Diksha Sundriyal
The second episode of HBO’s ‘Dune: Prophecy’ shifts the balance of power considerably as Desmond Hart’s actions start to send ripples through the Imperium. Following the events of the previous episode, Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen decides to go to Salusa Secundus herself to keep the plan in motion, which has been brought to a halt by the disturbing deaths of Kasha and Pruwet. There, however, she discovers that the dynamics have already changed and much more needs to be done to get the emperor back under the influence of the Sisterhood. She also meets Desmond Hart, which leads her to some startling revelations. Meanwhile, things take a very unexpected turn at Wallach IX. SPOILERS AHEAD
Is Lila Dead?
The burning truth that was promised to Valya finally arrives in the form of Kasha and Pruwet burning from within. The nature of their deaths convinces Valya that this is the danger that Raquella Berto-Anirul had warned them about. With no idea of what awaits them, Valya believes that Raquella is the only one who can shed more light on the nature of the danger and the ways to combat it. But for that, they need to talk to Raquella, and the only person who can do that is the one who belongs to her bloodline. And that turns out to be the meek Lila, for whom Tula has a special place in her heart.
The way to connect to one’s ancestors requires a person to go through the Agony. Lila knows exactly what it means. She will be infused with the Rossack poison, for which there is no antidote. This means that Lila will have to control and change her body chemistry such that the poison is disintegrated into molecules with no consequences on her body. At the same time, the near-death experience will bring her on the same plane as her ancestors, and she can have an audience with Raquella, who can show her the way.
Initially, Lila is not sure about her ability to withstand the process because she knows that it takes people years to prepare for it. Still, this is the only way to help the Sisterhood, so she decides to go forward with it. She is also motivated by the desire to meet her mother, who she is told died in childbirth. The plan works, and Lila finds herself face to face with her ancestors, one of whom tells her about the coming of a man who was born twice. This is a clear reference to Desmond Hart, who was born again in Arrakis after being swallowed up by a Sandworm and then being thrown out of it.
Tula and the others become hopeful when Lila establishes a connection with the ancestors, but then, it turns out that the one Lila is talking to isn’t Raquella but Dorotea, whom Valya had killed using the Voice, and who also happens to be Lila’s mother. Angry about her murder, Dorotea reveals that she is not going to help the Sisterhood. Rather, she is going to take away their only hope, i.e., Lila, who is their only connection to Raquella. As Tula pleads with Lila to come back to reality, the ancestors attack Lila’s soul, and her body dies on the table as Tula cries for the girl she had cared for, like her own daughter.
Valya Struggles to Keep Her Hold on the Imperium
While the tragic death of Lila happens on Wallach IX, another interesting turn of events happens at Salusa Secundus. Desmond Hart doesn’t shy away from claiming responsibility for the deaths of Pruwet and Kasha. Moreover, he tells the Emperor that he is ready to kill again if that’s what’s asked of him. The Emperor is skeptical about Desmond and puts him in prison. However, Empress Natalya sees it as an opportunity that should not be wasted. She advises the Emperor to use Desmond and his loyalty rather than punishing him to appease the people who are already working against them.
Valya gets an audience with Desmond Hart and recognizes him as a huge danger, especially with his unexplained power. However, when she asks the Emperor to take action against him, he refuses to do it. With Kasha gone, there is no one to sway him to the cause of the Sisterhood, and this concerns Valya a lot. The only way she can now get the control back on the Emperor is by giving him something substantial, something that can give him some semblance of control. For this, she turns to her spy, Sister Mikaela, who has been working with the rebels to make trouble for the Imperium and keep them busy lest they get too powerful.
It also turns out that the trouble in Arrakis, which Desmond told the Emperor about, was also caused by the rebels, secretly backed by the Sisterhood. When Valya asks Mikaela to give her the names of the people who had orchestrated the attack on Arrakis, Mikaela gives her something else instead. She reveals that the Emperor’s trusted Swordmaster, Keiran Atreides, is also one of the rebels. Valya is happy with the information and immediately goes to the Emperor to share it with him and get him back to the Sisterhood’s side. But instead of getting an audience with him, she comes face to face with Desmond Hart, who has not only been released from prison but has also been put in a position that Kasha previously occupied.
The meteoric rise of Desmond Hart in the Emperor’s court is very concerning to Valya and the Sisterhood. What makes it worse is that he seems to have a power, which he claims he got from the Sandworm in Arrakis, that is not only out of the Sisterhood’s reach but is also a mystery to them. Valya tries to gain a meeting with the Emperor, hoping that the information about a rebel and a traitor within his ranks will bring the Sisterhood back into his goodwill. Instead, she discovers that her privileges in the palace have been revoked, and the Emperor has no use of the Sisterhood now that he has Desmond Hart.
The only course of action that occurs to Valya is to kill Desmond. She uses the Voice to get him to kill himself the same way she got Dorotea to kill herself three decades ago. She is much more in command of her Voice and has refined it over the years. And yet, she can’t get Desmond to obey him. She gets him to bring the blade to his neck, but no matter how much she tries, she cannot get him to push that blade inside his neck and end his life. This scares her because he seems to be the only person so far on whom the Voice has not worked. But how is that possible?
How is Desmond Hart Immune to the Voice?
The Voice is one of the most potent tools in the arsenal of the Bene Gesserit. However, the events in ‘Dune: Prophecy’ occur at a time when the Voice is still very new. Valya Harkonnen started developing the skill three decades prior to what happens in the second episode, and so far, she seems to be the only one using it. Moreover, even with the years that have passed, the skill is still far from refined, which means that Valya and the Sisterhood need to work on it more. For reference, the events in ‘Dune’ movies take place more than ten thousand years later, which means that there has been ample time for the Sisterhood to hone the Voice and make it the weapon that is eventually passed on to Paul Atreides. Even with that, there are people who are either naturally resistant to the Voice or have developed that skill over time.
When Valya Harkonnen uses the Voice, or at least tries to use it, on Desmond Hart, two things work against her. First, she is still figuring out the nitty-gritty of her relatively newfound power. Considering that she hasn’t used it on many people, she hasn’t had many subjects to test it on, which means she has yet to figure out the limitations of her power. Secondly, Desmond Hart is no ordinary man. Not only is he a battle-worn soldier with more resilience and willpower than a common person, but he is also equipped with a mental power of his own, the origins of which remain mysterious.
The simplest explanation for Desmond’s ability to resist the Voice is the mental power that he has gained since his encounter with the Sandworm. The fact that he can make people burn from within with the power of his mind shows that his brain is much more fortified than a normal person’s. Initially, he is taken in by the Voice when he takes out his blade and places it on his neck, which probably happens because this is his first encounter with the Voice, and he has no idea what is happening to him. However, he is quicker than other people, and he already sees Sisterhood as an institution that is trying to control humankind. This means that it doesn’t take him much to understand what Valya is trying to do to him, and therein lies the loophole of the Voice.
One of the things that makes the Voice work is when the target is unaware that the Voice is being used on them. This allows the user of the Voice to catch their target off guard and control them more easily. However, for someone who is aware of the workings of the Voice and knows when someone is using it on them, the function of the Voice breaks down. In the same vein, if someone suddenly becomes conscious of being under the control of the Voice, even if it is happening to them for the first time, the mere awareness of the act can break them out of control. For people with a greater mental fortitude, it is easier to resist the Voice and stay in control of their mind and body. Considering all the factors in the equation, it makes that someone like Desmond Hart is able to resist the Voice and show Valya Harkonnen that she will need to fight harder than this if she wishes to keep the Sisterhood alive.
Read More: When Does Dune: Prophecy Take Place? How is it Connected to the Dune Movies?
