It's been a long time since we set sail for Westeros, but the wait is almost over.
On Sunday, House of the Dragon — the Game of Thrones prequel set 200 years before the events of the HBO mega-hit — will swoop its way onto our screens. Chances are you've seen some of the new characters (hello Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy) or maybe the latest, very Succession-y, trailer.
But the question is, do you need to have seen Game of Thrones? Or, if you're one of those people who saw part of the show and then got put off by largely terrible reviews of the ending, do you need to have seen all of it?
The short answer is no, probably not. But to break that down a little more, let's take a closer look at what House of the Dragon will involve, and how it relates to events that took place in the show that paved its way...
What is House of the Dragon about?
Based on George R.R. Martin's book Fire and Blood, House of the Dragon focusses on the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war. Basically, it's all about succession. King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is on the Iron Throne at the start in the show, but the question of who will eventually replace him is proving a tricky one.
Will it be his daughter, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), or his brother Daemon (Matt Smith)? And how will the other one feel if they're not named as the heir?
Expect plenty of scheming, backstabbing, and battles, if the trailer is anything to go by.
How is House of the Dragon connected to Game of Thrones?
Pretty thinly, to be honest. Okay, so House Targaryen is very much a thing in Game of Thrones too (Emilia Clarke's GoT character Daenerys is a Targaryen trying to work her way back to Westeros), as is the Iron Throne itself (the seat that rules the seven kingdoms of Westeros). But aside from the setting and the ancestral names, there isn't all that much to link the story of House of the Dragon with the story told in Game of Thrones.
200 years separates the two, after all. This new show is literally ancient history.
So do I need to have seen Game of Thrones?
Well it certainly wouldn't hurt. On the one hand, if you've seen Game of Thrones you'll be familiar with concepts like the Iron Throne and the presence of dragons, and you'll know a little bit about House Targaryen and how temperamental those guys can be. Maybe there will even be a few Easter eggs that you might spot.
But at the same time, if you haven't seen it, don't let that put you off. It's a whole new story, with a whole new set of characters, set in a whole different era.
Unless you happen to have read Fire and Blood (which many won't have), we'll all be going in dark.
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. ET. You can read our review here.
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