WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for the Dune: Prophecy season 1 finale.
The renewal ofDune: Prophecyfollowing its divisive season 1 finale opens up new doors for the franchise after leaving several unanswered questions.Dune: Prophecyis a six-part series based on the 2012 novelSisterhood of Dune, which was written by originalDuneauthor Frank Herbert’s son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, which is chronicled in Denis Villenueve’sDune(2020) andDune: Part Two(2024).
Dune: Prophecyepisode 1 “The Hidden Hand"introduced Valya Harkonnen, a fierce and calculated leader, and her biological sister, Tula Harkonnen.Dune: Prophecyepisode 2 revealswhat happened to Lila and her grandmother, Reverend Mother Dorotea, after Tula and Valya encouraged her to endure The Agony. InDune: Prophecyepisode 3, Tula takes Lila’s life into her own hands aftershe apparently died during The Agony ritual. Episode 4 reveals thatLila was resurrected through the Thinking Machine, Anirul. Episode 5 showcases Desmond Hart’s rise to power, while episode 6 sees Tula reconnect with herabandoned half-Atreides child, Desmond Hart.
Dune: Prophecy’s Season 1 Finale Didn’t Resolve Anything
It sets up even more questions heading into season 2
The announcement ofDune: Prophecybeing renewed for a second season just before the release of the season 1 finale was a smart move by HBO to temper viewer expectations heading into episode 6. While there wasinitial speculation thatDune: Prophecywould be a limited series, HBO quickly thwarted any doubt that theDuneprequel series would become one of their most valued television offerings, with at least one more season in store in the near future.
What Went Wrong With Dune: Prophecy
Dune: Prophecy wasn’t bad, but it didn’t live up to its full potential. Here’s our assessment of the six-episode first season and its issues.
Even thoughDune: Prophecydoes a lot to set up the world, characters, and story dynamics in its short six-episode first season, it hardly concluded anything by the season 1 finale and actually raised more questions than before. Since some of the bigger characters in season 1 will likely not be returning in season 2, the series has paved the way for certain characters – particularly Desmond Hart, Princess Ynez Corrino, and Keiran Atredies, to take on the majority of the screen time in season 2. IfDune: Prophecyhad been abandoned after the season 1 ending,it would have ended on a wildly frustrating note.
It won’t have to spend as much time establishing plot and character
Image via Max
WhileDune: Prophecycertainly had its more lingering moments, it did a lot to set up the future dynamics of season 2 and potentially beyond. Much like the 2021Dunemovie, which set up Paul Atreides' rise to Imperial power inDune: Part Two,Dune: Prophecyseason 1 sets things in place so that season 2 can (hopefully) really start putting things in motion. After discovering the true motivations, origins, and resources inDune: Prophecyseason 1, season 2 is poised to dive straight into the action and should theoretically be even better than its predecessor.
Dune: Prophecy
Cast
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.
