Frankly, I don’t think it needs all that. If succession is based on “the eldest child, or the House Head decides”, then I think the BG can handle it. It’s a minor wrinkle. If they are political manipulators par excellance (and I think they are) then whether not a particular person heads a house is irrelevant - what matters is, can they get that bloodline set of genes to mix with another bloodline they want. The BG play the long game, and as we know, ultimately were wrong about which generation the KH would appear.
In any case, now that I’m thinking about it, this isn’t that big a deal. I’m sure the BG could manuever whoever they wanted into position to be the husband of one of the Emperor’s daughters in order to give them some sort of claim to take the Imperium. Which is the only point - getting their KH to be married to a daughter of the Emperor (since the KH has to be male). All the other stuff is immaterial - I’m sure it might be easier to get the KH to that marriage spot if they’re a higher noble, but not necessary I’d think, give the BG abilities. Hell, they could “prove” their KH is noble enough through their genetic records, I’m sure.
What is the best way to ensure that each house produces the children the Bene Gesserit want?
The best way to get what the BG wants is to marry people off to the right bloodlines.
That only makes a difference if they don’t have the right sex coupling, which is highly unlikely given most lines have a few children.
Baron Harkonnen wasn’t interested in marrying any BG sisters or producing any offspring and they still dealt with that issue. So female rulers (especially given that they may not even want the ruler themselves) are no problem at all.
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I like that idea actually - each House has it’s own peculiar way of doing “legitimate” succession within itself, since each House, even the minors, are at least city-states and culture centers, in a sense.
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The BG’s think long term and so does the Imperium. Even more its hard for the Imperium to change once things are codified. So if there are rules then the BG have the ability to take that into consideration with what they want to do.
Also the BG’s don’t just do consorts, they do advisors. the Baron is not interest in women, but that is okay because he was still interested in having a BG Advisor. Even more, there is the Baron’s nephews, and the next generation.
So yeah, if a House is matriarchal or is first come first served in hiers or is patriarchal or is the one who picks the sword wins the title its all okay because the BG’s know that, and have time to take it into consideration in their plotting.
The Imperium is ‘conservative’, but some of those conservative values don’t have to be what we would consider it. If a House decided nine thousand years ago that only X could rule, with X being unique, then that is still nine thousand years of the BG’s figuring out how to deal with it.