Dune: Prophecy’s Desmond Hart Could Be Key to a Colossal Twist in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Messiah Despite Bizarre Robot Theory

Spoiler Alert!!

The Dune universe is more than just another typical science fiction. It also consists of politics, mystical powers, and storylines spanning centuries. With each new adaptation, fans get a further look at where humanity is changing not only physically but psychologically as well as technologically.

Dune: Prophecy is the latest offering from HBO’s world of Frank Herbert. The show is about the origin of Bene Gesserit. Moreover, it also shows the character of Desmond Hart, who probably has the potential to rewrite everything fans believed to know about the Dune mythology.

Potential Connection of Desmond Hart with Dune: Messiah

Desmond Hart, portrayed by Travis Fimmel, is not a conventional science fiction soldier. He is an original creation for Dune: Prophecy. Hart escaped death in a sandworm attack that should have killed him and emerged with powers that even the Bene Gesserit could not handle.

He has the power of pyrokinesis. However, unlike most other fire manipulations, Hart can internally burn people with his thoughts. This ability works when he puts his hand on his head, which is a reference to the psychic bond given to him by the Shai-Hulud, the deity of sandworms in Arrakis.

However, Hart very much resembles Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho. In Dune, Idaho died a heroic death while he was defending House Atreides. In the source material Dune: Messiah, he is resurrected again as a Ghola– a clone created from the DNA of dead ones.

In the novel, Bene Tleilax recreates Idaho and gifts him to Paul Atreides with a hidden motive to kill him after he becomes the emperor. However, things don’t go exactly according to their plans.

The theory that connects Hart to Duncan Idaho appears to be well-founded. Due to his appearance, mysterious abilities, and role in the narrative, he can be considered an early iteration of the Ghola. His evasion of what appeared to be a certain death by sandworm can be the initial sign of a resurrection technology that later becomes significant in the Dune plot.

As Denis Villeneuve is working on the script of Dune 3 inspired by Dune: Messiah, fans might see Duncan Idaho once again, just like he reappeared in the novel, and Desmond Hart’s true nature and potential resurrection could set up the concept of Ghola in Dune universe.

Is Desmond Hart an AI or Something More?

Theories about the true nature of Hart have been going around on the Internet. One of the most interesting ideas has been that he might be an artificial intelligence or some kind of android cyborg. For instance, one Reddit user said, “Look, I am in the ‘he’s a robot’ camp,” pointing towards the character’s mysterious abilities.

This theory is well supported by the technological environment of the Dune universe. The planet Ix is known for technological innovations and has a history of inventing advanced machines. Given the agenda of advancing knowledge in technology in Ix, Hart could possibly be an artificial being created by the Ixians to infiltrate and possibly dominate the sisterhood.

Fans have also drawn similarities between the pain induction technology of the Gom Jabbar test and Hart’s ability to burn people from the inside. Some might consider the possibility of advanced technology of Hart‘s powers to be the precursor to the nerve manipulation techniques used in that infamous test.

Another theory indicates that Hart might be a basis for future human enhancement. He resisted Bene Gesserit’s powers and developed his powers, which can be because of experimental methods to extend human abilities outside physiological limits.

As Dune: Prophecy goes on, Desmond Hart still remains a mystery. Whether he is a Ghola, an AI, or something else entirely speaks volumes to the show’s intention to go beyond this already complex universe created by Frank Herbert.

Dune: Prophecy is now streaming on Max.