Diksha Sundriyal
In HBO’s ‘Dune: Prophecy,’ the clock turns back ten thousand years before the story of Paul Atreides. The focus turns on the mysterious Bene Gesserit and their quest to control the world so they can make it better, or so they say. The show’s first episode moves quickly through the events, jumping through hoops of a couple of decades to get into the heart of the politics that drives the story’s characters. It begins with Valya Harkonnen and her desire to make the Bene Gesserit the most powerful faction in the Imperium. However, she and her sisters of the Bene Gesserit aren’t the only ones with power and the desire to do whatever it takes to turn the tides such that history favors them as the heroes. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Creation and Intention of the Bene Gesserit
Before diving into the highly unstable structure of the Imperium, ‘Dune: Prophecy’ sets the stage with a little background about the world of ‘Dune.’ It talks of the time when humans rose against the thinking machines. While the war ended in the favour of humans, it meant different things for different people. The Atreides family took all the glory, while the Harkonnens were painted as cowards. They are pushed aside to a part of the world where there is nothing for them. However, Valya Harkonnen has her heart set on revamping the image of her family. She and her sister, Tula, join the Bene Gesserit, and Valya quickly becomes the favorite of the institution’s founder, Raquella Berto-Anirul.
When Raquella made the Bene Gesserit, the idea wasn’t just to guide humanity to greatness but to actively mold events the way that they would happen. Raquella introduced the system of keeping a record of genetic lineages and linking up one gene pool with another so that superior human leaders are born. This also meant manipulating the politics of the Imperium, which Raquella was happy to do. Over the years, however, she faced some backlash from within the institution. Years later, on her deathbed, she talks about her vision. She sees the arrival of Tiran Arafel, which signals the destruction of the Bene Gesserit. She asks Valya to do whatever it takes to save the sisterhood. Valya takes that to heart, and when the time comes, she kills Dorotea, the leader of the faction of the Bene Gesserit who didn’t like the idea of manipulating humans when they’d only recently escaped the control of the thinking machines. With Dorotea out of the way, Valya takes complete control of the Bene Gesserit and sets an intricate plan in motion.
The Manipulations of Valya Have a Higher Purpose
While Valya doesn’t know exactly what Raquella saw in her vision, she knows enough to accept that whatever is coming is not good for the Bene Gesserit. The enemy, whose form remains unknown even three decades later, has only one purpose: the destruction of the Bene Gesserit. If the Sisterhood is weak, the enemy will have no trouble doing away with them. But if the Sisterhood holds power over the ruler of the Imperium, nothing will be able to touch them. This is why Valya decides that they must find a way to put one of their own on the throne. If the ruler is one of the Bene Gesserit, then no one will dare do anything against the Sisterhood.
A part of that plan unfolds in the house of Emperor Javicco Corrino. Valya’s co-conspirator, Kasha, is assigned as the Truthsayer with the Emperor, and she has such a hold on him that he doesn’t do anything without her say. She tells him to do the things that she has been told to do by Valya. This includes stuff like having his heir, Princess Ynez, marry the young son of a Duke. Ynez has been carefully chosen as “the one” for their plan, and before she is placed on the throne, she must become one of the Bene Gesserit. So, Kasha convinces Ynez and the Emperor that the young princess must strengthen herself and become more powerful by learning from the Bene Gesserit. This way, she won’t need a Truthsayer or rely on a Bene Gesserit to guide her as the Emperor needs Kasha. The master plan also includes keeping critical information from him and weakening his control on the Imperium, but it meets a hitch when a solider of the Imperium, Desmond Hart, comes back from Arrakis.
Why and How Does Desmond Kill Pruwet?
Following the war against the machines, the Imperium has quite a job of bringing together all the Houses so they can all co-exist in peace under one ruler. The Corrino House is placed in the position of leadership, but the task remains incredibly difficult. With all the petty politics within the Houses, a lot of whom hate each other, one of the major problems for the Imperium is Arrakis. The desert planet is yet to be tamed, especially with the Fremen refusing to bow down to authority. The Emperor needs as much help as he can get to stabilize things in Arrakis, which is why Princess Ynez is arranged to marry Pruwet Richese the son of Duke Richese. It’s not an ideal match, but it will make things easier for the Emperor, especially with the ships that House Richese will give to the Emperor to fight the Fremen insurgents.
The attacks by the Fremen are a common thing, but surviving them is not. This is why the Emperor is surprised when Desmond Hart returns to Salusa Secundus. What shocks him is when Desmond reveals that the attack that he survived was not organized by the Fremen but by some other House in the Imperium. He points towards the possibility of a conspiracy against the Imperium, but the Emperor considers it an isolated incident because Kasha tells him so. The Emperor’s refusal to accept what is right in front of him doesn’t deter Desmond. Rather, soon enough, he reveals how far he can go to bring the truth to light.
Desmond’s prowess is proved by the fact that he survived a sandworm, which is rare, if not entirely unheard of. Desmond tells the Emperor that he had all but given up on himself when he called out to a god to save him, and lo and behold, his prayers were heard. Desmond says that clawing his way out of the sand that should have buried him breathed new life into him. He wants the Emperor to turn toward the same god that saved him, but the Emperor would much rather trust his Truthsayer. It turns out that this is what Desmond doesn’t want.
It isn’t yet clear what exactly happened to Desmond and what so radically changed him, but it was powerful enough to turn him into a one-man army against the Bene Gesserit. He believes that the Bene Gesserit have been influencing and manipulating the course of events in the Imperium such that it is equal to humans being controlled and manipulated by the thinking machines. His religion has shown him that the Sisterhood must go to give freedom back to the people. More importantly, that god of his seems to have bestowed on him a great and terrible power. Knowing what the true intention behind Ynez’s marriage with young Pruwet Richese is, Desmond decides to put a stop to the plan. When he realizes that the Emperor won’t heed his words, he kills the boy. Interestingly, the death isn’t half as shocking as the way young Pruwet is killed.
How Does Kasha Die? What Does Her Death Mean for the Imperium?
While we are aware of the Voice and the manipulting powers of the Bene Gesserit, something entirely different is introduced through Desmond. He seems to have the power to burn someone from the inside with his mind. He does so as he sits in front of Pruwet, and the boy spontaneously combusts, begging Desmond to stop. Horrifyingly, while Pruwet burns, so does Kasha, who is not even on the same planet at the moment. She is light years away on Wallach IX, but even then, she burns with the same intensity as Pruwet does in front of Desmond. It’s not clear how exactly this worked, but it does showcase the extent of Desmond’s power.
Kasha’s death sends a huge statement to the Bene Gesserit. Years ago, Raquella told Valya that she would see the burning truth, and she finally saw it in the burning face of her sister, Kasha. This confirms for her that she had been right all along, wanting to empower the Sisterhood, as the enemy has been hard at work as well. Raquella’s prophecy about the fall of Sisterhood is already unfolding, and it makes Valya even more adamant about saving her Sisterhood with all the tools at her disposal. Kasha’s death also means that now Salusa Secundus needs a new Truthsayer. Another Bene Gesserit must take Kasha’s place and keep the plan in motion, even though the wedding is now impossible. This opens the door to more conflict, setting the scene for the events that are to transpire over the next few weeks.
Read More: How Old is Paul Atreides in Dune?
