Dune: Prophecy - Max Series (1 Viewer)

[St. Widge]

Max is making a Dune prequel, Dune: Prophecy, which is based on the novel, Dune: Sisterhood, which was written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson. I've read the book and it was good. It's more or less the story of the Bene Gesserit and the Harkonen sisters. Hopefully this will be a good adaptation but I do have some concerns that if you don't know the history of the Harkonen's and the Atreides back to the beginning it might not make complete sense. I would think they will use the art direction of the newer Dune movies for sets, costumes, etc. The show is supposed to premier this Fall and the trailer is below.

 

[Saintman2884]

Max is making a Dune prequel, Dune: Prophecy, which is based on the novel, Dune: Sisterhood, which was written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson. I've read the book and it was good. It's more or less the story of the Bene Gesserit and the Harkonen sisters. Hopefully this will be a good adaptation but I do have some concerns that if you don't know the history of the Harkonen's and the Atreides back to the beginning it might not make complete sense. I would think they will use the art direction of the newer Dune movies for sets, costumes, etc. The show is supposed to premier this Fall and the trailer is below.

I think this prequel's storyline takes place like hundreds of years before the events depicted in both Dune films so far?

The Bene Gesserit have always struck me as a darker, maybe more malevolent, mostly female-only Jedi Order whose goals tend to be farsighted and achievable in centuries, not decades as one of them said in the first film. I don't think Paul Atreides' mother really were on the best of terms with their top leadership in the first film, in fact wasnt she banished for disobeying their orders by getting married and having a son?

 

[St. Widge]

I think this prequel's storyline takes place like hundreds of years before the events depicted in both Dune films so far?

The Bene Gesserit have always struck me as a darker, maybe more malevolent, mostly female-only Jedi Order whose goals tend to be farsighted and achievable in centuries, not decades as one of them said in the first film. I don't think Paul Atreides' mother really were on the best of terms with their top leadership in the first film, in fact wasnt she banished for disobeying their orders by getting married and having a son?

I think it might actually be thousands of years before the Dune films. The Dune universe is on a very long time line and yes, the Bene Gesserit have a very, very long time line for their plans and they have a very specific goal that I will not spoil.

Lady Jessica was still a Bene Gesserit Sister, but they were not happy with her because she was supposed to give birth to a female Atreides child that would be married to a Harkonen male, likely Fade, to move forward the Bene Gesserit plan to eventually produce the Kwisatz Haderach. Instead Jessica gave birth to a son, Paul, because Leto wanted a son and Jessica fell in love with Leto. The major issue the Bene Gesserit had was Paul was not under control of the Bene Gesserit and not who they expected to be the Kwisatz Haderach (and maybe he really isn't, but that's a whole other story).

By the way, Jessica was not married to Leto, she was his sworn concubine which was a deal arranged by the Bene Gesserit. It's just that she was supposed to have Leto's daughter, not his son.

By the way, this complexity in back story and relations is why it is so difficult to make the Dune movies. There is so much background untold and, while I loved the new movies, they left out quite a bit or at least didn't bring it to the forefront. Specifically things like the nature of religion, the nature of power, environmentalism, the dangers of A.I., etc. Though the religious stuff comes more into play in Dune: Messiah.

 

[Saintman2884]

I think it might actually be thousands of years before the Dune films. The Dune universe is on a very long time line and yes, the Bene Gesserit have a very, very long time line for their plans and they have a very specific goal that I will not spoil.

Lady Jessica was still a Bene Gesserit Sister, but they were not happy with her because she was supposed to give birth to a female Atreides child that would be married to a Harkonen male, likely Fade, to move forward the Bene Gesserit plan to eventually produce the Kwisatz Haderach. Instead Jessica gave birth to a son, Paul, because Leto wanted a son and Jessica fell in love with Leto. The major issue the Bene Gesserit had was Paul was not under control of the Bene Gesserit and not who they expected to be the Kwisatz Haderach (and maybe he really isn't, but that's a whole other story).

By the way, Jessica was not married to Leto, she was his sworn concubine which was a deal arranged by the Bene Gesserit. It's just that she was supposed to have Leto's daughter, not his son.

By the way, this complexity in back story and relations is why it is so difficult to make the Dune movies. There is so much background untold and, while I loved the new movies, they left out quite a bit or at least didn't bring it to the forefront. Specifically things like the nature of religion, the nature of power, environmentalism, the dangers of A.I., etc. Though the religious stuff comes more into play in Dune: Messiah.

They sorted of hinted or made vague, opaque references to how dangerous and destructive the nature and trappings of power, how messianic religious zeal in a cult of personality at several points in the first two films, but yeah, I do agree that these themes will be focused on more extensively and in more detail in future films. Their were a few scattered mentions by some of Zendaya's people about how centuries of spice exploration, farming, and exploitation had hurt and damaged their planet's eco-system, but they were more passing comments that werent touched on or elaborated further.

Widge, great, informative, highly detailed response to my earlier questions above. Truly a cut above, I really appreciate it. Thank you for the link to the Dune prequel TV series, it appears that it might be very interesting and fill in some huge character arc, plot developments fans of the films may not be aware of because their unfamiliar with Herbert's Dune novels.

 

[St. Widge]

The prequel is apparently set 10,000 years prior to the Dune movies.

 

[Zztop]

 

[Dago]

I think it might actually be thousands of years before the Dune films. The Dune universe is on a very long time line and yes, the Bene Gesserit have a very, very long time line for their plans and they have a very specific goal that I will not spoil.

Lady Jessica was still a Bene Gesserit Sister, but they were not happy with her because she was supposed to give birth to a female Atreides child that would be married to a Harkonen male, likely Fade, to move forward the Bene Gesserit plan to eventually produce the Kwisatz Haderach. Instead Jessica gave birth to a son, Paul, because Leto wanted a son and Jessica fell in love with Leto. The major issue the Bene Gesserit had was Paul was not under control of the Bene Gesserit and not who they expected to be the Kwisatz Haderach (and maybe he really isn't, but that's a whole other story).

By the way, Jessica was not married to Leto, she was his sworn concubine which was a deal arranged by the Bene Gesserit. It's just that she was supposed to have Leto's daughter, not his son.

By the way, this complexity in back story and relations is why it is so difficult to make the Dune movies. There is so much background untold and, while I loved the new movies, they left out quite a bit or at least didn't bring it to the forefront. Specifically things like the nature of religion, the nature of power, environmentalism, the dangers of A.I., etc. Though the religious stuff comes more into play in Dune: Messiah.

“You're thinking I'm the Kwisatz Haderach,” he said. “Put that out of your mind. I'm something unexpected.”. -Paul Atreides

I liked the first movie better than the second. The only two major gripes I had was the exclusion of the dinner scene which is one of my favorites in the whole book and I don't like how they portrayed the relationship between Paul and Chani.

 

[St. Widge]

“You're thinking I'm the Kwisatz Haderach,” he said. “Put that out of your mind. I'm something unexpected.”. -Paul Atreides

I liked the first movie better than the second. The only two major gripes I had was the exclusion of the dinner scene which is one of my favorites in the whole book and I don't like how they portrayed the relationship between Paul and Chani.

Yeah, besides the dinner scene the first movie was more faithful to the books. I enjoyed the second movie, but more for the action, than what they did with the story. And I agree that he Paul/Chani relationship wasn't done well.

I'm hopeful that doing a Dune story in a series form will allow them to explore the Dune universe in the depth it deserves. This series is set about 80 years after the Battle of Corrin which ended the rule of Omnius and began the Corrino Dynasty. It's also just after the vendetta between House Atreides and House Harkonnen starts.

 

[Saintman2884]

Yeah, besides the dinner scene the first movie was more faithful to the books. I enjoyed the second movie, but more for the action, than what they did with the story. And I agree that he Paul/Chani relationship wasn't done well.

I'm hopeful that doing a Dune story in a series form will allow them to explore the Dune universe in the depth it deserves. This series is set about 80 years after the Battle of Corrin which ended the rule of Omnius and began the Corrino Dynasty. It's also just after the vendetta between House Atreides and House Harkonnen starts.

I realize this upcoming Dune prequel series touches on and discusses mostly the beginning of the Bene Gesserich, the female-witchy Jedi-esque secretive order in the Dune universe but as moviegoers or fans of Herbert's Dune series know, the fact that these events took place 10,000 years ago as the show's plot begins.. for people like Jessica. Paul Atreides, Dune movie characters, those events, people, and places might as well as be pre-history, or so far back in time very few can can't be totally sure if the history analyzed and depicted are even remotely accurate. If we even try to compare it to human pre-history (which we can't and shouldn't), it would be like trying to seriously examine, analyze the interconnected lives and melodrama going on between different members of Neolithic, Ice Age hunter-gatherers or how they eventually clashed with small, sedentary, agricultural farming communities. It's about 7,000-7,500 years before the building of the first pyramids under ancient Egypt's Old Dynasty, or First Dynasty, as some Egyptologists label it.

At least with HotD as it relates to a prequel series, it essentially begins 200 years before the events described in Game of Thrones and by the start of Targaryen civil war and end of Season Two, we're about 160 years away or 133 years away if one takes into account the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. I mention this because while HotD hasn't been a landmark, transformative show (its mostly decent with some great moments at times), at least the show's timeline or progression of events comes close enough to matching the original show's aura, authenticity, overall feel and mood. We see subtle yet important clues and minor story-arcs or mentions about how House Lannister are very keen, astute, at-times ruthless power brokers and generals (even though Lannisters featured in HOTD so far are nicer, less-ruthless and congenial types than Tywin, Cersei Lannister and even Jamie, to a certain extent). Harenhall is just as forked up, deadly and spooky for Deamon Targaryen as it is in GOT's timeline, Starks, Tullys, Bloody Gate, the Freys, the ancestors of many of the same people we already know and a few of them have some kind of personality/character flaws, traits and defects their descendants infamously showed.

What I'm saying is is that there is enough of the original show's aura, continuity, feel and vibe to make it seem very relatable that as the prequel series goes even further, we more clearly understand and relate to how people, places, and later events in fictional Westerosi history fell into place.

I mean, how much of the Dune universe that existed and information material viewers are so keenly aware of in the two movies exist in this long-ago prequel series?

 

[St. Widge]

I mean, how much of the Dune universe that existed and information material viewers are so keenly aware of in the two movies exist in this long-ago prequel series?

This is a universe that is essentially being reborn post a giant apocalyptic war and the subjugation of most of humanity to Artificial Intelligence. At the time this series is set, the Femin are just settling Irakis, the Mentats are just starting along with the Bene Gesserit. House Harkonnen is on a backwater planet with little power and House Atreides is more or less just starting if it exists at all. And CHOAM is relatively small and the Navigators and fold space is in its infancy.

So, no it won't be much that if familiar to Dune movie goers, but it's a very rich and deep universe.