“Dune: Prophecy” stars discuss Desmond Hart's attack on the Landsraad

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy season 1, episode 4, "Twice Born."

Though Dune: Prophecy is set 10,000 years before the original Dune, many of the characters and concepts in the new show are very familiar to fans of the first. There’s an Emperor from House Corrino on the galactic throne, Bene Gesserit sisters manipulating events from the shadows, precious spice being mined from the sands of the desert planet Arrakis, and a murderous rivalry between Houses Harkonnen and Atreides.

But there’s one character who threatens to upend all our preconceived notions. That would be Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a mysterious warrior with strange powers. Desmond is able to burn people to death, seemingly with only the power of his mind. It’s what he did at the end of the first episode to the rich boy with the thinking machine, and in this Sunday’s episode, he did it again at a meeting of the Landsraad, the legislative governing body of the galaxy. But this doesn’t resemble either the enhanced abilities of the Bene Gesserit or the powers of the prophesied Kwisatz Haderach. So what’s going on?

Related: How Dune: Prophecy unfolds the secret history of the Bene Gesserit

“Desmond Hart is a great mystery,” showrunner Alison Schapker tells Entertainment Weekly. “Where does his power come from, and how is he doing that? Has he, too, pushed the boundaries of what it means to be human forward, or is there more to his story? Those are all things we wanted in play. To understand Desmond will take us on a very interesting ride.”

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The Bene Gesserit are certainly unnerved by Desmond, especially Reverend Mother Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), because he seems impervious to the Voice and is actively opposed to their goals. But for embattled Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong), who is desperately trying to maintain his control over an Imperium that is not that far removed from the great war against the thinking machines, Desmond seems like a godsend.

“He’s the perfect foil for the Emperor because a man who's insecure and not confident of his power suddenly has an enforcer,” Strong tells EW. “Despite the fact he doesn't ask Desmond to do anything on his behalf, Desmond commits a couple of acts which help the Emperor. He suddenly realizes, ‘oh, with this guy in tow, perhaps we can actually exercise the power that I'm supposed to have, but don't feel that I have.’ So he's a very, very useful tool.”

Everyone else in the Dune universe has some secret motive or hidden connection underlying their actions. But so far, Desmond seems to be wearing his heart on his sleeve — even if he’s still being dodgy about how exactly his power works.

Related: How Dune: Prophecy shows the Bene Gesserit's powers in a new light

“The truth is the most brutal weapon sometimes,” Fimmel says. “There are a lot of untruths being told, and I think he comes in with this brutal honesty. It’s very scary to people, especially when there's a lot of political intrigue and politics going on.”

Though Desmond may not be aware of it yet, Valya has a secret weapon of her own. The ending of episode 4 reveals that Valya's cousin, Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis), has a similar power. And after demonstrating its use against his father Evgeny Harkonnen (Mark Addy), Valya intends to use Harrow against Desmond.

"Who's whispering in the ear of your charismatic leader is as important as who's on the throne," Schapker teases. "To see Desmond Hart come and be a different voice in the Emperor's ear obviously impacts the Sisterhood, and is just a fun way to explore how power works."

Dune: Prophecy airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly