‘House of the Dragon’: 8 Easter Eggs From the ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Trailer
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- ‘House of the Dragon’ dropped its first teaser trailer
- The ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel will tell the story of the ‘Dance of Dragons’
- 8 easter eggs from the ‘House of the Dragon’ teaser
House of the Dragon — the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel — will be coming to HBO Max in 2022. The streamer has just dropped a teaser trailer for the series, which tells the story of the brutal Targaryen civil war known as the “Dance of the Dragons.”
House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood. The trailer features quick snippets of the different characters and various fight scenes as Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) says: “Gods, kings, fire and blood. Dreams didn’t make us kings — dragons did.”
This latest teaser has given fans their best look to date at the characters, while establishing the setting and plot in relation to Game of Thrones. Here are eight Easter Eggs from the new House of the Dragon trailer.
8. Setting the timeline straight
When HBO Max first announced the Game of Thrones prequel, the initial log-lines suggested that the story took place 300 years before the original series. However, the new teaser clears up the timeline by establishing that House of the Dragon takes place “200 years before the fall of the throne.”
7. House Stark takes a backseat in ‘House of the Dragon’
The Starks were central to the story in Game of Thrones. But in House of the Dragon, House Stark is far removed from King’s Landing. However, they will eventually get involved in the Dance of the Dragons via the pact of Ice and Fire. This was confirmed in the teaser with a brief glimpse of the Stark’s iconic direwolf sigil.
6. The skull of Balerion the Black Dread?
Fans didn’t get to see any dragon action in the trailer, but there were some hints that they are coming. The reasons for the lack of dragons in the sneak peek was probably due to the fact they still need some serious CGI. It’s also likely that season 1 won’t be as dragon-heavy as future seasons because they need to establish the story of the Targaryen civil war.
However, the new trailer does give fans a quick look at a dragon skull. And, it could be the skull of the greatest Targaryen dragon — Balerion the Black Dread. Which also appeared in Game of Thrones. Balerio died in 94 AC, which is well before the Dance of the Dragons. But King Viserys was the last of Balerion’s dragon riders, so there is a connection.
5. The trademark Targaryen blonde hair
If there is one feature that makes it clear someone in the teaser is a Targaryen, it’s that trademark blonde hair. Doctor Who and The Crown alum Matt Smith is almost unrecognizable in his. But he’s not the only one with this distinctive feature. Since this series is about the Targaryen civil war, there are a lot of platinum blondes on the screen.
The teaser shows a fight that breaks out in King’s Landing. Based on the age and appearance of the combatants, it looks like a fight between the children of Rhaenyra and Alicent.
Alicent’s kids have all the traditional Targaryen features. But Rhaenyra’s children have strong features and dark hair. Which has many believing that Laenor Velaryon isn’t the kids’ father. Instead, it could be Harwin Strong, a knight who was close to Rhaenyra.
4. The catspaw dagger in ‘House of the Dragon’
The teaser shows Olivia Cooke’s Queen Alicient Hightower bursting into a room holding a weapon, while looking extremely panic-stricken. It’s unclear what’s going on, but it could be the aftermath of her son Aemond losing an eye — which comes from the slash of a dagger.
But what really catches the eye of Game of Thrones fans is the dagger and its jewel-encrusted hilt that Alicient is holding. It looks a lot like the catspaw dagger, which was used in the assassination attempt on Bran Stark. As well as by Arya when killing the Night King.
The catspaw dagger has a Valyrian steel blade and dragonbone hilt. It appeared in a book that Sam Tarly read at the Citadel during Game of Thrones, which links it to the Valyrians.
3. Flashbacks or time jumps?
HBO Max cleared up the timeline of House of the Dragon with their new teaser. The streamer also revealed that the prequel will be covering quite a few years while telling its story. They will do this with the use of either flashbacks or time jumps.
This is evident by the appearance of Rhaenyra Targaryen as an adult, played by Emma D’Arcy. She’s also seen as a young teen, portrayed by Milly Alcock. Also, Cooke plays Alicent as an adult. But Emily Carey plays a younger version of the character.
2. Dragon fire as a weapon of war
The new teaser only included one minute of new footage. But the clip made it clear that fire will rule House of the Dragon. The imagery shows swords clashing and daggers being wielded, all while flames roar in the backdrop, reflecting in silver, gold, and Valyrian steel. The fiery hues continue in all of the characters’ costumes.
Game of Thrones taught us that there are horrific consequences when using dragon-fire as a weapon of war. It appears that House of the Dragon will take fans down that same path, with even more violence, danger, and bloody consequences.
1. The Iron Throne looks a lot different in the ‘House of the Dragon’ teaser
Just like in Game of Thrones, everyone is fighting for the ruling seat of Westeros. The House of the Dragon trailer features the Iron Throne, which looks a lot more like its description in Martin’s books.
It’s more imposing and intimidating than the one in Game of Thrones, as it’s bigger and spikier. But it’s still not quite the monstrosity that Martin describes. Still, as the teaser trailer comes to an end — with a shot of the Iron Throne and the sigil of House Targaryen — it’s clear what everyone is fighting for.
House of the Dragon season 1 — which will feature 10 episodes — will premiere on HBO Max in 2022.
