Raise your hand if you’ve ever talked to a Game of Thrones fan that has read all the books? We all have, and at some point the conversation always turns to just how much more information there is in George R.R. Martin’s novels compared to the show. We won’t bore you with the usual “books vs TV” argument, but we will tell you that there is a TON of information in the books that doesn’t appear on the show, or is only briefly mentioned.
Why do we bring this up? Because the words Game of Thrones prequel always seems to set the internet on fire. HBO bosses can’t seem to stop talking about it. Fans can’t seem to stop talking about it, and even Martin can’t seem to stop talking about it. Everyone loves Game of Thrones, and we all want more.
Martin has given us plenty of options in the prequel department, with Westerosi history going back almost to the dawn of creation. There are Targaryen civil wars, rebellions, little side stories like Star Wars’ Rogue One, and even Dorne is exciting the way Martin writes it (sorry HBO). There is enough material for HBO to have some sort of prequel series, for easily the next fifty years.
And so, here are the ten best prequel ideas as chosen by us. These aren’t the only ten options, and some of them could perhaps even be combined with others, but they are ten nonetheless. We tried not to spoil all the endings in case HBO produces any of these, but there are some details. Now that you’ve been warned, read on, and let us hear what you think!
Next: 10. The Blackfyre Rebellions
10. The Blackfyre Rebellions
All has not always been well in House Targaryen. In fact, more often than not, someone was rebelling against Targaryen rule. One of their longest rivals even came from the same family tree so to speak; House Blackfyre. House Blackfyre has a long and complicated relationship with House Targaryen, and there were no less than five Blackfyre Rebellions. Yes, five.
House Blackfyre was founded by Daemon Blackfyre, the legitimized bastard of King Aegon IV. Daemon’s legitimization caused all sorts of headaches for the pure-born children of Aegon upon his death, and eventually, it would erupt into outright war. The wars would stretch over a seventy-five year period, include plenty of battles, and would greatly feature Bryden Rivers aka Bloodraven aka the future Three Eyed Raven that Bran hangs out with.
The Blackfyre Rebellions would also crossover to several of our other prequel ideas, including the War of the Ninepenny Kings, which was the fifth Blackfyre Rebellion, and the Tales of Dunk and Egg. Crossover appeal would be hard for HBO to pass up we imagine, and could easily lead to the Blackfyre Rebellions being chosen.
The series would be similar to the Dance of Dragons, in that two branches of House Targaryen would be fighting one another. We’ve yet to see the Targaryens fight one another, so the Blackfyre Rebellions could also give HBO a unique angle when selling the series to viewers. Four to five seasons could easily be made, one for each Rebellion, depending on if you lump the War of the Ninepenny Kings in with this series.
Either way, it would be a good place for HBO to start, as a Targaryen centric conflict would be new to the audience.
Next: 9. The War of the Ninepenny Kings
9. The War of the Ninepenny Kings
While technically the Fifth Blackfyre Rebellion, the War f the Ninepenny Kings has enough important events to stand on its own. It could easily be rolled into the previous prequel ideas, but on its own could likely last three seasons. What exactly makes the War of the Ninepenny Kings worthy of its own show? Let’s dive in.
The Fifth Blackfyre Rebellion was ultimately the end of the House Blackfyre, a cadet house of House Targaryen. House Blackfyre had fled across the Narrow Sea to Essos, and after several failed rebellions found itself led by Maelys Blackfyre. Maelys and eight other power hungry leaders in Essos joined together, promising to aid one another in their goal of power. They were dubbed the “Ninepenny Kings” after Prince Duncan Targaryen jested that “crowns were being sold nine a penny.”
Eventually, the Ninepenny Kings launched an invasion of Westeros, and King Jaehaerys II Targaryen summoned all the lords of Westeros to repel the invasion. Being set a mere forty years before Game of Thrones, it involves quite a few characters we know. Notable participants include Brynden Tully, Steffon Baratheon, Tywin Lannister and Aerys II Targaryen (the future Mad King). This conflict brought many houses together that otherwise had little connection to one another. One other notable participant; Ser Barristan Selmy. Ser Barristan slew Maelys during the conflict and launched his illustrious knighthood.
Again, this could be lumped in with the other Rebellions, but giving the famous faces here time to develop, to watch them grow from young men into the battle-hardened veterans we see later in Game of Thrones, would be quite the treat. No need to rush something like that.
A lack of dragons would make this cheaper for HBO to film, and with known characters like Tywin and Aerys Targaryen, viewers would have plenty of familiar faces to latch onto. This prequel would not be the leap that some of the others might be, so it should be an easy sale to fans.
8. Dorne: The Series
Wait. Don’t leave. We don’t mean a show about the Sand Snakes and their lame mother Ellaria. We are talking about a series that focuses on the Kingdom of Dorne’s long and rich history. Unlike the neutered version we have seen on television, Dorne is perhaps the most exciting kingdom other than the North, and we would love to see a series that focused on the adventures happening down in the desert.
For instance, did you know that the First Men, of which the Starks claim proud heritage, crossed over from Essos via a land bridge that connected Essos and Westeros in Dorne? And that the Children of the Forest are alleged to have shattered that bridge when war broke out between the Children and the First Men? Doesn’t that sound awesome?
If you flash forward to the Targaryen conquest of Westeros, consider that even Aegon with his three dragons was unable to conquer Dorne. That, of course, made Dorne unique among the Seven Kingdoms, as all the others fell or surrendered to Aegon. And not only did Dorne refuse to bend the knee, they managed to slay one of the Targaryen dragons, and Aegon’s sister wife, Rhaenys along with it. Dorne would remain a thorn in the Targaryen’s side until Dorne married into House Targaryen. Does that sound anything like the neutered version of Dorne HBO gave us?
It might be a tad tricky for HBO to pull off jumping hundreds of years into the future every season or so, but if Westworld taught us anything, its that multiple timelines could work. Another obstacle might be the budget, between the smashing of the Dornish land bridge to Aegon’s failed conquest, there are quite a few expensive scenes to film.
But HBO could redeem itself after the debacle that has been Dorne thus far, and perhaps give us some more time with Oberyn Martell before its all over. And who doesn’t want that?
7. The Long Night
Now admittedly, this might be the darkest (no pun intended) of any of the potential prequel series, but it would offer us a glimpse into the current conflict with the White Walkers. The Long Night occurs roughly eight thousand years before the current show, and it marked the first coming of the White Walkers.
The Long night begins as a winter fell over the entire world, a winter that lasted entire generations. Old Nan alluded to the Long Night back in Season 1 in an attempt to scare Bran, so it would be great to see this time frame explored. Many of the facets of the current show come about during the Long Night, in which the kingdoms of men are decimated by the cold and the White Walkers with it.
The First Men eventually team up with the Children of the Forest in an effort to drive the White Walkers back, and the Children provided the First Men with dragonglass. And still, it would all be for naught if not for the legendary Last Hero. The victorious Last Hero was prophesied to be reborn one day, to continue the fight with the White Walkers, which could connect the series nicely to our current one.
Before the series ended, we would see the Night’s Watch established, the Wall built, and the White Walkers banished once again to the north, to bide their time. Perhaps the best part of this potential prequel series is that most of it is largely vague. We don’t know who the Last Hero is, or exactly how any of the battles go, meaning HBO could largely fill in the gaps, however they saw fit. That would keep everyone, even know it all book readers, in the dark.
Next: 6. The War of the Children and the First Men
6. The War of the Children and the First Men
The oldest of any potential prequel series, the War of the Children and the First Men (from which the Starks claim heritage) is set somewhere around ten thousand years before Aegon began his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. Westeros was unpopulated at the time, aside from the Children of the Forest, and the First Men began their migration from Essos via a land bridge in Dorne. As is often the case when two different cultures meet for the first time, war followed soon after.
The First Men began chopping down the trees, of which the weirwood trees. in particular were sacred to the Children, and now we had a proper war on our hands. The Children had magic on their side, but anyone who’s played World of Warcraft knows; a gang of marauding knights is always going to beat a couple magicians. The First Men had superior numbers and weapons made of bronze, a deadly advantage over the Children.
Before the war would end in a truce, the land bridge in Dorne would be shattered, the area around Moat Cailin would be turned into a swamp when the Children tried the same trick twice, and most of the weirwood trees in Westeros would be destroyed. And if Season 6 is to be believed, the Children would ultimately create the White Walkers. Talk about a series full of important events for the Seven Kingdoms.
The series would perhaps be one of the shorter of the prequels, three to four seasons, but as the oldest of the prequels, it could be the most important. This is the series that puts everything into motion, and we are still feeling the effects of this war ten thousand years later.
Next: 5. The reign of Maegor the Cruel
5. The reign of Maegor the Cruel
Perhaps one of the coolest parts about any potential prequel series is that we’ll learn that maybe villains like Joffrey or Littlefinger aren’t that bad. Just kidding, they are. But if anyone could give them a run for their money, it would be this guy, Maegor the Cruel. You don’t get the name Maegor the Cruel by being a nice guy, am I right?
Jokes aside, Maegor was just the third Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne, after his father Aegon the Conqueror, well conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Fans would likely relish the opportunity to see House Targaryen truly begin to assert their dominance over the continent of Westeros, and after Aegon, Maegor was perhaps most responsible for the Targaryen hallmarks we all know today. Maegor finished building the Red Keep, the Dragonpit and was responsible for the first uprising of the Faith Militant, the same order that would come to be known as the Sparrows centuries later.
Maegor was hated by the entire kingdom, and he hated everyone in turn. Despite wielding the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, riding Balerion (the largest dragon in Westerosi history) and of course being king, Maegor was never happy except in battle. Maegor lived for fighting and killing, and violence was never far away. In addition to his violent streak, Maegor had a bit of a Henry VIII tilt to him, in that Maegor married no less than six wives, none of whom would bear him a suitable heir, and most of whom would not survive their marriages.
The one wife he did appear to favor, Tyanna would ultimately be revealed to be the reason for his lack of heirs, as Tyanna would poison Maegor’s other wives, causing monstrously deformed still births. When Maegor found, he cut out Tyanna’s heart and fed it to his dogs. And you thought Ramsay Bolton was bad.
Although perhaps the shortest of any potential prequel series, Maegor’s reign would prove to be fairly close to the series format we all know and love. A despotic figure on the Iron Throne, a war with the Faith of Seven, and betrayal after betrayal. Dragons were around at this point, but would likely not be used more than in the current series. The main challenge would, of course, be getting people to tune into a series where a monster is in charge for three or four seasons, but hey, they did it with Joffrey. Bring on Maegor the Cruel.
Next: 4. Aegon's Conquest of The Seven Kingdoms
4. Aegon’s Conquest of The Seven Kingdoms
After all, we have heard about Aegon and his sister wives conquest of the Seven Kingdoms with their trio of dragons, is there anyone that doesn’t want to see this prequel series made? The Targaryens erupt from their ancestral home on Dragonstone, wielding Valyrian steel blades and riding dragons, as they set out to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. What else do you need to know?
There is more to the story of course, But this series would be an easy one to film, as Martin has largely filled out most of the events of Aegon’s Conquest. Aegon and his sisters, burned or intimidated all but Dorne, and their war of conquest would be one for the ages. Remember when Tywin and Arya had the little chat about Aegon burning Harrenhal to a crisp, with its king inside? We’d see that. How about the creation of House Baratheon? We’d see that too.
And there could be perhaps no better a battle than the Field of Fire. The kings of the Reach and the Westerlands joined their forces in an effort to stop Aegon, but it was all for naught. Aegon and his sisters burned them all with dragonfire. And we’re just scratching the surface of all the twists and turns of the Conquest.
The series could begin as Aegon plots his invasion, and end once the kingdoms had all sworn fealty to House Targaryen, being united for the first time in history. Extra cash might be needed for all the dragons, along with a sprawling cast, but we’d have much the same structure as Game of Thrones. Each kingdom doing its best to resist the foreign invaders, and each failing one by one. Sounds like fun to me.
Next: 3. The Tales of Dunk and Egg
Image via Random House
3. The Tales of Dunk and Egg
The Tales of Dunk and Egg, or Ser Duncan the Tall, a homeless and poor hedge knight, and Prince Aegon Targaryen are a series of novellas George R.R. Martin wrote as a prequel to our current Game of Thrones. They concern the wanderings and adventures of the unlikely pair, and while not quite on the level of importance Game of Thrones, they are no less entertaining.
After a trial by combat involving members of House Targaryen, Aegon, a young prince in need of seasoning, is given in service to Ser Duncan. Ser Duncan is mentioned twice on Game of Thrones, once by Old Nan, and the other by Joffrey. Aegon conceals his identity, and the pair were involved in adventures from Dorne to Winterfell, although some of those adventures are still to be written. Ser Duncan is even rumored to be the ancestor of Brienne of Tarth, everyone’s favorite warrior maid.
In between jousting tournaments galore, the pair finds themselves participating in one Blackfyre Rebellion, meeting Bloodraven (who later goes on to become the Three-Eyed Raven), and much more all before Aegon is later chosen to ascend to the Iron Throne. The series could easily focus on one novella each season, before jumping to the next season with an entirely different setting on tap. One season they are in the Reach, the next down in Dorne, or even as far north as Winterfell.
The Tales of Dunk and Egg would likely have a bit of a lighter tone than we are used to, and a much smaller recurring cast, but it could be a welcome change of pace from the brooding seriousness of Game of Thrones. And although Martin has currently only published three of the novellas, two more are close, and outlines are written for more according to the author. So there is plenty of material to cover.
With the Tales taking place roughly 90 years before our current series, there would also be some connective tissue for viewers to latch unto(a toddler Walder Frey makes an appearance for instance). The Tales of Dunk and Egg would be a glimpse into the smaller parts of Westeros, much as Rogue One was a glimpse into the smaller corners of the Star Wars universe. And we all know how that turned out.
Next: 2. The Dance of the Dragons
2. The Dance of the Dragons
Dragons fighting dragons. Need we say more? Yes? If we need to take the awesome up to eleven, here’s the lowdown. As alluded to by Shireen Baratheon shortly before her death, the Dance of the Dragons was a Targaryen civil war over control of the Iron Throne. Roughly midway through House Targaryen’s three hundred year dynasty over the Seven Kingdoms, and at perhaps the pinnacle of their power, House Targaryen erupted into civil war over the successor to King Viserys I.
Viserys had dictated that his only surviving child from his first marriage, a daughter named Rhaenyra would succeed him after his death. However, once Viserys died, his second wife plotted to seat her eldest son, Aegon upon the Iron Throne. The war that erupted over who would succeed Viserys was long, and bloody.
Before it was all over, dozens of dragons would perish, many in combat with one another, King’s Landing would be sacked, the Dragonpit destroyed in a riot, and half the Seven Kingdoms bathed in dragonfire. And that’s just scratching the surface.
HBO might need to up the special effects budget to film the series, but the Dance has all the hallmarks we have come to love from Westeros; epic battles, lust, betrayal, and of course, lots of dragons. Some of the major houses involved might be unknown to viewers, but many of the great houses we know and love are here as well. Familiarity would draw plenty of viewers, as would the dragons. Have we mentioned there are dragons?
The Dance was an event from which House Targaryen never fully recovered, and would give many viewers insight into why the dynasty that lasted three hundred years fell to Robert Baratheon decades later. Also, there are dragons. Lots of dragons.
1. Robert’s Rebellion
Is there any period of time more exciting and rich than the period of time leading up to Robert’s Rebellion and the rebellion itself? We have the three-hundred-year-old Targaryen dynasty toppled, a new king ascend to the Iron Throne, and a certain child born all during this roughly one year period. Robert’s Rebellion laid the ground work for the series we all know and love, so seeing this time period grace the small screen would be a natural bridge for viewers.
The Mad King Aerys Targaryen was long on his way to ending the Targaryen dynasty before his son, Rhaegar Targaryen “kidnapped” Lyanna Stark. Aerys had alienated most of the Seven Kingdoms, and there was talk of rebellion throughout the land.
Lyanna’s kidnapping set off the powder keg, and the first casualties of the Rebellion were Brandon and Rickard Stark, Ned’s brother and father respectively. When King Aerys then demanded Ned and Robert Baratheon be turned over to the crown, Jon Arryn revolted and we had ourselves a proper rebellion involving all the major houses of the realm.
Battles a plenty, younger versions of characters we know and love (Ned Stark! Ned Stark! Ned Stark!), and returning to events mentioned throughout our current run of episodes would make Robert’s Rebellion perhaps the easiest prequel series to produce. Is there any Game of Thrones fan that wouldn’t want to watch Robert square off with Rhaegar on the banks of the Trident? How about the Sack of Kings Landing? Familiar characters for fans to latch onto, and recreating events we’ve heard so much about, would make this an easy, but exciting series for HBO to produce.
Some of the drama might be removed considering we know the broad strokes of Robert’s Rebellion, but it would not likely dampen fan’s excitement to get a more detailed look at the events that set up the current run of Game of Thrones episodes. So get to it HBO!