The world of Ice and Fire is getting bigger and bigger. In addition to the other shows that are already airing or in development, such as House of the Dragon or the Jon Snow sequel series, HBO is now considering a new show in the Game of Thrones universe that would tell the story of Aegon’s conquest of Westeros, according to a Variety report. The story serves as a sort of starting point for the world of Westeros we know, but it’s also a terribly boring idea.
For those uninformed (or already a bit overwhelmed by the number of Aegons in this universe), the story of Aegon’s Conquest should be a House of the Dragon prequel – in other words, a prequel to a prequel. It would probably take place about 130 years before most of the events House of the Dragonnearly 300 years before the events of the original Game of Thrones series.
Aegon wasn’t the first Targaryen to settle in Westeros after the demise of Valyria, when the ancient volcano in the area erupted, engulfing and destroying the world’s most advanced city in ash, but he was the most ambitious. He, along with his two sisters and the three dragons of the trio, brought all of Westeros under one crown and turned the seven kingdoms into one.
The problem with these events as the basis for a show is that there isn’t much room for the kind of interpersonal drama and politics that HBO’s Game of Thrones shows are the best at it. The current version of Aegon’s Conquest is more of an overview than a full story. The events usually come true Fire and bloodthe first volume of the fictional history of the Targaryen dynasty by author George R. R. Martin, who is also the source material for House of the Dragon. Like House of the Dragon does with The Dance of Dragons, the story could easily be expanded upon, but Aegon’s conquest succeeds because of his military prowess and the ferocious dragons, rather than the cunning of their political maneuvers.
There’s nothing wrong with that Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon‘s huge battles, but a series so completely focused on those moments lacks the kind of surprising character moments that have made Martin’s world sing on TV. In fact, in Martin’s version of the Conquest, Aegon’s dominance is so certain that the battles themselves wouldn’t even be that exciting to watch, and probably after the later seasons of House of the Dragon get us some more good dragon-on-dragon battles.
While this may all be true on paper, House of the Dragon at least HBO has earned a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. Recapture the magic of Game of Throneswith its balance of character drama, palace intrigue and grueling battles seemed almost impossible, but the end product was an excellent first season.
It’s also important to note that HBO has not yet greenlit this series and is currently only in talks to produce it. That means there’s no showrunner, writers, cast, or director – just a vague idea at this point. Whatever happens to it, we’ll keep waiting for HBO’s word on which series will arrive next in the Game of Thrones universe, whether it’s season 2 of House of the Dragonthe Dunk and Egg series, or even one of the animated series supposedly in the works.