Long ago in a spice-y galaxy far away. Dune: Prophecy is HBO’s latest installment in the Dune franchise and the setting might be a little complicated, but still explores the feud between House Harkonnen and House Atreides.
Dune: Prophecy serves as a prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. The story focuses on Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), the leader of the Sisterhood, who advise Great Houses, or dynastic seats of power. “Part of the sisterhood is that they have to maintain this mystery that freaks men out,” Olivia Williams, who plays Valya’s sister, Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen told NPR. “Because when you look at the Council of the Imperium, it’s still a bunch of blokes. And that if we need to be isolated in a convent style enclave in order to make men fear us, then that’s what we’ll do as Harkonnen sisters.”
Related: Here’s the Dune Character That Captures Each Zodiac Sign’s Desire for Power
The HBO series takes inspiration from the Great Schools of Dune novel trilogy (2012–2016) by Frank Herbert’s son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson— though it takes place after the events of the books. The series itself also But how does it all add up to the timeline?
When Does Dune: Prophecy take place?
Dune: Prophecy takes place 10,000 years before the events of Dune. However, the series doesn’t just stick to a particular time. “We’re telling a story over multiple time periods,” executive producer Alison Schapker told IGN. “So we were in the present with Valya Harkonnen as somebody who’s already become the second Mother Superior and grown (the Sisterhood) and risen to power. And that’s our present-day story taking place. And we’re also going to … be exploring the roots of Valya Harkonnen. And that happens 30 years prior to the present that we’re telling.”
“We like to call it 10,000 years B.C. — before (Timothée) Chalamet,” Emily Watson joked to NPR. The series also takes place decades after the Butlerian Jihad, where humans barely triumphed over “thinking machines.”
Eagle-eyed fans of Dune will notice that some atmospheric objects will definitely be different from Dennis Villenueve’s films. “We definitely try to vary the technology, and not have things be exactly the same,” Schapker said. “For example, that our thumpers are much bigger than the thumpers he uses in the movie, or our harvesters, if you look closely, are actually designed a bit differently. Our ships are a bit different. Our Heighliners are a bit different. But you also want to feel like you’re in the universe. And so we were grateful to have just a powerful vision [from Denis Villeneuve’s films] guiding us, for sure.”
