List of Dune: Prophecy characters


Dune: Prophecy is an American science fiction television series developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker for HBO. Set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe, the series focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful social, religious, and political force whose members possess superhuman powers and abilities after undergoing years of intense physical and mental conditioning. Dune: Prophecy is a prequel to the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune, which adapts the first half the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, and it takes place some 10,000 years before the events of the film. The series, which draws on, but is set after, the Great Schools of Dune novel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, is produced by Legendary Television, with Schapker serving as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.
The series stars Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen, leader of the Sisterhood; Olivia Williams as [|Tula Harkonnen], Valya's younger sister; Travis Fimmel as [|Desmond Hart], an Imperial soldier; and Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino. The rest of the ensemble cast includes Jodhi May as Javicco's consort, Empress Natalya; Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as their daughter and heir, Princess Ynez-Arat; Shalom Brune-Franklin as [|Mikaela], a Fremen spy for the Sisterhood; Jade Anouka as Sister [|Theodosia], an acolyte of the Sisterhood; and Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides, the Swordmaster of House Corrino.

Main

Valya Harkonnen

Valya Harkonnen, portrayed by Emily Watson, is the Mother Superior of the Sisterhood, a secretive, matriarchal order whose members undergo intense physical training and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman abilities. In the series, she faces threats to the Sisterhood's plans for humanity.
Watson's casting in the role was announced in October 2022. In May 2024, Jessica Barden was cast as the younger version of Valya.
Valya is introduced as a young woman in the Great Schools of Dune trilogy of novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. She plots to rise within, and ultimately take control of, the fledgling Bene Gesserit, while galvanizing her siblings to help her visit Harkonnen vengeance on the bloodline of Vorian Atreides, who had brought their family to ruin 80 years before.

Tula Harkonnen

Tula Harkonnen, portrayed by Olivia Williams, is Valya's younger sister and a Reverend Mother in the Sisterhood. In the series, Tula is Valya's loyal second-in-command, but a secret from her past comes back to threaten everything she and her sister have built.
Shirley Henderson was originally cast as Tula alongside Watson in October 2022, but left the series during an extended production hiatus in February 2023. The role of Tula was recast with Williams in June 2023. Emma Canning was later cast as the younger version of Tula.
Tula is introduced as a young woman in the Great Schools of Dune trilogy of novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. She is Valya's tool of revenge against the descendants of Vorian Atreides, but grows remorseful of her crimes against them.

Desmond Hart

Desmond Hart, portrayed by Travis Fimmel, is a mysterious, charismatic soldier in the Imperial army who seeks the trust of the Emperor Javicco Corrino, and emerges as an enemy to the Sisterhood.
Fimmel was cast as Desmond in November 2022. The character was created specifically for the series.

Empress Natalya

Empress Natalya-Arat, portrayed by Jodhi May, is the consort of Emperor Javicco Corrino and mother to their daughter and heir, Princess Ynez-Arat. She is described as "a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino." May said, "I love the fact that Natalya has to operate in a way that's pretty underhanded, so it's a real exploration of power that we are not necessarily used to seeing. She's almost like a kind of politician who has to maneuver and manipulate."
In the series premiere "The Hidden Hand", Natalya opposes the match orchestrated by Mother Superior Valya between Ynez and young nine-year-old Pruwet Richese. Natalya is suspect of Valya's motives, but by design, Javicco requires Richese ships to maintain his control of the desert planet Arrakis, only source of the all-important spice. She is frustrated that Javicco no longer heeds her advice like he used to, when she negotiated their marriage. During the engagement celebration, Natalya is horrified by Pruwet's possession of forbidden technology in the form of a robotic toy lizard, and his father Duke Ferdinand Richese's flippant acceptance of it. She angrily reminds the Duke that he only exists because the Corrinos defeated the thinking machines, and is shocked speechless when Javicco declares he will ignore the transgression for the evening. In "Two Wolves", Natalya angers Ferdinand by suggesting that Pruwet's death was an accident, likely caused by his robotic toy. She is intrigued by Desmond's powers, and recognizing his loyalty to Javicco, suggests that they use them. Natalya frees Desmond, and when Ferdinand rails against Javicco and threatens to overthrow and humiliate him, Desmond proves his loyalty by burning Ferdinand severely.
Indira Varma was originally cast as Natalya in October 2022. In June 2023, May was cast to replace Varma, who exited the series due to scheduling conflicts after an extended production hiatus.

Princess Ynez

Princess Ynez-Arat, portrayed by Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, is the daughter and heir of Emperor Javicco Corrino and Empress Natalya. She is described as "an independent young princess dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne."
In "The Hidden Hand", Princess Ynez is the heir to the Golden Lion Throne, training in swordplay under Corrino Swordmaster [|Kieran Atreides], and preparing to enter the Sisterhood as an acolyte. Though Natalya dislikes both Ynez's betrothal to young Pruwet Richese and her daughter's plans to join the Sisterhood, Ynez sees these as being useful to her as the future Empress. Meanwhile, Mother Superior Valya is determined that Ynez's training will cultivate loyalty to the Sisterhood into the future Empress. Ynez tries to connect with her nine-year-old future husband during the engagement ceremony, but scolds him harshly after his possession of forbidden technology is revealed. On the eve of her departure for the Sisterhood School, Ynez and Keiran take recreational drugs and have sex. In "Two Wolves", Ynez is traumatized by the death of her close confidante, Imperial Truthsayer Kasha Jinjo. Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen assigns Sister Theodosia to bond with the Princess. Her departure delayed, Ynez has a close moment with Keiran, and tells him about how she and her illegitimate half-brother, Constantine Corrino, were kidnapped and held captive by rebels as children. Ynez and Keiran agree they cannot become romantically involved.
Boussnina was cast as Ynez in October 2022.

Lila

Lila, portrayed by Chloe Lea, is the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School, described as having "a deep empathy beyond her years." Lila is one of the girls raised by the Sisterhood with no knowledge of their biological families so as to emphasize the importance of the Sisterhood in their lives. Schapker explained:
In "The Hidden Hand", Lila is the favorite pupil of Tula Harkonnen. While Mother Superior Valya describes her as "a lamb lost in the woods", Tula notes that Lila is a "true empath" who needs to be nurtured, and that "given her lineage, she will be a natural born Truthsayer." In "Two Wolves", Lila is revealed to be the great-great-granddaughter of [|Raquella Berto-Anirul], the founder of the Sisterhood. Desperate for more information about the dangerous prophecy which is now unfolding, Valya instructs a reluctant Tula to put Lila through the dangerous Agony ritual to unlock her Other Memory and access Raquella's consciousness. Tula and Lila acknowledge to each other that they feel like mother and daughter, and Tula insists the choice to risk her life is Lila's. Though scared, Lila believes in the Sisterhood and their mission, and consents to submit to the Agony. She is administered the deadly Rossak poison, which she is able to render harmless using her control of her internal chemistry. The genetic memories of her maternal ancestors are unlocked, and Raquella speaks through her. However, the consciousness of Lila's grandmother [|Dorotea], bitter that Valya forced her to commit suicide, overwhelms Lila, who appears to die. In "Sisterhood Above All", Tula is devastated by Lila's failure, and has been keeping the brain-dead girl alive against protocol. She eventually allows the other acolytes to say their goodbyes, and appears to euthanize her. However, with Valya away at the capital, Tula connects Lila to a secret thinking machine-powered life-support machine, demanding that the artificial intelligence, named Anirul, begins using the spice to repair Lila's damaged brain.
Lea was cast as Lila in October 2022.

Keiran Atreides

Keiran Atreides, portrayed by Chris Mason, is the new Swordmaster of House Corrino. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and struggles with the corruption of the royal court and his own family's legacy.
In "The Hidden Hand", Keiran has been tasked with training the future Empress, Princess Ynez, in swordplay. She is formally betrothed to nine-year-old Pruwet Richese, but her mother, Empress Natalya, has noticed Ynez's attraction to Keiran. On the eve of her departure to Wallach IX to be trained by the Sisterhood, Ynez and Keiran take recreational drugs and have sex. In "Two Wolves", Keiran is revealed to be a direct descendant of Vorian Atreides, as well as a spy for a faction of insurgents plotting against Emperor Javicco and the Great Houses. He provides plans of the Imperial palace to his conspirators, who include the bartender Mikaela. She warns him that getting attached to Ynez will complicate their scheme. Keiran has a close moment with Ynez, but they agree they cannot become romantically involved.
Mason was cast as Keiran in December 2022.