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How House Of The Dragon Will Be Different To Game Of Thrones
It may be a prequel, but House of the Dragon will be very different to Game of Thrones. Even though there was a major backlash to Game of Thrones' ending, the show remains massively popular in terms of viewership, and HBO is looking to grow that even further. There are several spinoffs in development, the first of which is House of the Dragon, which releases on August 21, 2022 to begin its 10-episode season 1 (season 2 and beyond are unconfirmed, but seem likely).
Starting around 200 years before Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon focuses on House Targaryen during the height of its reign. The dynasty is in full swing, but things are far from perfect as rivalries both personal and political begin to tear not only the house, but Westeros' Seven Kingdoms in two. This leads to a Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons, which ranks among the biggest and bloodiest conflicts the land has seen.
House of the Dragon is building upon Game of Thrones' foundations, and there will be some key similarities. This is, after all, a TV show set in Westeros centered around who has the rightful claim to the Iron Throne, with warring houses, political machinations, epic battles, and plenty of dragons. But at the same time, it should be viewed as its own thing. There will be connective tissue to some degree, but House of the Dragon's story and characters have plenty of differences to Game of Thrones.
How House Of The Dragon's Story & Time Period Is Different To Game Of Thrones
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House of the Dragon will begin at the Great Council of 101 AC, held by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen to determine his successor. That puts it a long way off Game of Thrones, and although some power structure in Westeros will remain somewhat unchanged - the Starks rule the North, the Lannisters have great wealth etc - there are key differences as well. This is, unlike Game of Thrones, a Westeros ruled by the Targaryen dynasty still at the height of its powers, who have a lot more dragons at their disposal as well. There are key families in House of the Dragon who don't make an impact (if an appearance at all) in Game of Thrones' story, such as House Velaryon, who are among the most important in the prequel's story.
Of course, there's also House of the Dragon's Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons, which helps to provide a key difference. Game of Thrones was no stranger to conflict, whether it was the War of the Five Kings or the battle between the living and the dead. But House of the Dragon's war, although it divides Westeros in two, is also one of a more internal conflict; of family feuds and resentments that build up over decades and spill out in the form of dragonfire. It's at once more epic in scope - the show will span around 30 years from beginning to end, whereas Game of Thrones' timeline was less than a decade (the occasional flashback aside) - and yet an intimate, intensely personal family affair as well. Daenerys Targaryen sought to break the wheel in Game of Thrones, but in House of the Dragon, the Targaryens are the wheel - and are fighting for control over it in a way that will break themselves.
How House Of The Dragon's Characters Are Different To Game Of Thrones
It would be tempting to look at House of the Dragon's characters and find parallels with Game of Thrones, and they do exist to a degree: Alicent Hightower has been compared to both Cersei Lannister and Margaery Tyrell, Rhaenyra Targaryen to Daenerys, Otto Hightower to Littlefinger, Lady Mysaria to Varys, and so on. But in truth these are all largely unique and will stand apart from Game of Thrones' characters. There will inevitably be similarities, not least because they're inhabiting Westeros in a story that's centered around the Iron Throne, yet their differences should shine through. Rhaenyra may believe the Iron Throne is hers and will do whatever it takes to get it but, unlike, say, Dany, she has been raised to become Queen since childhood. Otto may scheme like Littlefinger, but his loyalty to one side is clear. Alicent loves her children and will do anything to protect them like Cersei, but never quests to take power herself in the same way or fully becomes the villain like she did. Mysaria is the mistress of whisperers, but has methods quite different to Varys, and a very opposite relationship with at least one person in power.
Meanwhile, Game of Thrones had a lot of characters it was incredibly easy to root for, especially in the de facto heroes of the show, the Starks. Many other characters were morally complex, but the show at times fell back into a clearer sense of black-and-white, whether that was in fights like Jon Snow vs. Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards, or the final conflict again the Night King. There are no White Walkers in House of the Dragon, and no clear "villain" in quite the same way, but instead even more shades of gray.
How House Of The Dragon's Battles Will Be Different To Game Of Thrones
One of the aspects that came to define Game of Thrones was its epic action sequences, and House of the Dragon's own battles are likely to just as big. With Miguel Sapochnik, the man behind "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards," serving as co-showrunner, and House of the Dragon's budget reportedly around $15-20 million per episode for season 1, then there's reason to believe it will match Game of Thrones in terms of spectacle, though there will be some differences in its battles. One comes in terms of body count, because the Dance of the Dragons leaves fewer survivors behind. The other is in the dragons themselves; House of the Dragon will have 17 dragons, and they are often involved in the conflicts quite directly, whether that's raining fire from above or in terms of dragon vs. dragon sequences, which should distinguish it more from most of Game of Thrones' action scenes.
