Game of Thrones may have highlighted all kinds of fictional families and dynasties: the Starks and their giant fur capes and winter-themed catchphrases, the Lannisters and their money, the Greyjoys and their ships and squids; but it would be difficult to find a name among them with more immediate impact and recognition than the Targaryens. Despite being represented by exactly one person, Daenerys, for the vast majority of Game of Thrones’ eight seasons, House Targaryen quickly became one of the most loved (or hated, depending on who you talked to) families in all the world. West.

Now HBO and George RR Martin are giving fans a chance to get to know them better through the new series, House of the Dragon, set two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones proper. If the name wasn’t enough to give it away, House of the Dragon focuses almost exclusively on the Targaryens at the height of their power; Gone are the days when only Dany ran around, making questionable decisions on his behalf. Now, a Targaryen king rules from the Iron Throne with his entire platinum-blond, dodgy family by his side.

Pero, ¿cómo haces para recrear la imagen de los Targaryen para los fanáticos que ya los conocen tan bien la primera vez? Claro, Dany pudo haber estado sola cuando Game of Thrones terminó y finalmente terminó, pero también fue uno de los personajes más destacados del programa y eso vino con mucha historia e información para compartir sobre ella y su historia. Incluso diezmada, la sombra de la dinastía Targaryen se cernía sobre todo Westeros cientos de años después.

GameSpot se sentó con el elenco de House of the Dragon para ver qué, exactamente, el nuevo programa planeaba hacer con el legado de Targaryen, y cómo la primera familia de Westeros se ve diferente esta vez.

Paddy Considine, quien interpreta al rey actual, Viserys, explicó que es muy diferente de los Viserys que hemos visto antes. ¿Recuerdas al hermano de Dany, verdad? Solo duró unos pocos episodios antes de ser asesinado por Drogo. No era muy buen tipo. Considine dijo que su Viserys no es alguien que “no sea impulsado o corrompido por el poder, es un rey muy honorable. Está cumpliendo una profecía, pero no es un Targaryen típico. No es rápido para desenvainar su espada ni nada por el estilo. Es un rey en tiempos de paz”.

Mientras tanto, Matt Smith, que interpreta al hermano del rey, Daemon, explicó que será un poco más familiar. “Creo que, extrañamente, el caos trae [Daemon] peace,” he said. “He’s after something ‘other,’ I don’t think he knows what it is yet.”

Olivia Cooke, who plays the elder Alicent Hightower, daughter of a Targaryen-aligned house, explained the family more in the context of the world at large. “They are at the pinnacle of their power.” She continued, “They are vulnerable as well as at their most powerful. This season, you are aware of the complexities between their family ties and also how they are perceived in the world.”

That perception is at the core of House of the Dragon’s drama. While it may be a family story at heart, Succession with Dragons, at its core, is also a Game of Thrones-flavored political drama full of backstabbing and maneuvering for power and control. The Iron Throne may look a little different this time around, but it still has the same deadly allure.

New episodes of House of the Dragon arrive on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday.