Now that Warner Bros. is the proud owner of the a thriving Dune franchise.they began the process of expanding the brand through the HBO series Dune: Prophecy. Set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve's theatrically released sensations Dune and Dune: Part II, the play is set some time after Brian Herbert's The Great Schools of Dune novels and deals with the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. It has a great cast led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, boasts some superbly impressive production/costume design, and is boring as dishwater.

Apologies to those who love prequels and origin stories, but they are generally storytelling abominations, with precious few exceptions. Patton Oswalt has a bit of stand-up titled "At Midnight I'll Kill George Lucas With a Shovel" which hilariously explains, profane why this is true, but basically all prequels are gap-filling ventures that dramatize things we already know. Yes, there are often strange twists in the background that we weren't previously aware of, but these incidents are nothing more than glorified trifles. This approach to pulp storytelling has become so widespread that it's only a matter of time before we get an entire movie centered around the jeweler who sold his pearl necklace to Martha Wayne.

Harkonnens. You're here for the Harkonnens and why they look so different in Dune: The Prophecy than their relatives 10,000 years in the future. Will the simple answer of "evolution" quench your thirst for knowledge? I guess not. This is how the Harkonnens became the cute, hairless, nauseous creatures they are in Villeneuve's films.

As embodied by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams in Dune: The Prophecy, Mother Superior Valja Harkonen and Reverend Mother Tula Harkonen are notable for their Caucasian skin and hair color. They couldn't look more unlike the heavily pale and close-cropped Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), Gloss Rabanne (Dave Bautista) and Fade-Rauta (Austin Butler). Why is this?

The Harkonnens of Dune: Prophecy hail from the planet Lankiveil, a frigid planet far more hospitable than the volcanic, industrialized Giddy Prime that orbits the black sun. Such a dark, harsh climate will affect your pigmentation and temperament. As for why House Harkonnen gave in to Gidi Prime of Lenkiveil, this may be shown in Dune: The Prophecy at some point, but man, 10,000 years is long stretching (the series actually depicts events further back in time). This feels like the kind of societal shift that has been happening for eons and multiple conflicts. So if you're into watching fictional history unfold over (perhaps) multiple seasons of television, I have a feeling your cup of tea will slowly glacial runs over. The rest of us will cool our heels and wait for Villeneuve's third film due sometime (hopefully) in 2026.