Warning: Minor spoilers for the His Dark Materials books ahead.
The opening credits of BBC/HBO’s His Dark Materials contain both a number of plot teases and also some spoilers for what’s to come in the series. Although it’s only two episodes in, His Dark Materials is already proving popular with critics and audiences alike - and it’s easy to see why.
The series is doing an excellent job of getting to the heart of the His Dark Materials book series, and bringing together the story in a new way; which is reflected in the opening credits. Unsurprisingly, the credits contain plenty of hints as to what the show’s first season will bring, including a closer look at the Aleithiometer, as well as Lyra (Dafne Keen) and a couple of other major characters. Even the concept of other worlds is a big part of the credits, which are brought together beautifully to convey how complex this multi-universal can be, and who is in the center of it all.
Book readers may recognize far more than new fans, and they can enjoy a few hints at some epic book scenes to come - while non-book readers can be a little more intrigued about what it all means. Without giving away anything too major in terms of plot twists, it’s possible to break down all the biggest scenes in the His Dark Materials opening credits, where they are referenced in the books, and what it all means for the show.
Dust & The Alethiometer
The first thing that is seen when the credits open is simply the names of the major stars… but they are on a background of drifting gold particles. To the uninitiated, this is just a pretty way to start the credits, but those in the know will recognize Dust. Described in The Amber Spyglass as drifting particles of gold, this looks exactly how fans would expect - and is what is seen in the first episode, in Lord Asriel’s (James McAvoy) photogram of Dust. The opening shots then cut to the building of the Alethiometer, which appears to be built from Dust itself. There is also a closeup of some of the symbols on the Alethiometer - a lightning bolt, an elephant, an anchor, and a beetle. An engraving on the Alethiometer is also seen: Khunrath.
Having the Alethiometer form out of Dust is a clear reference to the fact that the two are connected (and in this world, pretty much everything is connected to Dust in some way!), but the choice of symbol is even more interesting. Each of these is mentioned in the original book, The Golden Compass, although not at the same time. The thunderbolt is one of the first symbols to be mentioned, when Lyra is first examining the Aleithiometer and sees “angel, helmet, dolphin, globe, lute, compasses, candle, thunderbolt, horse” as the needle swings. The anchor is then mentioned when someone tells Lyra about how the device works - that each symbol can mean multiple things. “Take the anchor, there. The first meaning of that is hope, because hope holds you fast, like an anchor…”
The thunderbolt, along with the elephant and beetle reappear later, when Lyra is first learning how to read the Alethiometer, and trying to use it to find out what Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) is doing. Finally, the engraving of Khunrath is a reference to the person who first created the device: Pavel Khunrath, an experimental theologian of this world from the 17th century. This is something that does not appear in the books (in fact, it appears only in a pamphlet created as promotion for the stage production of His Dark Materials), which suggests that the history of the Alethiometer may have a much bigger part to play in the series than in the original novels.
The Subtle Knife & Amber Spyglass
Of course, the Alethiometer is not the only object from the novels that makes an appearance in the credits. Both the Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass are referenced as well. The Knife appears when Lyra’s back is first seen, as she stands with Pantalaimon. The Knife appears behind her, pointing down, before the shot pans out to pass through a yellow/gold glass circle.
These smaller references are to the most important objects of the next two books in the trilogy; without giving too much away, the Subtle Knife is a magical weapon that can cut through anything, and that becomes vital to Lyra and Will’s journey, while the Amber Spyglass is created by Mary (who is not yet cast) to help her understand how everything fits together. The fact that both appear this soon in the series (even just in the credits) shows that His Dark Materials is going to be encompassing the entire book trilogy. This is not a show that is interested in simply telling one book at a time, but has the long game in mind - and it shows, from the changes that have so far been made.
Will Parry (& Lee Scoresby)
There aren’t many human figures in the credits - Lyra takes center stage, but even she is only seen briefly, and from the back. However, two other people are teased: Will Parry (Amir Wilson) and Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda). Lee Scoresby is barely even glimpsed, but there is a figure standing in the basket of a balloon, and that could really be no one else (although some other characters do ride in that balloon, it would be hugely surprising if that scene was intended to reference one of them). Scoresby has yet to appear, but will be showing up to help Lyra - a Texan aeronaut, he is a fan-favorite character, and the fact that he hasn’t appeared in the first two episodes but is in the opening credits should speak to how important he is.
Another character who has yet to appear but who gets a credit spot will also end up being vitally important - Will Parry. Will is an occupant of the parallel world that Lord Boreal entered in the second episode of His Dark Materials, but he will not be staying there. Avoiding major spoilers, he is the main character of the second novel (The Subtle Knife), and appears in the credits as the male figure opposite Lyra, walking upside down on a square of stairs. (That is, this figure is presumably Will, although that is not 100% confirmed.) The Escher-esque moment is a beautiful way of showing how close these two are (the story is as much his as Lyra’s, in the end), but conveying that they are in different worlds - with one upside down to the other. His appearance here also confirms that the series is going to be launching into his story far sooner than the books did.
All Of The Parallel Worlds
Finally, the credits end on an incredible scene, as worlds are shown stacked on top of worlds. It’s no secret at this point that the series is not keeping the ‘multiple universes’ twist for later on, as Boreal has already passed through to Will’s world on screen. However, this is a beautiful way to show that there are not just these two worlds for the series to explore. Book readers may recognize some of the worlds shown in the credits - and once again, they reference points from all three books in the original series.
The two worlds that are shown in the most detail appear to be Lyra’s world and Will’s world, which makes sense (as this is where the bulk of the action, especially early on, takes place). However, book readers may be able to find a couple of other worlds that make an appearance. Citagazze, the world of the Mulefa, and the Kingdom of Heaven are the three other major worlds to appear, but the appearance of the Zepplin may be hinting at a certain chase scene from the books.
However, one world (one that would be a major spoiler, but where Lyra and Will journey together in her search for Roger) does not appear. This may mean that this part of the story will be cut from the series, but given that it is a major part of the plot, it is more likely that it is simply left out because it would be too difficult to show as a parallel universe in the same way as the others. Throughout the opening credits of His Dark Materials, the focus is on how the series will bring all three books together, on Lyra and Will, and of course - the one thing driving it all: Dust.
His Dark Materials continues with “The Spies” November 18th on BBC and HBO.
