Commentary

HBO Asks: What Are You 'Dune' This Sunday?

The “Dune” universe gets a new addition this weekend with “Dune: Prophecy,” which seems aimed primarily at young women.

Premiering on HBO and Max this Sunday, this five-part series will also appeal to just about anyone else who claims citizenship in the “Duniverse.”

But as far as Episode One is concerned, this show is shaping up to be centered mainly on a diverse group of “fierce” young women -- “fierceness” being a word and a character asset that is in wide use today.

The show is chockablock with fierce femmes taking up instruction in martial arts and swordplay, training in “the intuitive arts” (in which they hone their perceptions of other people’s words, motives and actions), and other tribal pursuits.

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What they will do with these skill sets is not evident in the first episode of “Dune: Prophecy.” But they may be positioning themselves to benefit from rivalries between factions known as “the great families” that seem poised to erupt in armed conflict.

Yes, “Dune: Prophecy” figures to be a game of thrones of epic proportions. It is the latest in an expanding category of TV shows that you might call “supershows.” 

These shows, which originated with “Game of Thrones,” are TV shows produced on a feature-movie scale, but are meant to be watched at home on large wall-mounted screens.

“Dune: Prophecy” is styled as a prequel to the two most recent “Dune” movies released in 2021 and 2024 -- “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two.”

The first “Dune” movie came out in 1984, and if memory serves, it was a bomb, which delayed the making of any more “Dune” movies until well into the 21st century.  

“Dune: Prophecy” is the third “Dune” production for television, following “Frank Herbert’s Dune” in 2000 and “Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune” in 2003 -- both made for Syfy (then Sci-Fi Channel).

The late Frank Herbert was the creator of the “Dune” saga and author of the original “Dune” novel published in 1965.

According to narration at the outset of “Dune: Prophecy,” the residents of Earth are living in an era following a great rebellion of humans over the “thinking machines” that mankind invented, but wound up subjugating them.

In the current “Dune: Prophecy” time frame, the world has agreed to live without artificial intelligence hardware of any kind, which throws civilization back to a pre-computer world.

“Dune: Prophecy” is characterized by characters in various uniforms watching each other with suspicious eyes in gloomy indoor and outdoor settings.

The air is filled with intrigue, unspoken threats and illicit liaisons in dark corners and passageways. 

The many people who thrill to this kind of over-the-top fantasy fiction will be more than satisfied. 

“Dune: Prophecy” premieres Sunday (December 22) at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.

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