The Season 1 Ending For Each Major Character

The Dune
franchise has evolved beyond the movies to include the prequel series Dune: Prophecy
, which tells the story of the Sisterhood that evolved into the Bene Gesserit and the early days of the Padashah Emperors. Now that season one has concluded, fans are speculating as to what will befall the main characters next.

Not all the following characters survive the final episode, but their deaths or departures will leave a lasting impression on the ones they leave behind. Kanly is still a major component of social conduct in Dune during this era, and season two will no doubt have certain characters seeking to start a fight or finish one.

10

Empress Natalya

Played By Jodhi May

• Makes a play for total control in the final episode.

Despite being the cooler, more calculated half of the Imperial couple, Natalya is struggling to hold onto power. It’s impossible not to notice how threatened she is by Sister Francesca. When her daughter is pushed aside to favor her son, Constantine, the Empress makes a bold play to take back control of the throne.

Desmond Hart was always
a close ally of the Empress. When he suspects that Javicco Corrino is returning to the side of the Sisterhood, Hart doesn’t hesitate to turn against him. When Natalya finds her husband committing suicide with Sister Francesca by his side, she ties up the last loose end and kills her with the poisoned needle intended for her husband.

9

Padishah Emperor Javicco Corrino

Played By Mark Strong

• Takes control of his destiny at last.

The last episode of season one ends with the Emperor taking his own life, which could be the only truly independent thing he’s done in decades. Javicco Corrino’s life ends here, but his story does not, with the political fallout of his death yet to be revealed.

Empress Natalya stands to benefit the most from his death. Even though she didn’t have a direct hand in his suicide, she would have used Desmond Hart to either kill him or keep him in line. His daughter Ynez, the designated heir, is currently off-planet and a rift has already opened between her and her mother.

8

Sister Francesca

Played By Tabu

• A master of imprinting dies by her own poison.

The art of Imprinting echoes the teachings of the modern Bene Gesserit, specifically with Lady Fenrig, who is also known for her skill in this regard. It’s clear that although Francesca followed Valya’s orders when it came to

imprinting on the Emperor
, she fell short when it came time to end his life. Her death will no doubt set off a chain of events that affects both the Sisterhood and the royal house.

Of the three sisters who supported Valya’s early rise to power, two are gone, and only Tula remains. Their horrible secret is revealed by another character who also happens to be a candidate for the “one born twice” warning.

7

Constantine Corrino

Played By Josh Heuston

• The Emperor’s son’s position is uncertain after his parents’ deaths.

Francesca’s son Constantine doesn’t have a claim to the throne, at least not yet. But at the end of season one, he was moving up in the world. His ascension as the Commander of his father’s fleet in orbit above the planet elevated not only himself, but also his mother Francesca into prominence.

This prompted Natalya to act, which included recruiting the services of Desmond Hart and killing Francesca with the poison needle intended for the Emperor. Constantine might have remained a passive observer to all of these incidents a few days ago, but he will likely dispute or disbelieve the Empress’ cover story of mutual murder even without the aid of a truth-sayer.

6

Princess Ynez

Played By Sarah-Sofie Boussnina

• Saves the swordmaster and escapes to Arrakis.

The Heir to the Throne of the Known Universe sounds like a great title, but things have gone from bad to worse for the princess in season one. First, her fiancé is gruesomely murdered, then her lover is exposed as a traitor and taken prisoner, all while her brother is replacing her in court.

To make matters worse, Ynez has lost most of her connections in the palace, compromising her ability to return. Her father is dead and her mother, from whom she is now estranged, is poised to take power with Desmond Hart at her side. Her escape to Arrakis finally indicates some hope of a better future. Ynez’s path in season 2 can only go forward into the sands of Dune, but one act of defiance that did succeed was rescuing the swordmaster.

5

Keiran Atreides

Played By Chris Mason

• Chooses love over principles.

Eventually, it’s revealed that Keiran Atreides isn’t just one of the few remaining descendants of the survivors of Tula’s massacre. He’s also a secret agent for a rebel movement fighting to end the corrupt reign of House Corrino.

He’s only a step away from gassing the whole imperial court, including the royal family, but when Ynez appears, he decides to abandon his mission. He’s eventually caught by a snooping Constantine and is jailed by the Emperor, but Ynez confirms that his intentions are good, and frees him. Keiren has escaped to Arrakis, but his life is still in peril, as he is unaware that he is traveling with a Harkonnen.

4

Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen

Played By Emily Watson

• Fights the virus and survives.

The first season of Dune: Prophecy reveals the details of Valya’s rise to power, and how some of those choices have returned to plague the Sisterhood that she controls. The final episode shows the audience some of what the Sisterhood can do and how they evolved into the deadly, cold,

and calculating Bene Gesserit
.

Unlike the sisters before her, Valya finds a way to counter the virus that burns its victims from the inside out. In doing so, succeeds in causing some kind of psychic injury to Desmond Hart. The Mother Superior, Princess Ynez, and Keiran Atreides escape to Arrakis in the end, in part thanks to Mother Tula’s intervention. Valya has already betrayed Keiran to the authorities, and no doubt plans to kill him eventually as part of the rules of Kanly.

3

Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen

Played By Olivia Williams

• Confronts a dark secret she kept from Valya.

Tula gives her sister everything, and recognizes their malevolent nature as Harkonnens. This is why she chooses to secretly give her son away, switching him with a stillborn child and letting his existence remain a mystery.

This child grew up to be Desmond Hart. When Tula discovers who he is thanks to the blood sample provided by Valya, she decides to confront him. Her appearance in the spacedock at the end of the last episode is the moment of hesitation that Valya needs to escape. Tula is taken prisoner, which means she’ll be at the mercy of the Imperium at the beginning of season two.

2

Desmond Hart

Played By Travis Fimmel

• Learns his powers are not inherent or unstoppable.

Desmond Hart claims to be a soldier who

survived a giant worm attack
on Arrakis, but it’s yet to be confirmed how true this story is. A major plot point of season one revolves around his real identity and what actually happened to him when he was swallowed, if it ever even happened.

Valya reveals a piece of the puzzle by revealing that Desmond has been physically changed somehow. His powers are not psychic or divine, but relate to the implants in his eyes, the result of an operation done by a thinking machine. Tula doesn’t speak to Desmond, but he seems to know who she is, which is why he decides to take her prisoner rather than kill her.

1

Sister Lila

Played By Chloe Lea

• A descent into Abomination.

The term “Abomination” in Dune refers to a being that has taken the Water of Life, but imbibed it under difficult circumstances or bad timing. The result is a lack of control over their ancestral voices. Valya wanted Lila to communicate with her great-grandmother, but didn’t take her grandmother into account.

This was Sister Dorotea, a fanatic who

despised thinking machines
. Valya killed Dorotea when she threatened to destroy the computer that Mother Raquella was using for the generational breeding program. Lila is possessed briefly by Raquella, long enough for her to determine the nature of the deadly virus. But later, Dorotea possesses her, and reveals the gruesome reality of Valya’s rise to power.

What follows is Lila, now an Abomination possessed by Dorotea, going to the secret passage where the thinking machine is hidden. Valya and Tula are absent, and it’s likely that if they ever return, the Sisterhood will have changed as envisioned by Dorotea.