Dune: Prophecy, HBO's 2024 prequel series set thousands of years before the events of the main Dune saga, is being reappraised two years after its debut as an underappreciated addition to the franchise. Though it was overshadowed at launch by higher-profile HBO shows and lacked the splashy reception given to series like House of the Dragon, the article argues its themes have only grown more resonant with time, particularly its exploration of power and artificial intelligence.

The six-episode series follows Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), ancestor of the Baron Harkonnen, as she and her sister Tula (Olivia Williams) establish the order that becomes the Bene Gesserit, drawing on Brian Herbert's novel Sisterhood of Dune. It depicts the invention of the Voice, a mind-control technique, and the sisterhood's long-term scheme to breed the messianic Kwisatz Haderach later embodied by Paul Atreides. The show is also shaped by the Butlerian Jihad, the historical war against thinking machines that underpins much of Frank Herbert's original lore but was largely absent from Denis Villeneuve's film adaptations.