Women and how they wield power are at the center of HBO’s new series Dune: Prophecy, a prequel to the epic first imagined by Frank Herbert in the 1960s.

The six-episode season, debuting Sunday on Max, tells the origin story of the matriarchal order later known as the Bene Gesserit, 10,000 years before the rise of messianic figure Paul Atreides. “We like to call it 10,000 years B.C. — before (Timothée) Chalamet,” jokes Emily Watson, who plays the group’s leader, Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen.

“We’re part of this sisterhood that is trying to direct humanity on the right path.” The Oscar nominee spoke with NPR’s Michel Martin during a recent visit in New York with other members of the cast and crew.

Power from the shadows

A few decades before the series’ time period, in what’s known in the Dune universe as the Butlerian Jihad, humans barely triumphed over”thinking machines” — computers and other artificial intelligence.

The members of the order — from leaders to the young acolytes they train — advise leaders of the so-called Great Houses, or dynastic seats of power. They pull the strings of power from the shadows, literally whispering into the ears of the men who hold apparent power. They do so discreetly, veiled and dressed in black, while communicating with each other through hand signals.

“As we know from our politics in the U.K., and maybe you might feel in your politics that sometimes it’s not the person at the podium, but the shady characters to one side that you need to keep an eye on,” said SAG Awards nominee Olivia Williams, who plays Valya’s sister, Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen.

The two sisters grow the order through subtlety and mystique in the fledgling Imperium while fighting against a powerful, terrifying new enemy.

“These women were created by a man in the 60s. And the things that make them frightening to men are the same old stuff: women, in order to be scary, are in a convent, they seem to be in some way chaste… It’s like, what are women getting up to when men aren’t there?” Williams said.

“Part of the sisterhood is that they have to maintain this mystery that freaks men out. Because when you look at the Council of the Imperium, it’s still a bunch of blokes. And that if we need to be isolated in a convent style enclave in order to make men fear us, then that’s what we’ll do as Harkonnen sisters.”

The wedding ceremony between the heir to the imperial throne, Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) and Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior) sets off a period of major turbulence in Dune: Prophecy.

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The women in the sisterhood wield superpowers that allow them to tell whether someone is telling the truth. They can also control their bodies on a cellular level to communicate with their ancestors.

“Truth is like a currency. And he who controls that narrative controls the power in the universe,” Watson said. “And it’s ultimately all down to… the Dune equivalent of oil is spice and he who controls the spice controls the universe.”

Decades-old friendship

It’s fitting that Watson and Williams would be cast as sisters. They have known each other for decades, dating back to when they first joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the U.K. But they had never worked together until now. Williams reflected on how much has changed in her field since she got her first start.

Emily Watson, left, and Olivia Williams, right, play two Harkonnen sisters who form a sisterhood later known as the Bene Gesserit in Dune: Prophecy.

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“All those years ago, drama schools took 10 men to two to three women in every year to reflect the proportion of casting once you went out into the business,” she said, while sitting alongside Watson. “And just on the sheer numbers, how astonishing to have two — forgive me Emily, if you object to this term — middle-aged women playing the leads and getting the good lines and the great costumes and the storylines in a major HBO Max TV show.”

Members of the sisterhood such as Reverend Mother Kasha (right) pull the strings of power from their discreet positions as advisors to leaders of the Imperium, here Emperor Javicco Corrino (center)

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One of the ways in which the Harkonnen sisters try to gain power is through a carefully calibrated breeding program. Williams sees parallels with Germany under the Nazi regime and the lead-up to World War II.

“Their motives are appallingly set in the world of eugenics, which is was dreadful when it was was dabbled with in the 1930s in a lot of scientific communities throughout the world, and I don’t look forward to it coming back again to fashion in 10,000 years time,” she said.

“But it’s an interesting study that over the many, many centuries we’re talking, that is still a preoccupation of people. Really, it’s depressing, but I think it’s probably true.”

Sisterhood leaders place much of their hopes for the future in young acolyte Lila (Chloe Lea) in the HBO prequel series Dune: Prophecy.

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The Harkonnen sisters may not be ideal female role models, but the complexity of the characters is what Watson calls “a really tasty dish” for an actor. She and Williams drew some of their inspiration from the bloodier chapters of British royal history.

They visited the National Portrait Gallery in London to view portraits of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots to try to “get a sense of what that deeply powerful, paranoid complex, born out of violence” character might be,” Watson said.

Williams muses about more reasonable and palatable female protagonists. “What is interesting to me is seeing women who are well and healthily integrated into society and can still be wise and powerful,” she said. “That would be an interesting project.”

The broadcast version of this story was produced by Claire Murashima.

Four residents from the Los Angeles area were arrested this week after an investigation by the California Department of Insurance revealed that they allegedly used a life-sized bear costume to stage attacks on their vehicles in an attempt to secure a six-figure payout.

The suspects — Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39— have been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy, according to an announcement made by the department on Wednesday. Their alleged scam cost three insurance companies a total of $141,839.

“Operation Bear Claw” began earlier this year after one of their claims gave an insurance company pause (or should we say, paws).

In January, the suspects claimed that a bear had entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and caused interior damage while it was parked in Lake Arrowhead, a region in the San Bernardino Mountains known for its large black bear population.

The suspects provided video footage of the alleged incident to their unnamed insurance company, which the department has since posted online. The video shows a furry figure entering through the side door, climbing around the backseat and crawling out, leaving scratch marks on the leather seats and door.

“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” officials said.

Detectives found two more claims involving the same suspects, from the same date and location, but involving different cars: a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.

The suspects also provided video footage of these alleged incidents, which followed a similar pattern to the first. But suspicious authorities didn’t rely solely on their animal instincts; They took additional steps to sniff out the truth.

“The Department had a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife review the three alleged bear videos and they also opined it was clearly a human in a bear suit,” it said.

Detectives executed a search warrant and found the bear costume — complete with a furry snouted head, paws and metal tools in the shape of claws — in the suspects’ home.

The fur of the costume is a light brown color. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says black bears are the only wild bears in the state, although they can be found in various shades including brown and tan. (California grizzly bears became extinct in the 1920s, except for the one depicted on the state flag.)

The insurance department says the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol helped investigate the case, which has been referred to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

The district attorney’s office informed NPR via email on Thursday that the case is currently under review for a filing determination — essentially, the decision to charge suspects with a crime. Once that decision is made, court dates and appearances will be scheduled.

Splash Mountain’s eviction is complete.

With the opening Friday of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disneyland has formally rid itself of an attraction that came to be seen as problematic. In its place is a ride that serves as a celebration, boasting a statement about the communal power of music and a narrative that serves as an American success story.

Centered on characters from the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog,” Tiana’s Bayou Adventure makes the argument that thrill rides can enchant rather than frighten us. The ride still features its steep 50-foot drop begging us to hold on tight, but it reframes it. Princess Tiana, now a restaurateur, is throwing a Mardi Gras party, and we need to get there at once. That’s a stark shift from Splash Mountain, with its villainous fox and bear-hunting Br’er Rabbit.

Tiana’s, opening such as it is just about a week after one of our nation’s most divisive presidential elections, is not only a story about people coming together, but also a tale dedicated to those who may be overlooked, says Walt Disney Imagineering’s Josef Lemoine, who helped craft the ride’s narrative. He says such themes could be found in unexpected places, including the background of Louis the alligator.

“He felt like he had to be human to have his voice and abilities recognized,” Lemoine says. “Tiana goes, ‘No. We found you in the bayou. I think we’ll go look where everyone else is probably not looking.’ We want everybody to feel like they have something to contribute.”

It helps give the ride a lighthearted, upbeat feel, making it an attraction that’s based almost fully on the joy of community. And it’s one of a host of reasons we not only think the ride is a blast, but also why it’s an important addition to Disneyland. Here are six things you should know about the new attraction.

1. Goodbye, Critter Country. Hello, Bayou Country.

The opening of Tiana’s gives the newly christened Bayou Country its centerpiece attraction. The land, most recently known as Critter Country, now serves as a sort of extension of the nearby New Orleans Square, home to the quick service dining location Tiana’s Palace and “The Princess and the Frog”-themed shop Eudora’s Chic Boutique. The latter, named after Tiana’s dressmaker mother, features housewares and New Orleans-themed decor. Over in Bayou Country are two additional Tiana-related shops, Louis’ Critter Club and Ray’s Berets. The stores are your go-to for Tiana-themed plushies, headgear and toys, including an interactive and wearable light-up firefly.

Bayou Country also houses the family ride the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the too-often overlooked Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes and the just-opened Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, nostalgically themed to the late Country Bear Jamboree. But Tiana, with its looming, green-draped mountain, is the star. Including the ride, the west side of Disneyland is home to five “The Princess and the Frog”-themed locales, giving the chef-turned-entrepreneur one of the larger footprints at the Disneyland Resort.

Murals from artist Malaika Favorite grace the walls of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

(Christian Thompson / Disneyland Resort)

2. The details entice you even before you enter the ride

One of the most striking sights at Tiana‘s occurs outside the ride, where the murals of Louisiana artist Malaika Favorite don the show building. Look for a series of large-scale paintings — Imagineering’s Ted Robledo, who along with Charita Carter and Carmen Smith oversaw the development of the attraction, notes these are the original hand-painted works. A few feature the alligator Louis and at various points show the interests of Tiana and her growing restaurant empire. They’re colorful, ever-so-slightly abstracted works, all connected via a rainbow tapestry.

At various points they detail group outings, such as playing music, working a garden or collaborating in a kitchen. All told, they help bring to life the Southern region Tiana’s aims to honor, and do so not with fantasy artwork but talent born of the area. They’re fluid and lively, a mix of people and colors that brim with brightness. It’s the rare ride that avoids conflict, and instead acts as a tribute to a city and a culture.

“We want to make sure that people recognize that we’re thinking about New Orleans as an incredible place of so many cultures,” Smith says. “We think about Choctaw Indians, and if you go through the queue you’ll see one of their stickball [artifacts]. It’s a sport that the Choctaw Nation played. There’s all these cultures and stories hidden throughout the queue.”

Mayra the frog in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a ride that celebrates music and community.

(Christian Thompson / Disneyland Resort)

3. It’s a thrill ride that’s an anti-thrill ride

The skeleton of Splash Mountain and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is the same, that is the ride still features its cleverly designed track layout, one that manages to disguise twists, turns and drops. Yet the story on Tiana’s has been simplified. There’s a heavily detailed queue that features newspaper clippings and knick-knacks that give us insight into Tiana’s business and life — we learn, for instance, her last name is Rogers — but ultimately this is a journey about finding musicians in the bayou for a giant Mardi Gras bash.

The ride features multiple songs from “The Princess and the Frog,” opening with “Down in New Orleans” and transitioning to “Almost There,” but once we drop into the bayou the soundtrack shifts to the jubilant and bouncy “Gonna Take You There.” The ride turns into a giant jam session. The score subtly shifts from zydeco to rara — the tones transitioning from that of a backwoods party to a street parade — before leading to an Afro-Cuban finale that builds to the sing-along “Dig a Little Deeper.”

But whereas Splash Mountain was about ramping up the tension — turning fear into fun — Tiana’s wants to use its hair-raising drops for something that feels more festive. Walt Disney Imagineering has in recent years been trying to upend the expectations that come with certain ride systems. See the transition of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!, which took an elevator drop ride from spooky to comedic.

The multicolored lift of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which sets up the 50-foot drop.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Likewise, Tiana’s wants to turn its centerpiece 50-foot drop into a thing to be welcomed. As we ascend up the lift hill, we do so with twirling, bright lights, which feature just a dash of twilight hues. My ride companion, The Times’ senior editor for video Mark Potts, remarked that it felt like going up to heaven. I can’t vouch for the factuality of that, but it resonates, as the emotion here is triumph.

“Life should be about enjoyment and having fun and having that sense of wonder. We want people to walk away feeling, ‘wow’ — drenched, yes — but that they have been on a magical journey where you’re getting a chance to feel a city, and hear the music of the city,” says Smith.

The critter musicians of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure play instruments constructed out of found objects.

(Christian Thompson / Disneyland Resort)

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4. You’ll see some of Disneyland’s most advanced animatronics

But not all is so culturally realistic. This is still a Disney ride, after all, and one based on a fairy tale. That means cute critters.

There are three core bands of animals throughout the attraction — Disney has previously said Tiana’s features 19 original characters. Some are instantly charming, such as a rabbit playing a license plate as a washboard (that’s Gritty). Others, such as a big-cheeked frog named Mayra, will recall Dizzy Gillespie.

The frogs appear larger than life, as Tiana’s does utilize a popular theme park cliche of shrinking the audience at one point, but the scene also allows us to better see how all the animals are playing instruments made out of either found objects or forest materials. Check Felipe the frog, whose piano is constructed in part out of a chocolate box. Those who pay close attention to the queue may spot that Tiana is a fan of the very same candy brand. And then there are the bobcats playing single note trumpets (made out of bark and leaves).

Disneyland regulars who go on the ride multiple times will also become familiar with Lari the armadillo, a good-natured thief who appears multiple times throughout the ride. If you see an instrument made out of keyboard keys, the story goes that Lari is likely the one who swiped them from Tiana’s computer.

Fireflies are seen throughout Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, often lighting up the forest.

(Sean Teegarden / Disneyland Resort)

5. Disneyland has the definitive (and I’d say the better) Tiana’s

Tiana’s opened earlier this year at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, and the rides are virtually identical, save for some differences in track layout. The Florida version is also a tad longer, which results in some lengthier interstitial scenes without critters. But Imagineers noted that the ride was plotted using Disneyland’s version of Splash Mountain as the template. That’s because work properly got underway on the attraction during pandemic shutdowns of 2020 when parks were closed, meaning travel was at a minimum and the show building that was studied most closely was the one in Anaheim, as it’s clearly closer to Imagineering’s Glendale headquarters than Orlando, Fla.

The bulk of the decisions related to the ride, such as “where critters went, where characters went, where Tiana is,” were cemented in Anaheim, Robledo said. Robledo pointed out that he’s especially proud of the way in which the Disneyland version transitions into the bayou, as after a short drop we’re greeted by a burst of fireflies that gradually light up the forest that engulfs us and in moments explodes with music. I rode Tiana’s at both parks and while they are extremely closely related, the edge goes to Disneyland. It’s swifter, the animatronics are generally closer to us, and the slightly shorter ride time ensures there’s no elongated scenes without some critter action.

Princess Tiana and her alligator pal Louis in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland.

(Christian Thompson / Disneyland Resort)

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6. The change is part of a necessary push for a more inclusive Disneyland

If we can agree that Disneyland is, unlike a film or a television series, a living environment — a place born of one era but striving to be welcoming to subsequent generations — then it stands to reason that its attractions must change with the times.

In 2017, Disneyland at last gave women agency in its Pirates of the Caribbean attraction by removing a bridal auction scene and reimagining a female “wench” as a pirate. Amid the protests and cultural reckoning of 2020 that followed the murder of George Floyd, Disney announced it would strike “Song of the South” references from Splash Mountain and instead feature “The Princess and the Frog,” starring the company’s first Black princess. And in 2021 Disney remade parts of the Jungle Cruise to remove, in Disney’s words, “negative depictions of native people.”

These changes are necessary.

Though Splash Mountain aimed to skirt any controversy associated with “Song of the South,” a work long decried as racist for its idyllic view of slavery and the Reconstruction era, it could never divorce itself from the film. The goal of the original attraction was to be something of a cartoon sprung to life, and it did so by focusing only on “Song of the South’s” animated characters. Yet it was a tricky line to walk, and, in hindsight, perhaps even naive to believe the attraction could stand apart from a film that has long been out of circulation.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, then, is a course correction, and one that provides more opportunities for Disneyland’s wildly diverse fan base to see itself reflected in its rides.

Imagineering’s Carter recalled during a media presentation the release of the film about 15 years ago.

“For the first time,” Carter said, “I had a princess that looked like me.”