Why the Harkonnens Look So Different in ‘Dune: Prophecy

When Dune: Prophecy finally premiered on HBO on November 17, 2024, fans instantly noticed how different the iconic Harkonnens looked compared to the two movie versions. Rather than the distinct bald heads and pale skin tone that Vladimir Harkonnen’s band of villains are defined by in David Lynch and Denis Villeneuve’s vision of the classic Frank Herbert sci-fi tale, their appearance in the TV series has an evolutionary component.

To understand the Harkonnens’ physiological evolution, it’s important to know that Dune: Prophecy functions as a prequel to events depicted in the 2021 Dune movie. As such, the villainous race long opposing House Atredies comes from a distant planet much different than their place of origin in the big-screen adaptations. Here’s why the Harkonnens look so differently in Dune: Prophecy.

Dune: Prophecy

Release Date

November 17, 2024

Cast

Emily Watson , Olivia Williams , Jodhi May , Travis Fimmel , Mark Strong , Jade Anouka , Chris Mason , Sarah-Sofie Boussnina , Shalom Brune-Franklin , Faoileann Cunningham , Aoife Hinds , Chloe Lea , Josh Heuston , Edward Davis , Tabu , Yerin Ha

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Creator(s)

Diane Ademu-John , Alison Schapker

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The Harkonnens’ Appearance in ‘Dune: Prophecy’

Based on Great Schools of Dune by Frank Herbert’s son Brian Herbert, Dune: Prophecy is a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 movie Dune: Part 1. Designed as an origin story in which the Bene Gesserit rise, mobilize, and seize power, the story follows Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and her sister, Reverend Mother, Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) as they form a socio-religious cabal and fend off threatening forces.

Depicting the Harkonnen sisters’ rise to power among the Bene Gesserit, the show flashes back and forth between young and adult versions of Valya and Tula. The younger version of Valya is played by Jessica Barden and the youthful Tula by Emma Canning. When the two adult characters are introduced in Dune: Prophecy, Valya and Tula do not bear the distinct bald heads and alabaster skin most fans know the Harkonnens for. Instead, they appear with short brown hair and flesh-colored skin. As an origin story, the choice deliberately relates to where the Harkonnens hail from.

Who Are the Harkonnens in Dune?

In the Dune movies, the Harkonnens appear with bald heads and a pallid skin tone. Led by the story’s primary antagonist, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (played most recently by Stellan Skarsgård in the 2021 movie), the villainous race hails from Planet Geidi Prime. Due to the atmospheric conditions on Geidi Prime and the lack of sunlight, the Harkonnens naturally developed their physical appearance through a long-term evolutionary process.

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In the novel and movies, Geidi Prime is known for its black sun, which desaturates all color to appear all black and white. In the TV show, Valya and Tula Harkonnen precede Vladimir’s reign, slowly galvanizing the race, bolstering its ranks, and organizing its members to fight against House Atreides. Ten thousand years before the Harkonnens colonize Prime Geidi, their origin on planet Lankiveil explains their different appearance.

Why the Harkonnens Look Different in ‘Dune: Prophecy’

In Dune: Prophecy‘s pilot episode, “The Hidden Hand,” it is revealed that sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen come from Planet Lankiveil. Unlike Prime Geidi, Lankiveil is a water-based maritime planet with cold temperatures located in the Corrino Empire. This accounts for the vast physical difference between the Harkonnens on Lankiveil and their descendants 10,000 years later on Prime Geidi.

During their time on planet Lankiveil, The Harkonnens developed the physical appearance seen on the TV show, with Valya and Tula sporting short brown hair and healthy flesh-colored pigmentation. While yet to be seen past the pilot episode, the assumption is that, in the intervening 10,000 years, The Harkonnens migrated from their home planet of Lankiveil and evolved their physiological traits on planet Prime Geidi out of necessity due to the differing environments.

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The climate, atmosphere, sun exposure, temperature, and amount of water on planet Lankiveil led to the Harkonnens’ human-like appearance on the TV show. When the movies catch up with the villainous race 10,000 years later, they’ve naturally developed into wan, shaved-headed baddies who appear far scarier and more formidable. This isn’t a stylistic choice to confuse fans, but rather an evolutionary development the Harkonnens have slowly made in between the events of the movies and TV series.

In classic origin story fashion, Dune: Prophecy portrays how the Harkonnens altered their physiological characters over time based on atmospheric necessity. In telling how, when, and where the enemies of House Atredies began and evolved through a process of natural selection, Dune: Prophecy portrays the Harkonnens as Darwinian survivors capable of moving from one planet to another, adapting to the environment, and changing their appearance as seen fit.

Dune: Prophecy is available to stream on Max.