As ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ is set to debut in January 2026, the Westeros world is preparing to embark on another adventure, one filled with knights, prophecies, loyalties, and the echoes of a dynasty that refuses to loosen its grip on the narrative.
And although the new prequel will be a more grounded and quieter adventure with Ser Duncan the Tall and his secret Targaryen squire, it is bound to follow a long-standing trend in George R.R. Martin’s storytelling: the inescapable House Targaryen. It is a phenomenon that has both attracted and exhausted fans. Unsurprisingly, this new series puts the debate back into focus.
‘A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ Proves George R.R. Martin Still Can’t Let The Targaryens Go
For all the breadth of Martin’s world-building, 12,000 years of history, seven kingdoms, dozens of major houses, ancient civilizations across Essos, his ongoing works circle back to one particular family like a moth to dragonfire. And ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ perpetuates that gravitational force, making the Targaryens the center of attention even when the story can, perhaps, do without them.
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Young Aegon Egg Targaryen is a lovable character whose naivety dilutes the conventional advantage of his house. The fact that he is a future king is the central theme of the story, giving the show emotional depth and a sense of impending fate. And yet, it is also the most obvious indication that Martin just cannot abandon the Targaryens, regardless of the time period in which he writes.
Those who have read the novellas or the comic versions will be familiar with the pattern. Even when the story belongs to a hedge knight wandering the dusty roads of the Reach, somehow a Targaryen must be there too, somewhere, lurking, disguised, but always there. The Targaryen Family is very intriguing to both Martin and his fans. Martin has, over decades, laid their intricacies, hubris, tragedy, prophecy, madness, and brilliance into one of the most well-written works of fantasy literature.
However, their presence in all big shows, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘House of the Dragon’, ‘Dunk and Egg’, etc., makes the world seem smaller. It’s as if all great events eventually lead to the same group of people. Part of this is structural. Any story that pre-dates Robert’s Rebellion has the Targaryens governing Westeros by default. However, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ might have easily downplayed their role. Egg did not have to be a Targaryen to make the emotional heart of the story. Still, he is, because Martin chose the story that centers them. Again.
Westeros Deserves The Spotlight Without The Targaryens For Once
To appreciate why some fans feel restless seeing the Targaryens dominate once more, you need only glance at how enormous, theoretically, Martin’s world is. Westeros is a single region that covers dozens of territories with their own cultures, histories, and internal struggles. Essos is full of ancient empires, mysterious lands, and forgotten kingdoms. Still, it hardly receives more than a paragraph in the main novels.
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Yet in television adaptations, the camera rarely wanders far from dragon blood. We’ve had ‘Game of Thrones’, ending with Daenerys and filled with Targaryen references all the time. ‘House of the Dragon’ is literally all about Targaryens. ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is now also putting a young Targaryen prince as one of the main characters. But the world of A Song of Ice and Fire contains stories that would burst with cinematic potential even without a single silver-haired character.
Nymeria’s ten-thousand ship voyage to Dorne is an epic that deserves a film trilogy on its own. The ancient secrets of Yi Ti, a civilization inspired by Imperial China, have fertile narrative possibilities that have never been explored in Western fantasy television. Additionally, there are thousands of houses of Westeros whose histories play in the background. This included the tragic Reynes of Castamere, the Daynes and their mythical sword Dawn, the Blackwoods, and others.
None of these need Targaryens. But here we are again, looking through the eyes of a Targaryen prince. Still, there’s hope. Dunk and Egg can be a Targaryen story. However, there is still friendship, honor, humility, and small tales that might separate it from the rest. And maybe, just maybe, its success could show HBO and Martin that Westeros has room to breathe beyond the shadow of dragon wings.
