Jessica Atreides

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The Lady Jessica, bound concubine of the Duke Leto Atreides, played by Francesca Annis

Lady Jessica of the Atreides (10154 AG-10256 AG) was the official concubine of Duke Leto Atreides I, and the mother of his son Emperor Paul Atreides. She was also a Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood.

Physical Appearance

Jessica was a tall, slim woman with bronze-colored hair that she often wore tied with black ribbon at the crown.  She had an oval face with eyes as green as the morning skies of Caladan, a small, slightly upturned nose, and a wide, generous mouth.  In her later years her hair became flecked with silver.

History

Upbringing

A result of the Bene Gesserit breeding program, Jessica was the illegitimate daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and an unknown mother. The Bene Gesserit breeding charts note that Jessica's birth mother was named Tanidia Nerus.

Due to this, prior to becoming Leto's concubine she was probably referred to as Jessica Nerus in Bene Gesserit records, as opposed to Jessica Mohiam or Jessica Harkonnen, which was top secret information and she was not named this.

She was raised from birth by the Bene Gesserit, who intended to breed her to the House Atreides heir Leto Atreides I, to produce a daughter who would then breed with Feyd Rautha Harkonnen in order to produce the Kwisatz Hadarach, the one who would not only possess the genetic memories of all male and female ancestors, but also see into the future. Consequently, Jessica was provided with the most intense and advanced Bene Gesserit education and training.

With Duke Leto

Relationship with Leto Atreides I

The Bene Gesserit plan to couple Jessica with Duke Leto Atreides I initially appeared to work perfectly. Jessica became the official concubine of Leto Atreides I, which allowed him to also marry. Such political union prove advantageous for the Great House.

The relationship between the two quickly evolved into genuine love, and due this love, Jessica disobeyed her orders and give birth to a son, Paul Atreides, who would be heir of House Atreides, and ultimately ruined the Bene Gesserit plans.

Migration to Arrakis

The Lady Jessica takes the Water of Life

In 10,191 AG, when House Atreides was given the fiefdom of Arrakis, Jessica relocated there along with Leto and their son Paul. However, their rule was short-lived, thanks to the scheme orchestrated by Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

When House Harkonnen seized control of Arrakis, Leto was killed, and Jessica and Paul became renegade, and escaped into the deep desert, eventually joining the Fremen. Her grief over losing Leto, who was killed during the Harkonnen attack, was somewhat muddied by the knowledge that she was pregnant with his daughter Alia Atreides.

Reverend Mother

The Fremen of Arrakis were encouraged by Jessica's arrival, for two reasons. Firstly, their own Reverend Mother Ramallo was old and near death. With Ramallo's training Jessica was the perfect choice to replace her. Secondly, the coming of the Fremen messiah was foretold many eons prior (through Bene Gesserit mechanisms), and that he was to be born of a Bene Gesserit. Despite knowing the repercussions of becoming a full-fledged Reverend Mother, Jessica undertook the process of ingesting the toxic liquid of a young sandworm to produce the Water of Life. This act not only elevated her to Reverend Mother status but also fundamentally changed the fetus she was carrying, causing Abomination in her daughter Alia.

After the Death of Paul

Immediately after the supposed death of Paul, Jessica returned with Gurney to Arrakis, out of concern for her grandchildren, Leto and Ghanima. She was also dismayed about the rising cruelty that her daughter Alia used in consolidating her power after Paul's "death". She watched with alarm as Alia created the Mahdinate, a super-religious organization based on the Atreides family. Jessica was also concerned about how Alia banned all forms of opposing expression, and had executed Paul's childhood friend, Bronso Vernius of Ix, for his writings of the changes that Paul had gone through. She eventually returned to Caladan in deep concern for the Empire.

Later Years

M. Stribling's illustration of Jessica.

Jessica returned to Arrakis, long after Paul's believed death, to again inspect his children Leto II and Ghanima Atreides, in the hope of them not being Abomination and of returning control of the bloodline to the Bene Gesserit. However, while on her mission she discovered that her own daughter, Alia, who was acting as regent, was possessed by the late Vladimir Harkonnen, who was driving her to destroy the Atreides Empire out of revenge.

For her protection against her murdering daughter, Duncan Idaho (the ghola formerly known as Hayt) "kidnapped" Jessica and took her to Salusa Secundus, home of the exiled Corrino House. There, she taught Farad'n Corrino the ways of the Bene Gesserit, unwittingly preparing him for his role as husband to Ghanima and royal scribe to Leto II.

Legacy

In the thousands of years after her death, Jessica's legacy remained far-reaching. The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood attibuted her universe-changing decisions (and the loss of control of the Kwisatz Haderach) to having fallen in love with "her Duke." Her falling in love became known, in millennia afterwards, as "the Jessica Crime." For the Sisterhood, Jessica's experience was regarded as a valuable lesson in showing restraint for the good of the Sisterhood and of humanity in general.

Behind the Scenes

• Francesca Annis played Jessica in the 1984 movie.
• Saskia Reeves won the role in the 2000 Dune miniseries when Alice Krige (the director's original choice) proved unavailable. Krige took over for the 2003 Children of Dune miniseries when Reeves was unavailable to reprise the role.