What happened to House Harkonnen after the Baron's death?

The first two Dunes novels that are out now two thirds of the way are adapted into a trilogy of films are often seen as a tragic condemnation of hero worship. Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet in the last few films) starts off likeable, but by the time he becomes Emperor of the Universe, the reader/viewer has to wonder if he's up to the job. All this jihad/holy war he's doing sure confuses us, especially in “Dune: Messiah” when book Paul casually mentions how his regime has killed way more people than Hitler ever did. I believe killing sixty billion people is wrong, and you can quote me on that.

But the Mound episode wouldn't be nearly as interesting if Paul were a straight-up bad guy, so the common claim that “Mound” is an unequivocal critique of the savior narrative misses the mark. I would argue that the series is more about saviors than condemning them. This is evident by the fact that House Harkonnen (the main villains of the first book) are truly horrible, and Paul is doing the galaxy a favor by destroying them. The Harkonnens are portrayed as not just evil, but downright grotesque; their mere existence is depressing, to the point where “The Dune: Part Two” depicts their planet as completely colorless.

When Alia kills Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) in the book and Paul in the movies, it's one of the few clear moments where the audience is allowed to cheer for the Atreides siblings without any moral complications getting in the way. When Paul kills his cousin Feid-Raut Harkonen (Austin Butler) in the final duel, it's hard to complain either; Feid-Rauta was many things, but he was not warm and fuzzy. While Paul and the rest of House Atreides didn't seem to bother killing any other Harkonnen, these two major deaths seemed to put an end to the Harkonnen as major players in the series. They are not seen in the flesh in Dune: Messiah, and when we do hear about them, we can infer that the family has learned to conform to the universe's new Atreides regime.

However, there is one complication that came to light when Jessica went through the Spice Ritual and drank the Water of Life: Baron Harkonnen is an inevitable part of the Atreides bloodline.

Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, a mysterious, powerful order of sisters founded thousands of years before the story begins. There's a lot going on with these Bene Gesserit witches, but it's important to know that they've been around for generations trying to breed a Kwisatz Haderachsomeone with the right genetic combination to make him the most powerful person in the universe.

They had to believe that some of those genes had to come from the Harkonnens, so Jessica's Bene Gesserit mother (left unnamed in the main series) seduced the baron and used his seed to give birth to Jessica. In standard Bene Gesserit protocol, Jessica's parentage was kept hidden from all but the highest members of the Bene Gesserit.

In retrospect, we should have known that Jessica's father was a baron; Whenever a character's origin is unknown to them at the beginning of the story, it's a pretty good sign that we're in for a big dramatic reveal. Learning that Jessica learns that her father is the villain of the story is very similar to Luke Skywalker recognizing his father's Darth Vader, but it's even worse because in the “Dunes” universe, a person's consciousness can live on in the minds of their descendants. Of course, “Star Wars” has its own ghosts, but the ego-memories of “The Dune” can do much more damage. So even though Baron Harkonnen has been dead for twelve years since Dune: Messiah, he's still able to cause trouble with Jessica's daughter, Alya…

The idea of ​​accessing the memories and consciousness of all one's ancestors is fascinating, and Frank Herbert was most excited to explore Children of the Tomb (Book 3) and The God Emperor (Book 4). He dives into the awkwardness of having your child know every private moment you've ever had. He also notes that it's good for a driver to use the wisdom of their dead ancestors, but there's also the risk of one of your bad ancestors taking the wheel. That's exactly what happens to poor Ally, who takes a little too much spice and accidentally gives Baron's mind too much control.

Although Alia tries to resist Baron, the guy just won't leave her brain. In Children of the Dune, she is almost completely under his spell, turning into a vengeful tyrant against the rest of the family. It's a tragic fate for Alia, who was always suspected of being “The Abomination” due to the strange circumstances of her birth and finally became one in her later years. What makes it more ironic about Alya is that she is the one who killed the baron (at least in the books). As the Baron's consciousness kills him, the Baron appears to be taking his revenge after death. The Atreides family may have abolished the Harkonnens in their real world, but in their minds the Harkonnens are still there to wreak havoc.

After Alya's arc in Children of the Dunes, the baron still resides in her nephew Leto II, but luckily Leto figured out how to stay in charge of his mind. Leto II is helped by the fact that he was born years after the Baron's death. Jessica, Paul, and Alya were deeply affected by the subtle Harkonnen's presence in their minds, as they all had real-life experiences with the boy, but as time went on, the further back in Atreides' minds his consciousness seemed to live. If the bad guy is your father, it's a big deal; A bad guy who is only one of your eight great-grandparents is easier to fight. The Harkonnens may continue to torment the Atreides for years after the Baron's death, but thankfully they don't seem to do much damage after Alia. As it turns out, Leto II can do more than enough damage on his own.