Spoilers for Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, and some of the lore in Frank Herbert's novel(s).

Summary

• The Bene Gesserit's plan centers around preparing for the birth of the Kwisatz Haderach, a super-being who can access the memories of all his ancestors.
• The Kwisatz Haderach is more powerful than the Bene Gesserit agents and possesses absolute prescience, meaning he's able to see all possible futures and choose which to pursue.
• Paul Atreides is destined to be the Kwisatz Haderach, even though the Bene Gesserit had originally planned for a man in the next generation to fulfill this role.

When it comes to Paul's destiny in the sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two, the House Atreides heir finds his fate tangled up in the Bene Gesserit's long-game plan as well as the prophecy of the fabled Kwisatz Haderach. Although Dune: Part One doesn't delve too deeply into the lore that underpins Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, the second installment in director Denis Villeneuve's saga focuses on Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) chosen one-style destiny after he and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), are forced into the deep desert in the wake of the House Harkonnen-orchestrated massacre.

In Dune: Part One, viewers learn just how integral the spice — also known as the awareness spectrum narcotic melange — is to space travel. Only found on Arrakis, Dune's spice can grant habitual s longer lifespans, greater vitality, and heightened awareness. Although harvesting melange is a deadly business thanks to the deposits' giant sandworm guards, the powerful substance is prized by both the Fremen, the Indigenous people of Arrakis, and the Bene Gesserit, a women-only order whose try to subtly guide humanity along a path that aligns with their predetermined endgame.

What Kwisatz Haderach Means In The Dune Universe

That Bene Gesserit endgame revolves around preparing for the birth of a super-being, the Kwisatz Haderach. Coming from Chakobsa, the term "Kwisatz Haderach" literally translates to "Shortening of the Way." The Way is a reference to the "Weirding Way," a Bene Gesserit-developed combat technique that requires mastery of mind and body. Jessica teaches Paul the lightning-like movements of the Weirding Way as part of his physical and mental conditioning. While not the only preternatural ability linked to the Bene Gesserit, it plays a key role in the lore surrounding the Kwisatz Haderach.

In order to become a Reverend Mother, she underwent the spice agony...

The leader of the Bene Gesserit and the Imperial Truthsayer, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) is also Lady Jessica's mentor. Upon meeting Paul, she isters a strange test: Paul must keep his hand inside a pain-inducing box — if he moves, she'll kill him with a lethal poison-tipped needle. Present to test Paul's abilities, she also mentions that she's unlocked the genetic memory of their women ancestors. In order to become a Reverend Mother, she underwent the spice agony; by overdosing on melange, she learned how to transmute the toxin into a harmless substance.

The Bene Gesserit's Plan To Create The Kwisatz Haderach Explained

While Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam's experience with spice agony — a process that helped her unlock genetic memory — may seem unrelated to the coming of the Kwisatz Haderach, it's actually all linked. Since the male side of the Bene Gesserit ancestry repels and terrorizes those who unlock the genetic memory, the matriarchal order cannot fully unlatch that hidden knowledge. The prophesied Kwisatz Haderach would be a male Bene Gesserit, able to access the memories of all of his ancestors. While the order guides others toward its goals, the Kwisatz Haderach would give them direct control over the universe.

The Bene Gesserit have manipulated bloodlines for generations as part of their breeding program scheme...

Dune's Bene Gesserit order prizes loyalty above all else: nothing is more important than creating the Kwisatz Haderach. In order to ensure this so-called super-being arrives at the right time, the Bene Gesserit designed a large-scale breeding program. Interestingly, one of the Bene Gesserit's key abilities is internal organic-chemical control, meaning acolytes can exert control over their organs and body chemistry. With this skill at their disposal, the Bene Gesserit have manipulated bloodlines for generations as part of their breeding program scheme, using the sisters to gather the genes needed to birth the foretold Kwisatz Haderach.

How Powerful The Kwisatz Haderach Is Compared To The Bene Gesserit

While the Kwisatz Haderach and the Bene Gesserit have many of the same abilities, the super-being is more powerful by design. Not only can the male Bene Gesserit tap into the genetic memory of all their ancestors, but the prescient chosen one is also gifted with the power to bridge space and time. Given that the Kwisatz Haderach is Dune's version of a messiah, it's no surprise that the mythical figure would have powers beyond those of the Bene Gesserit — thanks to the order's 10,000 years of selective breeding, of course.

The Kwisatz Haderach is said to possess absolute prescience...

Paul Atreides Is Destined To Be The Kwisatz Haderach

Also dubbed "the one who can be many places at once," the Kwisatz Haderach is said to possess absolute prescience, meaning Dune's messiah is able to see all the universe's possible futures and choose which to pursue. While the Bene Gesserit assume they'll be able to assert control over the Kwisatz Haderach, thus making their order the most powerful group in the empire, things don't go according to plan. The concubine of Duke Leto Atreides, Lady Jessica is given very clear instructions by the Bene Gesserit: bear Leto a daughter — not any sons.

Leto and Jessica's would-be daughter would've married Feyd-Rautha, the nephew of Baron Harkonnen.

According to the breeding program, Leto and Jessica's would-be daughter would then marry Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), the nephew of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Not only would the son of this union mend the rift between the rival houses, but he would be the Kwisatz Haderach. However, Jessica, who's in love with Leto, gives him the son (and heir) he desires. While the Bene Gesserit are livid with Jessica, they're intrigued by the prospect of their prophesied messiah arriving a generation early. Paul is destined to be the Kwisatz Haderach — even if the Bene Gesserit aren't quite prepared.

How Feyd-Rautha Fits Into The Kwisatz Haderach Plan

In Dune 2, Léa Seydoux's Lady Margot Fenring is a Bene Gesserit agent who's tasked with "securing" Feyd's genetic material. Even though Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) believes Paul survived the massacre, the Reverend Mother insists the Bene Gesserit look for an alternative bloodline as their path to power. Lady Margot seduces Feyd-Rautha and bears his daughter, as the Reverend Mother requested, but she also isters the Bene Gesserit gom jabbar pain test to the Harkonnen heir as well. The order is able to ascertain Feyd's potential, but, more importantly, ensure the Harkonnen bloodline (and their breeding program) can continue.

The Difference Between Kwisatz Haderach & Lisan al Gaib

The "Kwisatz Haderach" and "Lisan al Gaib" are essentially different names for the same prophesied being. The latter, however, is a Fremen term for the messiah (or "off-world prophet," teasing Paul's absolute prescience). Translated to both "The Voice from the Outer World" and "Giver of Water" by Dune's Fremen, Lisan al Gaib has real-world roots in Arabic (roughly, "tongue of the unseen"). In accordance with their scheme, the Bene Gesserit have long-prepared Dune 2's ending.

Dune: Part Two is now playing in theaters worldwide.