Welcome, everyone, to our final Dune: Prophecy recap for season one. Yes, the Dune: Prophecy finale is here, and we are ready to share one more deep-dive, breakdown, recap of everything that went down in "The High-Handed Enemy." Dune: Prophecy has been full of twists and turns this whole season, and so, of course, its final episode had to deliver in a big way -- and deliver it did. Setting the stage for Dune: Prophecy season two, its season one finale brought us shocking deaths, new questions, and even a few answers. In the end, all the stories paid off in satisfying ways that left us ready for more. One chapter is closing, but the stage is set for the next to open. Here's our full episode recap of Dune: Prophecy's season one finale, "The High-Handed Enemy."
The Dune: Prophecy finale episode took us back to the past one more time, so we could get the final answers we need to the question of how did our current story come to pass. Here's what we learned.
Murder is a big deal, even in Dune: Prophecy's world, but Valya got away with killing Dorotea by telling the truth in a convenient way. She, Tula, Francesca, and Kasha shared parts of the situation that were true, but spun them to cover up Valya's murder.
But lying was not quite enough to cover up the death of Sister Dorotea. Valya and her followers cornered the Sisters still loyal to Dorotea and her religious ways and used the Voice to force them to choose between killing themselves like Dorotea had or joining Valya and declaring her Mother Superior. All but one of the sisters agreed to this. The rest were murdered by Valya, Tula, Francesca and Kasha. They met brutal deaths at the end of their own blades, forced by the voice to execute themselves.
This finale episode of season one reveals that this is how Valya ended up Mother Superior and in command of the sisterhood as we see her in Dune: Prophecy.
In addition to all the death, there is also life. Tula Harkonnen is pregnant with Orry Atreides' baby, and its the first time the Harkonnen and Atreides bloodlines have mixed. The genetic archive predicts the baby, who we now know is Desmond Hart will be very powerful. Valya wants to raise the baby together with Tula and harness the powers of the child. But Tula has other plans. In Dune: Prophecy's final episode, we learn that Tula pretended to miscarry and sent Desmond, her son, away to live far from the Sisterhood, Harkonnens, Valya, and herself. Of course, this didn't turn out so well for Desmond Hart. But we guess Tula could not have know.
And now, thanks to the season one finale of the series, we have a full understanding of how all our main characters got to where they are on Dune: Prophecy.
In the present day, Valya Harkonnen recognizes that her old Dune: Prophecy plans are over now. She learns that Princess Ynez has been arrested for trying to help free Kieran Atreides, who was uncovered as part of the rebellion and named a traitor. Ynez is Valya's top concern as she still believes that she is meant to rule the Imperium as a Sister. Valya now plans to have Sister Francesca murder Emperor Corinno and kickstart a new era of rule. She gives Francesca a Gom Jabbar to kill Javicco Corinno with. Francesca accepts it but doesn't look very happy about it.
Valya herself takes Theodosia with her to help Ynez escape from prison. Theodosia is confirmed in this Dune: Prophecy season one finale episode to have been bred by Tlulaxan geneticists and is a version of Dune's Face Dancers. Valya goes to the Emperor and tells him harsh truths about his life, especially that Fransceca doesn't really love him and was merely working for the sisterhood. She gets herself arrested and is brought to the cells where Ynez and Keiran are being kept.
Theo, meanwhile, transforms into Ynez, and she and Valya spring the princess free, but, of course, Ynez insists that Keiran Atreides be freed as well. Begrudgingly, Valya allows this. Theo stays behind to buy the three of them time while Valya, Kieran, and Ynez escape. Valya explains they will head to Arrakis, ordering them to get to an escape pod, but Valya herself goes off to face Desmond Hart.
One of Dune's most famous weapons, the Gom Jabbar, is also called "the high-handed enemy," which happens to be the name of Dune: Prophecy's final episode. The Gom Jabbar, although not named in this episode, is a handheld needle tipped with meta-cyanide poison. Valya offers exactly this description of the weapon she gives Francesca to kill Javicco. And see the Gom Jabbar arrives on Dune: Prophecy.
Elsewhere in Salusa Secundus, more strife ensues in Dune: Prophecy season one's finale episode. Desmond Hart thought the Emperor was going to listen to him when it came to ridding himself of the Sisterhood. But it turns out Emperor Corinno is having second thoughts, motivated greatly by the arrival of Sister Francesca, whom he has imprinted with. Desmond Hart does not like this very much and switches his loyalties to support Empress Natalya instead, and they intend to control Javicco and the Imperium together. Alas, Emperor Corinno finds himself without friends.
Sister Francesca goes to Emperor Corrino after all of this, but reveals Valya Harkonenn's plan to him. She says that she does not intend to kill him, but it is too late. Valya's words and Desmond Hart and Empress Natalya's words and actions have struck the Emperor hard. Even though Francesca does truly love Javicco, he does not believe her anymore.
In a moment of pure agony and helplessness, the Emperor takes the Gom Jabbar and arranges for his own death. Francesca tries to help him, but Empress Natalya comes in and stabs her as well. And thus, both Emperor Corrino and Sister Francesca meet their deaths on Dune: Prophecy.
Over on Wallach IX, Tula delves deeper into what she now believes to be an airborne virus which has resulted in the burning deaths on Dune: Prophecy throughout the season. She discovers that the virus is not human or organic, but instead made up of machines. These nano-machines react to fear and destroy their hosts when they gave into it. And it seems Desmond is able to pass and trigger the machine virus in other people. Fear is the mind-killer, after all. Armed with this knowledge, Tula decides to head to Salusa Secundus to try to save or heal her son, Desmond Hart.
With Tula and Valya Harkonenn both away, the path is clear for a mutiny in the Sisterhood. Sister Lila's ancestors have been cycling through her since she underwent the ritual of The Agony. And, of course, Sister Dorotea has now emerged to seek revenge on Valya for her death and also to restore the Sisterhood to what she believes is its rightful functioning.
Sister Dorotea learns and reveals to the other Sisters that Valya murdered so many of the Sisters that came before them in her quest to control the Sisterhood. And, rightfully, they are shocked and dismayed.
Tula arrive in Salusa Secundus with just enough time to help Valya make it through the machine virus Desmond Hart releases onto her. The trick, of course, is to allow fear to overcome you and not give into it. While trapped in her memories and fears, Valya is also able to see what happened to Desmond Hart and how get got his powers and this machine virus in the first place.
Valya wants to kill Desmond, as he triggers the virus, but Tula stops her with the voice. Valya agrees to let Tula handle Desmond Hart as she sees fit and leaves. In the end of Dune: Prophecy's finale episode, Desmond orders Tula arrested.
But how did Desmond Hart come to possess his powers? Well, it turns out that Desmond Hart was kidnapped by a shadowy enemy using thinking machines. The mysterious Dune: Prophecy space lights that everyone sees in their prophecies of doom are actually the lights of a machine that Desmond saw as he lay on an operating table. The machine infected Desmond's eye with this machine virus, giving him the power to infect others with it. We don't yet know who is responsible for doing this to Desmond.
At the very end of Dune: Prophecy we finally get to a very important location, Arrakis itself. Valya Harkonnen, Princess Ynez, and Kieran Atreides end up on the planet as they try to unravel what exactly happened to Desmond Hart and who their enemy really is.