House of the Dragon: everything you need to know (no spoilers)

House of the Dragon is the new Game of Thrones  prequel show. It's set two hundred years before  

Game of Thrones – and it’s about the Targaryen  family, Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestors,  

back when they ruled Westeros at the height of  their power. This is a story of ambition and  

politics, betrayal and revenge, dragons, and a lot  of really angry blond people. The show is based on  

a book called Fire & Blood, by George Martin.  George co-created this show with Ryan Condal,  

and they say it’s a faithful adaptation of the  book. George has a nickname for House of the  

Dragon – he calls it Hot D. There are a bunch  of new trailers and interviews out for Hot D,  

so what do they reveal, and what can we expect  from the new show? This video has no spoilers,  

just introduces the characters and world. So – quick history – the Targaryens are the  

royal dynasty of Westeros. But originally, the  Targaryens came from Valyria, the old empire  

of the dragonlords in the east. Valyria was  destroyed in the mysterious Doom of Valyria,  

and the Targaryens were the only dragon-riders to  survive – cause the Targaryens had already left  

Valyria, and settled on Dragonstone, an island off  Westeros. Aegon Targaryen, with his sister-wives  

and their dragons, conquered the Seven Kingdoms,  forged the Iron Throne, and became the first King  

of Westeros. After him was King Aenys, then  King Maegor, then King Jaehaerys, and in House  

of the Dragon, the king is Viserys Targaryen. The basic story in Hot D is that King Viserys  

wants his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, to take  the Throne and rule after him. But some people  

have other plans for the Throne – including the  king’s brother Daemon, and the King’s Hand Otto,  

and Otto’s daughter Alicent. But this conflict  builds up slowly, with tensions rising over  

years and years. So Hot D occasionally  jumps forward in time several years,  

to show how the politics and relationships  gradually change. Alicent and Rhaenyra are  

played by different actors as they age – like  in The Crown. Co-creator Ryan Condal said this  

is “a generational war” – and the time span lets  us fully understand these characters, and their  

history, before the “first sword stroke falls”. So Viserys Targaryen is king, and he inherited  

a peaceful and prosperous realm from Jaehaerys.  So Viserys’ reign became the apex of Targaryen  

power and wealth. That’s reflected in the size  of the Iron Throne in Hot D – it’s bigger and  

grander – compared to how it looks in Game of  Thrones. The new design is also closer to how  

the Throne is described in the books – as a huge  monstrosity of metal, forged from the swords of  

King Aegon’s enemies. In Game of Thrones, dragons  are almost extinct. But in Hot D, the Targaryens  

have lots of dragons, and that’s how they dominate  Westeros. Dragons are weapons of mass destruction,  

they’re like the nuclear bombs of this world,  and since only the Targaryens have dragons,  

no one can mess with them. When Viserys was  younger, he rode the dragon Balerion, the biggest  

and baddest Targaryen dragon. But Balerion  soon died of old age, and Viserys hasn’t ridden  

a dragon since. In a trailer, he calls dragons  “a power man should never have trifled with”,  

like they’re too dangerous to be controlled. Cause King Viserys is “a man of peace”, he just  

wants everyone to get along and have a good time.  So he hosts feasts, and balls and tournaments,  

he’s popular with the lords and common folk.  Viserys is a good man. But being a good man  

doesn’t make you a good king. And times  of peace can sow the seeds of war. 

In a trailer, Viserys describes a dream  of his heir, and the Throne, and dragons.