Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 3, “Sisterhood Above All.”
Dune: Prophecy‘s latest episode, “Sisterhood Above All,” sees the seemingly sweet-natured Tula Harkonnen murder a bunch of House Atreides’ members – even her fiancé, Orry! But why does Tula kill Orry Atreides, exactly?
Why Does Tula Harkonnen Kill Orry Atreides in Dune: Prophecy?
Tula pruning the Atreides family tree (including Orry) happens as part of Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 3’s flashback narrative. The future Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother – going by “Tula Vale” – makes a strong impression on Orry and the other Atreides after treating an injured horse during a bull hunt. Heck, Orry’s so taken with Tula that he proposes shortly after, despite them only having dated for a few months! She accepts and they knock boots to celebrate, as the rest of the Atreides clan enjoys a campfire rave outside their tent. It’s all looking very rosy… until the next morning.
Here, Tula confesses her Harkonnen identity to Orry, who accepts her despite their houses’ longstanding entity. Again, this should mean a happy ending for Tula and Orry, but anyone familiar with the Dune books – specifically, the Great Schools of Dune trilogy that inspired Prophecy – already knows that’s not where the story is headed. On the contrary, Orry soon discovers that Tula poisoned the Atreides revellers in the night, before he himself dies at the tip of her syringe.
What’s with all the homicides? Well, as Tula reminds Orry prior to bumping him off, House Atreides killed her brother, Griffin Harkonnen, earlier in Episode 3. So, this was Tula’s way of getting the revenge she and (even more so) her older sister, Valya, craved!
Related: What Does Lila’s Prophecy Mean in Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 2?
Why Are House Harkonnen and House Atreides Enemies?
As noted above, Tula slaughtering Orry, his family, and their troops in Dune: Prophecy is part of a millennia-long cycle of tit-for-tat violence between House Harkonnen and House Atreides. Indeed, the fierce rivalry between the Harkonnens and the Atreides is a key aspect of Dune lore, dating back to Frank Herbert’s original novel. Which begs the question: why are the Harkonnens and the Atreides enemies? This is something Dune: Prophecy touches on at various points in its first three episodes.
Related: Dune: Prophecy: What Is Valya Harkonnen’s Voice Power (& How Does It Work)?
In short, the whole feud dates back to the Butlerian Jihad: the human/thinking-machine conflict depicted in Dune: Prophecy‘s prologue. Orry’s great-great-granddad, Vorian Atreides, essentially ordered Tula’s ancestor Abulurd Harkonnen to commit a war crime. Abulurd refused, Vorian branded him a traitor, House Harkonnen’s standing plummeted, and a mega-feud was born. House Atreides ultimately emerges victorious, effectively wiping out House Harkonnen in the wake of the first Dune novel (although the bloodline itself isn’t entirely erased).
Dune: Prophecy Season 1 is currently airing on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.
Published: Dec 3, 2024 12:19 pm