Genetic memory, the idea our ancestors’ wisdom and lived experiences get passed to us through our cells, has been a pillar of Dune since Frank Herbert’s original novel. It’s what makes Reverend Mothers among the most formidable, knowledgable figures in the galaxy. Paul Atreides only became the Kwisatz Haderach when he became the first man to unlock his genetic memory. Now Dune: Prophecy‘s second episode has shown just how dangerous and terrifying accessing that power truly is. The show brought “The Agony” to screens, and that nightmarish experience showed that great power always comes at a great cost. But what is Dune‘s “The Agony” exactly, and how does genetic memory function in the franchise? Here’s what we know about it and what Dune: Prophecy adds to the lore.
What is Genetic Memory in Dune?
In Dune, genetic memory is the concept that we inherit our ancestors’ memories via our cells. Their lived knowledge literally gets imprinted in the genes we inherit from them. But genetic memory is inaccessible without an awareness spectrum narcotic like spice melange. With that and extensive training, it becomes possible, though still not easy, to access genetic memory in Dune‘s world.
Who Can Access Genetic Memory in Dune?
There are not many people who can access their genetic memories in the Dune universe. But who can? Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit unlock the genetic memory of their female ancestors and previous Reverend Mothers when they use their physical training to survive a fatal mind-altering poison on a molecular level. On Arrakis, this occurs when they change the Water of Life (an intense poison) inside their body to prevent it from killing them. Dune: Prophecy reveals to us more about how the unlocking of genetic memory works, but more on that below.
Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two showed us this process when Lady Jessica drank the mystical blue liquid taken from young sandworms. She used her Bene Gesserit training and counteracted the poisonous Water of Life. When she did, like every other Mother Reverend, she gained access to the genetic memories imprinted on her at a cellular level.
In Dune, Paul Atreides becomes the Kwisatz Haderach after he becomes the first man to drink the Water of Life. He also became the first person to ever access both his male and female ancestors’ memories, giving him more knowledge than any Reverend Mother.
(Note: There are also those known as Pre-Born like Alia Atreides. The Pre-Born are those in Dune‘s world who are born with their genetic memory unlocked. But they aren’t a concern until 10,000 years after Dune: Prophecy.)
Who Was the First Person to Unlock Genetic Memory in Dune?
The founder and original Reverend Mother Superior of Dune: Prophecy‘s Sisterhood was the first person to unlock genetic memory. In episode two, Tula tells Lila about how her (secret) great-great-grandmother Raquella Berto-Anirul learned about this ability. She says of Mother Raquella discovering genetic memory on Dune: Prophecy:
Crisis, survival, advancement. Our founder, Mother Raquella, was poisoned. To survive, she harnessed her body’s own chemistry, transmuting the toxins on a cellular level. In doing so, she awakened something deeper. The voices of her mother, her mother’s mother, back and back… until all of the women who had come before her opened their minds to her and spoke.
Why Did Valya Want Lila to Unlock Her Genetic Memory on Dune: Prophecy?
In her desperation to stop Tiran-Arafel, “a tyrannical force” that threatens the Sisterhood, Valya Harkonnen pushed her sister Tula to get young Lila to unlock her genetic memory on Dune: Prophecy. That was no easy ask. Lila was not fully ready to unlock her genetic memory. The physical and emotional training she needed to survive the experience was still woefully incomplete. But in her desire to serve the Sisterhood she loved, Lila agreed. While she was able to speak to her famous ancestor and learn more about Raquella’s deathbed prophecy, Lila did not survive “The Agony” of meeting a vengeful ancestor.
What is “The Agony” Experienced When Unlocking Genetic Memory on Dune?
When you find yourself in the darkness…seek the light. Your foremothers will waken wild, hungry. Do not let them sway you. All that matters is the light.
Tula warned her favorite student, Lila, about what she would encounter after she was given the poison. In Dune, the Sisterhood calls the gut-wrenching, terrifying process “the Agony,” which is actually an understatement of the horrors that await those who try and become Reverend Mothers. The Agony is a scientific process that sends its participant into a supernatural-esque nightmare full of the dead. Some of whom are desperate to reach the living. And in Dune: Prophecy, we actually see The Agony play out.
Accessing your genetic memory is not like going into a room full of filing cabinets with information. It means encountering your actual ancestors. On Dune: Prophecy, they looked like the types of half-living, half-dead figures Odysseus met in the Underworld, only scarier. While Raquella was eager to protect her descendent in that cavernous room of shadows and desperation, one vengeful ancestor refused to let Lila ever leave. Dorotea made sure Lila never found the light and died right there so she could steal the “hope” of Valya and Tula since they stole Dorotea’s life.
Lila got the Sisterhood more information about the greatest threat they have ever faced. But that brief conversation with Raquella cost them the life of a brave young girl. Hopefully, Lila’s sacrifice was worth it.
Whether it was or not, we know that future Reverend Mothers will learn from this experience. They always do.
Editor’s Note: Dune: Prophecy is a Legendary Entertainment production. Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist at ease without having access to his genetic memory. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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