A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may be featuring new Targaryen characters, but this latest Game of Thrones spin-off won't be heavily focused on them. But despite this Great House not taking center stage, will play a role in this series, albeit dragon-less. However, that didn't stop showrunner Ira Parker from bringing these mythical beasts back to some degree, as it wouldn't be Game of Thrones without dragons.
In an interview with Variety, Parker was asked how they brought dragons back in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms through puppetry. According to him, they tried to produce an accurate puppet show using methods that could have been done during the time period it was set, as well as fitting in to the narrative, showcasing that Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) is just an ordinary man in a world where people have done extraordinary things. He also revealed that, unlike other Game of Thrones projects, the dragon shown in this latest spin-off didn't use any special effects.
"We were trying to figure out how to 'Game of Thrones' this puppet show," he recalled. "The idea that these were real artisans and craftsmen, this traveling puppet show with these massive, moving puppets was very interesting to us early on. The puppet makers did a fantastic job. It felt impressive enough, and the goal was to disconcert Dunk and send him into this puppet show and for him to be just blown away and almost intimidated. He can’t escape the fact that he feels insignificant to this world where everyone’s doing these wonderful things, and he’s just wondering if he belongs there. Even the fire was done in a way that theoretically could have been done back in the 14th century. The dust that is being caught on fire is called Lycopodium, which is a dried pollen that theoretically could have actually been collected and ignited with a torch. So no special effects for us. We tried to keep it grounded."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set less than 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones and more than 70 years after House of the Dragon. By this point, dragons are believed to be extinct, as the next time a dragon would soar over Westeros would not be until Daenerys Targaryen receives three petrified dragon eggs, which hatched for the first time in 148 years.
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
Based on George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight who decides to attend a tourney in Ashford following the death of his master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. During this journey, he meets a young boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), and agrees to let him serve as a squire. As of writing, the show released its first episode and has earned a 87% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms consists of 6 episodes, and a second season has been greenlit.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is available to stream on HBO Max, with new episodes airing every Sunday.