Ira Parker on Baelor Targaryen’s desire to prove he is the man people believe him to be
Baelor Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO (Image: HBO)
Besides Egg, aka Prince Aegon, the only Targaryen who supports Dunk is Baelor, Hand of the King and heir to the Iron Throne. He not only advises Dunk to demand trial by combat, but also shows his support by joining him in the Trial of the Seven.
In an interview with GQ, Ira Parker stated that Baelor sees this as an opportunity to live upto his reputation. The showrunner said, “There’s this: I don’t know where the quote comes from, but virtue untested is no virtue at all. I think Baelor is feeling that bear down on him in this moment.”
“Nobody is demanding this of him, but he’s demanding it of himself. That this poor schmuck is going to get absolutely murdered unless he does something about it. He goes and decides that he is the person that people have said that he is,” he added. Without Baelor coming to Dunk’s aid, the hedge knight would have been found guilty and sentenced to death.
Baelor Targaryen did not earn his honor through the Battle of Redgrass
Ira Parker explained that Prince Baelor’s victory at the Battle of Redgrass was not exactly a heroic triumph. Instead, it was a strategic act of defence against the enemy. “I think he got a lot of acclaim early on in his life because he won the Battle of Redgrass. But the truth is that the enemy was knocking at his doorstep. They were coming to King’s Landing next. That’s not honorable. That’s not heroic. That is defending what’s yours. There’s no choice in that,” Parker said.
On the other hand, fighting on Dunk’s side is something Baelor has willingly chosen. Of course, Maekar and Aerion are displeased with Baelor’s decision, but that does not diminish the fact that it is the honorable course of action.
Read more: “I can’t let this bully stand”: The moment Baelor defines himself
