My issues with the first episode of Dune: Prophecy turned out to be similar to my issues with the Dune movies. The visual effects are competent, serviceable, and not awe-inspiring. The drama is devoid of charge, intrigue, and intensity. It merely does the job of keeping us updated about the events unfolding on the screen. These events in the premiere episode are all setups and expositions and do little to suck you into this world, this story. We are introduced to Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul, who starts the Bene Gesserit sect, and on her deathbed, she envisions a sandworm destroying civilization. Raquella puts Valya in charge of preventing this tragedy. The latter proposes a plan to plant a Sister as the empress of the Imperium - an idea that Mother Dorotea immediately rejects. So, what does Valya do? She uses the Voice to make Dorotea take her life. The message is clear: You are either with Valya or against her.
30 years later, Valya becomes Mother Superior, the leader of the Sisterhood, and she is still stubborn and forceful. She prefers people saying "yes, ma'am" to her. Valya also has another mission: She wants to restore her family's noble status. Valya belongs to the Harkonnens, who were exiled by the Atreides and labeled "traitors" after the thinking machines were defeated. But back to Valya's plan involving the empress. She finds the perfect candidate in Princess Ynez. She is strong, independent, and the heir to the Golden Lion Throne. Her half-brother, Constantine, tries to make a deal with Valya about Ynez getting comforts like her own room as she would be spending her ten years with the Sisterhood. When Ynez asks Constantine, "How was the Sisterhood?" He replies, "Well if you like barren landscapes and minimalism, you'll be very happy." Constantine might as well be talking about the cinematic adaptation of Dune.
Ynez is attracted to the swordmaster Keiran, and she is about to get married to a young boy named Pruwet. All this is part of Valya's plan. She thinks this marriage will help in stopping the sandworm threat. Her decades-in-the-making plan is on the verge of being destroyed by Desmond Hart, a mysterious soldier with malicious intentions. Everything about him screams danger. Towards the episode's end, Desmond disrupts Valya's schemes. She looks at the sky and says, "I see, Mother." What does she see? Destruction - and outer space. The universe is under threat.
Final Score – [5/10]