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John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 4,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
Game of Thrones season 5 remarkably predicted its two spinoffs, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Game of Thrones season 5 aired on HBO in 2015, and work towards the eventual continuation of globally-popular franchise would still be years away, but the fifth season contains uncanny hints at the next two Game of Thrones shows to come.
Just three years after Game of Thrones' controversial series finale in 2019, its first spinoff premiered on HBO. House of the Dragon is a prequel set 200 years before Game of Thrones, detailing the conflict between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) that led to the tragic demise of the Targaryen dynasty.
In January 2026, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on HBO. Based upon George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), eking out a living as a hedge knight a century before Game of Thrones.
Game Of Thrones Season 5 Predicted House Of The Dragon
Game of Thrones season 5, episode 9, "The Dance of Dragons," predicts House of the Dragon 7 years before the spinoff premiered on HBO. Before Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) burned his daughter at the stake, the well-read Shireen (Kerry Ingram) essentially summarized the story of House of the Dragon to her father:
"The Dance of Dragons... It's the story of the fight between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon for control over the Seven Kingdoms. Both of them thought they belonged on the Iron Throne. When people started declaring for one of them or the other, their fight divided the kingdoms in two. Brothers fought brothers. Dragons fought dragons. By the time it was over, thousands were dead. And it was a disaster for the Targaryens as well. They never truly recovered."
In the context of Game of Thrones, Stannis hearing the Targaryens' sad history echoes his own decision to have his brother, Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony), murdered because he wanted the Iron Throne that Stannis believed was his by right. By the end of Game of Thrones season 5, Stannis' terrible choices led to his own death and the demise of his family.
No one could have guessed at the time Game of Thrones season 5 aired that House of the Dragon would eventually become the first Game of Thrones spinoff. A proven hit in its own right, House of the Dragon season 3 will premiere in 2026 on HBO, and the prequel will conclude with House of the Dragon season 4.
Game Of Thrones Season 5 Predicted A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
Incredibly, Game of Thrones season 5 also foretold A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms through the death of Master Aemon Targaryen (Peter Vaughan). As the ancient Maester was dying, Aemon hallucinated his childhood memories of his brother, Egg. Suffering from dementia, Aemon tragically cried out, "Egg, I dreamed that I was old."
Back when Game of Thrones season 5 aired in 2015, there was no way to have known that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, about Egg in his youth with Ser Duncan the Tall, would premiere on HBO as the second Game of Thrones spinoff 11 years later. It's also possible that a young Aemon Targaryen could appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Although Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) wouldn't become the Three-Eyed Raven until season 6, Game of Thrones season 5 unwittingly was the Three-Eyed Raven that prophesied the continuation of George R.R. Martin and HBO's enduringly popular fantasy franchise.
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Game Of Thrones
10/10
Release Date 2011 - 2019-00-00
Showrunner David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
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Isaac Hempstead Wright
Brandon Bran Stark
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A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
Release Date January 18, 2026
Network HBO
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Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tall
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Finn Bennett
Aerion Targaryen
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Bertie Carvel
Baelor Targaryen
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English (US) ·