,Dune: Prophecy’sseason 1 endingsaw Desmond arresting Tula, meaning they’ll share scenes together in season 2, allowing them to form a connection of their own.
With the two Harkonnen sisters going their separate ways, season 1’s demonstration of their differences could set up an antagonistic relationship between them in the future, with Desmond caught in between their desires for the Sisterhood’s future. It seems likely that Tula and Desmond will continue to grow closer after she breaks through his understandable hesitance, and Valya will either want to use him or kill him to make space for Princess Ynez to return to the throne inDune: Prophecy.
Dune: Prophecy
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Dune: Prophecy, a 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.
