The first season of Dune: Prophecy set up many mysteries, but one of the biggest questions fans had all season was what exactly was going on with Desmond Hart. Played by Travis Fimmel, the former Imperial soldier with mysterious powers was one of the most intriguing new characters introduced to the franchise. However, fans were largely kept in the dark about his origins and where he picked up the ability to burn people alive from the inside out.
In the back half of the season, the creators started giving the audience some answerswhile still holding back more mysteries for the recently announced season two. In episode five, they revealed the truth of Desmond’s parentage, and the finale finally gave at least some answers as to the origins of his powers. While the forces who gave him his abilities remain a mystery for now, fans at least know that they’re not quite as mystical as they seemed at first.
Dune: Prophecy’s Fear Virus
After nearly a whole season spent looking for answers in the wake of Mother Kasha’s death in the premiere, the Sisterhood finally made progress in uncovering the truth in episode five. The consciousness of former Reverend Mother Raquella—using young acolyte Sister Lila’s body as a vessel—discovered that what killed Kasha is actually a virus that preys on a person’s fear response, overwhelming their system and killing them from the inside. The Sisters began to understand how the virus worked, but not how it could be triggered at will.
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They discovered more clues in the finale, theorizing that Desmond could somehow be triggering a reaction that was already lying dormant inside them, using fear as a catalyst. Armed with this knowledge, Sister and Suk doctor Nazir (Karima McAdams) willingly infected herself and attempted to control the virus using her Truthsayer training. This ultimately fails, as the virus seemed to react stronger the harder Nazir fights, and ultimately overwhelmed her defenses.
Through this gruesome affair, Tula surmised that the virus might not be biological at all, but rather some kind of small-scale thinking machine technology. She posited that Desmond may have had this technology implanted inside him, making him into a sort of living weapon, which would mean he’s as much a victim of outside forces as those he killed. If that’s the case, it means the Sisterhood has a much bigger enemy on their hands than Desmond Hart.
Desmond Hart the Weapon
In the Dune: Prophecy season finale, Tula heads to Salusa Secundus to try and confront Desmond, revealing that she’s his mother and offering to help try and remove the weapon from him. It all comes to a head when an injured Desmond catches up to Valya, Ynez, and Keiran as they try to make their escape, triggering the virus in Valya. By facing her fear rather than fighting it, Valya survives the ordeal and is treated to a vision of Desmond’s memory as a bonus.
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The memory puts the audience in Desmond’s point of view as a thinking machine pulls out one of his eyes, implanting several small glowing devices in his optic nerve before sticking the whole thing back in, as a shadowy figure watches from a distance. This all but confirms that his “powers” aren’t really powers at all, but technology implanted in him by as-yet unknown forces. The memory also ties into the vision that frightened the acolytes in episode four, revealing that the piercing blue eyes looming out of the darkness were actually the bright lights of the thinking machine.
Whether Desmond had this technology implanted in him willingly remains to be seen, but so far it seems like he’s always been in control of them, despite the heavy physical toll it takes to use them. It also remains to be seen just who is behind this whole scheme. Valya was unable to make out any details in her vision, and Desmond’s memory seemed like it had some holes. Before her death, Sister Nazir had a vision of “the monster of Arrakis,” and it seems like she saw something other than just a garden-variety Sandworm.
Now knowing the source of his power, Valya moved to kill Desmond but was stopped by Tula, who tried to get through to him and got arrested for her trouble. Hopefully, season two will reveal whether she’s able to cut through his resentment and fanaticism and convince him to join forces to fight their unknown common enemy, or if Desmond is fully aware of what’s been done to him and willing to carry it out. There will be plenty to ponder whenever Dune: Prophecy returns, but for now, fans at least have a few answers to tide them over until the next round of mysteries begins.
- Seasons
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1
- Directors
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Anna Foerster
- Creator(s)
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Diane Ademu-John
, Alison Schapker