Why the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel won't have any Targaryens – and probably no dragons
No more scaly flying fire babies - we're so very sorry
As each day passes until Game of Thrones returns, that bittersweet feeling grows ever stronger. Yes, we’ll find out who will once and for all take the Iron Throne, but we’ll also have to say goodbye to these incredible characters… forever.
The only thing that’s keeping hope alive, then, is that the HBO prequel series can swiftly slot into the Game of Thrones-shaped hole in our lives.
And George R.R. Martin – as he is wont to do – continues to drop delectable titbits about what we can expect from the spinoff series, co-written by Jane Goldman.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin reveals that the new storyline will take place around 5,000 years before GOT – and will more than likely predate House Targaryen and their dragons.
“Westeros is a very different place [in the prequel],” Martin said. “There’s no King’s Landing. There’s no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens — Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We’re dealing with a different and older world and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series.”
It’ll sure be a shame to have zero flying beasts in the prequel but when you think of the most iconic Game of Thrones moments – like The Red Wedding, The Mountain vs. The Viper and Joffrey’s death – you realise those fiery fellas haven’t actually been all that important.
(Probably) no more dragons
Besides, as Westeros.org points out, dragons didn’t come about until after The Long Night, which will serve as the main plot of the prequel series:
“While Westeros was recovering from The Long Night, in Essos, the peaceful sheep-herding folk of the Valyrian peninsula find dragons lairing in the Fourteen Flames, an immense chain of volcanoes extending across the neck of the peninsula. The Valyrians tame the dragons with magic, which gives them the means to gain influence over the area. The Valyrian Freehold is established.”
According to HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys, the first GOT spinoff show will not air until at least a year after the main show ends. So this means the earliest we could see it is 2020.
(Images: HBO)
