**HBO’s *Dune: Prophecy* Unfolds Menacing Visions From Episode 1**
HBO’s *[Dune: Prophecy](https://mashable.com/article/dune-prophecy-review-hbo)* truly embodies its title, providing ominous prophetic glimpses right from its inaugural episode.
The initial vision is shared by Mother Superior Raquella (Cathy Tyson), the creator of the Sisterhood that will ultimately develop into the *[Bene Gesserit](https://mashable.com/article/dune-prophecy-why-isnt-the-sister-called-the-bene-gesserit-alison-schapker)*. On her deathbed, Raquella envisions a bleak future, with an apocalyptic event known as *[Tiran-Arafel](https://mashable.com/article/dune-prophecy-tiran-arafel-meaning)* endangering the Sisterhood. While some aspects of her vision unfold in Episode 1, others remain abstract or yet to manifest. Let’s delve into the significant moments.
### A Sandworm Assaults the Sisterhood School
Raquella’s vision begins with a cameo of *Dune*’s most famed creature: *[Shai-hulud, the colossal sandworm](https://mashable.com/article/dune-part-two-sandworms-denis-villeneuve-interview)* of Arrakis. In the vision, a sandworm charges towards the Sisterhood School, which has unsettlingly moved from the rainy planet Wallach IX to the arid landscapes of Arrakis, making it an ideal target for the creature.
While it’s unlikely the school literally teleports to Arrakis, the implication is unmistakable: Arrakis is the primary danger faced by the Sisterhood.
By Episode 1, that menace appears to be soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), who possesses an intense loathing for the Sisterhood and wishes to eradicate their influence in the Imperium. Desmond shares a profound bond with Arrakis, being the only survivor of an assault on Emperor Javicco Corrino’s (Mark Strong) spice-mining operation. Intriguingly, he was *consumed by a sandworm* yet lived to recount the event. This indicates that the sandworm in Raquella’s vision may represent Desmond’s mission against the Sisterhood and the enigmatic abilities he might have acquired from his encounter with the creature. Speaking of those abilities…
### Desmond Hart’s Enigmatic Abilities and Charred Victims
Raquella’s vision quickly transitions to harrowing images of charred bodies. By the conclusion of Episode 1, we identify the victims: Reverend Mother Kasha (Jihae) and 9-year-old Pruitt Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior). However, their fates weren’t due to a fire. Instead, Desmond employed a mysterious power to immolate Pruitt, while Kasha, on a separate planet, faced a similar fate concurrently. This implies a significant link between the two events.
These burn marks echo Raquella’s parting words to young Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden): “You will be the one to see the burning truth and know.” The “burning truth” likely signifies Kasha’s demise and Desmond’s emerging powers, which may be tied to his experience within the sandworm. Years later, Valya (Emily Watson) recognizes the connection, whispering, “I see, Mother. I see.”
This insight fosters a sense of foreboding, as Valya grasps that the onset of the “burning truth” heralds the upcoming reckoning predicted by Raquella. Has her toil been futile? More concerning, has she unwittingly initiated the very catastrophe she aimed to avert?
### Bloodied Hands, Golden Thrones, and Foiled Schemes
Following in Raquella’s vision, glimpses of Valya’s scheme to position a Sister on the Golden Lion Throne of the Imperium flash before us. Valya had aspired for that Sister to be Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), with her crimson engagement gown and the Golden Lion Throne featured in the vision. However, Ynez’s portrayal in the vision hints that her engagement and ultimate rise to power might not fend off Tiran-Arafel — indeed, they could potentially contribute to it.
Enhancing this atmosphere of looming disaster are visuals of bloodied hands and a stream of blood, reminiscent of Valya’s execution of her adversary, Sister Dorotea (Camilla Beeput). Valya used the Voice to force Dorotea to take her own life, with blood from her body cascading down stone steps, exactly like in Raquella’s vision. However, a crucial distinction arises: in the vision, a copy of the Orange Catholic Bible rests beside the blood, which was absent