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![Milly Alcock as Young Rhaenyra standing in front of a dragon in promotional art for House of the Dragon Milly Alcock as Young Rhaenyra standing in front of a dragon in promotional art for House of the Dragon](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/entertainment/television/info-2022/house-of-the-dragon-game-of-thrones-prequel/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/entertainment/celebrities/2022/08/1140-house-of-the-dragon-key-art.jpg)
During its eight-season run on HBO, Game of Thrones changed the television landscape forever, with its globetrotting productions, cast of hundreds and film-sized budgets. Along the way, the fantasy epic, based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, racked up 164 Emmy nominations — the most for any drama in TV history. The show went off the air with a bang in 2019, but HBO couldn’t stay out of the dragon business for too long: This month sees the premiere of the new prequel House of the Dragon, which follows the downfall of House Targaryen. Here, everything you need to know before starting what is sure to be another epic saga. And be warned: If you haven’t read the source material, thar be spoilers ahead!
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![Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith star in the HBO series House of the Dragon Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith star in the HBO series House of the Dragon](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/entertainment/television/info-2022/house-of-the-dragon-game-of-thrones-prequel/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/body_one_cf_one/par3/articlecontentfragme/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/entertainment/celebrities/2022/08/1140-house-of-the-dragon.jpg)
Who are the Targaryens again?
If you watched Game of Thrones, aka GOT, you’re certainly familiar with Daenerys Targaryen (played by four-time Emmy nominee Emilia Clarke), the platinum-blonde exiled princess who earned the nickname “The Mother of Dragons” due to her maternal instincts around her three pet fire-breathers. At the start of the series, she and her brother Viserys (Harry Lloyd) were some of the last surviving members of their family’s once-powerful dynasty, who ruled Westeros from the Iron Throne for centuries before being ousted from power about 15 years before the start of Game of Thrones. The prequel series dives deep into their family tree, offering a long-lens view of the political and military machinations that led to the start of GOT.
So, when does the prequel take place?
House of the Dragon picks up about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and, like its predecessor, will tell the bloody story of the fight for control of the Iron Throne. Interestingly, the show will have a slightly different structure from the original series in that it will zip more quickly through history, employing time jumps à la The Crown. In fact, there will be a 10-year fast-forward halfway through the first season that will see the two female leads age from teenagers to adults. “This is how you tell this story correctly,” co-showrunner Ryan Condal told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re telling a story of a generational war. We set everything up so by the time that first sword stroke falls, you understand all the players.”
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