Editing Lady Jessica

{{Short description|Fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert}}
{{Infobox character
| name               = Lady Jessica
| series             = [[Dune (franchise)|Dune]]
| creator            = [[Frank Herbert]]
| image              = Lady Jessica - Rebecca Ferguson (2021).png
| caption            = [[Rebecca Ferguson]] as Lady Jessica in ''[[Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]'' (2021)
| occupation         = [[Reverend Mother (Dune)|Reverend Mother]]
| significant_others = {{Plainlist|
* [[Leto I Atreides]]
* [[Gurney Halleck]]{{efn|name=gurney|Jessica's later involvement with [[Gurney Halleck]] is inferred in ''[[Children of Dune]]'' as [[Alia Atreides|Alia]] notes, "Gurney Halleck would be with [Jessica] ... Some said he'd become her mother's lover."}}
}}
| children          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Paul Atreides]]
* [[Alia Atreides]]
}}
| relatives         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Vladimir Harkonnen]] (father)
* Tanidia Nerus (mother)
* Zora (half-sister)
* Brom (nephew)
* [[Leto II Atreides]] (grandson)
* [[Ghanima Atreides]] (granddaughter)
* '''Prequels:'''
* [[Gaius Helen Mohiam]]{{efn|The ''[[Prelude to Dune]]'' prequel trilogy by [[Brian Herbert]] and [[Kevin J. Anderson]] establishes that Tanidia Nerus is an alias of [[Gaius Helen Mohiam]].}}
}}
| affiliation       = [[Bene Gesserit]] <br> [[House Atreides]]
| portrayer         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Francesca Annis]] ([[Dune (1984 film)|1984 film]])
* [[Saskia Reeves]] ([[Frank Herbert's Dune|2000 series]])
* [[Alice Krige]] ([[Frank Herbert's Children of Dune|2003 series]])
* [[Rebecca Ferguson]] ([[Dune (2021 film)|2021]] / [[Dune: Part Two|2024 films]])
}}
| first             = ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' (1963–65)
| last              = ''[[The Heir of Caladan]]'' (2022)
}}

'''Lady Jessica''' is a fictional character in the [[Dune (franchise)|''Dune'' universe]] created by [[Frank Herbert]]. A main character in the 1963–65 novel ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'', Jessica also plays an important role in the later installment ''[[Children of Dune]]'' (1976). The events surrounding Jessica's conception, her birth and her early years with Leto are chronicled in the [[prequel]] [[trilogy|trilogies]] ''[[Prelude to Dune]]''  (1999–2001) and ''[[Caladan trilogy|Caladan]]'' (2020–2022) by [[Brian Herbert]] and [[Kevin J. Anderson]]. The character is brought back as a [[ghola]] in the Herbert/Anderson [[sequel]]s which conclude the original series, ''[[Hunters of Dune]]'' (2006) and ''[[Sandworms of Dune]]'' (2007).

Lady Jessica was portrayed by [[Francesca Annis]] in the 1984 [[David Lynch]] film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''. [[Saskia Reeves]] played the role in the 2000 [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] TV [[miniseries]] ''[[Frank Herbert's Dune]]'', which was subsequently portrayed by [[Alice Krige]] in the 2003 sequel, ''[[Frank Herbert's Children of Dune]]''. [[Rebecca Ferguson]] portrayed Jessica in the 2021 [[Denis Villeneuve]] [[Dune (2021 film)|film adaptation]] and its 2024 [[Dune: Part Two|sequel]].

==Description==
Jessica is described in ''Dune'' as having "hair like shaded bronze ... and green eyes" as well as an "oval face." This shape is later notable as a marker of Jessica's bloodline.<ref>{{cite book |last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[God Emperor of Dune]] |date=1981 |quote=In the way genes occasionally do, [Siona's] features copied those of a long dead ancestor: gently oval and with a generous mouth, eyes of alert awareness above a small nose.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[God Emperor of Dune]] |date=1981 |quote=Luyseyal was young, however, with the sensuous oval features of the Jessica-type, and those genes tended to carry a headstrong nature.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[God Emperor of Dune]] |date=1981 |quote=Idaho stared speechlessly at [Irti's] face, stopped in a completed step. It was the face of a woman known only to his deepest fantasies—a soft oval with penetrating dark eyes, a full and sensuous mouth ... 'Jessica,' he whispered ... It was the face of Jessica resurrected out of a past he had believed gone forever, a genetic prank. Muad'Dib's mother recreated in new flesh.}}</ref> Novelist [[Brian Herbert]], Frank Herbert's son and biographer, wrote that "Frank Herbert had modeled Lady Jessica Atreides after [his wife] Beverly Herbert, with her dignified, gentle ways of influence, and even her prescient abilities, which my mother actually possessed."<ref>{{cite book |last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[Dune (novel)|Dune]] |chapter=Afterword by Brian Herbert |year=1965 |edition=[[Amazon Kindle]] |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |pages=869–870}}</ref>

[[Francesca Annis]], who portrayed Jessica in the 1984 film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'', said of the character, "I see her as sort of a supreme matriarch ... She's a mother, a guardian, a guide and an almost mystical figure".<ref>{{cite book|title=[[The Making of Dune]]|chapter=The Cast|date=1984|first=Ed|last=Naha|authorlink=Ed Naha|publisher=[[Berkley Books]]|isbn=0-425-07376-9|edition=Trade paperback|page=34}}</ref> [[Michel Chion]] wrote, "In the novel, [Jessica] is a pitiless, resolute woman with an influential voice. She is also the book's second most important character, present in a great many scenes narrated from her point of view. She does not hesitate to reprimand, advise and toughen her son."<ref name="chion">{{cite book|title=David Lynch|chapter=Immobile Growth|edition=|first=Michel|last=Chion|authorlink=Michel Chion|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|date=2006|isbn=978-1-84457-030-0|pages=64–65|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzn8DwAAQBAJ&dq=chion+david+lynch+jessica+becomes&pg=PA64}}</ref>

==The original series==

===''Dune''===
As ''Dune'' begins, Jessica is the [[Bene Gesserit]] [[concubinage|concubine]] to the Duke [[Leto I Atreides|Leto Atreides]], and mother to his young son and heir [[Paul Atreides|Paul]]. Leto has been granted control of the lucrative planetary [[fief]] of [[Arrakis]], and is moving his entire household there from his [[ocean planet|ocean homeworld]] of [[Caladan]]. Jessica's mentor and former instructor, the Bene Gesserit [[Reverend Mother (Dune)|Reverend Mother]] [[Gaius Helen Mohiam]], is still furious over Jessica's past insubordination—she had been instructed to bear only daughters but, out of love for Leto, she instead intentionally conceived Paul; Mohiam is somewhat intrigued by the potential she sees in the 15-year-old boy. Still, an Atreides daughter is a crucial part of the Bene Gesserit [[breeding program (Dune)|breeding program]] to eventually produce a super-being they call the [[Kwisatz Haderach]].<ref name="dune">{{cite book |last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[Dune (novel)|Dune]] |year=1965}}</ref>

Previously managed by [[House Atreides]]' longtime enemies, the [[House Harkonnen|Harkonnens]], Arrakis is an inhospitable [[desert planet]] plagued by giant [[sandworm (Dune)|sandworms]], and the only known source of [[melange (fictional drug)|melange]], the valuable drug at the center of the galactic empire's economy. Leto suspects treachery on the part of [[Padishah Emperor]] [[Shaddam IV]], but cannot refuse the assignment. Soon the [[Vladimir Harkonnen|Baron Harkonnen]] launches an attack, his forces secretly bolstered by Shaddam's fierce [[Sardaukar]] warriors and aided by Leto's own trusted [[Suk doctor]], [[Wellington Yueh]]. Coerced by the Baron to save his wife from torture, Yueh disables the shields of the Atreides fortress and delivers a drugged Leto to the Baron, but also provides Leto with a false tooth filled with poison gas. Leto bites down on the tooth in the Baron's presence, but the gas only manages to kill Leto and the Baron's twisted Mentat, [[Piter De Vries]]. Jessica is drugged, bound and gagged to prevent her using her powers. The Baron orders that she and Paul be disposed of in the desert. Thanks to supplies left by Yueh, Paul and Lady Jessica escape into the desert and find refuge with the native [[Fremen]]. They take advantage of the legends planted there by the Bene Gesserit's [[Missionaria Protectiva]], which practices religious engineering. Jessica casts Paul as the ''Lisan al'Gaib'', the [[messiah]], and herself as the Reverend Mother who shall bring him, even though she has not yet experienced the Bene Gesserit [[spice agony]] that transforms an acolyte into a full Reverend Mother. Jessica is also revealed to be the secret daughter of the Baron Harkonnen himself.<ref name="dune"/>

Paul soon molds the Fremen into a massive army with which he hopes to retake the planet from Imperial rule. The Fremen have their own "wild" Reverend Mothers, women who undergo their own version of the spice agony to awaken their [[Other Memory]]. Jessica undergoes the ritual of spice agony and replaces the dying Fremen Reverend Mother. But Jessica is pregnant during the ordeal, exposing the fetus to the same awakening of ancestral ego-memories. A child born this way is called an [[abomination (Dune)|Abomination]] by the Bene Gesserit, because experiencing this heightened awareness before they have formed a personality of their own makes them vulnerable to eventually being overtaken by one of their ancestral personalities. Jessica's daughter [[Alia Atreides|Alia]], a full Reverend Mother from birth, is a grown woman in a child's body. Paul's Fremen seize control of Arrakis from Shaddam and the Harkonnens, and Paul accedes to the throne as Emperor after taking the Emperor's daughter as his wife.<ref name="dune"/>

Paul is the Kwisatz Haderach, and eventually sets the Imperium on a course lasting thousands of years in the person of his son, [[Leto II Atreides|Leto II]]. Much to the frustration of the Bene Gesserit, they do not control Paul, and the events of the coming millennia leave Jessica noteworthy as a figure of history who committed a great wrong (according to the Bene Gesserit); in the coming centuries, for a Bene Gesserit to choose her love over the instructions of her order is known as "the Jessica crime."<ref>{{cite book|last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[Chapterhouse: Dune]]|date=1985}}</ref>

=== Sequels ===
By the time of ''[[Dune Messiah]]'' (1969), Jessica has returned to Caladan, the ancestral home of the Atreides. She has also, by some accounts, returned to the Sisterhood following the death of her Duke, and while she cannot influence Paul, she does act as distant counselor. It is also implied that she and Atreides Weapons Master [[Gurney Halleck]] have become lovers.{{efn|name=gurney}}

In ''[[Children of Dune]]'' (1976), Jessica returns to Dune to inspect Paul's children, [[Leto II Atreides|Leto II]] and [[Ghanima Atreides|Ghanima]], to see if they can be returned to the control of the Sisterhood. Leto notes the identity of Jessica's birth mother: [[Tanidia Nerus]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Herbert |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=[[Children of Dune]] |date=1976 |quote=It'll be in their breeding records: Jessica out of Tanidia Nerus by the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.}}</ref> Realizing that Alia is fully possessed, Jessica survives an assassination attempt by Alia and flees to the desert once more, taking refuge with Fremen leader (and old friend) [[Stilgar]] in [[Sietch Tabr]]. A civil war has divided Arrakis, with Fremen revolting against the transformation of the desert started by [[Pardot Kynes]]. Alia's husband, [[Duncan Idaho]], also realizes that Alia is possessed. When Alia instructs Duncan to make her mother disappear, Duncan kidnaps her on the orders of ''the Preacher'', a mysterious desert figure that some suspect is Paul Atreides, who disappeared into the desert. Duncan takes her to [[Salusa Secundus]], the home of exiled [[House Corrino]] and the previous Emperor Shaddam IV. The Preacher has told Jessica, through Duncan, to train the pupil she finds there: Prince [[Farad'n]], Shaddam's grandson. She trains him in the Bene Gesserit way, and at the end of ''Children of Dune'', he becomes Ghanima's concubine and Leto's Royal Scribe.

Jessica is quoted via [[epigraph (literature)|epigraph]] in ''[[Heretics of Dune]]'' (1984):
{{quote|When strangers meet, great allowance should be made for differences of custom and training. — The Lady Jessica, from ''Wisdom of Arrakis''{{efn|Jessica makes this statement to a [[Spacing Guild]] banker in the banquet scene in ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]''.}}}}

In ''[[Chapterhouse: Dune]]'' (1986) it is noted that she "lived out her years on Caladan." According to the ''Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses)'' in ''Dune'', Lady Jessica dies in the year 10,256 A.G. after 102 years of life.

== Prequels ==
In the ''[[Prelude to Dune]]'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001) by [[Brian Herbert]] and [[Kevin J. Anderson]], it is revealed that Mohiam is Jessica's biological mother. According to the authors, this fact was pulled directly from Frank Herbert's working notes for the original ''Dune'' series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/herbertandanderson.html  |title=Chat with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson: ''Dune: House Harkonnen'' |year=2000 |website=[[SciFi.com]] |access-date=November 5, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071105073412/http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/herbertandanderson.html |archive-date = November 5, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the storyline, Mohiam blackmails the homosexual Baron Harkonnen into a sexual encounter. When the first daughter she conceives proves genetically undesirable, she is forced to return. At this point the Baron drugs and viciously rapes Mohiam, and in retribution she secretly infects him with the disease that will later leave him horribly obese. The daughter born of this second union is Jessica. The ''Prelude to Dune'' series also follows Jessica and Leto's relationship from their first meeting through the birth (and subsequent kidnapping and return) of their son Paul. It is indicated that Jessica's choice to bear a son is partially due to her desire to help Leto overcome the devastating loss of his first son, [[Victor Atreides|Victor]], by his concubine [[Kailea Vernius]].

The [[Caladan trilogy|''Caladan'' trilogy]] (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Anderson continues the story of Leto and Jessica's relationship and Paul's early years before the events of ''Dune''.

==In adaptations==

===1984 film===
[[File:Lady Jessica - Francesca Annis (1984).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Francesca Annis]] as Lady Jessica in ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'', wearing a costume by [[Bob Ringwood]] and makeup and hair by [[Giannetto De Rossi]] and Mirella De Rossi]]
Lady Jessica was portrayed by [[Francesca Annis]] in the 1984 [[David Lynch]] film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F06E2D71238F937A25751C1A962948260|title=Movie Review: ''Dune'' (1984)|last=Maslin|first=Janet|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=December 14, 1984|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 15, 2010|url-access=limited|archive-date=March 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311010339/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F06E2D71238F937A25751C1A962948260|url-status=live}}</ref> Annis said that when her agent first called her to say that Lynch and producer [[Dino De Laurentiis]] were interested in her for a part in ''Dune'', she declined a meeting because she was working on a television series in northern England and had heard that a "big film star" was already in line for the role.<ref name="dl annis">{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/dune-francesca-annis-interview-david-lynch-venice-1234824736/|title=''Dune'' 1984: Francesca Annis, the Original Lady Jessica, Lifts the Lid on Life Behind the Scenes of David Lynch's Epic, the ''Heaven's Gate'' of Sci-Fi|first=Andreas|last=Wiseman|date=September 1, 2021|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=May 22, 2024|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901133251/https://deadline.com/2021/09/dune-francesca-annis-interview-david-lynch-venice-1234824736/|url-status=live}}</ref> Annis had been recommended to Lynch because of her portrayal of [[Lillie Langtry]] in the 1978 series ''[[Lillie (TV series)|Lillie]]'',<ref name="dl annis"/> for which she had won the [[British Academy Television Award|BAFTA Television Award]] for Best Actress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://awards.bafta.org/award/1979/television/actress|title=1979 Television Actress|website=[[British Academy Film Awards]]|via=awards.bafta.org|access-date=May 22, 2024|archive-date=2 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102120554/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1979/television/actress|url-status=live}}</ref> Lynch and De Laurentiis persisted, insisting on a meeting and took the [[Concorde]] to London. Annis said, "I got the last train to London from [[Manchester]] after filming and I met David for an hour at 10 p.m. before getting the all-night train back to Manchester."<ref name="dl annis"/> During filming in Mexico, Annis burned off her eyebrows, eyelashes and the front of her hair in an oven explosion, which makeup artist [[Giannetto De Rossi]] fixed for filming. She said that the Reverend Mothers being bald in the film was an unrelated creative decision by Lynch.<ref name="dl annis"/>

[[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' praised "the lustrous Francesca Annis ... who whispers her lines with the urgency of erotic revelation. In those moments when Annis is onscreen, ''Dune'' finds the emotional center that has eluded it in its parade of rococo decor and austere special effects. She reminds us of what movies can achieve when they have a heart as well as a mind."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,923850-1,00.html |title=Cinema: The Fantasy Film as Final Exam |first=Richard |last=Corliss |author-link=Richard Corliss |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=December 17, 1984 |access-date=March 15, 2010 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929130153/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,923850-1,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Michel Chion described the depiction of Jessica in the film as a "radical reversal" from the novel, writing that "Jessica becomes a gentle woman, a solicitous mother and wife, and finally a docile and discreet companion in flight."<ref name="chion"/> Praising the work of costume designer [[Bob Ringwood]], [[Ed Naha]] wrote, "In terms of sheer artistry, Lady Jessica's costumes deserve much applause. She wears a variety of shimmering gowns that are never anything less than ornate."<ref>{{cite book|title=[[The Making of Dune]]|chapter=Costuming ''Dune''|date=1984|first=Ed|last=Naha|authorlink=Ed Naha|publisher=[[Berkley Books]]|isbn=0-425-07376-9|edition=Trade paperback|page=75}}</ref>

===2000 miniseries===
[[Saskia Reeves]] played the role in the 2000 [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] TV [[miniseries]] ''[[Frank Herbert's Dune]]''.<ref name="NYT Stasio">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/tv/cover-story-future-myths-adrift-in-the-sands-of-time.html?src=pm |title=Cover Story: Future Myths, Adrift in the Sands of Time |first=Marilyn |last=Stasio |work=The New York Times |date=December 3, 2000 |access-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222224856/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/tv/cover-story-future-myths-adrift-in-the-sands-of-time.html?src=pm |url-status=live }}</ref> In her review of the 2000 miniseries, Emmet Asher-Perrin of ''[[Tor.com]]'' wrote that Reeves "embodies everything that you would expect from Lady Jessica in both bearing and commanding presence."<ref name="Tor.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2017/05/09/syfys-dune-miniseries-is-the-most-okay-adaptation-of-the-book-to-date/|title=Syfy's ''Dune'' Miniseries is the Most Okay Adaptation of the Book to Date|first=Emmet|last=Asher-Perrin|date=May 9, 2017|website=[[Tor.com]]|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-date=February 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223074241/https://www.tor.com/2017/05/09/syfys-dune-miniseries-is-the-most-okay-adaptation-of-the-book-to-date/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2003 miniseries===
Reeves's real-life pregnancy forced producers to recast the role with [[Alice Krige]] for the 2003 [[sequel]] miniseries, ''[[Frank Herbert's Children of Dune]]''.<ref name="Tor CoD">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2017/09/19/syfys-children-of-dune-miniseries-delivers-on-emotion-when-philosophy-falls-flat/|title=SyFy's ''Children of Dune'' Miniseries Delivers On Emotion When Philosophy Falls Flat|first=Emmet|last=Asher-Perrin|date=September 19, 2017|website=[[Tor.com]]|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-date=March 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306170041/https://www.tor.com/2017/09/19/syfys-children-of-dune-miniseries-delivers-on-emotion-when-philosophy-falls-flat/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT Berger">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/tv/cover-story-where-spice-of-life-is-the-vital-variety.html? |title=Cover Story: Where Spice of Life Is the Vital Variety |last=Berger |first=Warren |date=March 16, 2003 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 26, 2010 |archive-date=January 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119193920/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/tv/cover-story-where-spice-of-life-is-the-vital-variety.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NYT Wertheimer">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/arts/television-review-a-stormy-family-on-a-sandy-planet.html |title=Television Review: A Stormy Family on a Sandy Planet |first=Ron |last=Wertheimer |work=The New York Times |date=March 15, 2003 |access-date=January 19, 2015 |archive-date=January 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119194500/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/arts/television-review-a-stormy-family-on-a-sandy-planet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Laura Fries of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' noted, "it's [[Susan Sarandon]] [as [[Farad'n]]'s mother Wensicia] and Alice Krige who steal the thunder as opposing matriarchs of the great royal houses. Although the two never catfight, their ongoing struggle to rule the ''Dune'' dynasty gives this mini a real kick."<ref name="Variety CoD">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2003/tv/reviews/children-of-dune-1200542893/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821193344/http://variety.com/2003/tv/reviews/children-of-dune-1200542893/ |title=Review: ''Children of Dune'' |first=Laura |last=Fries |work=Variety |date=March 11, 2003 |access-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-date=August 21, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Observing that Sarandon and Krige were "clearly relishing their roles", Fries added that "Sarandon makes a formidable enemy, while Krige, traditionally cast as the villain, proves she can work both sides of the moral fence."<ref name="Variety CoD"/> Asher-Perrin noted of the recast, "While it's hard not to miss Reeves's elegance, there is an otherworldliness to Krige that suits a Bene Gesserit 'witch' superbly."<ref name="Tor CoD"/>

===2021 and 2024 films===
[[File:Lady Jessica - Rebecca Ferguson (2024).png|thumb|upright|[[Rebecca Ferguson]] as Jessica in ''[[Dune: Part Two]]'' (2024), depicted with ritual [[Fremen]] garments, facial tattoos and the [[blue-in-blue]] eyes of a [[melange (fictional drug)|melange]] addict]]
[[Rebecca Ferguson]] portrayed Jessica in the 2021 [[Denis Villeneuve]] film ''[[Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]'' and its 2024 [[sequel]], ''[[Dune: Part Two]]''.<ref name="thr 2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rebecca-ferguson-dune-her-mission-impossible-future-1179209|title=Rebecca Ferguson on Prepping for ''Dune'' and Her ''Mission: Impossible'' Future|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Brian|last=Davids|date=January 25, 2019|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215155836/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rebecca-ferguson-dune-her-mission-impossible-future-1179209|url-status=live}}</ref> The films adapt the 1965 novel in two parts.<ref name="vf cliffhanger">{{Cite web |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Breznican |date=February 2, 2024 |title=''Dune: Part Two'' Is a Cliffhanger—But It May Be Years Before Part Three Arrives |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/dune-part-3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202141231/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/dune-part-3 |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |access-date=February 2, 2024 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url-access=limited |url-status=live}}</ref> Ferguson was initially dismissive of the role, as she felt it was too similar to [[Ilsa Faust]], the character she played in the ''[[Mission: Impossible]]'' franchise, and she did not want to be [[Typecasting|typecast]] as a "strong female character".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Holub |first=Christian |date=September 3, 2021 |title=Queen of the Desert: How Rebecca Ferguson Faced Her Fears with ''Dune'' |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url=https://ew.com/movies/rebecca-ferguson-dune-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013044501/https://ew.com/movies/rebecca-ferguson-dune-interview/ |archive-date=October 13, 2021 |access-date=July 27, 2023}}</ref> However, she was convinced after hearing Villeneuve's ideas and reading the book, saying she enjoyed the "simplicity of wanting to save something you have created and all of these shades".<ref>{{cite web |last=Yuma |first=Jennifer |title=''Dune'': Denis Villeneuve and Rebecca Ferguson on the Sci-Fi Epic's Weighty Themes and Plans for ''Part Two'' |date=September 2021 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/video/dune-denis-villeneuve-part-two-rebecca-ferguson/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912042926/https://variety.com/video/dune-denis-villeneuve-part-two-rebecca-ferguson/ |archive-date=September 12, 2021 |access-date=July 27, 2023}}</ref> 

Villeneuve was intent on increasing the prominence of the female characters and themes from the book. He said, "Femininity is there in the book, but I thought it should be up front. I said , 'We need to make sure that Lady Jessica is not an expensive extra.' She's such a beautiful and complex character."<ref name="latimes changes">{{cite web |last=Rottenberg |first=Josh |date=October 21, 2021 |title=Why ''Dune'' Made These 5 Key Changes from Frank Herbert's Book |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-10-21/dune-movie-book-changes-explained-denis-villeneuve |access-date=October 21, 2021 |website=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |archive-date=October 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022021200/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-10-21/dune-movie-book-changes-explained-denis-villeneuve |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Ferguson said that while Villeneuve respected Herbert's characterization in the book, Villeneuve's modifications had helped improve the quality of female characters by expanding the role of Lady Jessica as a soldier and member of the Bene Gesserit. As such, the studio labeled this role a "warrior priestess", in contrast to the joking label of "space nun" that Villeneuve felt was implied by the book.<ref name="vf firstlook">{{cite web |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Breznican |date=April 14, 2020 |title=Behold ''Dune'': An Exclusive Look at Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and More |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/behold-dune-an-exclusive-look-at-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-oscar-isaac |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414123142/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/behold-dune-an-exclusive-look-at-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-oscar-isaac |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |access-date=April 14, 2020}}</ref> Ferguson said of Jessica, "She's a mother, she's a concubine, she's a soldier."<ref name="vf firstlook"/> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that Ferguson's Jessica "has a fierceness and a fighting prowess, along with her Bene Gesserit mental abilities, not always evident in the novel."<ref name="latimes changes"/> ''[[IGN]]'' explained that in the first film, Jessica is simultaneously driven by a need to protect the son she loves and "a desire to facilitate his rise to power", describing her as "a cunning manipulator who has been training Paul in the superhuman abilities of her order against their wishes, and grooming him for a dark destiny that the young Atreides spends much of the two films hoping to avoid."<ref name="ign jessica">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/rebecca-ferguson-is-the-mvp-of-dune-part-2|title=Rebecca Ferguson Is the MVP of ''Dune: Part 2''|first=Carlos|last=Morales|date=March 15, 2024|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=May 20, 2024|archive-date=May 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512002716/https://www.ign.com/articles/rebecca-ferguson-is-the-mvp-of-dune-part-2|url-status=live}}</ref>

Discussing the second film, Villeneuve said, "Lady Jessica kind of disappears in the second part of the book, and I made sure as I was writing the screenplay to do the opposite, to make sure that she will be active, to bring her back to the front of the story."<ref name="t&c">{{Cite web|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a43977317/rebecca-ferguson-mission-impossible-interview-2023/|title=From ''Mission Impossible'' to ''Dune'', It's Rebecca Ferguson's Year, We're Just Living in It|date=June 6, 2023|website=[[Town & Country (magazine)|Town & Country]]|access-date=May 20, 2024|archive-date=June 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608030710/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a43977317/rebecca-ferguson-mission-impossible-interview-2023/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ferguson said of Jessica in ''Part Two'', "She's a mom protecting and training someone, something. I say something because she knows [she's dealing with] an entity bigger than themselves. When Paul starts going off, she begins losing power, and it puts her on an unpredicted journey to discover who we are in response to other people."<ref name="t&c"/> Villeneuve explained, "She lost everything. She is a survivor like her son Paul, and she has to strategize how to accomplish her ambition. It's a really beautiful and nicely complex character."<ref name="vf firstlook2"/> Jessica becomes fixated with fulfilling the Fremen prophecy and installing Paul as their messiah.<ref name="vf firstlook2"/><ref name="guardian">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/03/dune-part-two-review-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-rebecca-ferguson-austin-butler-sci-fi-sequel-is-jaw-on-the-floor-spectacular|title=''Dune: Part Two'' Review – Sci-fi Sequel Is Immense, Breathtaking Wonder|first=Wendy|last=Ide|date=March 3, 2024|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=May 21, 2024|url-status=live|archive-date=May 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521142336/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/03/dune-part-two-review-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-rebecca-ferguson-austin-butler-sci-fi-sequel-is-jaw-on-the-floor-spectacular}}</ref> ''IGN'' wrote that Jessica steps "into an even more overtly villainous role" in the second film, with "her relationship with Paul becoming more antagonistic as she sets in motion the events that will lead to his accepting the role of [messiah] and challenging the Emperor".<ref name="ign jessica"/>

While Jessica is depicted in "ornate and ceremonial" costumes as the concubine of Duke Leto in the first film, she wears ritual garments and her face is covered in tattoos in the aftermath of her transformation into the Fremen Reverend Mother in ''Part Two''.<ref name="vf firstlook2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/04/dune-part-two-exclusive-first-look|title=''Dune: Part Two''—An Exclusive First Look at the Saga's Epic Conclusion|first=Anthony|last=Breznican|date=April 27, 2023|website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|access-date=May 20, 2024|archive-date=April 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427130721/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/04/dune-part-two-exclusive-first-look|url-access=limited|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt questions">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/movies/denis-villeneuve-dune-part-two.html|title=Denis Villeneuve Answers All Your Questions About ''Dune: Part Two''|first=Amy|last=Nicholson|date=April 17, 2024|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 20, 2024|archive-date=May 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511230647/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/movies/denis-villeneuve-dune-part-two.html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Villeneuve explained, "She's trying to play on the symbolism that was put in the prophecy. She's supposed to be the mother of the messiah, so I wanted to bring the idea that she was like the Pope of the Reverend Mothers on Arrakis. There's some kind of madness in writing elements of the prophecies on her face. Frankly, I think when you drink the worm poison, it affects your sanity—and the same with Paul. I like the idea that we feel she's going too far."<ref name="nyt questions"/> ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that Jessica is "twisted" by the Fremen ritual and "takes on a chilling ruthlessness".<ref name="guardian"/> Villeneuve said, "We see that there's a darkness, a very specific darkness in her eyes. Lady Jessica is one of the masterminds of ''Dune''. She's trying to play her own agenda."<ref name="vf firstlook2"/> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that Jessica "goes off the deep end" in pursuing her ambitions for Paul.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/02/27/dune-part-two-chalamet-zendaya-review/|title=''Dune: Part Two'' Is 166 Minutes of Brilliant Casting and Sand|first=Ann|last=Hornaday|date=February 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306220343/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/02/27/dune-part-two-chalamet-zendaya-review/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=March 6, 2024|url-access=subscription|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' praised a "tremendous, melodramatically on-target" Ferguson in the first film, describing her chemistry with costar [[Timothée Chalamet]], who portrays Paul, as "devotional, bordering on incestuous".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/dune-review-science-fiction-majestic-unsettling-enveloping/|title=''Dune'' Review: Science Fiction at Its Most Majestic, Unsettling and Enveloping|first=Robbie|last=Collin|date=September 3, 2021|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=May 20, 2024|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918203957/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/dune-review-science-fiction-majestic-unsettling-enveloping/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' praised her "wrenching performance" as Jessica waits for Paul to complete Mohiam's test.<ref>{{cite web |last=Travis |first=Ben |date=September 3, 2021 |title=''Dune'' (2021) Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dune-2021/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921004408/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dune-2021/ |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=September 6, 2021}}</ref> ''IGN'' wrote of ''Part Two'', "That Jessica has any sympathy from the audience—despite being a eugenicist and megalomaniac who usurped the religious leadership of an indigenous culture so her son could claim dominion of the universe almost purely out of her own vanity—all comes down to Ferguson imbuing her with inner life and dimension that makes us feel like we understand her even when the script doesn't actually give us every detail about her motivations."<ref name="ign jessica"/> Villeneuve said, "I'm looking forward for the world to see what Rebecca has accomplished. She's not afraid to go very far away. She's a force that I can count on."<ref name="t&c"/>

==Merchandising==
A line of ''Dune'' action figures from toy company [[LJN]] was released to lackluster sales in 1984. Styled after David Lynch's film, the collection featured figures of various characters. A figure of Lady Jessica previewed in LJN's catalog was never produced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nerdbastards.com/2014/01/12/toys-we-miss-dune/|title=Toys We Miss: The Long Forgotten Figures From Frank Herbert's ''Dune''|first=James|last=Daniels|website=Nerd Bastards|date=January 12, 2014|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=January 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127111043/http://nerdbastards.com/2014/01/12/toys-we-miss-dune/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cod">{{Cite web|url=https://duneinfo.com/collectors-of-dune/toys|title=Toys|website=Collectors of Dune|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603235709/https://duneinfo.com/collectors-of-dune/toys|archive-date=June 3, 2023|access-date=August 1, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, [[Funko]] produced a Lady Jessica figure as part of their POP! Television line. It is a {{convert|4.5|in|cm|adj=on}} vinyl figure in the Japanese [[chibi (style)|chibi]] style, depicting Jessica in a [[glow-in-the-dark (toys)|glow-in-the-dark]] yellow outfit styled after the 2021 Villeneuve film.<ref name="cod"/> [[McFarlane Toys]] released a Lady Jessica 7-inch figurine in November 2020 and [[Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse]] released a Lady Jessica 8.9-inch (22.61 cm) figurine in March 2022, both featuring the character in a [[stillsuit]].<ref name="cod"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Products/3008-147/Dune-Lady-Jessica-Figure|title=''Dune'': Lady Jessica Figure|website=[[Dark Horse Comics]]|access-date=May 21, 2024|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231143841/https://www.darkhorse.com/Products/3008-147/Dune-Lady-Jessica-Figure|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2024, a [[Lego Dune|Lego ''Dune'']] playset based on the Atreides [[ornithopter (Dune)|ornithopter]] from the 2021 ''Dune'' film was released, containing a Lady Jessica [[Lego minifigure]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Chris |date=October 24, 2023 |title=LEGO ''Dune'' Atreides Royal Ornithopter Set Is Up for Preorder |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/lego-dune-atreides-royal-ornithopter-release-date-preorder |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=[[IGN]] |archive-date=October 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025212515/https://www.ign.com/articles/lego-dune-atreides-royal-ornithopter-release-date-preorder |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=James |last=Whitbrook |date=October 24, 2023 |title=Lego's ''Dune'' Set Is a Big Ornithopter and One Long Baron |url=https://gizmodo.com/lego-dune-ornithopter-price-release-date-pictures-1850953487 |access-date=October 23, 2023 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026000153/https://gizmodo.com/lego-dune-ornithopter-price-release-date-pictures-1850953487 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Family tree ==
{{House Atreides family tree}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dune franchise}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jessica}}
[[Category:Dune (franchise) characters]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1963]]<!--Serial-->
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1965]]<!--Novel-->
[[Category:Fictional lords and ladies]]
[[Category:Female characters in literature]]
[[Category:Female characters in film]]