Is this article my 1997 Honda Accord? Because it’s got a giant spoiler you might not want to see. That said, Dune: Prophecy — the new show from HBO and streaming on Max — started off the series with a shocking episode one ending. The sci-fi epic’s showrunner and executive producer, Alison Schapker, spoke with SlashFilm during a recent press event, and shed some light on the breathtaking final moments of the hour-long season kickoff.

Dune: Prophecy, which takes place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides and the events of the 2021 Denis Villeneuve Dune film, delves into the origins of the mysterious Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit and is based on the novel “Sisterhood Of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The series follows Valya (played by Emily Watson) and her sister, Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) as they establish their order and vie for the future of humanity.

Related ‘Dune: Prophecy’ and the Bene Gesserit’s Plan, Explained In ‘Dune: Prophecy’, the fabled sisterhood has a bigger plan as they steer the politics of the Imperium from the shadows.

The series begins with a royal wedding between the rival Great Houses of Corrino and Richese. Jeremy Mathai writes for /Film on the setup for the horror:

The [Corrino] Emperor (played by Mark Strong) reluctantly goes along with the proposal that matches his daughter, the politically shrewd Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), with an awfully young prince [Pruwet Richese] and soon-to-be heir to the throne (Charlie Hodson-Prior). But when he makes the mistake of venting his private reservations to a loyal soldier named Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), who somehow survived a sandworm attack on Arrakis and now seems to have been reborn with the disturbing ability to burn his targets alive, the Emperor inadvertently sets in motion the assassination of a child (and, by extension, his Bene Gesserit mentor played by actor Jihae) that upends everything we thought this season would be about.

Prince Immolation Ahead

With Desmond Hart revealing his “Checkov’s Pyrokinesis” earlier in the episode, one could probably guess how the young betrothed Pruwet Richese would meet his grisly end. The violent dissolution of the marriage and arrangement between House Corrino and House Richese, and Tart’s plot against The Sisterhood, are quite the opening salvo for a series premiere. Other HBO programs have previously used weddings to shock audiences. Alison Schapker, speaking on the Bene Gesserit machinations and the ramifications of the premiere’s final minutes, said:

Valya Harkonnen, our second Mother Superior, is very close to realizing or coming into the last leg of her plan, and by the end of the premiere, that plan is upended. I think that was very much a conscious [decision to say,] ‘Okay, now we’re going to get to see how does she respond to this antagonist.’ That tonal shift of something coming at you and upending everything that had carefully been put in place over decades … that was something we were looking forward to putting in motion as an inciting moment of the series.

Nothing like setting up pieces on a game board only to knock it over after the first move, eh? It should be noted that Desmond Hart is NOT in the books, which adds intrigue and complexity to the series in the context of its literary origins. This X-factor will likely expand the Dune mythology and provide surprising plot twists that the show will take during its first season.

Dune: Prophecy premiered on November 17 on HBO and Max; new episodes will be available every Sunday.

Release Date November 17, 2024 Main Genre Sci-Fi