Among the several noteworthy characters of Dune: Prophecy, Desmond Hart is one of the most enigmatic. Desmond Hart's mysterious connection to the Omnius Plague and his supposed links to both the Harkonnen and Atreides lineage make his ripe for narrative exploration. As per Dune lore, Desmond Hart's connection to the Omnius Plague is telling in the sense that he has used the plague to bring down the Sisterhood.
In the world of Dune: Prophecy, Desmond Hart wields significant powers and therefore is opposed to the Sisterhood. He is portrayed as someone who champions the cause of the Thinking Machines over the Sisterhood and might be called into action by Omnius.
Dune: Prophecy is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Frank Herbert's son Brian Herbert in association with Kevin J. Anderson. The novel draws largely upon the original Dune novels written by Frank Herbert and also expands upon the universe established by the original franchise. The narrative of the TV show is set about 10,000 years before the rise of the house of Paul Atreides as depicted in the film duology of the same name directed by Dennis Villeneuve.
Although the idea of the Omnius Plague is original to the expanded novels, the seeds of the idea were there in the original franchise. Here's everything that we know.
Desmond Hart's connection to the Omnius Plague on Dune: Prophecy explained
Desmond Hart is presented as some sort of an enigma in the larger scheme of things on Dune: Prophecy. According to the fifth episode of the show, the origin story behind the character was explained. As the story goes, Desmond was swallowed by a sandworm and then thrown back out. However, upon being ejected from the sandworm, Desmond developed certain powers that were not mentioned in the original novels.
It is also hinted by the show that Desmond might have played a determining role in the murder of Kasha from the sisterhood. It is noteworthy that Kasha succumbed to the Omnius Plague. All in all, the show succinctly points out that Desmond might be an agent of Omnius, being deployed to resist the Sisterhood's rise to eminence and to restore power to the Thinking Machines.
During the fourth episode of the show, Desmond was seen putting nobles to death owing to their use of Thinking Machines. Nevertheless, this might just be a ploy to curry favor with Emperor Javicco and to be in his good books. He has no personal dislike against AI and his overtly displayed resistance to the Thinking Machines might just be a decoy to further his aims of reducing the powers of the Sisterhood and The Imperium.
What is the Omnius Plague from Dune: Prophecy?
The plague was first described as the Omnius Scourge in the novels and is a weaponized plague that was deployed by Omnius to kill humans. Initially, the plague took form in the liver. It then proceeded to affect the human body in two phases. During the first phase, weight loss was followed by yellowing skin and eyes, and paranoia.
Trending
The second phase brought to bear severe consequences including intense weight loss, tendon damage-related injuries, high fevers, and liver shutdowns that would eventually kill the individual affected. In contrast to this, the Omnius Plague defined in the TV takes hold of the brain, leading to nightmares and the like.
Dune: Prophecy is available exclusively on Max.
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
