[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the end of Dune: Prophecy episode 1.]
In our world, most Dune lore is known. While duneAlthough the story relies on picking apart the complicated intricacies of propaganda and prophecy, we – as readers and viewers of the Dune franchise – know more or less what the world contains (give or take a new entry here or there).
But then this fucker named Desmond Hart comes in Dune: Prophecy and everything changes.
Desmond, played by Travis Fimmel, is an enigma in the world of Dune: Prophecy: He comes from Arrakis, where he claims his crew was attacked by the Emperor’s enemies to damage his reputation. He is invited to stay, even though the Emperor’s fortune teller knows he is lying – she sees him in the spice deserts of Arrakis, staring at a giant sandworm, although we don’t know much more about her vision. He strolls through the palace and ends up burning a child using only his wits. In our world, such pyrokinesis is not a known element in Dune’s mythos, making Desmond a very strange specimen indeed.
Like all things prophecyIt’s safe to say that his telekinetic powers are an extension of the book’s lore and not something that’s actually in it. Which all raises the greatest mysteries prophecy after just a single episode: who is he, how did he gain these powers, and how will his life find its place in the annals of history? With dune What could Desmond introduce to the story of the film series 10,000 years after the events here?
At this early stage, there are a few different ways we could approach it – here are some of our best guesses about what Desmond might be here for (and what that might ultimately mean, what he’s capable of).
It is the beginning of Sardaukar
Image: Warner Media
A desert-trained warrior who was not born into court life, but whose experience and bravery earn the respect of higher-ranking warriors with a normal human personal name? Maybe a little to Normal?
That’s your Duncan Idaho guy, my friend. A character who began life as a swordmaster for House Atreides ended up becoming something of a mascot for the broader Dune canon. No matter how many times Idaho dies, Brian Herbert always finds ways to bring him back and put him back at the center of galactic concern (usually through cloning).
That just means that if you’re going to write a Dune story, you have to have a Duncan Idaho. But what is Desmond Hart actually doing in this story? I have no idea, but if I had to tear the bong apart and guess something, it would be this:
Dune: Prophecy promised us the rise of the Bene Gesserit Order, but there are many other pillars of the Dune scene that are still undeveloped at this time. And since the series really leans towards the opposite of expectations – supporting the Harkonnens and making the Atreides a bit shady – what if instead Duncan Idaho befriends the Fremen and Desmond Hart becomes a key figure in the creation of the infamous Sardaukar army of the Emperor? ? —Susana Polo
He is the Kwisatz Haderach (somehow)
Image: Warner Bros.
After just one episode, this series seems very interested in telling the origin story of some of the most important tenets of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a wild card thought to Desmond: Maybe he’s the proto-Kwisatz Haderach.
Not that he’s the real thing, or even what the Bene Gesserit would eventually develop the concept into, but that he’s the first person in the Sisterhood to suspect that a man could gain magical powers through strange interactions with Shai-Hulud.
Maybe whatever happens in Dune: Prophecy will cause the Bene Gesserit to decide that pursuing a Desmond Hart of their own, bred perfectly and selectively so they have maximum control over him, might be a worthwhile mission. Additionally, the idea of Desmond being a powerful supernatural force could perhaps help inspire the Sisterhood to create this Protection missionaryThis also gave her the idea of sowing the seeds of supernatural belief throughout the universe, including on Arrakis itself. –Austen Goslin
Image: Sony Pictures
Listen, my equation is simple. Desmond Hart spent crucial time on Arrakis. Arrakis is known to be full of desert. Deserts are known to be hot. And that also applies to the cursed fire magic Desmond used on that poor child. The desert is hot + the fire is hot = Desmond uses desert energy. It’s just simple math. —Pete Volk
