House of The Dragon: Do you need to watch Game of Thrones to enjoy spin-off featuring more dragons?

House of The Dragon is all set to premiere on Disney+Hotstar on August 22. The first episode will premiere on the streaming service at 6.30, followed by weekly episodes every Monday at the same time. The anticipation around the series is sky-high among the fans of Game of Thrones, the HBO series which ran for eight seasons from 2011-2019. After acquiring global fandom, the universe of GoT is expanding and House of The Dragon is one of the several spin-offs that have been greenlit by HBO. Since House of The Dragon belongs to the GoT universe, there are questions arising about the link between the two shows. We decode whether one requires to have seen Game of Thrones to enjoy House of The Dragon or not. 

House of The Dragon details

Game of Thrones was adapted from George RR Martin's novel A Song of Ice And Fire. Similarly, House of The Dragon has also been adapted from Martin's works, specifically Fire & Blood. The new show is from the mind of Martin and Ryan Condal, who are also co-executive producers alongside Miguel Sapotchnik. The show tells the story of House Targaryen and the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons. It will feature an ensemble cast of Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno and Fabien Frankel. In the new show's first season, there will be 10 episodes in total. 

House of The Dragon setting and plot details 

House of The Dragon is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. However, the Iron Throne is what the show will be all about, much like the parent series Game of Thrones. As far as the plot goes, new world order will be established in Westeros with King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) torn between choosing his younger brother Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and his firstborn child Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy). The trailer of the upcoming series has already hinted that the show will be about power dynamics, politics, epic-scale wars and dragons.  

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How is House of The Dragon connected to GoT?

Not much from Game of Thrones will be part of the House of The Dragon world. The two shows are separated by 300 years as far as the timeline is concerned. No characters from GoT will feature in House of The Dragon. Similarly, there won't be any references too. GoT being set ahead of House of The Dragon had some references to the new and the upcoming series. But, House of The Dragon will have characters independent of the GoT timeline. 

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Do I need to have seen Game of Thrones to understand House of The Dragon?

Game of Thrones had House Targaryen and so does House of The Dragon. That is all you need to know to enjoy the new show. If you have not seen Game of Thrones, you can still enjoy the new show. If you've seen Game of Thrones, the concepts like the Iron Throne, King's Landing, Hand of The King and the presence of dragons will help you quickly move into the storyline. Maybe there will be a few Easter eggs that you might spot in the new show. However, you can enjoy House of The Dragon independently. 

If you are willing to watch GoT, all eight seasons can be streamed on Disney+Hotstar.