'Dune: Prophecy': Why isn't the Sisterhood called the Bene Gesserit?
Set 10,000 years before the events of Dune, the new series Dune: Prophecy still features a lot of familiar names from Frank Herbert's original novel. House Harkonnen, House Atreides, and House Corrino all pop up in some degree.
One name that's noticeably missing? Bene Gesserit. Which might seem odd, since Dune: Prophecy centers entirely around the origins of the Bene Gesserit, known only as "the Sisterhood" in the show.
However, there's a very simple reason for that. "The Sisterhood at its inception is not called the Bene Gesserit," showrunner Alison Schapker told Mashable in an interview.
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That's the case in Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert's son) and Kevin J. Anderson. The book follows the Sisterhood in its early stages, including its founding by Mother Superior Raquella (Cathy Tyson). Dune: Prophecy takes some liberties with its source material, including adding totally new characters. However, it also draws heavy inspiration from it, including when it comes to not using the name Bene Gesserit quite yet.
"We're using Sisterhood of Dune as a seminal text, and there it's referred to as the Sisterhood," Schapker said.
The knowledge that one day the Sisterhood will take on another name does create fascinating possibilities for Dune: Prophecy going forward, though. "There's the question of, 'Well how did this order go from being the Sisterhood to being almost rebranded as the Bene Gesserit? And why?'" Schapker said. "That's the terrain the series is going to be looking at."
Who knows, maybe the Sisterhood will get a rebrand by the time Season 1 comes to a close.
New episodes of Dune: Prophecy premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
