Jon Snow was quickly a fan favorite character on HBO series Game of Thrones. A protector and the presumed bastard son of Ned Stark, he decided to join the Night's Watch where he believed he could become the man of honor he always wanted to be.
It was later discovered (spoiler alert) that Jon wasn't a bastard at all, but actually the son of Ned's sister Lyanna and the prince Rhaegar Targaryen, who were in love despite Lyanna having been promised to another. With Jon's biological father Rhaegar dead, he was the last remaining living Targaryen male and the true heir to the Iron Throne. But he didn't know it.
And while Snow was a wonderful human and great character, there are a few things about him that would or wouldn't fly today.
Being Called A Bastard: Never Fly
Kids are born out of wedlock all the time today, so the concept of a "bastard" is totally outdated. The belief, as noted, was that Ned had an affair while away on one of his journeys, and his partner got pregnant and left the baby with Ned.
Ned's took Jon in, but he was always treated differently because of the fact that he wasn't biologically his wife Catelyn's and was supposedly the product of her husband's infidelity. Today, all kids would have been treated equally, regardless of parentage.
His Integrity and Honor: Would Fly
Jon Snow had more integrity and honor in his little toe than most people have in their entire bodies. And that noble attitude would totally fly today in a world where integrity and honor are so critical (and sometimes hard to find!)
He was someone everyone could trust and rely on, and someone everyone knew would always fight for what's right and never turn his back, no matter how tough things got.
Being Treated Unfairly By His Family: Never Fly
Even though Ned did his best to integrate Jon into their lives, raising him alongside his siblings and treating them as near equals, it was always clear that Jon was the odd man out.
The odd joke or comment was made to call Jon a bastard, and at formal events, his attendance was restricted and he did not sit at the Lord's table with the family so as not to offend guests. it was enough to make him feel uncomfortable his whole life.
His Work Ethic: Would Fly
Jon Snow was one of the hardest working people out there. Not only was he a hard worker, but he had natural talent at sword fighting and physical battling in general. He was happy to teach others and to do jobs that he might not be familiar with.
In today's world, a young man with a work ethic like his would have plenty of opportunities for advancement in many career paths.
Secrecy Around Parentage: Never Fly
While Ned kept Jon's true identity a secret for obvious reasons – to protect the baby from Robert Baratheon, as per his sister's dying wish – it would never fly today. In the age of social media, the love between Rhaegar and Lyanna would have been captured and shared online so everyone knew they were willingly together.
And some suspicious person would have plucked one of Jon's beautiful locks of hair from his head in order to run a DNA test to determine who his true father (and mother) was.
Going To The Night's Watch: Would Fly
The Night's Watch was sort of like the Westeros version of combination penal colony and National Guard, where sometimes young men and women (only men in Westeros) who feel lost decide to go to find themselves or prisoners are sent to serve out a life sentence. In Jon's case, he always felt like an outsider so decided to join so he could find a greater purpose and a place where he truly belonged.
This is not only something that would fly today, but it happens often with troubled or lost young men, or those who feel their purpose is to serve their country.
Coming Back From The Dead: Never Fly
Witchcraft might have been a thing in Westeros, but to think that a man could be lying dead on a table for hours with multiple stab wounds and magically come back alive is ludicrous. It would never happen.
In the real world, he would have been long gone. The Red Priestess Melisandre might have been there to say a prayer for him and lay his body to rest. But he would not have all of a sudden been resurrected simply because he had a greater purpose.
Joining The Free Folk: Would Fly
As much as viewers really wanted to see Jon end up on the Iron Throne, leading all of Westeros with love, rationality, and care for all, the truth is that he never really wanted that power, even if he deserved it.
He felt most at home with the Free Folk, just like a young man today might have the qualifications and skills to work at a high-paying job but choose to follow his passion instead.
His Relationship With Dany: Never Fly
It was cute at first…until everyone realized that Dany was actually Jon's aunt! Knowing this, the fact that they had been together, and that they still lusted for one another, just wouldn’t fly. The second that knowledge was made known, the two should have stayed far away from one another. At least romantically.
But Dany still pursued Jon, and though he was reluctant, he still shared passionate kisses with her.
Catelyn's Conflicted Emotions Over Him: Would Fly
If she had only known that her husband wasn't a philanderer after all and the young baby boy he brought home was actually his nephew and not his bastard child! Alas, Ned had to keep this a secret from Catelyn in order to protect Jon.
Catelyn's conflicted emotions about the situation were totally understandable. She even admitted once to sitting by his bedside 24/7 when he got sick, praying for him to live even though she had before wished him dead. Despite her anger that he was, she believed, the product of her husband's affair, her motherly instincts still occasionally shone through.