Dune: Prophecyepisode 4’s ending leaves audiences with a ton of new material to unpack, creating even more questions and offering very few answers. The HBO prequel series is set 10,000 years before Denis Villenueve’s movies on theDunetimeline, examining an earlier stage of the Sisterhood, House Harkonnen, and other notable factions. The TV show is inspired by the classicDunebooksas well as the expanded novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, butit tells an original story with elements that can’t be explained by the source material.
Desmond Hart, who was absent from episode 3, is one of those elements. InDune: Prophecy’scast, Travis Fimmel plays the veteran soldier from Arrakis who’s returned with questionable motives and mysterious powers. Episode 4 saw him putting on a show,executing several nobles on the orders of Emperor Javicco Corrino. Tula Harkonnen’s experiment to gain information with Sister Lila went ary before Lila seemingly returned to life at the end of episode 4. Lastly, Valya Harkonnen’s play to win back Javicco’s favor didn’t pan out, and Sister Theodosia revealed her shapeshifting abilities.
Lila’s Dune: Prophecy Return & Blue Eyes Explained
Lila Seems To Be Back Due To A Healthy Dose Of Spice
Dune: Prophecyepisode 3’s endingsaw Tula Harkonnen trying a lasteffort to bring Lila back to life using forbidden Thinking Machine technology and the Spice Melange. She did this, knowing Valya would disapprove because Tula has a soft spot for Lila, having raised her from when she was a little girl. While waiting, Tula experiences a series of troubling visions that show Sister Emeline discovering the secret chamber and Thinking Machine technology, in which she’s forced to kill Emeline to prevent the secret from getting out.
These visions don’t turn out to be true, at least not yet, and Tula finds Lila awake again. Lila’s eyes have turned blue from the spice, and she finds Mother Superior Racquella’s genetic indexing computer technology, questioning Tula about what she’s seeing. It’s unclear what her exact state is now that she’s returned or how she’ll react to discovering the banned technology being used by the Sisterhood.
How Theodosia Shapeshifts Into Griffin Harkonnen
Theodosia Could Be A Face Dancer, But It’s Unclear
Sister Theodosioa’s mysterious past has been mentioned multiple times throughoutDune: Prophecy, and episode 4 finally showed what makes her so unique. The episode’s closing moments see Valya Harkonnen staring at a painting of her deceased brother, Griffin Harkonnen, before coming face to face with him. At least, it appears to be him before he steps away and begins to transform. His skin changes, andthe closing frames show him to actually be Theodosia, revealing her as a shapeshifter.
Tleilaxu technology at that point wasn’t as advanced, so having a Face Dancer here might be adjusting canon if that’s indeed what she is.
Shapeshifters have always existed inDunelore, known as Face Dancers, though it’s unclear if that’s exactly what Theodosia is, given the show’s tendency to mess with unique powers. The Face Dancers in the books are a result of genetic engineering from an organization called the Bene Tleilax, or the Tleilaxu. The Tleilaxu existed during and after the Butlerian Jihad, known as the Tlulaxa then, though they were widely hated and ostracized. Also, Tleilaxu technology at that point wasn’t as advanced, so having a Face Dancer here might be adjusting canon if that’s indeed what she is.
What Desmond Hart’s Bleeding Scars Means
Desmond Hart’s Powers Come At A Drastic Cost
As is the case with most things related to Desmond Hart, there are still more questions than answers. In episode 4, he’s shown killing several nobles who had been accused of using Thinking Machines, andthe effects of using his powers cause him to bleed from scars on his back. He was later shown in his room, shirtless, offering a better view of the bleeding as he recovered.
Why The Harkonnens' Homeworld In Dune: Prophecy Isn’t Giedi Prime, The Black & White Planet From Dune 2
House Harkonnen has a different home planet in Dune: Prophecy than they do in Denis Villeneuve’s movies. Here’s what we know about them.
All that can really be determined right now is that the bleeding effect is a result of expending his abilities, and that it must all connect back to whatever happened to him inside the sandworm. In his monologue at the assembly in episode 4, he speaks in a way that demonstrates his reverence toward the worm, further enforcing the idea that he experienced some sort of deity while inside it. Or, at least, something he perceives as a deity.
Emperor Corrino Shows His Strength To The Imperium
Emperor Javicco Corrino has been a conflicted character throughoutDune: Prophecyseason 1, with the series examining how his frequent inaction has led to noble houses trying to walk over him. In episode 2, he spared Duke Ferdinand Richese despite notable transgressions, hoping to create a more unified empire through peace and mercy. However,Empress Natalya and Desmond Hart have continuously urged him to use Hart’s gift to take action, using the unknown power to establish strength through fear.
In episode 4, Emperor Javicco does just that, using the momentum of Desmond Hart’s speech to execute nobles who had used Thinking Machines despite the ban. Javicco does this to affirm a position of strength for the Imperium, using those men as examples of what will happen to those who use computers.
What Does Valya Want With House Harkonnen?
Valya Wants To Use House Harkonnen For Potential Political Gain
Valya has returned to House Harkonnen after years of neglecting them, offering her nephew, Harrow Harkonnen, an opportunity to lift their tarnished family name out of the dirt with her help. TheHarkonnens have suffered since the end of the Butlerian Jihad, where Vorian Atreides proclaimed their ancestor as a coward for his actions in the Battle of Corrin. Their decreased political standing has set them back, and they’ve tried to work their way out of it through whale fur trade from Lankiveil.
Dune: Prophecy Introduces Its Baron Harkonnen Replacement & They’re Badly Needed
The HBO prequel series Dune: Prophecy introduces a new Harkonnen figure in episode 3 who has eerily similar characteristics to the Baron.
Valya has begun to show that her only true loyalties are to her own aspirations, so she essentially wants to use her family to help her win back credibility with the emperor. She helps them get elevated to the council, but the plan backfires due to Desmond Hart. Despite supposedly disconnecting from her family ties when joining the Sisterhood,Dune: Prophecywill likely see Valya continue to employ her nephew in a mutually beneficial agreement that lifts the Harkonnens out of their dark age.
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.
