While House of the Dragon takes place long before the events of HBO’s hit-fantasy series Game of Thrones, the events of the upcoming predecessor series will still have some weight on the events and characters of the original show.

Co-showrunner Ryan Condal recently explained to SFX Magazine how House of the Dragon will tie into Daenerys Targaryen in particular. He explained, “I think the Targaryens are set up really interestingly in the original series. They used to have dragons, great influence and power, but you meet them at a time where they’re the least powerful that they’ve ever been in the history of their bloodline, and Daenerys is the sister of the Beggar King in Essos.”

He continued, “The beautiful thing about what [George R.R. Martin] wrote in Fire & Blood is that when you immerse yourself in the time period, you get a sense of what Daenerys was longing for – all the stories that she’s heard about the greatness of the dynasty, the dozens of princes and princesses, the 17 dragons, and the 60 years of peace and prosperity. This is all at the time of House of the Dragon… Even though so many decades have passed between these events, it was really important that there was an emotional and thematic resonance to give this prequel a reason to exist. For me it’s that tie back to Daenerys Targaryen.”

From Game of Thrones to House of the Dragon

Daenerys Targaryen was introduced in the first episode of Game of Thrones and was, back then, a reluctant and often-abused companion of her brother, Prince Viserys. It was he who sold his own sister to Khal Drogo, in exchange for the assistance of his Dothraki horde in retaking Westeros. Though he often bragged about possessing dragon’s blood, he ultimately fell to fire, which is not an element that ever harmed Daenerys, who later became the Mother of Dragons and the first in generations to ride one.

Season 1 of House of the Dragon will consist of 10 episodes. Though they have yet to release, reports suggest HBO is already developing a second season to follow. This has not yet been officially confirmed by the network. However, it is worth noting HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys previously expressed optimism that House of the Dragon would be picked up for a Season 2.