HBO’s newGame of Thronesspinoff,A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, should be different from the previous shows in many notable ways. WithAKotSK’sreleaseset for 2025, HBO is finally back to having TV based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world on a yearly basis, and the new show is one that should be a pleasant relief after the discourse surroundingHouse of the Dragonseason 2.AKotSKis based on Martin’s “Dunk & Egg” novellas, detailing the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg (Aegon V Targaryen in disguise).
The Dunk & Egg novella trilogy was released between 1998 and 2010before being published as a complete collection in 2015’s book,A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin is insistent on his plans to write more novellas for the beloved character duo, which would provide more fuel for the HBO series. However, his primary focus is finishingThe Winds of Winter, the next volume of the mainA Song of Ice & Firebook series. Hopefully, by the time theAKotSKTV series has concluded its third season, Martin will have prepared some new material.
7A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Only Has Two Main Characters
AKotSK Will Be More Character-Centric
One of themain appeals ofGame of Throneswas that it explored such a widespread, sprawling cast of characters. With so many narratives to keep track of, the HBO epic offered an inherent complexity, andHouse of the Dragonfollowed suit. The first prequel, focusing on the Dance of the Dragons, was slightly more focused on the happenings of the Targaryen dynasty but still delivered a variety of main characters and factions to focus on.AKotSKwill narrow down its focus on its two central characters.
ConsiderThe Last of UsorThe Mandalorianas some recent examples of what that could look like.
With a more direct focus on only Dunk and Egg, the general style ofAKotSKwill be drastically different in tone, narrative pacing, complexity, and more. Rather than an event-driven epic with interweaving plots to follow,the new prequel show will be much more focused on drawing the viewer into the conflicts of its main protagonists, building a more direct, emotional connectionthan what the previous series have offered. ConsiderThe Last of UsorThe Mandalorianas some recent examples of what that could look like.
6A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Has A Much Lighter Tone
The Game Of Thrones Prequel Should Offer More Levity
A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsshould have a significantly lighter tone than the previousGame of Thronesshows, but it’s all relative. Keep in mind this is still a story coming from George R.R. Martin, so there are bound to be some horrific, violent moments. However, in terms of general tone,the new series should offer far more fun and humor, not in the sense that it’s pure comedy, but in the same ilk as Arya’s travels with The Hound inGame of Thrones. There’s going to be a serious narrative, but there will also be memorable quotes and bits of humor.
Not to mention, Dunk and Egg are less severe characters than Arya and The Hound and are generally on the more benevolent side of the spectrum in Martin’s world. The serieswill follow a wonderful, easy-to-root-for bond between two charismatic characters, set in a fantasy world audiences are already familiar with. It will undoubtedly be the easiest to consume of the shows in HBO’s fantasyfranchise, and none of the otherupcomingGame of Thronesspinoffswill offer anything like it.
5A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Visits Different Parts Of Westeros
Viewers Will See The Other Half Of Westeros
ThroughoutGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragon, audiences have been introduced to many of thestrongest castles in Westeros, typically corresponding to the seats of the great houses, such as Winterfell, Casterly Rock, or Riverrun. InA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, viewers will get a tour of the more realistic side of Westeros. Again, the closest comparison would be Arya and The Hound, though they were traveling the Riverlands after it had been devastated by the War of the Five Kings, seeing it in a drastic, war-torn shape.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdomswill explore various regions of Westeros, such as the smaller fort of Standfast in the Reach. WhileGame of Thronesdemonstrates the feudal system in the Seven Kingdoms at the top level, the new prequel series will examine how this society works for lesser noble houses and common folk. TV audiences will become acquainted with the world of everyday life in the Seven Kingdoms under the Targaryen dynasty, something that’s scarcely been explored in either TV show so far.
4The Dunk & Egg Novellas Are Much Shorter Than The A Song Of Ice & Fire Novels
AKotSK Will Have A 6 Episode First Season
Aside from being lighter in tone, the Dunk & Egg novellas are literally lighter books than the main series ofA Song of Ice & Fire. As shown in the graph below, Martin’s first novel in the series,A Game of Thrones, which equated to season 1 ofGame of Thrones, was 292,727 total words.A Storm of Swords, which split intoGame of Thronesseasons 3 & 4, was 414,604 words. In comparison,all three Dunk & Egg novellas combined are only 106,721 words. That means adapting each one into a television season will likely require some narrative inflation.
292,727
414,604
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Three Novellas)
106,721
HBO’s plan is for each season ofA Knight of the Seven Kingdomsto be six episodes long, meaning it will have the shortest seasons of theGame of Thronesfranchise. Thefirst novella,The Hedge Knight, will compose the story of the six episodes premiering in 2025, hence the show’s much shorter production schedule. Hypothetically speaking, with limited CGI and shorter seasons,AKotSKcould release more frequently thanHouse of the Dragon, responding to the complaints about the 2-year delays for TV seasons. But that’s still to be seen.
3A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Won’t Have Dragons
The Dragons Went Extinct Years Before AKotSK
Speaking of limited CGI,A Knight of the Seven Kingdomstakes place under thereign of the Targaryen Dynasty, but it occurs after all the dragons have died out.As viewers know fromGame of Thrones, there were no dragons at the show’s start, as the species died out in Westeros over 100 years prior. On the overall timeline, AKotSK takes place about 90 years before the events ofGame of Thronesand 80 years after the Dance of the Dragons, meaning the Targaryen kings have reigned without dragons for decades at this point.
The last dragon died during the reign of Aegon III Targaryen.
The addition of dragons as a prominent feature ofHouse of the Dragonhas been interesting regarding expectations for the series. One of the complaints about season 2 was that there weren’t enough battles, which is odd given thatGame of Thrones’best seasons barely had major action set pieces at all.AKotSKwon’t have any major battle sequences like the Blackwater or the Battle of the Bastards, and there certainly won’t be any dragon fights like the one audiences saw at Rook’s Rest inHouse of the Dragonseason 2.
2A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Won’t Focus On King’s Landing Politics
AKotSK Will Occur Away From The Red Keep
In many ways,House of the Dragonposed a spinoff idea that offered numerous differences but essentially providedGame of Thronesfans with many aspects of the world they were already familiar with. The central focus on a conflict of succession surrounding the Iron Throne is easy to follow for viewers knowledgeable of the original show, but the prequel tackled it with different houses and dynamics.A Knight of the Seven Kingdomswill be far from the Red Keep, thoughmajor events pertaining to House Targaryen will occur in the background.
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Given that Egg is a Targaryen prince and future king,the TV show will likely keep audiences informed of some of the happenings in Westerosi politics. After all, the events occurring in King’s Landing are always looming over the smallfolk of Westeros in some capacity. Throughout the series, there will be conflicts between Targaryen kings and members of the court, including significant events like the first Blackfyre Rebellion. The difference is they’ll just be happening in the background. The series might gravitate toward those events more in later seasons, but it shouldn’t be a focus for at least the first few.
1A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Has A Smaller Budget Than GoT & HotD
AKotSK Is HBO’s Cheapest Game Of Thrones Show
George R.R. Martin has specifically offered praise forA Knight of the Seven Kingdomsas a smaller show than the previous installments, stating thatthe series is working under a much smaller budget thanHouse of the Dragon. While this may raise some initial flags, it makes perfect sense, given everything that’s known about the series. The actors cast are relatively unknown, there’s a shortened episode count, and there won’t be much CGI. Altogether, there’s less need for the vast resources that are required for lateGame of Thronesseasons orHouse of the Dragon.
With all of that in mind, viewers shouldn’t expect a decline in quality, as that’s one of the main aspects HBO and theGame of Thronesfranchise has been highly regarded for. Theproduction team has been shooting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the same studio as the original TV show, and should have a similar visual aesthetic to the earlyGame of Thronesseasons. The show just won’t be as visually flashy or cinematic as the dragon-heavyHouse of the Dragon.A Knight of the Seven Kingdomswill be smaller, but that doesn’t mean it will be lower quality.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is set in a time when the Targaryen dynasty rules Westeros.
