Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) relatively brief stint as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch represents a high point in his journey throughout both George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, as well as its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones.
After the mutiny against and assassination of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo), Jon finds himself filling his late mentor's shoes, becoming the unlikely leader of his brothers in black.
Jon's election to the esteemed position plays out entirely differently in each medium. In the show, the election feels relatively straight forward, with Jon defeating his chief rival, Ser Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale), by one vote in a close race. However, in the books, Jon ends up winning by a much larger margin thanks to a last minute endorsement from an unlikely source.
It's Snow in a landslide!
Towards the end of the third book in the series, A Storm of Swords, the Night's Watch holds an election for it's 998th Lord Commander. At first, Jon isn't interested in being considered, as he is instead debating leaving the Night's Watch in order to become a legitimized Stark, something he's always dreamed of, courtesy of King Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane).
As the election continues, it becomes clear that Lord Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter) is the frontrunner for the position. Slynt, who joined the Night's Watch relatively recently due to the scheming of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), essentially just acts as Thorne's lackey, and would make for a terrible, cowardly, and cruel Lord Commander.
Because none of the other candidates hold a candle to Slynt, Sam Tarly (John Bradley), Jon's closest friend at Castle Black, schemes to set up Jon as Slynt's primary opponent.
During the election itself, Jon and Slynt emerge as the final two candidates. Just before the voting, Lord Commander Mormont's signature raven returns, landing on Jon's shoulder and crying out "Snow!" As such, it seems as if Mormont himself is naming Jon as his successor, or that Jon is magically destined for the position, and as a result, he easily wins the election.
No birds in the show
Jon's election plays out differently in the show than it does in the books. For starters, it takes place much later on in the series. While the election takes place towards the end of Martin's third A Song of Ice and Fire novel, A Storm of Swords, Game of Thrones waits until the beginning of season 5 to adapt this storyline, as book 3 is split up between seasons 3 and 4, and Stannis's arrival at the Wall is used to mark the ending of Jon's season 4 storyline.
As such, Jon ultimately spends less time as Lord Commander in the show than in the books, since he serves for the entirety of book 5, A Dance with Dragons, but only for most of season 5, with both fifth outings ending with Jon's death and the conclusion of his time in the Watch.
Additionally, to simplify the story, Thorne takes Slynt's place as Jon's primary opponent, and the intricacies of Sam's scheming are toned down. The race is also much closer than it is in the books, with Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughn) casting the deciding vote in Jon's favor.
However, the biggest omission from the show is the lack of Mormont's raven. The bird, who never appeared in Game of Thrones to begin with, is no longer the deciding factor in this election, with Maester Aemon effectively taking its place.
What no magic birds means for Game of Thrones
In adapting Martin's story, many audiences members have noted that Game of Thrones is ultimately less interested in the magical and fantastic elements of the original story. One obvious indication of this trend is the series's title, switching from the more primal-sounding "A Song of Ice and Fire" to the politically-oriented "Game of Thrones."
Additionally, this is exemplified in the structure of season 8, when the more magical undead invasion storyline is relegated to the first half three episodes, while the Irone Throne storyline acts as the climax of the season. The series also goes to great lengths to explain that much of Melisandre's (Carice van Houten) magic is simply tricks, while the books showcase the full power of her illusions.
The exclusion of Mormont's raven's role in Jon's election serves as another example of Game of Thrones favoring relative realism in comparison to A Song of Ice and Fire. Rather than the endorsement of an intelligent bird belonging to his successor, Jon wins the election in the show simply by receiving the most votes.
While Game of Thrones is certainly a fantasy show overall, the reduction of its more magical elements' role helps it establish its own identity in comparison to Martin's source material.
For more Game of Thrones, make sure to catch House of the Dragon season 3 when it releases on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, June 21.
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