Everything To Know About 'House of the Dragon,' HBO's Game of Thrones Prequel
Set about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon debuts on Sunday.
In the final season of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen obsessed over ending despotic rule in Westeros by "breaking the wheel." In House of the Dragon, which hits HBO on Sunday, we see the story of the family that created that wheel in the first place.
We know quite a bit about the upcoming blockbuster series. It was expensive, costing around $20 million per episode, according to Variety. That's appropriate considering Game of Thrones became famous for bringing Hollywood production values to your living room. We also know that it's a prequel. Fans hoping to once again see Ned Stark or Tyrion Lannister will end up disappointed, as House of the Dragon is set 200 years prior to the murder of Jon Arryn that precipitated eight seasons of chaos.
Here's what you need to know before watching HBO's Game of Thrones prequel.
How many episodes in House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon's first season will have 10 episodes. That makes it identical to the typical Game of Thrones season. While season 7 had 7 episodes and season 8 had 6, every other season of Game of Thrones also had 10 episodes each.
We don't yet know the runtimes for House of the Dragon episodes, however. It's possible that some episodes exceed an hour, as happened for key Game of Thrones episodes like The Battle of Winterfell.
What is the plot of House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon is about the Targaryen family, who ruled Westeros for 300 years. House of the Dragon begins around 100 years into House Targaryen's reign.
Viewers of Game of Thrones know the Targaryen dynasty was effectively ended by Robert's Rebellion, a civil war that saw Robert Baratheon succeed the "Mad King," Aerys Targaryen, as ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. By the time Game of Thrones begins, 17 years after the rebellion, there are only two known Targaryens: Daenerys and Viserys. In Game of Thrones, the Targaryens were a formerly great house. In House of the Dragons, we get to see them as the great House.
At least for a while.
House of the Dragon depicts the beginning of the end for the Targaryens. It follows what in A Song of Ice and Fire lore is called the Dance of the Dragons -- a civil war that erupts after two Targaryens voice countering claims to the Iron Throne. King Viserys raised his daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, to succeed him, but after Viserys' death, it's Viserys' eldest son to his second wife, Aegon, who gets crowned the new ruler.
That kicks off a war that sees many a dragon slain, and many a Targaryen killed.