WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dune: Prophecy episode 4.
Valya Harkonnen has a mysterious plan for her family house and the High Council at Landsraad inDune: Prophecyepisode 4 “Twice Born” as she works diligently to prevent The Reckoning.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 inDenis Villenueve’sDune(2020) andDune: Part Two(2024).Dune: Prophecyreveals theorigins of the powerful shadow sisterhood known as the Bene Gesseritand how they manipulated the fate of humankind.
Dune: Prophecyepisode 1 “The Hidden Hand"introduced Emily Watson’s 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 Harkoennen encouraged her to prematurely endure a life-threatening ritual known as The Agony. InDune: Prophecyepisode 3, Tula takes Lila’s life into her own hands aftershe apparently died during The Agony ritualand tries to resurrect her through the use of forbidden technology. Episode 4 reveals thatLila was resurrected through the Thinking Machine, Anirul, as Tula operates behind Valya’s back.
New episodes ofDune: Prophecyrelease every Sunday at 9 PM on HBO & MAX.
Why Valya Wants To Be House Harkonnen’s Truthsayer
Valya is politically powerless without any high-ranking ears to whisper into
At the end ofDune: Prophecyepisode 3, Valya makes a surprise visit to her estranged uncle Evengy, and her power-hungry nephew, Harrow. Before Valya enters their home for the first time in what is surely years, Valya tells her promising acolyte Theo that “Sacrifices must be made.” It’s been well established thatValya has strong feelings about her Harkonnen family name, driven by a fierce desire for redemptionwhile also carrying the collective shame that was brought onto House Harkonnen by Vorian Atredies.
Valya was respected and welcomed on the Imperial home planet of Salusa Secundus before the arrival of Desmond Hart. After Valya discovers that she cannot defeat Desmond Hart herself, she is forced to pivot to plan B, which brings her back to Evengy and Harrow. Although Valya is the Mother Reverend Superior of the Sisterhood inDune: Prophecy, she is willing to make herself House Harkonnen’s exclusive Truthsayer, the first of its kind, as a bargaining chip to ensure Harrow’s rise to power as a member of the High Council.Valya is politically powerless without any ears to whisper into, which is why she aims to empower Harrow and House Harkonnen by being their Truthsayer.
How Valya Used The Sisterhood To Manipulate Harrow Harkonnen
Valya used Harrow to get Desmond Hart to reveal that he “executed” Pruwet Richese
Valya senses the desperate need for respect and authority within Harrow’s characterand plans to use it against him in order to establish her own rank in a Great House other than the Corrino’s. Because of the authority she wields within the Sisterhood, which demands a near-blind faith in Valya’s orders and vision for the Imperium, Valya is able to use other Truthsayers across the Sisterhood to raise suspicion about Pruwet Richese’s death. The Truthsayers successfully convince the heads of several other noble houses that Pruwet Richese’s death was not an accident done by a malfunction of his illicit Thinking Machine toy seen in episode 1.
Based on Valya’s swift manipulations that brought representatives of other noble houses to House Hartkonnen’s doorstep, she successfully inspiredHarrow to publicly raise suspicion against the Emperor and Pruwet Richese’s death. As seen inDune: Prophecyepisode 4, Harrow speaks before the High Council at Landsraad and uses his newfound platform to file a “grievance in violation of Kanly” against House Corrino. Valya was able to bring several representatives of different houses together in their suspicions of the Emperor and Pruwet Richese’s death, which led to Desmond Hart revealing that he “executed” the young Richese prince.
What Was Valya’s Plan During The Emperor’s High Council Meeting?
Valya wanted to expose Desmond Hart but walked away with his blood instead
Harrow Harkonnen spoke out against the Emperor and formally filed a grievance against him, exactly as Vlaya had planned, standing behind her nephew eerily as he called for an official inquiry. In the same breath,Valya takes out a switchblade and conceals it in her handas the Emperor thinks of a response to Harrow’s request. Shockingly, Princess Ynez Corrino speaks out against her own royal parents and endorses Harrow’s suspicions, which comes as a total surprise even to Valya the Truthsayer.
Realizing that the situation calls for a drastic response, Desmond Hart makes a public display of his – and the Emperor’s – power by burning several rebels and noble leaders alive.Valya had intended for Desmond Hart to reveal himself through Harrow’s eager grievance inquirybut had not expected Hart to make such a public display, which ended up backfiring on her and Harrow inDune: Prophecyepisode 4. Valya did, at least, walk away with a sample of Desmond’s blood, which she plans to enter into her genetic breeding index to determine where he came from.
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.
