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Ive watched it 3 times now and He's not a ghola(They need flesh) Ixian (not yet)or bene Tlielax????🤔, He got swallowed by Shai-Hulud amd came back different....were probably wrong but im more into this theory than any other online. Thanks Elaine.💯💙
The blue eyes belong to Paul Atreides. At the end of the first book, he tells Gaius Helen Mohiam that when she explores that part of her other memory where she is afraid to go, that she will see his face looking back at her.
I just can’t get over the fact that this soldier shows up to meet the Emperor of the galaxy wearing a trench coat and unshaven. He basically says, ‘Sup,’ does a half assed bow, and asks for a job. Then, he gets invited to hang out at a royal party and even has the freedom to approach the Emperor unguarded, standing over that cliff.
Could be a budget thing but the whole show seems sparsely populated. Especially compared to the pomp and circumstance in the movies. I guess hes supposed to be similar to duncan, but he comes off as some rando from arrakis, not someone previously incorporated within house corrino. Also the actor is constantly smiling. My thing is how ugly the bene geserit are. It’s fine for the older woman/ reverend mothers cause yknow theyre old but they are always attractive and seductive at least from my reading and what ive seen in the movies. And it’s out of necessity. A pretty person will always disarm you no matter the setting, its an upper hand, especially against male targets. Seeing these plain looking woman supposedly enter positions of great power seems quite absurd. Especially so fast. At least a pretty woman can be written off as a gold digger. Back to your point. In the first movie, the herald of the change doctor kynes, who is imperial and neutral is literally held at knife point during a tour SHE is giving to the duke. And this guy in the show just moseys on in like its a costco or something
I assumed that he must have been known of before what happened to the regiment Seeing as when the guard says to the emperor a soldier from arrakis arrived an that its Desmond Hart seemed like the emperor already knew the name
@@_Donovannah people brought this up with House of Dragons. It’s not unintentional. The palace seems sparsely populated for very specific reasons. In HotD. It’s because Larys is a greenseer and personally picked the staff. He set it up for no one to be in the royal chambers for Blood and Cheese. In Dune Prophecy. I’m not sure who….but Hart was able to do all this for a reason. He’s not just “some soldier”. Someone has their eye on them.
@@_Donovan God bless you Haba, I watched the series and everything just didn't make sense. The way the bene gessirt are described they're not the average women you can just turn your eyes away from Plus, this woman by far do not presume to have any sort powers of persuasion on anybody. It's like the only reason we believe it is because we've seen the movies and read the books. But this series fails in depicting them as such
@@_Donovanyour also right about how Desmond hart was presented to us. It didn't make any sense to me, how someone of such decorated status as an officer can waltz up to the emperor of a galactic empire just like that, even in star wars the jedi's no even get that liver sef to walk up to padame just like that . I don't understand why everyone isn't addressing this issues in the series, it's like everyone is so excited that we are having a dune series that they're too blind to see how bad this show is, it's terrible coming out from HBO like the same HBO that gave us Succession Broadway empire Entourage Game of thrones Spawn Need I go on. Haba
I suspect that Desmond’s power to burn someone from within will prove to be the genesis of the Jom Gabbar test. We’ve seen, at this point, that a seasoned Bene Gesserit was powerless against this strange new attack. This threat may push the Sisterhood to discover defenses that neutralize such an attack - maybe the beginnings of learning to manipulate their bodies at the molecular level and disable the neurochemical mechanism by which the burning attack occurs. But in order to do this, they must be able to control their mind in the midst of great physical pain. Over time, this ability may have come to be essential for the protection and survival of the Sisterhood; an ability that every Bene Gesserit must demonstrate they possess; thus, a test that every Bene Gesserit must pass. I’ll find it really satisfying if this turns out to be the case.
Not sure why everyone says Desmond got swallowed by the worm. I''ve looked at it again and again, frame by frame. To my eyes, the worm dives down just in front of him (alongside the vehicle). As the worm approaches you see that he is standing quite far to the camera side of the vehicle, and when the worm crashes down it's directly alongside the vehicle. I think in one frame you even see his kneeling outline in front of where the worm crashes down (and is engulfed in the sand). Even when he was talking about it, I dont think he said he was inside the worm, he just spoke of clawing his way up through the sand (I may be wrong on that part!). I think it's just as likely that he was pulled under by the nearby worm entry and then either did crawl out, or died and was replaced by a Clone/Ghola. That would be less "magical" and be more fitting of this universe. He's using some pretty fancy tech to do the burning thing, and he's apparently going to be physically resistant to the witches, which doesn't sound like a bog standard human soldier to me. More like a being created by a technological adversary.
No this is bad you don't understand how bad this is if Leto II is whispering in this madman's ear and he is actively being involved in the past this is bad. This is really bad because there's no plan that the Bene Gesserit can come up with that will stop him because the god Emperor is everywhere he can see everything so there is no plan that they can do to stop this Harold of the god emperor.
The plots are interesting and I hope it continues. I liked the first episode. He did reference a lot of things that support your theory. Thanks you for sharing your thoughts!
@@Coinpease I think that his main target wasn't Prewet so much as it was and is the Sisters of the BG. They are the main target and if we look at it that way then, yeah, the thinking machines would absolutely want to remove them from play by any means.
I love Dune too but I had low expectations abour the show. I loved it even if I prefer Frank Herbert's version of the jihad. Its time to get good at Dune Spice wars to scratch the itch between episodes 😆
The fun part is thinking about how to ground in how it would actually work within the limits of what Frank established. Interesting to consider at the least IMO.
Thank you for this posting of your theory of the shows plot around Desmond Hart. Though I too initially believed him to be a Tleilaxu Ghola (and may still be?), but felt there was something deeper regarding his spiritual statements and the connections with Shai-Hulud, Old Father Eternity...
I think that he's the kwisatz haderach prototype that the bene gesserit will breed for in the future. They can't control this one, so they start the program to create one they can control.
I think the lights are going to be Omnius. I enjoyed the episode a lot. It does feel very Brian Herbert though. I hope you’re right though! Very cool theory.
I was initially drawn to (Quinn's) idea of a Ghola, but I've cooled after some (minimal) research. Apparently Gholas did not achieve the ability to clone the source's memories until the time of Muad'Dib (Paul Atreides), and this entity seems to have the memories/personality of Desmond Hart. Although, that is only implied,.. Maybe only physical ID has been performed, not some kind of psychological check. All we really know from the show is that this is some dude that looks like him thsat rocked upto the palace gates. I can't find any firm info on when the Tlelaxians created memory-less Gholas (or even when they thenselves arose) so I guess it could still be one, one with implanted memories and personality. If the show in any way confirns the idea that this person is/thinks he is Desmond Hart, then it's not a Ghola (Dune book nerds would revolt!)
It's definitely not a ghola. This show will be lucky to get a second season. No chance in hell the show gets to spoil anything about the Dune Part 3/Dune Messiah movie.
I don't buy the ghola theory, because didn't this event just happen. Everything we know they would have had to grow this ghola 30 years ago for it to age, then set up all this to get it into the palace. I guess it depends if they will be more true to Frank Herbert, or butcher the story / lore like Brian.
Do we know Desmond is even a physical entity at this point? He could be a projection of the mind of the characters we see that interact with him. Possibly put in their minds by a being who may be considered a "God Emperor?"
The test Paul passes, the box, does not actually burn the hand, it just tells your mind that your hand is burning. I wonder if those who could pass that test would be immune to Desmond's assassination technique. Desmond could be a type of "Pain Box." The two victims may have felt they were burning in their mind, thus it manifested physically. If they could override that sensation and "feel nothing" maybe they would still be alive.
Well but Hayt is not reaally a spoiler, the Tleilaxu gift the Ghola to Paul and explain what he is. It doesn't matter if the public knows what a Ghola is before Messiah. At least that is my opinion@@Jimmy-o2g3m
Here is a theory I developed to explain how Leto 2 can influence events in the past. At first I balked at this ideas as there is no indication in the Dune books that such beings can change or influence the past, only that they can see the past and to some extent, see the future. Then it occurred to me that in the Dune universe, there is a way to 'communicate' with the past and by doing so, influence/guide/manipulate events. Leto 2 could anticipate certain people having prescience, and he could leave messages in his present, which is the future for those in the past. These messages or manipulations of events could be in the form of large scale events that catch the attention of those in the past who have prescience, and also be configured in a way that he knows with his deep understanding of humanity, that in seeing these future things, would set that person on a path of Leto's choosing. Therefore, Leto 2 not only sends a message to the past, but he also dictates some people and evens of the past according to his own design. So although time travel to the past is not possible in the Dune universe, Leto can see the past. And in the case of those in the past with prescience, they can see the future. This essentially enables two way communication between Leto 2 and people in the past. And if two way communication is possible, then it is also possible for Leto to manipulate and dictate events in the past just as he manipulates and dictates evenings in the future at the other side of the galaxy and also events thousands of years in the future by setting the conditions of the present. And, if I remember it right as being in the six Herbert books, he even left literal messages on cave walls for a future BG sister (Odrade?) to find. So technically, Leto 2 could influence the past to ensure that he himself comes into being.
There's a really grand irony to the fact that the whole point of the series is to resist charismatic leaders but canon always suggests that leto, despite easily being the most outwardly despicable tyrannical character of all (save maybe his ego memory, Harum) ends up being the hero. He makes himself the villain to teach humanity a necessary weapon that presumably leads them to overcoming krazilec, without anyone having a clue about any of this until the BG find his diary. The biggest villain is quietly the hero of the entire saga.
@Coinpease Not sure it is the whole point of the series. I admit there is a small minority of us that interpret Dune quite differently though. I see Paul as the deconstruction of the Hero's Journey in a sense and yes also a warning about charismatic leaders. That is only a small part to me though. I just do not feel Dune is a space opera like the first book appears to be. For me it is.. Arrakis = Earth Sandworms = Humans Spice = Loosh. Great Houses = Archons/Annunaki/Watchers Missionara Protectiva = Abrahamic religions Threat to Humanity = Demiurge Golden Path = Gnosis, and the way out. And I could go on and on and on and on but many of the correlations TH-cam will censor as they do not like truth. I think Frank Herbert knew what we actually are, where we are, and who we are. Remember Herbert was big into allegory, which is why Tolkein hated the Dune series. I think Tolkein actually did not like what Herbert was exposing... .
I think Desmond Hart is the FIRST Kwisatz Haderach, and his existance was pure chance. his own prescience revealed the golden path and the God Emperor to him. His plan now is to ensure that the Bene Gesserit breeding program results in Leto II. I predict that he is also an Atreides and is an ancestor of both Jessica and Leto I.
Love the theorising but it doesn't make sense. There is no indication in the Dune novels that Leto 2 or anyone or anything can travel backwards in time in any form and influence the past. Edit: actually, I just realised that in the Dune universe, there is a way to communicate with the past. Leto 2 could anticipate certain people having prescience, and it could leave messages in his present, which is the future for those in the past. Then, having a deep understanding of humanity and psychology etc, he could structure those present day events/messages in such a way that he knows it would set people in the past viewing them on a certain path.
This is really cool theory! Love the notion that this experience is what pushes the BG to move beyond just having someone on the throne but to push the genetics program forward. Very cool idea
Desmond is a ghola who does not know he is a ghola, he attributes him suriving the worm to mythicism -is my theory. who made that recording of the fight are likely the same people who are allied with desmond ghola, desmond gave him the video of him dying to the emperor for a reason. to convince him of his mythical purpose to cleanse the imperium. The Tlelax i think would be driving it... Desmon is a rasputin type character meant to divide up the court and stop the BG control . he will convince the emperor to give him power with help of the empress to undermine the bg control of the emperor. also desmond is clutching a black cloth as he walks into the palace. i think that is a triggering device or something for desmond's ghola? it was a piece of his still suit? i dont know
But that's what Frank Herbert intended for us who read his work to do. Think! I have read the canon a few times and I have always found moments in the books that I felt were messages placed by the God Emperor to move things towards his intensions. I can't remember any specifics right now, but this Nerd theory reminds me of those moments while I had been reading and thinking through the books in the past, that the God Emperor was placing seeds of ideas at certain times in the past.
I really love this idea! I think this show has so much potential, and fully leaning into the strangeness of Frank’s work can only lead to good things in my opinion
I doubt The God Emperor directly influenced the past. It would be more in line with the Dune lore that Desmond somehow peeked into the future and saw the Golden Path, just like Paul and Leto II. He knows he does not have the training nor the skills to become The Worm, but he sees the path to that. So he uses the same tools a The God Emperor and molds The Sisterhood into The Bene Gesserit by oppsing them, thus forcing them to evolve.
I'm thinking the same thing. Scytale says the Tleilaxu "once once bred a kwisatz haderach of our own." Later in the book, when Irulan asks about the origin of this kwisatz haderach, he says: "We've dabbled in various pure essences. Pure good and pure evil. A pure villain who delights only in creating pain and terror can be quite educational." And when Irulan asks how their kwisatz haderach was overcome, Scytale answers that it committed suicide because "A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of his selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation." It's possible that Desmond Hart is this evil kwisatz haderach, created by the Tleilaxu in an effort to prevent the Bene Gesserit from taking control of the empire. If so then I expect the series to eventually reveal how this was done, and continue to show him employing unique abilities stemming from his genetic enhancements to create incidents of targeted pain and terror that disrupt the Bene Gesserit's plans. The Bene Gesserit will attempt to defeat him in various ways, but will be unsuccessful until Sister Lila (the acolyte that stands out for her empathy and kindness) is somehow able to make him feel love, either for her or possibly for another character like Ynez. Unable to cope with the emotion, he will commit suicide. And the Bene Gesserit, realizing that a kwisatz haderach could be an immensely powerful tool to advance their aims but also an enormous threat if given too much free will, resolve to focus their breeding program on creating one they can control.
I think he’s a facedancer of IX. Let’s be honest here, yes the theory that he could be a Herold of Leto is cool and all the only problem I have with that thought would be how? Time travel? I do not think that that’s the gimmick here. But a facedancer though. The subtle involvement form the IX’iants would be more possible. Anyway these are my two cents.
I think in order to fit better within the established lore the "time travel" element would need to be something akin to these ancient characters getting a glimpse of Kralizec in some form. In essence that would move them toward seeing the need to pave the way for the tyrant vs. fighting against the arrival of the tyrant.
I just hope the spaceing guild is explored a little more in this series. The movie pretty much only did the minimum in terms of exploring them. Considering how much power and influence they have in this universe I would hope they would show a little more
Very interesting theory. I can see how it fits together. I also like the ghola theory in either event the show runner has created a really fascinating character.
Thanks for mentioning the connection to the Gom Jabbar test, I totally missed that! My theory atm is that Desmond is a Ghola with artificial eyes (that's why he rubs his temple and has a scar on the same side), as the first Gholas had have them, and he kinda sends his fear and death experience within the inner fires of the worm (that's why they burn) into Kasha, what is part of her vision (she searches her arms for something afterwards) and Pruwet by eye contact. Kasha just resists longer bc of the prana-bindu training. And as you mentioned that might be the reason why the Gom Jabbar test, which maybe works like Desmonds technique, was established.
The way the boy and Bene Gesserit were dispatched at the end of the episode brought to mind the test and the box for me too. When Desmond faces the worm it seems a sort of test as well. He is able to conquer his fear and "passes." I also think he may not have used powers to burn the two victims but used some power that in their minds he convinced them they were burning and it manifested. Mind over matter. Maybe Desmond is not necessarily there in the physical, but a projection in the mind of the other characters, planted there, like the box plants the sensation of burning in the mind.
I am glad you are saying that the eyes are the God Emperor's. Others were saying it was Paul, but Paul didn't go fully Kwisatz Haderach because he couldn't sacrifice his humanity, Leto II did.. I instantly thought those eyes were Leto II's
the first Reverand Mother said "tiran-arafel" before her vision and Kasha seen the same eyes in her vision but it was accompanied with mechanical sounds... I'm wondering if maybe it was Omnius ?
@@harryknapper1133no he wasn’t. He was an artificial Kwisatz Haderach. He took short cuts to gain the power of the Keisatz Haderach. Not the same thing as being the true and legit Kwisatz Haderach. The spice is the key. Paul cheated by using Spice to gain the power. The true Kwisatz Haderach would be born that way. Not made through training and drugs.
I like the theory, but I don't think that the Bene Tleilax had the ability to make Gholas at this point in the timeline. Also, why does he "need" to be a ghola? It seems you're assuming that the worm kills him: We don't see that, and we're clearly lacking info. And this is modern TV, where "Death fake-outs" are a dime a dozen. I think we'll eventually see the worm "bow" to him, as it does to Paul, and that's covered by the blowing sands in the holovid. I think your theory is better w/o the Ghola angle. (I haven't read the Brian Herbert books^1, so maybe I'm missing something...) (1: Even if you like Brian Herbert's story ideas and dialog, which are just bad, IMO, he didn't do his research: As I've discovered from TH-cam vids, he put a character named "Butler" in his book about the Butlerian Jihad and the Machine Crusade is therefore named after her, *but his dad clearly called it the "Butlerian Jihad" after English author Samuel Butler!!!*)
Huh. This is the best explaination ("herald") of Hart and his roles/powers that I have heard. Desmond is, indeed, the standout element of the season so far. The bar scene is the low point.
Interesting imagination you have, but your idea of Desmond being a herald does mean that the God-Emperor created the opportunity for his own existence. And that is a bit much for me. The character is a novelty though, and ultimately we will see what the makers of Prophecy have in mind for him, or that he is just a storyline to give the Bene Gesserit just some sort of powerfull enemy they have to overcome
The worm swallowing the entire Chapterhouse was, IMO, definitely Leto. Thus, the blue eyes could also be Leto. However, the machine noises cast doubt on this. Re: the holo/video of Desmond's apparent death- who planted it for Javicco to find? Did they alterate it, i.e. deep fake?
Great video and that’s where my mind went. The sisterhood only mention in the intro they’re using the breeding program to place someone on the throne. By the end of the season they will be changing plans to create the super being !!!
I think that Desmond, if a herald of anything, is probably a herald of Omnius and is a face dancer. Valya senses this and causes the cascade of events to unfold the timeline that brings about the need for the kwisatz haderach to counter the machine threat. I don't recall the God Emperor being able to influence events in the past, he's only able to influence events in the future by manipulating the present with all the context of the past at his finger tips. Dune is complicated so there's a thousand ways this could go. I just hope they don't make the god emperor able to influence the past...that seems odd to me
I was thinking the same.... The remnants of Omnius or the everminds. It's hard to see there being cymek influence on Arrakis without the involvement of the Ixians so it makes sense that their alignment with Richese plays a big part in this series
I LOVE your theory, I like to think that this show could help build towards the Golden path and Denny's vision for dune 3. Also I hope this is the case cause of the respect and love for frank Herbert's creation.
The blue eyes, I think, is a prescient vision of the return of Omnious. The way I understand it...the God Emperor with his Golden Path is not able to prevent the return of the machines. Rather, he prevents the use of prescience to discover where all humans exists. When Siona goes through her test it mentions the sounds of machines seeking humans out in holes, etc. So, the machines will return. The Duncan gholas are to deal with the machines directly via one last Duncan who has the abilities of all the Duncan's needed to bridge the conundrum of human/machine interdependence.
@Christo_Trismegistus and the robotic speaking when we see the square blue eyes? When Paul tells Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam about when she looks in her inner memories, in the place they find so horrifying, he would be looking back at her, I doubt an inner vision would have blue eyes?
This is an awesome theory. Some of this show is based on Kevin Herbert's books too. I've been thinking Desmond could be an emissary of Omnius. But that doesn't explain how he survived the worm.
I hope they are setting up more films. Good thoughts and fascinating. They may want to make this guy but in their image. The reviewers who criticize this show are not seeing the forest for the trees
I certainly hold my own problems with the show from a storytelling perspective so I understand a lot of the critiques and agree on many. However as a Dune fan I think its fun to break down the weirder elements and visions in this show and how they can possibly fit within my own Frank Herbert-inspired head-canon.
Arafel in the Dune universe represents the limit or boundary of prescient sight-a point beyond which even those with prophetic abilities cannot see. It’s akin to an opacity or a “cloud darkness,” much like trying to look through frosted glass and being unable to discern what’s on the other side. Prescience in Dune is deeply tied to vision and foresight, allowing characters like Paul Atreides and Leto II to anticipate and predict future events. When Leto II mentions that the Ixians couldn’t create Arafel, he doesn’t imply they were attempting to manufacture prescient abilities or a literal object called Arafel. Instead, he means that the Ixians were incapable of developing technology that could lead to humanity’s extinction-an event that would effectively end the future and, by extension, prescient sight. His reign as the God Emperor was a time of absolute control, creating a “fog of war” where others could not see beyond his rule, even the powerful Bene Gesserit became his servants. The widespread use of the Tarot introduces chaos and unpredictability, clouding Paul’s prescient vision. It causes people to act in unforeseen ways, making it difficult for him to anticipate future events. This illustrates how randomness and collective actions can limit even the most potent prescient abilities. In essence, Arafel symbolizes the ultimate boundary of foresight-a looming sense of doom or significant upheaval that is both unsettling and impenetrable. Understanding why this limit exists can be disturbing, as it often suggests an impending catastrophe. The Ixians weren’t creating Arafel itself; rather, their actions had the potential to bring about conditions that would impose this final limit on prescient sight.
I have 2 different thoughts now: 1) Alia was able to talk to Paul in the past, presumably because she is preborn. Maybe Leto II did something similar with Desmond? That would align with your train of thought on Leto setting up the golden path. 2) Sheena was able to avoid getting eaten by sandworms, and could control them. Maybe something similar happened to Desmond, which plants the seed for the Sheena myth. Tbf it has been a bit since I've read Heratics so there might be something I'm forgetting in this origin, like how the sandworms have a pearl of Leto's conciousness. A ghola could work for Desmond's survival, but Duncan was the first to regain memories from before he died.
When Desmond started talking about being reborn I though "yep, ghola" (my theory is his pyrokinesis is some form of Ixian or Tlelaxu technology) or that, alternatively, he could be a proto-kwisatz haderach (whatever really happened to him on Arrakis may have had a similar effect to Paul taking the water of life) and his existence is what makes the Bene Gesserit change their plan from a sister on the throne to creating a superbeing who can. I definitely think your theory is interesting too and would love it if it's correct and we get the God Emperor of Dune himself.
I'm not sure Desmond intentionally killed Kasha. Kasha told the Mother Superior that she had a very close bond with the boy. I suspect she burned mainly because the boy burned. Collateral damage rather than Desmond having such enormous power across space and planets.
@NerdCookies Yes, you're right. Thanks for the correction. That does make me wonder about just how supremely powerful Desmond is supposed to be. Hopefully all will unfold.
I was freaking out when she mentioned the tyran arafel/tyrant god. I think Desmond has some sort of ixian tech and hes more of a sign of what the god emperor warned of and eventually prevented. Before leto died he said "do not fear the ixalians for they cannot create arafel" meaning they cannot create god or anything like leto2 or paul. I feel kasha was killed by one of the benegeserit acolytes using the same tech as Desmond
Eh, you are connecting too many things too early. The captions say the glowing eyes in the stars are "mechanical." I immediately thought Omnious or Erasmus might be who was being referenced, especially in relation to the aftermath of Arrafel, Kralizec. Basically it was the void saying they needed a way to communicate with their former enslavers on the same level, aka a Kwisatz Haderach. I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves... including myself. Can't wait for episode 2.
This series is going to be really good. I'm not too well versed in Dune Lore but I think we are closer to the machine wars than we are the Kwisatch Harderatch. I think Desmond Hart is an agent of whatever it is trying to take over, like Arafel. They're setting up this plan they don't realize will take 10,000 years to complete, they think it's gonna happen in the next few hundred years. Desmond Hart is trying to stop that for some reason. It's gonna be good, one way or the other.
@@NerdCookies I don't even care about that. It was that they COULD have had an awesome backstory to how it was developed and came about. Instead it's literally handwaved away as something she was working on on the side, like how I would work on a joke. Just a side hobby, something to occupy her spare time. And then used once, never mentioned again, literally a Deus Ex Machina.
Excellent theory, Nerd Cookies! Dune 4 and afterwards only showed a bit of the God Emperor's powers--he had many wives, more than one Major Domo and lived for 3,500 yrs while projecting himself backwards and forwards in time. Who's to say that he COULDN'T go that far back or that his voice wasn't distorted to an extent by such things?! The Bene Gesserit would be TERRIFIED of such revelations! 😲
It is not Desmond at 2:04 it is not him at all. Look at the face and the armor is fremen in nature. How could so many have missed this? Look at his nose!
Fascinating speculation. His backward glance at Kesha could be a sardonic contemplation of the future of the BG order. It is quite a contrast for Desmond Hart (Heart?) to overcome fear by feeling nothing to the BG Litany of Fear letting fear pass through them. However fear is an important emotion that warns us of and prepares us to deal with danger. Overcoming fear builds trust relationships. Very few humans have no fear, only those with Urbach-Wiethe disease (damage to both or either of the amygdala in the brain) have no fear. Victims of this disease also have impairments in emotional processing of music. There are also other impairments. The BG's discounting of love lead to their downfall when a sister, Lady Jessica, had a son instead of a daughter. And Tula Harkonnen's basic motivation is revenge for her family against the Atreides. Ironically this is still a major source of conflict 10,000 years later when the BG help the Baron Harkonnen in his plot to destroy the Atreides. Had Tula acted to heal the rift between her clan and the Atreides, the whole Dune saga would have unfolded in a far different fashion. For all their talk of overcoming control, every major actor in Dune is trying to control all the others. Very few humans have no fear, only those with Urbach-Wiethe disease (damage to both or either of the amygdala in the brain) have no fear. Victims of this disease also have impairments in tion is revenge for her family against the Atreides. Ironically this is still a major source of conflict 10,000 years later when the BG help the Baron Harkonnen in his plot to destroy the Atreides. tion is revenge for her family against the Atreides. Ironically this is still a major source of conflict 10,000 years later when the BG help the Baron Harkonnen in his plot to destroy the Atreides.
100% I believe he is a Gola. And I too thought thats the God Emperor staring back at them. So cool if thats the case, my second favorite book in the series after the original. Not sure if he is there to lay the golden path though, unsure what to make of him. Great review btw.
Shows that depend on ONE character/hook to work, typically fall apart once that hook is revealed; either because the hook ends up being weak, or the show lacks any follow up “hooks/compelling characters”
I think it involves not only The God Emperor, but also his continuation of the never ending line of Duncan Idaho Gholas that eventually result in a Kwizatch Haderach, who can not only mentally “bridge space and time,” but physically as well. It’s no accident that Fimmel as Desmond is reminiscent of Jason Momoa’s Idaho.
As much as I'd love for this show to tie into the God Emperor and to see him on screen, given that this is a Brian Herbert adaptation and it's meant for a more general audience, it's hard to picture the writers doing something that bold. I could see Desmond Hart being an agent of the Ixians or the Tleilaxu, more likely the former, so they can introduce these factions going into Dune Messiah. I think it's especially likely that he's working with the Ixians given the conversation he had with the emperor about "being too quick to discard the machines", and it could explain the burning ability rather than it being a literal power like he says.
I’m kinda leaning toward Ixians myself, with a theory on how both Pruitt and Kasha were hit: killer nanites, with a time-delay in Kasha’s case. With either a mechanically sustained Desmond or even a robotic/cybernetic duplicate as a transport vector. Or if the Ixians and Tleilaxu are working together, a face dancer carrying the weapon.
Duncan Idaho was the first Ghola to be awakened to his previous life's memories. Why would a Herald appear 10,000 years before the God Emperor? I have enough issue with the length of the timeline the Herbert used, I have a hard time believing that a grudge between families would last for 10,000 years, and the stagnation of society that this series is implying, that did not occur in the novels.
At the time of the series, do they use spice as they do in the movies? I guess so because the lady could go back to the Sisterhood pretty fast. I also noticed that Hart was playing a lot with his rings....I wonder if it was just acting or there is something there.
Maybe those more familiar with Dune can help me understand how they have the exact same tech 10k years before the movies take place (like thumpers). Has all technological advancement been halted? Because it doesn't seem like 10k years later they have anything much different from the current period.
There certainly is a stagnation that occurs in the imperium which is ultimately the biggest threat to humanity. But I tend to think there should at least be more aesthetic differences than there are in the show. It's not a big gripe for me but I can understand those that are thrown off by it. It's a totally reasonable point.
One of the steps in the golden path would be house corrino passing control of Dune off to the houses for them to stake a franchise for a time. House atreides can't die and birth the god emperor if the empire collapses under corrino greed and need for total control.
I like the Attack on Titan Eren Yaeger style theory. No rip off implied BTW. I was hoping this character might be King Harum or one of the other "counsel" egos of God Emperor Leto. It wouldn't be a time travel influence but a closing of the loop for what transpires in the later books.
Desmond probably encountered a sister on Arrakis(he had the cloth in his hand in the ep), he might have encountered her and lost a fight, then she left him for dead and edited the recording that was shown to the emperor. This sister on Arrakis might then also be one of the ones who worked on the missionaria protectiva with the Fremen which is pretty cool but probably not yet since the sisterhood don't have reverend mothers. Also, if the recording is real Desmond probably had a massive exposure to spice and he might have had a proto-spice agony where he saw the Worm
If he's a Ghola this will break canon. The first Ghola to remember his past was Hayt, and they made a HUGE deal out of this in Dune Messiah. So, all of this talk of Gholas would mean a serious re-write.
About the burning/telekinesis, I believe it to be some sort of poison. Probably the Bene Gesserit haven't developed their poison immunity by now, that's why the truthsayer died, but I am in the process of reading Sisterhood of Dune, so I might be wrong and the Bene Gesserit have already that ability
Desmond,” its root originates from the Latin words “deus” meaning God, and “monstrare” meaning to show or reveal. Therefore, “Desmond” can be understood as “one who shows or reveals God.”
Been looking forward to you. I thought it might be a Sheena Precedent. When he stood before the worm it reminded me of how Siona acted. Been waiting to see your take on Dune prophecy. Your theory does sound reasonable. What do you think of a precedent for Sheena ?
was thinking the same thing, that it would be really cool if he ensured his own creation and it might be that in the first iteration, he was "born/created" to late to stop the arafel.
@NerdCookies I do not think he is the herald of the God Emperor. Reason 1 - God Emperor was in all of his dealings and actions aiming into the future , he had perfect recall of the past but used it only as a reference book and place to escape to . And by all accounts both his own , Fishspeakers and Bene Geserit possessed no means of affecting past . Reason2 - The character in question appears to exert control over body of the young Ritchese without even physical contact as such .The only reasonable notion of what this may be is : Omnius Plague or some form of nano machinery that is exothermic - child essentially cooked from the inside .When Desmon Hart is holding hands to his head as if concentrating to affect some action . Lore of the Jihad and pre-Jihad era mentioned implants and secreted inside the body devices that permitted , communication , computation and sometimes control of machinery .Cogitators , Cymex and others used such equipment as a matter of routine - if we assume that Hart is a willing or unwitting agent of Omniuse or Cymex it meshes well with the glowing electronic eyes in the center of the chaos and distorted electronic speech that dying Reverend mother saw
This show first avoided the Brian Herbert KJA stuff. No offense to that but I did not want shows based on that. So far this show is promising and if done well can setup for more Dune Universe.
Seems a bit of a stretch to start heralding the coming of the God Emperor and the Golden Path so far out from Leto II's actual arrival. Considering he was not even a footnote in Duniverse history. However he must of made some connection with the worms when they taught him the litany of fear.
Who knows what Shai-Hulud remembers?? Or how far they can see??? Its proven they are sentient? I like this theory but I dont think they're gonna go there to God Emperor, this series is to empower the films and "prepare the way" 😂 for Dune Messiah.
Humans experience time linearly. Someone like KH doesn't have such restrictions. It's possible, they can experience and influence it all at backwards and forwards.
If this is the god Emperor and if his Harold is in this time. There is no plan that the Bene Gesserit could do. They are truly at the mercy of the Tyrant and his agent that is in this time period. Because think about it this is an age where prescience is very very new. The spacing Guild may have an understanding of prescience but ultimately there are no real pressing beings that are able to stop this Herald from carrying out the tyrants plan. There is no real person able to stop him from carrying out his plan unless he gets busted but then again it Leto is whispering in his ear telling him where to go and what to do then there is no stopping him there is literally no plan they can do to stop him He will carry out the tyrants plan.
I can't speak yet to what type of being Desmond is. I do have some random thoughts and observations to deepen the mysteries even more. One thing is clear: he has the ability to lie successfully to the BG. That was the significance of his smug glance back at Keesha. This alone sets him up as a formidable adversary to the BG. Another loose thread that intrigues me is the classroom scene with Tula and the acolytes. There's more here than a simple lesson about myelinated forebrains, leading to psychopaths and liars. I think Desmond himself has transformed into a being with heavy brain myelination, which enables his ability to lie to the BG. What new skills will the BG need to develop to defeat him? It's a higher order of truthsaying than they currently possess. This may be where the small timid acolyte with the natural born truthsaying makes a significant breakthrough, eventually leading to Desmond's defeat. I believe Desmond's interaction with the Worm will be explained later. Was he just collateral damage, truly lost in the sand of the worm's plunge? I think it's more complex than that. Was he ingested and expelled with two new powers? A fried myelinated brain and his ability to burn skin? The latter makes me think about the worm's sensation of heat and friction from its passage through sand. Maybe he acquired an ability to induce heat/friction as a result of his interaction with the worm. How he does it on another planet eludes me. Or are there multiple Desmonds? I'm certainly looking forward to seeing more of this series!
I feel like Desmond is working for/empowered by a thinking machine. The blue eyes and machine voice in visions.... makes me think the index is a thinking machine!
There's too much BH stuff in this to be anything as cool as what you're imagining. At first I thought it was Leto II as well, but after watching it again I'm pretty sure it's a reference to Omnious, because that's what BH wanted the great enemy at the end of the series to be. As for Hart being a ghola, that would mess up the continuity with Messiah since gholas can't be returned to their original personalities until Duncan does it, but considering their disregard for canon, anything's possible. They can always say he doesn't have Hart's memories, rather he's just programmed to act like he does.
I remember the God Emperor only being able to feel, see, experience, talk to, etc the past through genetic memories. I don't think Paul or Leto II can actually change or manipulate the past. There is no "time travel" in Dune. Desmond may be the start of the path that leads to Leto II, but I don't think Desmond can be following a path set before him by Leto II himself. This would I believe break Dune lore immensely. I do hope this theory is true, as Leto II is the most fascinating character of them all.
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Ive watched it 3 times now and He's not a ghola(They need flesh) Ixian (not yet)or bene Tlielax????🤔, He got swallowed by Shai-Hulud amd came back different....were probably wrong but im more into this theory than any other online.
Thanks Elaine.💯💙
The blue eyes belong to Paul Atreides. At the end of the first book, he tells Gaius Helen Mohiam that when she explores that part of her other memory where she is afraid to go, that she will see his face looking back at her.
I just can’t get over the fact that this soldier shows up to meet the Emperor of the galaxy wearing a trench coat and unshaven. He basically says, ‘Sup,’ does a half assed bow, and asks for a job. Then, he gets invited to hang out at a royal party and even has the freedom to approach the Emperor unguarded, standing over that cliff.
Could be a budget thing but the whole show seems sparsely populated. Especially compared to the pomp and circumstance in the movies. I guess hes supposed to be similar to duncan, but he comes off as some rando from arrakis, not someone previously incorporated within house corrino.
Also the actor is constantly smiling.
My thing is how ugly the bene geserit are.
It’s fine for the older woman/ reverend mothers cause yknow theyre old but they are always attractive and seductive at least from my reading and what ive seen in the movies. And it’s out of necessity. A pretty person will always disarm you no matter the setting, its an upper hand, especially against male targets.
Seeing these plain looking woman supposedly enter positions of great power seems quite absurd. Especially so fast. At least a pretty woman can be written off as a gold digger.
Back to your point. In the first movie, the herald of the change doctor kynes, who is imperial and neutral is literally held at knife point during a tour SHE is giving to the duke. And this guy in the show just moseys on in like its a costco or something
I assumed that he must have been known of before what happened to the regiment
Seeing as when the guard says to the emperor a soldier from arrakis arrived an that its Desmond Hart seemed like the emperor already knew the name
@@_Donovannah people brought this up with House of Dragons. It’s not unintentional. The palace seems sparsely populated for very specific reasons.
In HotD. It’s because Larys is a greenseer and personally picked the staff. He set it up for no one to be in the royal chambers for Blood and Cheese. In Dune Prophecy. I’m not sure who….but Hart was able to do all this for a reason. He’s not just “some soldier”. Someone has their eye on them.
@@_Donovan God bless you
Haba, I watched the series and everything just didn't make sense. The way the bene gessirt are described they're not the average women you can just turn your eyes away from
Plus, this woman by far do not presume to have any sort powers of persuasion on anybody. It's like the only reason we believe it is because we've seen the movies and read the books.
But this series fails in depicting them as such
@@_Donovanyour also right about how Desmond hart was presented to us.
It didn't make any sense to me, how someone of such decorated status as an officer can waltz up to the emperor of a galactic empire just like that, even in star wars the jedi's no even get that liver sef to walk up to padame just like that .
I don't understand why everyone isn't addressing this issues in the series, it's like everyone is so excited that we are having a dune series that they're too blind to see how bad this show is, it's terrible coming out from HBO
like the same HBO that gave us
Succession
Broadway empire
Entourage
Game of thrones
Spawn
Need I go on.
Haba
I suspect that Desmond’s power to burn someone from within will prove to be the genesis of the Jom Gabbar test. We’ve seen, at this point, that a seasoned Bene Gesserit was powerless against this strange new attack. This threat may push the Sisterhood to discover defenses that neutralize such an attack - maybe the beginnings of learning to manipulate their bodies at the molecular level and disable the neurochemical mechanism by which the burning attack occurs. But in order to do this, they must be able to control their mind in the midst of great physical pain. Over time, this ability may have come to be essential for the protection and survival of the Sisterhood; an ability that every Bene Gesserit must demonstrate they possess; thus, a test that every Bene Gesserit must pass. I’ll find it really satisfying if this turns out to be the case.
Only theory I’ve seen that I can really get behind
Awesome theory, I hope someday we can see the God Emperor on screen. Thank you for the video.
Not sure why everyone says Desmond got swallowed by the worm. I''ve looked at it again and again, frame by frame. To my eyes, the worm dives down just in front of him (alongside the vehicle). As the worm approaches you see that he is standing quite far to the camera side of the vehicle, and when the worm crashes down it's directly alongside the vehicle. I think in one frame you even see his kneeling outline in front of where the worm crashes down (and is engulfed in the sand). Even when he was talking about it, I dont think he said he was inside the worm, he just spoke of clawing his way up through the sand (I may be wrong on that part!). I think it's just as likely that he was pulled under by the nearby worm entry and then either did crawl out, or died and was replaced by a Clone/Ghola. That would be less "magical" and be more fitting of this universe. He's using some pretty fancy tech to do the burning thing, and he's apparently going to be physically resistant to the witches, which doesn't sound like a bog standard human soldier to me. More like a being created by a technological adversary.
Being eaten wouldn’t be interesting, Unless he’s a ghola, Or something else
it is not even him, look at the dude's face and his nose, it is not Desmond! His armor is also fremen it is not him!
@@vitaliyred622 Hmmm, are you saying it's not him?
@@poneill65 indeed it is not him, look at his nose and the beard, even the forehead. This is a fremen fanatic it is not Desmond!
Apparently “it’s not him”
If he can bridge past, present and future then yeah, he could have planted a seed. Thanks for the vid.
No this is bad you don't understand how bad this is if Leto II is whispering in this madman's ear and he is actively being involved in the past this is bad. This is really bad because there's no plan that the Bene Gesserit can come up with that will stop him because the god Emperor is everywhere he can see everything so there is no plan that they can do to stop this Harold of the god emperor.
Seeing is much different than touching.
The plots are interesting and I hope it continues. I liked the first episode. He did reference a lot of things that support your theory. Thanks you for sharing your thoughts!
Been waiting for your take. Mind blowing potential for more layers of wonderful lore!
My money is on him being a remnant, a last ditch effort per se, of the Thinking Machines. Some type of hybrid.
Why kill the heir of a clearly machine sympathetic family then?
@@Coinpease I think that his main target wasn't Prewet so much as it was and is the Sisters of the BG. They are the main target and if we look at it that way then, yeah, the thinking machines would absolutely want to remove them from play by any means.
Wow! That was a very deep dive. I think that this was the of the best Nerd Cookies videos that I've seen over the years. ARIGATOGOZAIMASHITA!
I liked the first episode, but I love Dune and am very biased toward anything Dune-related, so maybe that's why I enjoyed it
I love Dune too but I had low expectations abour the show. I loved it even if I prefer Frank Herbert's version of the jihad. Its time to get good at Dune Spice wars to scratch the itch between episodes 😆
So, basically an Ouroboros of millennial scale set in motion by the God Emperor. Could be very interesting!
The fun part is thinking about how to ground in how it would actually work within the limits of what Frank established. Interesting to consider at the least IMO.
Thank you for this posting of your theory of the shows plot around Desmond Hart. Though I too initially believed him to be a Tleilaxu Ghola (and may still be?), but felt there was something deeper regarding his spiritual statements and the connections with Shai-Hulud, Old Father Eternity...
I think that he's the kwisatz haderach prototype that the bene gesserit will breed for in the future. They can't control this one, so they start the program to create one they can control.
Or he is a ripple of Leto II, a thought, a projection, implanted in the minds of those in the past.
I love all the theories
I think the lights are going to be Omnius. I enjoyed the episode a lot. It does feel very Brian Herbert though. I hope you’re right though! Very cool theory.
Tyrant was also said during the vision, sounds like God Emperor. Not to mention he took over the Sisterhoods breeding program from them.
I sure hope it’s Leto 2….im not a big fan of Brian’s continuation….though the series falls off later in the books anyways.
I was initially drawn to (Quinn's) idea of a Ghola, but I've cooled after some (minimal) research.
Apparently Gholas did not achieve the ability to clone the source's memories until the time of Muad'Dib (Paul Atreides), and this entity seems to have the memories/personality of Desmond Hart. Although, that is only implied,.. Maybe only physical ID has been performed, not some kind of psychological check. All we really know from the show is that this is some dude that looks like him thsat rocked upto the palace gates. I can't find any firm info on when the Tlelaxians created memory-less Gholas (or even when they thenselves arose) so I guess it could still be one, one with implanted memories and personality. If the show in any way confirns the idea that this person is/thinks he is Desmond Hart, then it's not a Ghola (Dune book nerds would revolt!)
It's definitely not a ghola. This show will be lucky to get a second season. No chance in hell the show gets to spoil anything about the Dune Part 3/Dune Messiah movie.
I don't buy the ghola theory, because didn't this event just happen. Everything we know they would have had to grow this ghola 30 years ago for it to age, then set up all this to get it into the palace. I guess it depends if they will be more true to Frank Herbert, or butcher the story / lore like Brian.
Do we know Desmond is even a physical entity at this point? He could be a projection of the mind of the characters we see that interact with him. Possibly put in their minds by a being who may be considered a "God Emperor?"
The test Paul passes, the box, does not actually burn the hand, it just tells your mind that your hand is burning. I wonder if those who could pass that test would be immune to Desmond's assassination technique. Desmond could be a type of "Pain Box." The two victims may have felt they were burning in their mind, thus it manifested physically. If they could override that sensation and "feel nothing" maybe they would still be alive.
Well but Hayt is not reaally a spoiler, the Tleilaxu gift the Ghola to Paul and explain what he is. It doesn't matter if the public knows what a Ghola is before Messiah. At least that is my opinion@@Jimmy-o2g3m
I never seem to get tired of your Dune material. Thank you for all the hard work.
Thank you so much for the support! 🙏♥️
Somewhere Frank Herbert is smiling. 🎉
Here is a theory I developed to explain how Leto 2 can influence events in the past.
At first I balked at this ideas as there is no indication in the Dune books that such beings can change or influence the past, only that they can see the past and to some extent, see the future.
Then it occurred to me that in the Dune universe, there is a way to 'communicate' with the past and by doing so, influence/guide/manipulate events.
Leto 2 could anticipate certain people having prescience, and he could leave messages in his present, which is the future for those in the past.
These messages or manipulations of events could be in the form of large scale events that catch the attention of those in the past who have prescience, and also be configured in a way that he knows with his deep understanding of humanity, that in seeing these future things, would set that person on a path of Leto's choosing. Therefore, Leto 2 not only sends a message to the past, but he also dictates some people and evens of the past according to his own design.
So although time travel to the past is not possible in the Dune universe, Leto can see the past. And in the case of those in the past with prescience, they can see the future. This essentially enables two way communication between Leto 2 and people in the past.
And if two way communication is possible, then it is also possible for Leto to manipulate and dictate events in the past just as he manipulates and dictates evenings in the future at the other side of the galaxy and also events thousands of years in the future by setting the conditions of the present. And, if I remember it right as being in the six Herbert books, he even left literal messages on cave walls for a future BG sister (Odrade?) to find.
So technically, Leto 2 could influence the past to ensure that he himself comes into being.
Very well put!
There's a really grand irony to the fact that the whole point of the series is to resist charismatic leaders but canon always suggests that leto, despite easily being the most outwardly despicable tyrannical character of all (save maybe his ego memory, Harum) ends up being the hero. He makes himself the villain to teach humanity a necessary weapon that presumably leads them to overcoming krazilec, without anyone having a clue about any of this until the BG find his diary. The biggest villain is quietly the hero of the entire saga.
@Coinpease Not sure it is the whole point of the series. I admit there is a small minority of us that interpret Dune quite differently though. I see Paul as the deconstruction of the Hero's Journey in a sense and yes also a warning about charismatic leaders. That is only a small part to me though.
I just do not feel Dune is a space opera like the first book appears to be. For me it is..
Arrakis = Earth
Sandworms = Humans
Spice = Loosh.
Great Houses = Archons/Annunaki/Watchers
Missionara Protectiva = Abrahamic religions
Threat to Humanity = Demiurge
Golden Path = Gnosis, and the way out.
And I could go on and on and on and on but many of the correlations TH-cam will censor as they do not like truth. I think Frank Herbert knew what we actually are, where we are, and who we are.
Remember Herbert was big into allegory, which is why Tolkein hated the Dune series. I think Tolkein actually did not like what Herbert was exposing...
.
I think Desmond Hart is the FIRST Kwisatz Haderach, and his existance was pure chance. his own prescience revealed the golden path and the God Emperor to him. His plan now is to ensure that the Bene Gesserit breeding program results in Leto II. I predict that he is also an Atreides and is an ancestor of both Jessica and Leto I.
Love the theorising but it doesn't make sense.
There is no indication in the Dune novels that Leto 2 or anyone or anything can travel backwards in time in any form and influence the past.
Edit: actually, I just realised that in the Dune universe, there is a way to communicate with the past.
Leto 2 could anticipate certain people having prescience, and it could leave messages in his present, which is the future for those in the past.
Then, having a deep understanding of humanity and psychology etc, he could structure those present day events/messages in such a way that he knows it would set people in the past viewing them on a certain path.
This is really cool theory! Love the notion that this experience is what pushes the BG to move beyond just having someone on the throne but to push the genetics program forward. Very cool idea
Thanks Elaine
I think you just busted the story wide open because I would love if your theory is correct. It would make so much since
Desmond is a ghola who does not know he is a ghola, he attributes him suriving the worm to mythicism -is my theory. who made that recording of the fight are likely the same people who are allied with desmond ghola, desmond gave him the video of him dying to the emperor for a reason. to convince him of his mythical purpose to cleanse the imperium. The Tlelax i think would be driving it... Desmon is a rasputin type character meant to divide up the court and stop the BG control . he will convince the emperor to give him power with help of the empress to undermine the bg control of the emperor.
also desmond is clutching a black cloth as he walks into the palace. i think that is a triggering device or something for desmond's ghola? it was a piece of his still suit? i dont know
I have a feeling that we're putting 1000% more thought into this show than the writers did.
But that's what Frank Herbert intended for us who read his work to do. Think! I have read the canon a few times and I have always found moments in the books that I felt were messages placed by the God Emperor to move things towards his intensions. I can't remember any specifics right now, but this Nerd theory reminds me of those moments while I had been reading and thinking through the books in the past, that the God Emperor was placing seeds of ideas at certain times in the past.
I really love this idea! I think this show has so much potential, and fully leaning into the strangeness of Frank’s work can only lead to good things in my opinion
Excellent analysis as usual. Love your content.
I doubt The God Emperor directly influenced the past. It would be more in line with the Dune lore that Desmond somehow peeked into the future and saw the Golden Path, just like Paul and Leto II. He knows he does not have the training nor the skills to become The Worm, but he sees the path to that. So he uses the same tools a The God Emperor and molds The Sisterhood into The Bene Gesserit by oppsing them, thus forcing them to evolve.
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me
he could be the Tleilaxu kwisatz haderach that Scytale mentions in Dune Messiah
I'm thinking the same thing.
Scytale says the Tleilaxu "once once bred a kwisatz haderach of our own." Later in the book, when Irulan asks about the origin of this kwisatz haderach, he says: "We've dabbled in various pure essences. Pure good and pure evil. A pure villain who delights only in creating pain and terror can be quite educational." And when Irulan asks how their kwisatz haderach was overcome, Scytale answers that it committed suicide because "A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of his selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation."
It's possible that Desmond Hart is this evil kwisatz haderach, created by the Tleilaxu in an effort to prevent the Bene Gesserit from taking control of the empire. If so then I expect the series to eventually reveal how this was done, and continue to show him employing unique abilities stemming from his genetic enhancements to create incidents of targeted pain and terror that disrupt the Bene Gesserit's plans. The Bene Gesserit will attempt to defeat him in various ways, but will be unsuccessful until Sister Lila (the acolyte that stands out for her empathy and kindness) is somehow able to make him feel love, either for her or possibly for another character like Ynez. Unable to cope with the emotion, he will commit suicide. And the Bene Gesserit, realizing that a kwisatz haderach could be an immensely powerful tool to advance their aims but also an enormous threat if given too much free will, resolve to focus their breeding program on creating one they can control.
I think he’s a facedancer of IX. Let’s be honest here, yes the theory that he could be a Herold of Leto is cool and all the only problem I have with that thought would be how? Time travel? I do not think that that’s the gimmick here. But a facedancer though. The subtle involvement form the IX’iants would be more possible. Anyway these are my two cents.
I think in order to fit better within the established lore the "time travel" element would need to be something akin to these ancient characters getting a glimpse of Kralizec in some form. In essence that would move them toward seeing the need to pave the way for the tyrant vs. fighting against the arrival of the tyrant.
I just hope the spaceing guild is explored a little more in this series. The movie pretty much only did the minimum in terms of exploring them. Considering how much power and influence they have in this universe I would hope they would show a little more
Very interesting theory. I can see how it fits together. I also like the ghola theory in either event the show runner has created a really fascinating character.
I Love your vids!!
Thanks for mentioning the connection to the Gom Jabbar test, I totally missed that!
My theory atm is that Desmond is a Ghola with artificial eyes (that's why he rubs his temple and has a scar on the same side), as the first Gholas had have them, and he kinda sends his fear and death experience within the inner fires of the worm (that's why they burn) into Kasha, what is part of her vision (she searches her arms for something afterwards) and Pruwet by eye contact. Kasha just resists longer bc of the prana-bindu training.
And as you mentioned that might be the reason why the Gom Jabbar test, which maybe works like Desmonds technique, was established.
The way the boy and Bene Gesserit were dispatched at the end of the episode brought to mind the test and the box for me too.
When Desmond faces the worm it seems a sort of test as well. He is able to conquer his fear and "passes."
I also think he may not have used powers to burn the two victims but used some power that in their minds he convinced them they were burning and it manifested. Mind over matter.
Maybe Desmond is not necessarily there in the physical, but a projection in the mind of the other characters, planted there, like the box plants the sensation of burning in the mind.
I am glad you are saying that the eyes are the God Emperor's. Others were saying it was Paul, but Paul didn't go fully Kwisatz Haderach because he couldn't sacrifice his humanity, Leto II did.. I instantly thought those eyes were Leto II's
Paul was a full Kwisatz Haderach
the first Reverand Mother said "tiran-arafel" before her vision and Kasha seen the same eyes in her vision but it was accompanied with mechanical sounds... I'm wondering if maybe it was Omnius ?
No, others were saying they’re eyes from thinking machines.
But I agree. If it’s not Leto 2 then it’s garbage.
@@harryknapper1133no he wasn’t. He was an artificial Kwisatz Haderach. He took short cuts to gain the power of the Keisatz Haderach. Not the same thing as being the true and legit Kwisatz Haderach.
The spice is the key. Paul cheated by using Spice to gain the power. The true Kwisatz Haderach would be born that way. Not made through training and drugs.
@@harryknapper1133I see what you mean, but he’s not. He’s artificial. He’s made that way. Not born that way.
I like the theory, but I don't think that the Bene Tleilax had the ability to make Gholas at this point in the timeline. Also, why does he "need" to be a ghola? It seems you're assuming that the worm kills him: We don't see that, and we're clearly lacking info. And this is modern TV, where "Death fake-outs" are a dime a dozen. I think we'll eventually see the worm "bow" to him, as it does to Paul, and that's covered by the blowing sands in the holovid. I think your theory is better w/o the Ghola angle. (I haven't read the Brian Herbert books^1, so maybe I'm missing something...)
(1: Even if you like Brian Herbert's story ideas and dialog, which are just bad, IMO, he didn't do his research: As I've discovered from TH-cam vids, he put a character named "Butler" in his book about the Butlerian Jihad and the Machine Crusade is therefore named after her, *but his dad clearly called it the "Butlerian Jihad" after English author Samuel Butler!!!*)
I find this theory even more exciting than the ghola theory! Leto II is arguably the most compelling character in the entire series 🪱
Huh. This is the best explaination ("herald") of Hart and his roles/powers that I have heard. Desmond is, indeed, the standout element of the season so far. The bar scene is the low point.
Interesting imagination you have, but your idea of Desmond being a herald does mean that the God-Emperor created the opportunity for his own existence. And that is a bit much for me. The character is a novelty though, and ultimately we will see what the makers of Prophecy have in mind for him, or that he is just a storyline to give the Bene Gesserit just some sort of powerfull enemy they have to overcome
I hope they don't kill him off soon. At least if they are planning for a 2nd season
The worm swallowing the entire Chapterhouse was, IMO, definitely Leto. Thus, the blue eyes could also be Leto. However, the machine noises cast doubt on this.
Re: the holo/video of Desmond's apparent death- who planted it for Javicco to find? Did they alterate it, i.e. deep fake?
Great video and that’s where my mind went. The sisterhood only mention in the intro they’re using the breeding program to place someone on the throne. By the end of the season they will be changing plans to create the super being !!!
I think that Desmond, if a herald of anything, is probably a herald of Omnius and is a face dancer. Valya senses this and causes the cascade of events to unfold the timeline that brings about the need for the kwisatz haderach to counter the machine threat. I don't recall the God Emperor being able to influence events in the past, he's only able to influence events in the future by manipulating the present with all the context of the past at his finger tips. Dune is complicated so there's a thousand ways this could go. I just hope they don't make the god emperor able to influence the past...that seems odd to me
I was thinking the same.... The remnants of Omnius or the everminds. It's hard to see there being cymek influence on Arrakis without the involvement of the Ixians so it makes sense that their alignment with Richese plays a big part in this series
I dont think you conceptualize future, present, and past, quite like Frank Herbert did. It is more of a circle than a line, to many.
Blue eyes…It first struck me that it’s about the thinking machines, not spice eyes. Maybe the machine story is not over.
Thank you. What I was waiting for. I loved the first episode. Can’t wait for what’s next!
I LOVE your theory, I like to think that this show could help build towards the Golden path and Denny's vision for dune 3. Also I hope this is the case cause of the respect and love for frank Herbert's creation.
The blue eyes, I think, is a prescient vision of the return of Omnious. The way I understand it...the God Emperor with his Golden Path is not able to prevent the return of the machines. Rather, he prevents the use of prescience to discover where all humans exists. When Siona goes through her test it mentions the sounds of machines seeking humans out in holes, etc. So, the machines will return. The Duncan gholas are to deal with the machines directly via one last Duncan who has the abilities of all the Duncan's needed to bridge the conundrum of human/machine interdependence.
The blue eyes is from over consumption of spice
@Christo_Trismegistus and the robotic speaking when we see the square blue eyes?
When Paul tells Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam about when she looks in her inner memories, in the place they find so horrifying, he would be looking back at her, I doubt an inner vision would have blue eyes?
This is an awesome theory. Some of this show is based on Kevin Herbert's books too. I've been thinking Desmond could be an emissary of Omnius. But that doesn't explain how he survived the worm.
So far, this is the best theory ive heard. Additionally, i found it lame how the other youtubers laughed at it during the podcast lol
Looks like Quinn agrees with you on the God Emperor take, btw. 😀
Yeah we chatted about that recently on his channel. I brought this theory up there too and everyone agreed it was crazy but interesting lol
I hope they are setting up more films. Good thoughts and fascinating. They may want to make this guy but in their image. The reviewers who criticize this show are not seeing the forest for the trees
I certainly hold my own problems with the show from a storytelling perspective so I understand a lot of the critiques and agree on many. However as a Dune fan I think its fun to break down the weirder elements and visions in this show and how they can possibly fit within my own Frank Herbert-inspired head-canon.
Arafel in the Dune universe represents the limit or boundary of prescient sight-a point beyond which even those with prophetic abilities cannot see. It’s akin to an opacity or a “cloud darkness,” much like trying to look through frosted glass and being unable to discern what’s on the other side. Prescience in Dune is deeply tied to vision and foresight, allowing characters like Paul Atreides and Leto II to anticipate and predict future events.
When Leto II mentions that the Ixians couldn’t create Arafel, he doesn’t imply they were attempting to manufacture prescient abilities or a literal object called Arafel. Instead, he means that the Ixians were incapable of developing technology that could lead to humanity’s extinction-an event that would effectively end the future and, by extension, prescient sight. His reign as the God Emperor was a time of absolute control, creating a “fog of war” where others could not see beyond his rule, even the powerful Bene Gesserit became his servants.
The widespread use of the Tarot introduces chaos and unpredictability, clouding Paul’s prescient vision. It causes people to act in unforeseen ways, making it difficult for him to anticipate future events. This illustrates how randomness and collective actions can limit even the most potent prescient abilities.
In essence, Arafel symbolizes the ultimate boundary of foresight-a looming sense of doom or significant upheaval that is both unsettling and impenetrable. Understanding why this limit exists can be disturbing, as it often suggests an impending catastrophe. The Ixians weren’t creating Arafel itself; rather, their actions had the potential to bring about conditions that would impose this final limit on prescient sight.
The bg are supposed to see what was necessary and to not do it , focuses leto to do it himself, and mention they lack Nobel purpose
*noble
Nobel are the prizes in Norway & Sweden
@IntellectualCuriosity correct, autocorrect, bane of my life lol , that's what I was referring to ,
I have 2 different thoughts now:
1) Alia was able to talk to Paul in the past, presumably because she is preborn. Maybe Leto II did something similar with Desmond? That would align with your train of thought on Leto setting up the golden path.
2) Sheena was able to avoid getting eaten by sandworms, and could control them. Maybe something similar happened to Desmond, which plants the seed for the Sheena myth. Tbf it has been a bit since I've read Heratics so there might be something I'm forgetting in this origin, like how the sandworms have a pearl of Leto's conciousness. A ghola could work for Desmond's survival, but Duncan was the first to regain memories from before he died.
When Desmond started talking about being reborn I though "yep, ghola" (my theory is his pyrokinesis is some form of Ixian or Tlelaxu technology) or that, alternatively, he could be a proto-kwisatz haderach (whatever really happened to him on Arrakis may have had a similar effect to Paul taking the water of life) and his existence is what makes the Bene Gesserit change their plan from a sister on the throne to creating a superbeing who can. I definitely think your theory is interesting too and would love it if it's correct and we get the God Emperor of Dune himself.
I'm not sure Desmond intentionally killed Kasha. Kasha told the Mother Superior that she had a very close bond with the boy. I suspect she burned mainly because the boy burned. Collateral damage rather than Desmond having such enormous power across space and planets.
I thought Kasha said she had a bond with Ynez, not the boy. Am I remembering that wrong?
@NerdCookies Yes, you're right. Thanks for the correction. That does make me wonder about just how supremely powerful Desmond is supposed to be. Hopefully all will unfold.
I was freaking out when she mentioned the tyran arafel/tyrant god. I think Desmond has some sort of ixian tech and hes more of a sign of what the god emperor warned of and eventually prevented. Before leto died he said "do not fear the ixalians for they cannot create arafel" meaning they cannot create god or anything like leto2 or paul. I feel kasha was killed by one of the benegeserit acolytes using the same tech as Desmond
Eh, you are connecting too many things too early. The captions say the glowing eyes in the stars are "mechanical." I immediately thought Omnious or Erasmus might be who was being referenced, especially in relation to the aftermath of Arrafel, Kralizec. Basically it was the void saying they needed a way to communicate with their former enslavers on the same level, aka a Kwisatz Haderach. I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves... including myself. Can't wait for episode 2.
And all of this conjecture is just from episode 1! I've been invested in the Dune universe for 35 years. I'm all in on finding out where this leads.
This series is going to be really good.
I'm not too well versed in Dune Lore but I think we are closer to the machine wars than we are the Kwisatch Harderatch. I think Desmond Hart is an agent of whatever it is trying to take over, like Arafel.
They're setting up this plan they don't realize will take 10,000 years to complete, they think it's gonna happen in the next few hundred years. Desmond Hart is trying to stop that for some reason. It's gonna be good, one way or the other.
I’m sharing because this needs more views!!
Can we talk about how they dropped the ball with The Voice.
"Oh, it's just something i've been working on...."
Wut?
I don't like the sound of it either. Too gravelly. I always imagined something more entrancing.
@@NerdCookies I don't even care about that.
It was that they COULD have had an awesome backstory to how it was developed and came about.
Instead it's literally handwaved away as something she was working on on the side, like how I would work on a joke. Just a side hobby, something to occupy her spare time.
And then used once, never mentioned again, literally a Deus Ex Machina.
@@ulfsark78still time for flash backs.
Basically right up there with Luke casually tossing away his lightsaber like it was a piece of junk.
Excellent theory, Nerd Cookies! Dune 4 and afterwards only showed a bit of the God Emperor's powers--he had many wives, more than one Major Domo and lived for 3,500 yrs while projecting himself backwards and forwards in time. Who's to say that he COULDN'T go that far back or that his voice wasn't distorted to an extent by such things?! The Bene Gesserit would be TERRIFIED of such revelations! 😲
Thank you, Nerd Cookies.
It is not Desmond at 2:04 it is not him at all. Look at the face and the armor is fremen in nature. How could so many have missed this? Look at his nose!
Fascinating speculation. His backward glance at Kesha could be a sardonic contemplation of the future of the BG order. It is quite a contrast for Desmond Hart (Heart?) to overcome fear by feeling nothing to the BG Litany of Fear letting fear pass through them. However fear is an important emotion that warns us of and prepares us to deal with danger. Overcoming fear builds trust relationships. Very few humans have no fear, only those with Urbach-Wiethe disease (damage to both or either of the amygdala in the brain) have no fear. Victims of this disease also have impairments in emotional processing of music. There are also other impairments. The BG's discounting of love lead to their downfall when a sister, Lady Jessica, had a son instead of a daughter. And Tula Harkonnen's basic motivation is revenge for her family against the Atreides. Ironically this is still a major source of conflict 10,000 years later when the BG help the Baron Harkonnen in his plot to destroy the Atreides. Had Tula acted to heal the rift between her clan and the Atreides, the whole Dune saga would have unfolded in a far different fashion.
For all their talk of overcoming control, every major actor in Dune is trying to control all the others.
Very few humans have no fear, only those with Urbach-Wiethe disease (damage to both or either of the amygdala in the brain) have no fear. Victims of this disease also have impairments in tion is revenge for her family against the Atreides. Ironically this is still a major source of conflict 10,000 years later when the BG help the Baron Harkonnen in his plot to destroy the Atreides. tion is revenge for her family against the Atreides. Ironically this is still a major source of conflict 10,000 years later when the BG help the Baron Harkonnen in his plot to destroy the Atreides.
100% I believe he is a Gola. And I too thought thats the God Emperor staring back at them. So cool if thats the case, my second favorite book in the series after the original. Not sure if he is there to lay the golden path though, unsure what to make of him. Great review btw.
Shows that depend on ONE character/hook to work, typically fall apart once that hook is revealed; either because the hook ends up being weak, or the show lacks any follow up “hooks/compelling characters”
I think it involves not only The God Emperor, but also his continuation of the never ending line of Duncan Idaho Gholas that eventually result in a Kwizatch Haderach, who can not only mentally “bridge space and time,” but physically as well. It’s no accident that Fimmel as Desmond is reminiscent of Jason Momoa’s Idaho.
As much as I'd love for this show to tie into the God Emperor and to see him on screen, given that this is a Brian Herbert adaptation and it's meant for a more general audience, it's hard to picture the writers doing something that bold. I could see Desmond Hart being an agent of the Ixians or the Tleilaxu, more likely the former, so they can introduce these factions going into Dune Messiah. I think it's especially likely that he's working with the Ixians given the conversation he had with the emperor about "being too quick to discard the machines", and it could explain the burning ability rather than it being a literal power like he says.
I’m kinda leaning toward Ixians myself, with a theory on how both Pruitt and Kasha were hit: killer nanites, with a time-delay in Kasha’s case. With either a mechanically sustained Desmond or even a robotic/cybernetic duplicate as a transport vector. Or if the Ixians and Tleilaxu are working together, a face dancer carrying the weapon.
Duncan Idaho was the first Ghola to be awakened to his previous life's memories. Why would a Herald appear 10,000 years before the God Emperor? I have enough issue with the length of the timeline the Herbert used, I have a hard time believing that a grudge between families would last for 10,000 years, and the stagnation of society that this series is implying, that did not occur in the novels.
At the time of the series, do they use spice as they do in the movies? I guess so because the lady could go back to the Sisterhood pretty fast. I also noticed that Hart was playing a lot with his rings....I wonder if it was just acting or there is something there.
He could be a Face Dancer. It doesn't make sense that ghola tech would be this advanced at this point in time.
Maybe those more familiar with Dune can help me understand how they have the exact same tech 10k years before the movies take place (like thumpers).
Has all technological advancement been halted? Because it doesn't seem like 10k years later they have anything much different from the current period.
There certainly is a stagnation that occurs in the imperium which is ultimately the biggest threat to humanity. But I tend to think there should at least be more aesthetic differences than there are in the show. It's not a big gripe for me but I can understand those that are thrown off by it. It's a totally reasonable point.
This is a great show
I truly hope this show will be good and a succes. If not there will properly not be anymore spin-offs in the near future.
Awesome theory... I think you may be right on the mark! Great video!
One of the steps in the golden path would be house corrino passing control of Dune off to the houses for them to stake a franchise for a time. House atreides can't die and birth the god emperor if the empire collapses under corrino greed and need for total control.
I like the Attack on Titan Eren Yaeger style theory. No rip off implied BTW. I was hoping this character might be King Harum or one of the other "counsel" egos of God Emperor Leto. It wouldn't be a time travel influence but a closing of the loop for what transpires in the later books.
Desmond probably encountered a sister on Arrakis(he had the cloth in his hand in the ep), he might have encountered her and lost a fight, then she left him for dead and edited the recording that was shown to the emperor. This sister on Arrakis might then also be one of the ones who worked on the missionaria protectiva with the Fremen which is pretty cool but probably not yet since the sisterhood don't have reverend mothers.
Also, if the recording is real Desmond probably had a massive exposure to spice and he might have had a proto-spice agony where he saw the Worm
If he's a Ghola this will break canon. The first Ghola to remember his past was Hayt, and they made a HUGE deal out of this in Dune Messiah. So, all of this talk of Gholas would mean a serious re-write.
About the burning/telekinesis, I believe it to be some sort of poison. Probably the Bene Gesserit haven't developed their poison immunity by now, that's why the truthsayer died, but I am in the process of reading Sisterhood of Dune, so I might be wrong and the Bene Gesserit have already that ability
Desmond,” its root originates from the Latin words “deus” meaning God, and “monstrare” meaning to show or reveal. Therefore, “Desmond” can be understood as “one who shows or reveals God.”
Been looking forward to you. I thought it might be a Sheena Precedent. When he stood before the worm it reminded me of how Siona acted. Been waiting to see your take on Dune prophecy. Your theory does sound reasonable. What do you think of a precedent for Sheena ?
was thinking the same thing, that it would be really cool if he ensured his own creation and it might be that in the first iteration, he was "born/created" to late to stop the arafel.
Nice theory, but that requires insight, thoughtful dialog, and good writing. So far, I doubt they are capable of any of it.
@NerdCookies I do not think he is the herald of the God Emperor.
Reason 1 - God Emperor was in all of his dealings and actions aiming into the future , he had perfect recall of the past but used it only as a reference book and place to escape to .
And by all accounts both his own , Fishspeakers and Bene Geserit possessed no means of affecting past .
Reason2 - The character in question appears to exert control over body of the young Ritchese without even physical contact as such .The only reasonable notion of what this may be is : Omnius Plague or some form of nano machinery that is exothermic - child essentially cooked from the inside .When Desmon Hart is holding hands to his head as if concentrating to affect some action .
Lore of the Jihad and pre-Jihad era mentioned implants and secreted inside the body devices that permitted , communication , computation and sometimes control of machinery .Cogitators , Cymex and others used such equipment as a matter of routine - if we assume that Hart is a willing or unwitting agent of Omniuse or Cymex it meshes well with the glowing electronic eyes in the center of the chaos and distorted electronic speech that dying Reverend mother saw
This show first avoided the Brian Herbert KJA stuff. No offense to that but I did not want shows based on that. So far this show is promising and if done well can setup for more Dune Universe.
Seems a bit of a stretch to start heralding the coming of the God Emperor and the Golden Path so far out from Leto II's actual arrival. Considering he was not even a footnote in Duniverse history. However he must of made some connection with the worms when they taught him the litany of fear.
Who knows what Shai-Hulud remembers?? Or how far they can see??? Its proven they are sentient? I like this theory but I dont think they're gonna go there to God Emperor, this series is to empower the films and "prepare the way" 😂 for Dune Messiah.
Humans experience time linearly. Someone like KH doesn't have such restrictions. It's possible, they can experience and influence it all at backwards and forwards.
If this is the god Emperor and if his Harold is in this time. There is no plan that the Bene Gesserit could do. They are truly at the mercy of the Tyrant and his agent that is in this time period. Because think about it this is an age where prescience is very very new. The spacing Guild may have an understanding of prescience but ultimately there are no real pressing beings that are able to stop this Herald from carrying out the tyrants plan. There is no real person able to stop him from carrying out his plan unless he gets busted but then again it Leto is whispering in his ear telling him where to go and what to do then there is no stopping him there is literally no plan they can do to stop him He will carry out the tyrants plan.
So far out? Time all happens at once and is all connected. What is a lifetime, or a millenia to one being, could be the blink of an eye, to another.
The Golden Path was not invented, it was always there, it just had to be seen.
Desmond connecting to the God Emperor would be perfect, especially because Leto II can see through space and time.
Best theory I've heard yet
Finally! Please Dont make me wait that long for a video again!!🙂🙂🙂
GREAT breakdown too!!
Your theory fully fits,and would be interesting if at least some of your theory comes about.
Best theory I've heard so far. Hope it's true!
Brilliant!
I can't speak yet to what type of being Desmond is. I do have some random thoughts and observations to deepen the mysteries even more.
One thing is clear: he has the ability to lie successfully to the BG. That was the significance of his smug glance back at Keesha. This alone sets him up as a formidable adversary to the BG.
Another loose thread that intrigues me is the classroom scene with Tula and the acolytes. There's more here than a simple lesson about myelinated forebrains, leading to psychopaths and liars. I think Desmond himself has transformed into a being with heavy brain myelination, which enables his ability to lie to the BG.
What new skills will the BG need to develop to defeat him? It's a higher order of truthsaying than they currently possess. This may be where the small timid acolyte with the natural born truthsaying makes a significant breakthrough, eventually leading to Desmond's defeat.
I believe Desmond's interaction with the Worm will be explained later. Was he just collateral damage, truly lost in the sand of the worm's plunge?
I think it's more complex than that. Was he ingested and expelled with two new powers? A fried myelinated brain and his ability to burn skin? The latter makes me think about the worm's sensation of heat and friction from its passage through sand.
Maybe he acquired an ability to induce heat/friction as a result of his interaction with the worm. How he does it on another planet eludes me. Or are there multiple Desmonds?
I'm certainly looking forward to seeing more of this series!
I feel like Desmond is working for/empowered by a thinking machine. The blue eyes and machine voice in visions.... makes me think the index is a thinking machine!
Reminds me of his character in Raised by Wolves, welcomed for me since they canceled that show.
There's too much BH stuff in this to be anything as cool as what you're imagining. At first I thought it was Leto II as well, but after watching it again I'm pretty sure it's a reference to Omnious, because that's what BH wanted the great enemy at the end of the series to be. As for Hart being a ghola, that would mess up the continuity with Messiah since gholas can't be returned to their original personalities until Duncan does it, but considering their disregard for canon, anything's possible. They can always say he doesn't have Hart's memories, rather he's just programmed to act like he does.
I remember the God Emperor only being able to feel, see, experience, talk to, etc the past through genetic memories. I don't think Paul or Leto II can actually change or manipulate the past. There is no "time travel" in Dune. Desmond may be the start of the path that leads to Leto II, but I don't think Desmond can be following a path set before him by Leto II himself. This would I believe break Dune lore immensely.
I do hope this theory is true, as Leto II is the most fascinating character of them all.