Valya Harkonnen

This article refers to elements from the cinematic universe established with Dune (2021). Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons: Expanded Dune

Valya Harkonnen
Political Information
Titles	Reverend Mother Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Order
Great House	House Harkonnen
Affiliation and Relationships
Loyalty	House Harkonnen Bene Gesserit
Family members	Tula Harkonnen (sister) Desmond Hart (nephew) Griffin Harkonnen (brother) † Evgeny Harkonnen (uncle) † Harrow Harkonnen (nephew) Vergyl Harkonnen (father) Sonya Harkonnen (mother)
Biographical Information
Place of birth	Lankiveil
Behind the Scenes
First appearance	The Hidden Hand
Last appearance	The High-Handed Enemy
Portrayed by	Emily Watson Jessica Barden (young)

Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen was a member of House Harkonnen from Lankiveil who became the second Reverend Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Order.

Official Dune: Prophecy Character Bio

As the second Mother Superior of the Sisterhood, Valya Harkonnen works to grow the Order’s power in the young Imperium, while using her relentless will to defend it against a new enemy.

Biography

Childhood

Valya grew up alongside her siblings on Lankiveil, where the family was outcast after one of their ancestors allegedly deserted during the battle against the thinking machines. During their childhood, their parents showed open disdain towards Valya, preferring her sister, Tula, and her brother, Griffin. When Griffin planned to go to Zimia in an attempt to improve their family's circumstances, Valya persuaded him to confront Vorian Atreides and force him to take back what he'd said about their family. When this resulted in Griffin's death, the divide between Valya and her parents deepened. They decided to send her to train with the Sisterhood on Wallach IX. Before she left, Valya made Tula promise not to stay on Lankiveil.

Valya began her training, but when the time came to take her vow to put the Sisterhood above all, she couldn't take it. Raquella Berto-Anirul, the Mother Superior, came to Valya and personally took her under her wing, having seeing Valya use the power of The Voice. Raquella showed Valya the genetic library she'd compiled to make the best matches in the Great Houses. After some time, Valya told the other acolytes that Raquella was considering naming her successor instead of Dorotea. To this end, Raquella called both of them to her and told them they needed to experience the Agony. When the time came, Valya was unable to do it and fled. Raquella called for Valya to come to her again and said she'd gotten a message from Tula. Raquella had deduced it was a coded message. She gave Valya the poison she needed to experience the Agony and told her to go home and either come back a reverend mother or not return at all.

Valya returned home and confirmed that Orry was dead, killed as revenge for Griffin's death. She believed Griffin would be proud, but the rest of their family was angry and worried about the Atreides family retaliating. There was an argument and Valya used the voice and nearly ordered their mother to kill herself. Valya then gave herself the poison and experience the Agony. When she was through it, Tula decided to go back to Wallach IX with Valya, leaving the rest of their family behind.

Raquella's Death and Rise to Power

After her great-grandfather was said to have abandoned the fight against the thinking machines, Valya broke away from her family and chose a new family with the Sisterhood and her true mother Raquella Berto-Anirul. They embarked on a journey to use selective breeding to get better leaders. They used a large genetic index to make good leaders they could control. When Raquella was dying, she called for Valya and muttered about red dust as she died. With her dead, Valya set off to continue her legacy. When Dorotea tried to contradict her and declared she'd be taking things her own way, Valya used The Voice to persuade Dorotea to kill herself. Then she assumed the rule of Mother Superior. Tula, Francesca, and Kasha all witnessed this, but decided with Valya to use the incomplete truths from the situation to cover it up. When Tula seemed reluctant, Valya talked to her privately and she told Valya she was pregnant. When Tula said she wanted to keep the baby, Valya promised they would raise the baby together, despite the Order's policy of separating babies from their mothers. Valya then showed them the breeding index, which selected Javicco Corrino and Natalya Arat as the ideal parents to produce a child that was best for the Sisterhood, with help from Francesca to keep Javicco occupied until Natalya was ready to marry and Kasha to be Javicco's Truthsayer and most trusted confidante. Then Valya privately showed Tula her child's genetics, which showed he had the potential to shape the trajectory of world. Valya immediately started forming a plan to harness that for the Sisterhood's benefit.

Some of the Sisters remained loyal to Dorotea, so Tula, Valya, Francesca, and Kasha went to them and Valya ordered them to choose between following her or following Dorotea's example. Several of the Sisters immediately slit their own throats. In the end, only Avila remained. They covered up the deaths by hiding their bodies in a mass grave.

When Tula finally gave birth, she told Valya her baby had died.

Ynez's Wedding

Thirty tears after Raquella's death, Valya had used the Sisterhood's influence to broker a marriage between Ynez Corrino and Pruwet Richese, the latter of whom was only nine years old. Additionally, she met with Ynez's brother, Constantine Corrino, to arrange for Ynez to join the Sisterhood and train with them for ten years. Tula suggested pairing Ynez with Emeline, who was doing well and could help Ynez. Valya opposed this and they debated who would be a good match for her until Kasha arrived to inform them of a vision she'd had of a catastrophe for Ynez. She wanted them to call of Ynez's wedding, but Valya refused and was upset with Kasha for trying to abandon the plan. She told Kasha she needed to return to her post and remember her purpose. When Tula also insisted that Valya look into the match to see if it was really what was best, Valya said she looked and it would stabilize the Corrino line for centuries. However, later that night, Kasha heard screaming and was horrified to see Kasha screaming in agony as it appeared her skin was burning. When Kasha died, Valya looked into her eyes and told her Mother that she saw.

Following Kasha's death, Valya decided to visit Salusa Secundus. She left Tula in charge, despite not believing Tula could persuade Lila to go through the Agony to get Raquella to clarify her prophecy. She went to Theodosia and asked her to go along. As they arrived, she told Theodosia her job would be to become Ynez's confidant as Kasha had been.

Valya went to see the royal family and learned that Pruwet had died in the same way as Kasha. She told them about Kasha and said she wanted to question the suspect. Valya then went to break the news to Ynez. Once Ynez had calmed down, Valya told her Theodosia would be there to help her with whatever she needed.

Valya went to Desmond, who readily admitted to killing Pruwet and Kasha, but said he felt it was justice. He told her about his gift, which is how he was able to kill two people so far apart at the same time. Valya told Javvico and Natalya that Desmond believed his words, but they weren't true.

Valya met with Vera and told her she needed to get Ferdinand under control. Then she met with Mikaela, who was working undercover for the Sisterhood in the rebellion. Valya asked her for all the names of the rebels involved in the raid on Arrakis, since she needed to eliminate them to assuage Javicco's fears. Mikaela told her to start with Keiran, their spy in the palace.

Valya went back to talk to Desmond, but was shocked when she was unable to use The Voice to get him to kill himself. He told her that the palace no longer needed her services and he knew that people hearing her and not caring was her greatest fear. Valya turned around and left.

Valya and Theodosia were escorted out of the palace, but Valya told her not to worry, as people had tried to remove her before and hadn't succeeded. Valya then took Theodosia to her family's home, where she hadn't been in years. Her uncle Evgeny in particular said he never thought he'd see her again.

Valya told Harrow that she could elevate him and House Harknonnen if he would allow her to execute her plan. She knew that Harrow feared others laughing at him or pitying him. Evegny was opposed, but she was able to persuade Harrow to agree.

That night, Valya tried to write a message to Tula, consoling her about Lila, but found herself unable. Then she talked to Theodosia about her plan to use the intel from Mikaela to thwart the rebels' plan to kill Javicco. Her saving his life would put the Sisterhood back on top. She assured Theodosia she wouldn't fail.

Valya had other sisters put in their leaders' ears that they needed to push for Pruwet Richese's death to be investigated, as it seemed like Javicco had brushed it under the rug. In order to do this, they needed someone who had more to gain than lose, meaning they invited Harrow to join the High Council. With him in the High Council, Valya was able to enter the Landsraad as his Truthsayer. Harrow made a public request for the investigation, backed up by Ynez, who further connected the accusation to her father. Valya prepared to destroy the drone as it entered, but before she could, Desmond stepped up and admitted to killing Pruwet, but said it was an execution because Pruwet had violated the law by having a thinking machine. He also had two criminals brought in and said they had orchestrated a plot to kill everyone in the room using a drone. He destroyed the drone and executed the criminals and Lord Hagal. Then he stumbled out of the room in pain. When Valya noticed he'd bled on things, she collected some of his blood with a cloth and took it with her, telling Theodosia they needed to send it to Tula to compare to the breeding index, so they would finally know who Desmond really was.

Harrow was displeased with how things had gone at High Council, while Evgeny just reminded him that he'd told him that Valya was only in it to help herself. Even and Valya argued, with him accusing her of abandoning her family and causing Griffin's death and sowing further discontent between their family and the Atreides. She maintained that she'd avenged Griffin's death and that she only left because the family disowned her first. When Evgeny started to struggled to breathe, Valya took his treatment and kept it away from him, watching as he died. Griffin then appeared to her, telling her she'd done the right thing and that people ultimately made their own decisions, even him. Then Theodosia, who had used her shape shifting powers to look like Griffin, painfully turned back into herself.

When Francesca arrived, she asked why Valya hadn't told her the truth and hadn't told her Kasha was dead. Valya said it was because sometimes communications were monitored. She explained the situation they were in with Javicco and said she needed Francesca to get Javicco to trust the Sisterhood again. She wasn't sure she could do that with Desmond in the way, but Valya promised to take care of him.

Valya, though Harrow, fed information to Desmond to get him to come to Mikaela's underground market, where Mikaela had rigged explosives. Valya was shocked when this plan didn't kill Desmond as intended, but said she had a contingency plan for him. Mikaela was upset that Valya didn't recognize that she'd blown up a business she spent years building. Valya gave her something to get her to their safe house on Arrakis and sent her off.

Valya was shocked to learn that Ynez was arrested for attempting to free Keiran. Valya quickly formed a plan to get Ynez free and secure more power for the Sisterhood. This plan involved Francesca killing Javicco, allowing Ynez to take the throne. Valya went to see Javicco herself first, telling him that the Sisterhood had controlled everything in his life because he was too weak to decide anything for himself. She continued to goad him with this until he ordered her arrested.

Once she was in the suspensor cell, with Ynez and Keiran both nearby, she used The Voice to order a guard to release her. She killed the guard and freed Ynez. Then she explained that Theodosia, who had transformed into Ynez, would replace Ynez until they could sort things out. Ynez refused to leave without Keiran, so Valya released him and they took a suspensor car that Theodosia had left behind the palace. They needed to get to the spaceport quickly before they started grounding ships. As they look off, they were followed by guards. They landed at the fuel depot and took a passage to the next terminal to avoid any checkpoints. She told them she had contacts who could get them off the planet in a courier ship. As guards started to catch up, she sent Ynez and Keiran ahead, promising to join them after slowing the guards down. She was able to get the guards to defend her, but they were unable to kill Desmond. She asked him to show her her end, as he'd told her he'd seen it.

Valya ended up stuck envisioning Griffin telling her his death was her fault until Tula found her and told her she couldn't fight the virus because it wasn't human. The way she won was by letting go of her fear. Valya was able to do this, but in the process, she saw some hidden figure implanting Desmond with a thinking machine. When she snapped out of it, she decided to eliminate him to end it, but Tula stopped her, saying that Desmond was her son, that she lied about him dying to keep him from being used to serve Valya because he deserved better than that. Valya handed Tula a knife and left the decision up to her. Then she left to join Ynez and Keiran. Together, they took a ship to Arrakis and Valya told Ynez that the path to their enemy started there.