This past week, HBO unveiled new details and new footage from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, its next Game of Thrones spinoff. Set roughly 100 years before the original series and 100 years after House of the Dragon, this new show follows a stalwart knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his diminuitive squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) as they go on adventures around Westeros. It promises to be a lighter affair than either of its predecessors, thanks in no small part to the chemistry of this odd couple pairing.
So far, author George R.R. Martin has written three novellas in his Tales of Dunk and Egg series. The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms covers the first of the books, titled The Hedge Knight, which sees Dunk and Egg meet for the first time as they head to a tourney at Ashford Meadow in the Reach. The first trailer for the show included a ton of key characters, scenes, and imagery that's straight out of the novella, and it has me absolutely hyped to see what showrunner Ira Parker and his team did with the series.
Here are eight highlights from the trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms that have us counting down the days to its premiere on January 18.
1. The Tone
While there are lots of granular details that are worth getting excited about, we have to start with the big picture. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a very different sort of story from Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, both of which are filled with dragons and politicking in the high halls of power. The Tales of Dunk and Egg books are smaller and more heartfelt, with a strong focus on the relationship between our lead knight and his squire. Thanks to Egg's mouthy nature, the two engage in constant verbal sparring that infuses these stories with more humor than Martin's longer works.
I can't emphasize enough how important it is for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to pull off this aspect of the story, and from the trailer, it looks like it did.
2. Arlan of Pennytree
The Hedge Knight begins with Dunk burying his former master in the ways of knighthood, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, on the slope of a hill beneath an oak tree. Dunk had served him since Ser Arlan discovered him as a child in the slums of Flea Bottom in King's Landing, and over those years he taught Dunk to be a knight of honor. We don't actually see it in the book, but according to Dunk, Ser Arlan of Pennytree knighted him as his final act before he died.
The trailer similarly opens with this scene, with a few different shots of Dunk digging Ser Arlan's grave, carrying him to it, and then finally trying out his late master's sword for himself before riding off with their horses. This is the origin point for Ser Duncan the Tall as a knight, and a stamp of fidelity for the TV series that it will be showing it to us, presumably right out of the gate.
3. Dunk and Egg's first meeting
On his way to Ashford Meadow, Dunk stops at an inn, where he first encounters the bald boy known as Egg. It doesn't take long for Egg to get comfortable enough to ask Dunk to take him on as a squire. Dunk is initially resistant, but over the course of the story, the two grow thick as thieves.
There are several scenes between Dunk and Egg in the trailer that are straight out of the novella, including the above shot of Dunk saddling his horse while Egg watches on. That's from their first meeting, before the main event at Ashford Meadow. It's where it all starts for these two, and I can still hardly believe we'll get to see it in on television.
4. Aerion "Brightflame" Targaryen
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have their share of loathsome villains, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will continue that proud tradition. There are many colorful figures at the Ashford tourney, but none are quite as dangerous as Aerion Targaryen, also known as Aerion Brightflame or Aerion the Monstrous, depending on who you ask. He's played by True Detective: Night Country alum Finn Bennett in the show.
You know that old saying about the gods flipping a coin for Targaryens? Well, the coin for Aerion landed on the sided of conceit and madness. He's a spoiled, cruel prince in the vein of Prince Joffrey, and he'll make all kinds of trouble for our heroes. Which should be pretty entertaining to watch!
5. The Laughing Storm
Speaking of entertaining, another memorable character we got an ample glimpse of in the trailer is Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), nicknamed The Laughing Storm on account of his boisterous personality. Lyonel is an ancestor of King Robert Baratheon and he's very much cut from the same cloth, quick to joke, drink, and fight. Don't let that fun demeanor fool you though; Lyonel is an extremely competent warrior and lord, and has a large presence during the tourney at Ashford Meadow.
As we see in the trailer, he'll cross paths with Dunk and offer some wry wisdom. To say much more would be a spoiler, but suffice to say I expect Lord Lyonel to be a fan favorite.
6. Tanselle and her dragon puppet
Jousting won't be the only entertainment at Ashford Meadow. In the trailer we get a glimpse of firespinners and puppets, which are all part of the lively temporary village that pops up around the tournament. For Dunk, it's a chance to marvel at entertainment he's never had a chance to enjoy before.
A key part of The Hedge Knight involveds Dunk encountering a puppeteer named Tanselle, who he finds himself quite smitten with. Tanselle is played in the show by Tanzyn Crawford; we get our first look at Crawford in costume during the trailer. We also see the dragon puppet used by Tanselle's troupe, which is way more magnificent than I imagined from the book. I don't know which I'm more excited for, Dunk meeting Tanselle, or the spectacular puppet show.
7. Dunk's shield
Perhaps the most iconic image from The Tales of Dunk and Egg is Dunk's shield, which he gains partway through The Hedge Knight. It features a shooting star over an elm tree. At the tourney, Dunk doesn't have a lavish tent to stay in, so instead he and Egg make camp beneath an elm, where they see a shooting star. That scene is in the trailer, so expect to see it in the show. As for the shield, it looks spot on.
Shortly before the climax of the story, Dunk gains this shield with a beautiful painting of the elm and shooting star, which becomes his personal coat of arms from then on. It also graces the cover of Martin's 2015 book A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which collected all of the Tales of Dunk and Egg in one omnibus for the first time.
8. The Trial of Seven
The climax of The Hedge Knight involves an epic clash on the tourney ground, and to discuss it we have to get into some SPOILERS.
Around the halfway point in the tale, Dunk gets into some trouble that puts him at odds with Aerion Targaryen. Seeing as Dunk is a knight and this trouble occurs at a tourney, it's decided that it should be settled on the battlefield. Dunk opts for a trial by combat, but since Aerion is royalty, he invokes a seldom-used tradition called a Trial of Seven. Essentially, it's a trial by combat where seven warriors fight on each side, and the first to defeat the other team's leader wins.
The Trial of Seven is a thrilling scene in the book, and I have a feeling the show is going to do it proud. George R.R. Martin confirmed at New York Comic Con that this sequence will happen in Episode 5 of the television show. He also said that he challenged showrunner Ira Parker to create the "best jousting sequences that were ever done on film," so expectations are going to be high for this one.
The Trial of Seven is a classic Martin scenario, filled with bloodshed, action, bitter family drama, and unexpected twists. Ever since A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was announced as a TV show, this is the scene I've been dying to see. If the show does it well, it could join the vaunted pantheon of the most iconic episodes from Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18, 2026 on HBO and HBO Max. Its first season will consist of six episodes.