The following review contains spoilers for the first episode of Dune Prophecy, “The Hidden Hand.”

The tasks assigned to ‘The Hidden Hand’ seem insurmountable. The premiere of Dune: Prophecy asks to set up a massive cast of characters and the relationships and conflicts between those characters, while simultaneously introducing audiences to an era of the Dune universe never seen before displayed on the screen. many specific ways, very different from the interplanetary Empire of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Dune: Part II. And speaking of Villeneuve, “The Hidden Hand” also aims to recreate the atmosphere of his Dune films on a much smaller budget. So honestly, it’s quite remarkable how much the episode is able to accomplish in its hour-and-change duration, while also disappointing that it’s not a complete success.

“The Hidden Hand” is much better at adding the lore of the Dune universe than it is at telling a story. I’m not a big fan of voiceover, but hearing the story of the Butlerian Jihad and the role the Atreides and Harkonnens played in it is just the right kind of lore that makes fans of the Dune universe want to dive deeper as they sit up in their seats (though I’m still salty, they called it “the wars against the thinking machines”). It’s interesting to see how the universe has so recently broken free from the shackles of the thinking machines, with people so easily regaining faith in them. But when the premiere gets to the heart of the Emperor’s political woes with House Richese, it never generates any interest. It’s a storyline that feels more in line with the Star Wars prequels and their trade federations than the sprawling sci-fi epic we’ve come to love, and it slows the episode’s momentum.

However, that doesn’t mean that every element of the current thread drags. There’s a lot to chew on with the Sisterhood and the war within itself over how to proceed in the future, and the portent of Tyrant-Arafael and the reckoning that Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) represents. It also doesn’t hurt to get Emily Watson and Olivia Williams for the roles of Valya and Tula Harkonnen, as they consistently elevate the sometimes dry writing. Jessica Barden and Emma Canning aren’t often able to do the same and come across as stiff and clumsy as the younger Valya and Tula, but it seems more a symptom of the clunky dialogue. There are enough carrots on the stick between Tiran-Arafael, the backstories of the Harkonnen sisters, and Sister Lila’s lineage to keep “The Hidden Hand” from getting bogged down in the mundane. But it certainly feels uneven.

There is also an imbalance in the presentation of the premiere. With the budget of a premium cable series and not a major studio blockbuster, Dune: Prophecy does its best to fit the molds of Dune and Dune: Part II, but more often than not it doesn’t feel like an imitation. “The Hidden Hand” has its ups and downs, with the CGI often buckling under the pressure of comparison to its big screen counterparts, while costumes and sets feel like, well, costumes and sets, rather than helping to create a cohesive to build a convincing story. and immersive fictional worlds. There are occasional moments of greatness – Kasha’s nightmare sequence and the gruesome burning of young Master Richese come to mind – but the premiere never quite manages to blend into Dune’s universe.

Dune: Prophecy Series Premiere Gallery