Here are the witches of Dune: Prophecy

Dune turns pink, although it's incorrect to think that only now, with the arrival of the Prophecy series, have the female characters who fill the pages of the universe created by Frank Herbert not always played a crucial role in the fate of Paul Atreides and, more generally, in the lands of Arrakis and beyond. The Bene Gesserit are, in fact, the protectors of the genetic lines of future political figures and power holders, the outside force that maneuvers from the chambers of royal meetings and marriages to advance dynasties and empires. And with the new HBO series, set 10,000 years before the rise of the character played by Timothée Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve's film, we get to uncover the pivotal role that the Sisterhood played in the plans of the major houses and in the spice trade, diving deeper into Herbert's sci-fi witches and telling the story of all the means used to safeguard the Empire.

Who are the Bene Gesserit?

Often called witches, trained for years through physical and mental conditioning that enhances their ability to understand and influence others' behavior, the Bene Gesserit are part of the system established after the Butlerian Jihad, a war against thinking machines described in Legends of Dune. The trainees are schooled at the Mother School on the planet Wallach IX, later moving to their headquarters, the location of which is unknown to the rest of the worlds. The Bene Gesserit's main feature is the use of The Voice, capable of influencing the subconscious of individuals to make them do whatever is commanded, sometimes even leading to self-destruction. Most of the adepts, after receiving basic training, become either wives, concubines, or confidantes of influential men while never straying from the principles of the Sisterhood. Just like Lady Jessica, mother of Paul Atreides, who gave birth to the Kwisatz Haderach (a messianic figure whose mental powers can bend time and space), the result of the genetic selection carried out by the sect aimed at evolving the human species to a superior level.

What is Dune: Prophecy about, and who are the main characters?

Dune: Prophecy delves deeper into the Sisterhood dynasty that, millennia later, would lead to the birth of the Kwisatz Haderach, beginning with the novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, bringing viewers to the origins of the mystical sect that would become known as the Bene Gesserit. The series stars Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they face a prophecy that will either enable or hinder their rise to power. It all begins with the death of Raquella Berto-Anirul, the Sisterhood's Reverend Mother, who has a vision identifying Valya as her successor, the one who must stay on the right path to keep the Empire strong and invincible. However, a division arises among the sisters: some want a Bene Gesserit to sit on the throne, while others believe it's better to act from the shadows.

The Cast

The series features Emily Watson as Valya, Olivia Williams as Tula, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez, while the male counterparts include Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco and Travis Fimmel as the mysterious Desmond Hart.

How is the new HBO series?

With Dune: Prophecy, you may feel overwhelmed by a flood of names, roles, information, plots, and subplots that are hard to follow. It requires patience. The series has high ambitions and a genealogy that would make the Gospels, the Bible, and the entire Old Testament envious. Despite already being a prequel, it also includes earlier narratives that set the status quo for the events of the show, filled with a solemnity once again emphasized by the architecture defining Dune’s worlds and the ambiguity of its characters.

Everything is extremely tense, and no one can trust anyone else, not even their allies. The intrigues and the production's setup are not far from what we've grown accustomed to with shows like Game of Thrones or the more recent House of the Dragon, the kind of series that Dune: Prophecy aligns with, both in terms of the abundance of characters and the larger narrative that unfolds episode by episode. Get your pen and notebook ready to jot down all the characters, alliances, betrayals, and plot twists as the series unfolds, preparing yourself for a product in constant pursuit of an epic dimension.