Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season finale of Dune: Prophecy. “Sisterhood above all” never really meant anything to Valya Harkonnen. From the start of Dune: Prophecy, it was clear how ambitious Valya was, willing to do anything and everything to gain power. But it wasn’t until the season finale that the full details of her plan to rise to the position of Reverend Mother were revealed. For some, the scene might not have been too surprising, since she had already killed Sister Dorotea with the Voice. However, for many, realizing she had the support of other close sisters to get where she wanted to go was truly shocking, especially considering how many had to die for that to happen.
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Valya has always sought power to restore her family’s honor and influence, which was humiliated after the Butlerian Jihad. In addition, expanding the Bene Gesserit’s influence could guarantee her dominance over the Empire, which would be her ultimate goal. However, reaching that point required a carefully planned path, including manipulation within the sisterhood itself. So, after killing Sister Dorotea and being caught by Tula, Kasha, and Francesca, the four of them unite to take total control.
In order to achieve this, it was necessary to confront the acolytes and give them a choice: follow Dorotea’s path to death or follow Valya into the future. When this choice isn’t made immediately, the four resort to the Voice to force compliance, leading to a brutal massacre in which several of the acolytes slit their throats. The only one to survive this merciless act is Avila.
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The episode would have felt lost in the story if it hadn’t been for the acolyte Lila, who, after dying, is resurrected by Tula. Valya’s sister was never fully on board with the plans, something that became more evident when Desmond Hart was revealed to be her son. It is through her decision to bring Lila back that history begins to shift, as the girl gains access to the voices of her ancestors, specifically Raquella and Dorotea.
In the last episode of the Dune spin-off, Sister Dorotea takes control of the acolyte’s body, and they all discover the ditch where the bodies of those killed by Valya, Tula, Kasha, and Francesca lie. At the end of it all, the message that remains is that the new Bene Gesserit sisterhood was built from the blood of a great betrayal. Valya was never worthy of being where she was because she went against everything the Sisterhood had always stood for.
Now, with Anirul, the thinking machine, destroyed – possibly taking the reproduction rate with it – along with the totally disillusioned acolytes and Valya now on Arrakis with Princess Ynez, many doors have opened. The question that remains is: how will the consequences of their actions play out? With the series renewed for a second season, it’s only a matter of time before we get the answers.
