Game of Thrones fans are massively excited for the House of the Dragon prequel – and for good reason.
Focusing on one of the most beloved houses, the Targaryens, the prequel will give us more information about the rich Westeros universe – without the drama of season eight that fans were less than impresed with.
What’s not to love?
While the plot is being kept under wraps, people certainly have their theories, with some Thrones superfans telling Metro.co.uk what exactly they hope the series has in store.
Aegon The Conqueror’s story
Thrones superfan @DanyGoneBad has racked up a following of more than 90,000 on Twitter thanks to their obsession with the series. They’ve interviewed the cast and crew, and appeared on TV and in magazines to talk all things GoT.
‘I am so excited for House of the Dragon,’ they explained. ‘As a #TeamTarg member through and through, I cannot wait to see the rise of the house through the centuries before the events of Game of Thrones.
‘I am particularly excited to see the story of Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters. Visenya especially always fascinated me (much as she did Arya) and it would be awesome to see Balerion the Dread in all his glory, eclipsing even Drogon in size!
‘I would also love to see how the houses have interacted throughout history and to see how that affects the actions and prejudices of the succeeding events throughout the generations.
‘I think fans will enjoy learning a little more about the complex history and the historical characters we have as yet only heard a brief mention of, that culminated in the epic events of Game of Thrones and [hope] that it will throw a little more perspective and perhaps understanding on the characters we already love.’
The ‘nerdy’ Targaryen details
@SongOfJon is a well-loved fan account in the Thrones community, with the creator, Sylvia, falling in love with ‘the worldbuilding, the intertwinement of magic and politics, the soundtracks, the visuals, the elaborate subplots.’
‘Despite the disappointment of the last few seasons of Game of Thrones, I am still quite excited for the House of the Dragon prequel,’ they said. ‘I am optimistic about George RR Martin working on the scripts himself, and I also hope that HBO learned about his past mistakes with GoT – prioritising shock value and cool shots over meaningful storylines, that noticeably affected the quality of the show.’
‘What I look forward the most is seeing Aegon’s conquest of Westeros adapted on screen,’ they continued. ‘It’s easily one of my favourite parts of ASoIaF lore, the history is incredibly intriguing and Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya are my favourite historical Targaryens.
‘It’s basically the history of how the Westeros we know today came to be, how King’s Landing was founded and the Iron Throne forged, and how the quarrelsome Seven Kingdoms became unified as one. It makes for a perfect prequel.
‘Also, a little nerdy detail that I would love to see is the actors wearing purple eye contacts! I was a bit disappointed that Emilia Clarke never wore them as Daenerys, and I think the purple/violet eyes adds a lot to the magical, otherworldly aura surrounding the Targaryen dynasty.’
The Dance of the Dragons
Abe Proctor co-hosts Game Of Thrones podcast A Pod Of Casts, explaining to us of his love for the series: ‘I found myself ensnared and compelled by this story in a way that transcends almost any other work of genre fiction I’ve ever encountered.’
‘House of the Dragon is intriguing for a number of reasons, not least of which is that we will get a closer look at Dany’s Targaryen ancestors.
‘There’s a lot we still don’t know about Valyria, the doomed homeland of the Targaryens and the other Valyrian dragonlords – such as their mastery of sorcery, the basis of their connection with the dragons, and the circumstances which led to the collapse of their empire and the Targaryens’ exodus to Westeros.
‘But I think what everyone is queueing up to see is the Dance of the Dragons – a civil war between two rival branches of the Targaryens, which features tons of dragon-on-dragon fighting alongside the knife-edged political intrigue and internecine struggle we loved about Game of Thrones.
‘The Dance dramatically thinned the ranks of both the Targaryens and their dragons, and was a significant episode in the decline of their house. For a Westeros history nerd – just put it straight into my veins, please.’
Justice for the female characters and a diverse cast
@gotsdaily is a Game Of Thrones fan account dedicated to sharing the best videos and pictures of Daenerys, with the creator crediting the show with strengthening their relationship with their father, and allowing them to meet ‘the most amazing people’.
‘When I heard House of the Dragon was greenlit for a whole season, Bloodmoon (Stark based prequel) was cancelled and D&D [stepped back] from Star Wars on the same day it’s safe to say I was ecstatic.
‘For me House of the Dragon must be a love letter to the Targaryen dynasty, and I’d really love to see Fire and Blood fleshed out in its entirety. I don’t care if it has to go on for 20+ seasons, I want the show to stay faithful to Fire and Blood, but I am very excited to see their perspective on deliberately ambiguous events within the book.
‘I am most excited to see the Dance of the Dragons included in the story as I know HBO will kill it in the CGI department, and if we see something half as good as the fight between Rhaegal and Viserion in “The Long Night” (lighter preferably) I will be more than happy.
‘Story-wise, it’s important to me that female characters such as Alicent Hightower are portrayed in a much more three-dimensional way as opposed to the storyline for Daenerys and Cersei in season eight. Women play such an integral role in the Targaryen family story and I hope they aren’t pushed to the side much like they were in Game of Thrones season eight . Finally, I think HBO needs to ensure they higher a much more diverse cast than the one we had in GoT.’
Doom of Valyria flashbacks
Martin Regan’s passion for Game Of Thrones has taken him all over the world, as he visits and blogs about the stunning locations used in the series. So far, he’s travelled to about a dozen countries thanks to the show – and has a Syrio Forel quote tattooed for good measure.
‘The way I see the show potentially going is each series taking a particular aspect of the Targaryen dynasty, as there are a number of major events that take place over the course of multiple generations,’ he pointed out.
‘For example, I believe we will get at least one series dedicated to Aegon’s and his sister’s conquest of Westeros, there’s so much to explore there with familiar locations and families. As a fan of anything Dornish, I would love to see how Dorne withstood the Targaryens for so long in the Dornish Wars .
‘While I don’t expect a full series on it, my hope would be for some flashbacks to the Doom of Valyria. We saw the ruins in season five of Game of Thrones, but why did the original Targaryen homeland turn to fire and ash in the course of a day? The Doom could have it all, magic, epic landscapes, mass destruction and thousands of dragons!
‘If the show does decide to fully establish the history of the Dragonlords, why not go further back to their rumoured origins in the very east? Who wouldn’t want to finally see the legendary city of Asshai?
‘In more recent Targaryen history, the first time I read the short story of the Dance of the Dragons, I thought it would make a fantastic TV series. This takes place well after Aegon’s conquest, and features a Targaryen civil war with too many twists, turns and betrayals to count.
‘In my opinion, everything based on the material written about this so far suggests it would make a perfect TV series and the scale of this again could certainly be something special.’
Game Of Thrones is available now on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
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