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TL;DR:

  • House of the Dragon Season 1 covers events before the Dance of the Dragons.
  • Showrunner Ryan Condal says the HBO prequel could go beyond this event.
  • George R.R. Martin believes four seasons are needed for the Targaryen civil war.
Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy as Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen in 'House of the Dragon' Season 1, which kicks off the Dance of the Dragons. They're standing at the head of a table together.
Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy in ‘House of the Dragon’ | Ollie Upton/HBO

House of the Dragon is tackling the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war outlined in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. The Game of Thrones prequel depicts the lead-up to the incident during its first season, and it will need a few more outings to get through the confrontation. However, according to showrunner Ryan Condal, the series could go beyond the Dance of the Dragons. After all, there’s plenty of Targaryen history to work with.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 1 shows the build-up to the Dance of the Dragons

House of the Dragon Season 1 outlines the events leading up to the Dance of the Dragons, but the Game of Thrones prequel doesn’t get into the fighting during its first 10 episodes. Instead, it delves into King Viserys Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) reign, which sets the stage for the looming confrontation. It also establishes all the characters and relationships that will take center stage during the civil war.

Many of these things are outlined in George R.R. Martin’s writings, but his history goes beyond this one incident. There’s plenty to explore when it comes to House Targaryen. And House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal seems game to dig into other major events as well.

Ryan Condal says the prequel could go beyond the Dance of the Dragons

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During an interview with Westeros.org, Ryan Condal was asked whether or not House of the Dragon could cover Targaryen history beyond the Dance of the Dragons. The showrunner didn’t confirm or deny anything, but he seemed open and interested in expanding on George R.R. Martin’s source material:

“I love Westeros, I love George’s world. I would love to be involved with it, as long as he and HBO will have me. It’s hard not to think about where things could go. The show is called House of the Dragon, it’s not called The Dance of the Dragons. It’s about the Targaryen dynasty in all of its forms, it’s about the Targaryen house, really, and I think there’s many fascinating periods of history to be told there.”

Condal is right that there’s plenty to cover, though we could see some of it during other Game of Thrones spinoffs. Still, House of the Dragon isn’t limited to a single event — though it may take several more seasons to cover the Targaryen civil war fully.

‘House of the Dragon’ could spend 4 seasons on the Targaryen civil war

Whether House of the Dragon extends beyond the Dance of the Dragons will likely depend on the show’s success. And it sounds like it will have several more seasons to rein fans in. The prequel has been confirmed for season 2, and George R.R. Martin recently suggested it would take four full seasons to cover the civil war.

“It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish,” Martin wrote on his Not a Blog.

That means it will be a while before the series dips into any additional Targaryen history — if it does so at all. While we await updates on that front, we have the Dance itself to look forward to.

House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming on HBO Max.

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Amanda Mullen

Writer - Streaming

I’m an entertainment writer who can usually be found by the coffee pot, with my nose in a book, or still crying over ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ I’m Team Oxford Comma, and the quickest way to my heart is through Baby Yoda.

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