Prophecy’s Political Story Centers Around a Weak, Struggling Emperor

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 22, 2024 4 Views 6 Min Read
Prophecy's Political Story Centers Around a Weak, Struggling Emperor

The leader of a galaxy-spanning empire should be a powerful figure capable of commanding authority, but Dune: Prophecy’s Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) doesn’t exactly fit the bill. Javicco is easily influenced by those around him, from the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and his wife Natalya to Desmond Hart, a soldier with mysterious powers.

This creates a fascinating political story in the first season of Dune: Prophecy, as many factions desperately struggle to influence the increasingly weak-willed Emperor. Game Rant recently spoke with a few members of the cast as to the making of this weak emperor and his role in the political story at the heart of the series.

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Many Factions Fight To Advise The Emperor

Emperor Corrino (Mark Strong) enters the Landsraad in Dune: Prophecy
HBO

At the beginning of the series, Javicco listens to nobody but his Bene Gesserit Truthsayer, Sister Kasha (Jihae). He lets her dictate who his daughter will marry, how he handles his relationships with other noble houses, and practically all of his rulings. After Kasha’s death in the first episode of the series, many individuals and groups see this as an opportunity to bend the Emperor’s ear. These include Bene Gesserit Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen, soldier Desmond Hart, Javicco’s wife Empress Natalya, his daughter Princess Ynez and son Constantine, and his former lover Sister Francesca, also of the Bene Gesserit.

Sister Francesca, played by Tabu, returns to court after a many-year absence for the sole purpose of bending Javicco’s ear to the Bene Gesserit’s cause. She uses their past romantic history to influence him, although her lingering feelings and her desire to help out her son Constantine make things more difficult. Tabu explained why Francesca is so effectively able to sway Javicco:

“Valya knows that she is very instrumental in getting anything done where Javicco is concerned. Also, because she knows that Francesca has the power of imprinting. As a last resort, Valya calls Francesca when she feels that Javicco has gone completely out of her control…[Francesca] wants to protect [Javicco], and save him, and help him get out of this whole mess.”

Every Character’s Plans Are Influenced By The Emperor’s Weakness

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While the Bene Gesserit are able to advance their political standing due to Valya’s machinations and Francesca’s return to court, and Desmond Hart (Travels Fimmel) is able to use his strange powers and story of surviving a sandworm on Arrakis to become an advisor to Javicco, other characters are not so successful.

Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis) attempts to call out the Emperor’s weakness in the Landsraad, as does Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), but neither accomplishes their goals.

Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) entered her marriage to Javicco believing that the two would have an equal partnership where they could work together to make decisions and guide the future of the Imperium. She finds the Emperor’s reliance on outside factors frustrating, as it severely limits her ability to further her own goals. “For Natalya,” said May, “there’s a real sense of disappointment and disillusionment with Javicco. It’s almost like a shared project or partnership that has not gone in the direction that she wanted it to go in.”

Like most stories set in the Dune universe, Dune: Prophecy has a massive cast, ranging from the members of the Imperial court to the sisters of the Bene Gesserit to rebels, nobles, and independent figures like Desmond Hart. But in its use of the unsteady, easily influenced Javicco as a central figure around whom its political plots rotate, the show allows its many stories, characters, and factions to be bound by this common factor. Valya, Francesca, Natalya, Desmond, and many other characters have independent, individual stories and character arcs, but they are all connected by their inability to further their plans without earning Emperor Javicco’s involvement and approval.

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