HBO's new Game of Thrones spinoff, AKotSK's release set for 2025, HBO is finally back to having TV based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy world on a yearly basis, and the new show is one that should be a pleasant relief after the discourse surrounding House of the Dragon season 2. AKotSK is based on Martin's "Dunk & Egg" novellas, detailing the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg (Aegon V Targaryen in disguise).

The Dunk & Egg novella trilogy was released between 1998 and 2010 before being published as a complete collection in 2015's book, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin is insistent on his plans to write more novellas for the beloved character duo, which would provide more fuel for the HBO series. However, his primary focus is finishing The Winds of Winter, the next volume of the main A Song of Ice & Fire book series. Hopefully, by the time the AKotSK TV series has concluded its third season, Martin will have prepared some new material.

7 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Only Has Two Main Characters

AKotSK Will Be More Character-Centric

One of the main appeals of Game of Thrones was that it explored such a widespread, sprawling cast of characters. With so many narratives to keep track of, the HBO epic offered an inherent complexity, and House of the Dragon followed suit. The first prequel, focusing on the Dance of the Dragons, was slightly more focused on the happenings of the Targaryen dynasty but still delivered a variety of main characters and factions to focus on. AKotSK will narrow down its focus on its two central characters.

Consider The Last of Us or The Mandalorian as some recent examples of what that could look like.

With a more direct focus on only Dunk and Egg, the general style of AKotSK will be drastically different in tone, narrative pacing, complexity, and more. Rather than an event-driven epic with interweaving plots to follow, the new prequel show will be much more focused on drawing the viewer into the conflicts of its main protagonists, building a more direct, emotional connection than what the previous series have offered. Consider The Last of Us or The Mandalorian as some recent examples of what that could look like.

6 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Has A Much Lighter Tone

The Game Of Thrones Prequel Should Offer More Levity

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms should have a significantly lighter tone than the previous Game of Thrones shows, but it's all relative. Keep in mind this is still a story coming from George R.R. Martin, so there are bound to be some horrific, violent moments. However, in of general tone, the new series should offer far more fun and humor, not in the sense that it's pure comedy, but in the same ilk as Arya's travels with The Hound in Game of Thrones. There's going to be a serious narrative, but there will also be memorable quotes and bits of humor.

Not to mention, Dunk and Egg are less severe characters than Arya and The Hound and are generally on the more benevolent side of the spectrum in Martin's world. The series will follow a wonderful, easy-to-root-for bond between two charismatic characters, set in a fantasy world audiences are already familiar with. It will undoubtedly be the easiest to consume of the shows in HBO's fantasy franchise, and none of the other Game of Thrones spinoffs will offer anything like it.

5 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Visits Different Parts Of Westeros

Viewers Will See The Other Half Of Westeros

Throughout Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, audiences have been introduced to many of the strongest castles in Westeros, typically corresponding to the seats of the great houses, such as Winterfell, Casterly Rock, or Riverrun. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, viewers will get a tour of the more realistic side of Westeros. Again, the closest comparison would be Arya and The Hound, though they were traveling the Riverlands after it had been devastated by the War of the Five Kings, seeing it in a drastic, war-torn shape.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will explore various regions of Westeros, such as the smaller fort of Standfast in the Reach. While Game of Thrones demonstrates the feudal system in the Seven Kingdoms at the top level, the new prequel series will examine how this society works for lesser noble houses and common folk. TV audiences will become acquainted with the world of everyday life in the Seven Kingdoms under the Targaryen dynasty, something that's scarcely been explored in either TV show so far.

4 The Dunk & Egg Novellas Are Much Shorter Than The A Song Of Ice & Fire Novels

AKotSK Will Have A 6 Episode First Season

Aside from being lighter in tone, the Dunk & Egg novellas are literally lighter books than the main series of A Song of Ice & Fire. As shown in the graph below, Martin's first novel in the series, A Game of Thrones, which equated to season 1 of Game of Thrones, was 292,727 total words. A Storm of Swords, which split into Game of Thrones seasons 3 & 4, was 414,604 words. In comparison, all three Dunk & Egg novellas combined are only 106,721 words. That means adapting each one into a television season will likely require some narrative inflation.

HBO's plan is for each season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to be six episodes long, meaning it will have the shortest seasons of the Game of Thrones franchise. The first novella, The Hedge Knight, will compose the story of the six episodes premiering in 2025, hence the show's much shorter production schedule. Hypothetically speaking, with limited CGI and shorter seasons, AKotSK could release more frequently than House of the Dragon, responding to the complaints about the 2-year delays for TV seasons. But that's still to be seen.

3 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Won't Have Dragons

The Dragons Went Extinct Years Before AKotSK

Speaking of limited CGI, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place under the reign of the Targaryen Dynasty, but it occurs after all the dragons have died out. As viewers know from Game of Thrones, there were no dragons at the show's start, as the species died out in Westeros over 100 years prior. On the overall timeline, AKotSK takes place about 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones and 80 years after the Dance of the Dragons, meaning the Targaryen kings have reigned without dragons for decades at this point.

The last dragon died during the reign of Aegon III Targaryen.

The addition of dragons as a prominent feature of House of the Dragon has been interesting regarding expectations for the series. One of the complaints about season 2 was that there weren't enough battles, which is odd given that Game of Thrones' best seasons barely had major action set pieces at all. AKotSK won't have any major battle sequences like the Blackwater or the Battle of the Bastards, and there certainly won't be any dragon fights like the one audiences saw at Rook's Rest in House of the Dragon season 2.

2 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Won't Focus On King's Landing Politics

AKotSK Will Occur Away From The Red Keep

In many ways, House of the Dragon posed a spinoff idea that offered numerous differences but essentially provided Game of Thrones fans with many aspects of the world they were already familiar with. The central focus on a conflict of succession surrounding the Iron Throne is easy to follow for viewers knowledgeable of the original show, but the prequel tackled it with different houses and dynamics. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be far from the Red Keep, though major events pertaining to House Targaryen will occur in the background.

Given that Egg is a Targaryen prince and future king, the TV show will likely keep audiences informed of some of the happenings in Westerosi politics. After all, the events occurring in King's Landing are always looming over the smallfolk of Westeros in some capacity. Throughout the series, there will be conflicts between Targaryen kings and of the court, including significant events like the first Blackfyre Rebellion. The difference is they'll just be happening in the background. The series might gravitate toward those events more in later seasons, but it shouldn't be a focus for at least the first few.

1 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Has A Smaller Budget Than GoT & HotD

AKotSK Is HBO's Cheapest Game Of Thrones Show

George R.R. Martin has specifically offered praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as a smaller show than the previous installments, stating that the series is working under a much smaller budget than House of the Dragon. While this may raise some initial flags, it makes perfect sense, given everything that's known about the series. The actors cast are relatively unknown, there's a shortened episode count, and there won't be much CGI. Altogether, there's less need for the vast resources that are required for late Game of Thrones seasons or House of the Dragon.

With all of that in mind, viewers shouldn't expect a decline in quality, as that's one of the main aspects HBO and the Game of Thrones franchise has been highly regarded for. The production team has been shooting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the same studio as the original TV show, and should have a similar visual aesthetic to the early Game of Thrones seasons. The show just won't be as visually flashy or cinematic as the dragon-heavy House of the Dragon. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be smaller, but that doesn't mean it will be lower quality.