Dune: Prophecy Season 1: Who Killed [SPOILER] (& Why Did They Do It?)

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 1, “The Hidden Hand.”

Dune: Prophecy Season 1’s debut installment, “The Hidden Hand,” wraps up with the inexplicable (and grisly!) deaths of two characters: Pruwet Richese and Kasha Jinjo. So, who killed Pruwet and Kasha in Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 1, and why did they do it?

Who Killed Pruwet & Kasha in Dune: Prophecy Episode 1?

Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 1’s carnage kicks off with less than 10 minutes to go, following a heart-to-heart conversation between Pruwet Richese and Desmond Hart. L’il Pruwet asks Desmond why a soldier like him is hanging around, given there’s no war there. In response, Hart declares that there is a war going on, but few can see it. He further alleges that sinister forces continue to exert control over the Imperium, despite the thinking machines’ destruction years earlier. If that’s not ominous enough, Hart then reveals he’s been “gifted a great power” and assures Pruwet his “sacrifice” will matter – before the poor kid starts to burn from the inside!

Related: HBO’s Dune: Prophecy Season 1 Falls Short of True Revelation [Review]

This isn’t the only spontaneous combustion scene “The Hidden Hand” has in store for viewers, either. At the same time lightyears away on the Bene Gesserit’s homeworld, Wallach IX, Emperor Corrino’s Truthsayer Kasha Jinjo suffers the same fate as Pruwet. So, who’s behind Pruwet and Jinjo’s deaths? Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 1 strongly implies Desmond Hart is the culprit. After all, he basically admits to murdering Pruwet, and Kasha’s identical exit points to his involvement there, as well. How did Hart do it? It’s not entirely clear at this stage, although it seems he really does have supernatural abilities. Presumably, Hart scored these dubious gifts after being gobbled up by one of Arrakis’ sandworms – an event the Emperor watches a recording of in “The Hidden Hand.”

Why Did Desmond Hart Kill Pruwet and Kasha?

Much like the exact nature of Desmond Hart’s powers, his motivations are still up in the air. That said, there are clues in Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 1 as to Hart’s true intentions. The enigmatic soldier is fanatically devoted to the Imperium, and barely conceals his distaste for Kasha’s influence over the Emperor. So, bumping off the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother is a logical move, from where Desmond’s standing.

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What about Pruwet? That’s a little less obvious, but again, it likely ties back to Hart’s fixation on the Bene Gesserit’s meddling within the Imperium. Towards the end of “The Hidden Hand,” the Emperor admits he’s not keen on Pruwet’s impending marriage to his daughter, Princess Ynez; he’s largely going along with it at Kasha’s urging. As such, killing Pruwet could be Hart’s way of simultaneously serving the Emperor and messing with the Bene Gesserit’s plans!

Dune: Prophecy Season 1 is currently streaming on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.