Who is Valya Harkonnen in HBO's Dune: Prophecy?

After Paul Atreides’ rise in Dune: Part Two, the first TV series in the franchise takes us back over ten thousand years, following the inner workings of one of the most secretive yet powerful organisations in the universe: the Bene Gesserit.  

The driving character of Dune: Prophecy is Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen, who made a terrifying and formidable first appearance in episode one of the series – played by British acting royalty, Emily Watson.  

If you want to know more about who Valya is and how she connects with the villains of Dune and Dune: Part Two, we have all the information you need. Note that this piece will be focusing on the TV series and movies, rather than the original Frank Herbert books, which have slightly different details.  

What has Dune: Prophecy revealed about Valya Harkonnen so far? 

The opening scene of Dune: Propechy tells us that Valya’s great-grandfather deserted the fight against the thinking machines, and an Atredis led them to victory. Her family were branded as cowards and banished to a desolate world. Bitter about how her lineage was viewed, Valya vows to rewrite her name.  

Valya was chosen by the first-ever Mother Superior, Raquella Berto-Anirul, to lead the Bene Gesserit to their true destiny: to breed a new leader on the throne, the first Empress, using genetic archives that could be controlled by the Sisterhood to ensure the group’s protection.  

However, her ambitions were seen as disruptive and dangerous by other members. When Reverend Mother Dorotea tried to destroy the breeding index, Valya used ‘the voice’ to get her to kill herself. This appears to be the first use of this power, and it will continue to be pivotal throughout the Dune universe.  

Years later, Valya and her sister, Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen, lead the Sisterhood and are close to fulfilling the prophecy when a marriage is set between Princess Ynez Corrino (daughter of the emperor) and the son of House Richese, nine-year-old Lord Pruitt. They are also training the next generation of members.

However, they don’t account for the mysterious and unsettling soldier Desmond Hart, who burns the child to death – putting a huge roadblock in their plan. Valya is informed of this as the Reverend Mother Kasha burns along with him, in front of her. He is aware of their work in the shadows and seeks to stop their manipulation.  

Valya’s weaknesses are her stubbornness and her thirst for blind obedience by those in her Sisterhood. She’s also driven by revenge and has fractured relationships with her family – as indicated by her turning down a visit from the rest of the House for a fourth time.  

Attila Szvacsek/HBO

Watson confirmed these qualities during an interview with Screen Rant:  

They’ve had this really traumatic childhood and she’s driven by a sense of being very aggrieved, a vengeance, but she channels it all into becoming part of the sisterhood and really trying to control the fate of humankind. I mean, that’s her ambition. 

Who are House Harkonnen in Dune and Dune: Part Two? 

It can be hard to keep track of all the various bits of Dune lore – getting your head around terms like Muad’Dib and Kwisatz Haderach is already a lot – so you may not remember exactly who the Harkonnens are by name.  

In short, this is the family led by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in the Dune movies – AKA, Stellan Skarsgård, who dons a black cloak, a bald cap and floats around when he’s not having a bath in sickly black goo.  

He rules a brutal empire that kills its enemies without remorse and will resort to torture when they deem it necessary. House Harkonnen seeks to control the flow of spice and will use any measure to get their way – even if it forces others to live in dire circumstances.  

Other members of the House include Glossu ‘Beast’ Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista) and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). 

By the time of the Dune movies, House Harkonnen and House Atreides – of which Paul (Timothée Chalamet) is part of – have a feud that has spanned for generations and is the cause of a lot of the conflict within the films. This animosity was fuelled by Valya in the books, and Dune: Prophecy will no doubt explore how her ruthlessness eventually leads to generations of hatred.