Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies brought Paul Atreides’ story to the screen, but the story of the Kwisatz Haderach actually started millennia before he was even born. The Bene Gesserit worked for ten thousand years to bring about a super being who could guide humanity towards a better path. Now HBO’s Dune: Prophecy will show us those early days when the Sisterhood first put their long term plans in motion.
And yet, not even going back that far tells the whole tale. Dune‘s history is much longer than our own. How far back does it go and what is the state of the universe at the start of the show? To help you understand what’s going on, why, and when, here’s a simplified timeline to help you understand Dune: Prophecy.
Note: Dune‘s timeline uses the founding of the Space Guild as its reference point. BG stands for “Before Guild” and AG stands for “After Guild.”
11200 BG (The year 1960) Human space travel begins.
5000 BG Humans bring sandtrout to the waters of Arrakis, beginning both the long-term desertification of the planet and the creation of spice mélange.
2500 BG Formation of the Old Empire (a.k.a. Old Imperium) which exists for more than 2,000 years.
2100 BG Founding of the Landsraad, a political body representing all the Great Houses
1400 BG Scientists discover spice mélange on Arrakis. Centuries later humans learn it can be used to enhance cognitive ability, which ultimately allows for the folding of space, a technique that makes fast intergalactic travel possible.
Related: What Is Spice in Dune and Why Is It Important?
201-108 BG During the Butlerian Jihad humans wage war on the “thinking machines” and Titans (a type of human cyborg) that had come to dominate the galaxy and enslave much of mankind.
88 BG Battle of Corrin sees the final defeat of thinking machines. The political leader of the human forces, Viceroy Faykan Butler, changes the family name to Corrino and becomes the first Padishah Emperor, establishing the Corrino Empire originally based on Salusa Secundus. The Landsraad rises to prominence under the new Emperor.
- War hero Vorian Atreides pushes for the exile of Faykan’s younger brother, the “coward” Abulurd Harkonnen, beginning the millennia-long feud between Atreides and Harkonnen.
- Raquella Berto-Anirul founded the Sisterhood of Rossak—forerunner of the Bene Gesserit—from the remnants of the Sorceresses of Rossak. The group begins preserving mankind’s genetic heritage to secretly breed better leaders.
- Dr. Mohandas Suk established the all-new Suk Medical School.
68 BG Founding of the Order of Mentats, a group of “human computers” used to replace the forever outlawed thinking machines.
26 BG Birth of Valya Harkonnen (played by Emily Watson on Dune: Prophecy)
10 BG Valya joins the Sisterhood of Rossak
1 BG/1 AG The Foldspace Shipping Company renames itself the Spacing Guild, co-created by Emperor Roderick Corrino. It monopolizes space travel and commerce.
- Founding of House Atreides in response to the growing influence of the recovering House Harkonnen.
9 AG Javicco Corrino (played by Mark Strong on Dune: Prophecy) becomes Emperor following the death of his father Roderick.
Related: Everything We Know About Dune: Prophecy
Roughly 27 AG Start of the present day story on Dune: Prophecy, 116 years after the end of the Great Machine Wars.
Ten Thousand Years of Corrino Rule A reliance on spice and the covert work of the Bene Gesserit keep the galaxy in a kind of long-term stasis.
10175 AG Birth of Paul Atreides
10191 – 10193 AG Events of Dune, covered (though slighly condensed) in Denis Villeneuve’s films.
Editor’s Note: Dune: Prophecy is a Legendary Entertainment production. Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.