Collider writer Liam Gaughan reflects on HBO's prequel series Dune: Prophecy, arguing that the show is at its strongest when it draws directly on the source material of the Dune literary universe. He frames the series as a natural expansion of a franchise whose popularity has been reinforced by Denis Villeneuve's two acclaimed films, which earned Best Picture nominations and made Dune: Part Three one of 2026's most anticipated releases. Because the story of Paul Atreides can only cover so much of the wider mythology, the article contends there is ample room to explore other corners of Frank Herbert's world.

Dune: Prophecy is set roughly 10,000 years before the events of the Villeneuve films and charts the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, drawing on the Great Schools of Dune novels written by Herbert's son Brian Herbert and author Kevin J. Anderson. The series unfolds after a devastating war in which human forces destroyed an army of "thinking machines", and follows how the sisterhood gained influence as "truthsayers" prized by the Empire. Key plot points include the mysterious death of founder Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) and the scheming of Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), who proposes a marriage uniting the Corrino and Richese houses to seize control of Arrakis and monopolise the spice.