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• Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]

Greetings Popversians, and welcome to Lore Corner! Each week, video producer Ashley V. Robinson and staff writer Grant DeArmitt are going to take you deep into the preexisting lore behind some of pop culture's most exciting adaptations, such as the epic, spacefaring universe of Dune: Prophecy. Happy diving!

As if we weren't already aware of how cold its getting, that most recent episode of Dune: Prophecy made brought the temperature down in our imaginations, with the strange and alien planet upon which some of the episode took place. You might have even had the thought that it was a far cry from the Dune you're used to on the big screen, and you would've been absolutely correct. Lankiveil, the ice planet from episode 3, is pretty much the exact opposite of Arrakis - and we're not just talking about the climate. 

Let us explain.

What is Lankiveil in the Dune universe?

As you saw saw onscreen when Dune: Prophecy episode 3 aired, Lankiveil is a planet whose position in the solar system makes for an arctic, sometimes unlivable climate. However, it's not entirely without native species. Under the freezing waters of the planet reside a species of whale that have adapted to its freezing conditions. They're kind of the anti-sandworms - instead of traveling through hot desert and retaining the planet's scare water, they make their home under freezing sea. Basically, Arrakis is the Heat Miser to Lankiveil's Snow Miser.

(Does anyone get that reference these days?)

However, where the creatures and planet differ most is in how the rest of the galaxy interacts with them. While the sandworms of Arrakis are to be avoided at all costs (unless you need to ride one into an IMAX-worthy battle), the whales are regularly slaughtered, their thick fur coats making them a prize commodity among the galaxy's wealthiest residents. In fact, it's through the whale-fur trade that one particular organization inf the Dune-iverse rises to power.

Why is Lankiveil important to House Harkonnen?

Maybe the most important thing to know about Lankiveil, especially in how it connects Dune: Prophecy to the Dune movies, is that it's a huge moneymaker for House Harkonnen. They thrive on the whale-fur trade, essentially taking over the planet to feed their excessive greed and keep themselves in power.

Knowing this might've jogged in your memory a use of the name Lankiveil before, as you've already heard it discussed even before Dune: Prophecy aired. If you'll recall, it's part of the title of one of Dune's most memorable villains, without whom much of Paul Atreides's story would have been very, very different.

Who is Count Rabban of Lankiveil?

Played by Dave Bautista in Denis Villineuve's Dune Parts One and Two, Count Glossu Rabban (also called "Beast) is perhaps the most famous resident of Lankiveil during the time before The Great Desert War, which was depicted in the films. Rabban was the iron-fisted regent of Lankiveil for years before, in an underhanded move that would eventually cost Rabban his life, Baron Harkonnen would reposition him as the clan's ruler on Arrakis.

From the time of Dune: Prophecy, it will be some 10,000 years until Count Rabban is even born. But his  presence is very much represented by what we've seen of the maritime planet so far. Like himself and, inarguably, the House of Harkonnen, Lankiveil is cold, unforgiving, and difficult to overcome.

Want to know more? Watch our video about the episode right here. 

Face your fear, and permit it to pass over you and through you with our key guides to all things Dune:

• Dune: Part Two's ending explained,
• All the Dune sequels and TV show prequels that are planned
• Dune watch order
• Which Frank Herbert story Denis Villeneuve believes would make a great Dune: Part Three
• Movies to watch after you've finished Dune
• Sisterhood of Dune ending explained: Understanding the book that Dune: Prophecy was based on

After reading it all, turn to the inner eye to see its path.