Nov
Dune: Prophecy Showrunner and Team Discuss Shocking Premiere Twist
“Once something is outlawed, can it ever truly be eradicated?”
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy, Season 1, Episode 1, “The Hidden Hand.”
In Dune: Prophecy’s much-anticipated premiere, flashbacks transported viewers to the pivotal “great machine wars,” when humanity defeated robotic forces and banned thinking machines, marking the dawn of the Dune universe. In this world, human Mentats take the place of computers, and the precious spice of Arrakis powers human cognition and space navigation. However, Sunday’s premiere hinted that the threat of thinking machines is not entirely in the past; a dangerous remnant of this outlawed technology still lurks close to the throne.
After Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior), the merchant’s son, marries Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) to secure his family’s spaceship armada for the empire, he reveals a forbidden treasure: a small, shape-shifting robot that morphs between a ball and a lizard. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Dune: Prophecy creative team—including cinematographer, production designer, and VFX specialists—discussed how they crafted this striking sci-fi technology.
“They’ve won, and thinking machines have been outlawed,” showrunner Alison Schapker told EW. “But as with any prohibition in history, it’s hard to fully put the genie back in the bottle. The technology still exists, and while it’s banned and destroyed, there’s always a chance it could reappear. The Imperium is young and precarious; it’s the perfect time to explore how this history could resurface and threaten stability.”
Designing the Mechanical Lizard
In the video interview, Dune: Prophecy’s production designer Tom Meyer shared insights into the vision behind the mechanical lizard’s design. “It needed to project intelligence, elegance, and wealth,” Meyer explained. “We wanted it to feel like a piece of couture jewelry, a luxurious artifact.”
Creating an object that could convincingly transition between two forms—stationary and mobile—posed unique challenges for the VFX team. “We had to re-engineer the design so it could actually transform from a lizard to a ball,” explained Mike Enriquez from the VFX team. “There were scenes where it obstructed other actors’ faces, so we filmed some takes with the prop and others without it.”
In one scene, the lizard scurries across a ballroom filled with elite guests, its movement portrayed with special effects. Cinematographer Pierre Gill devised a clever way to coordinate the extras’ attention as the creature darted across the room. “We set up a line of LED lights that flickered like ‘tit-tit-tit’ to direct everyone’s gaze in sync,” he explained. “It worked beautifully!”
A Pivotal Plot Device
Beyond its visual appeal, the mechanical lizard serves as a crucial plot device in Dune: Prophecy. Its existence prompts rogue warrior Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) to kill young Pruwet, derailing a marriage alliance carefully orchestrated by the Bene Gesserit and their leader, Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson).
“This marriage has been part of a decades-long plan,” Schapker revealed. “The Bene Gesserit wanted the princess to marry, train, and eventually become a sister before taking the throne, aligning her loyalty with the Sisterhood. Valya Harkonnen, the Sisterhood’s second Mother Superior, has worked behind the scenes for years to ensure that this alliance would strengthen the Imperium and secure the Sisterhood’s future influence.”
By the end of the pilot, that carefully laid plan unravels. “Seeing how Valya Harkonnen responds to this crisis is going to reveal a lot about her character,” Schapker teased. “It’s going to be compelling to watch her next moves unfold.”
Find out how the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood regroups after this unexpected setback in upcoming episodes of Dune: Prophecy, airing Sundays on HBO and Max. Watch the full Entertainment Weekly interview for additional behind-the-scenes details.
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