WARNING: Minor SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1!House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1 has cleverly set up one of the most highly anticipated Game of Thrones spinoffs. Following House of the Dragon, HBO already has several Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, a few of which connect to the story of House Targaryen. While the plot of the next biggest Game of Thrones prequel was already mentioned in the original series, House of the Dragon’s premiere features a prominent spotlight on the figure it will be centered on.
In the House of the Dragon season 1 premiere, young Rhaenyra and Alicent sit underneath a Weirwood tree in King’s Landing. Alicent asks Rhaenyra whether she did the reading from a history book, which told the story of how Princess Nymeria of the Rhoynar rallied the survivors of a devastating battle with the dragonlords of Valyria in order to flee Essos. Approximately 800 years before House of the Dragon, Nymeria, an ancestor of the Westerosi House Martell and House Dayne, led the refugees to find a new home on Dorne by gathering them onto 10,000 ships. Once the fleets arrived at Dorne, Nymeria had all ten thousand ships burned so her followers would know there was no more running after their new settlement.
The story of Nymeria is set to be told on-screen in the Game of Thrones spinoff 10,000 Ships, which has reportedly been in development at HBO since 2021. Considering Arya Stark’s Game of Thrones ending and direwolf paid homage to Nymeria, and one of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s first significant interactions in House of the Dragon recalled her tale, 10,000 Ships is quickly being established as the next big series in the franchise. However, the Nymeria-focused 10,000 Ships isn’t the only potential Game of Thrones spinoff being set up by House of the Dragon, as it will also tease HBO’s in-development series The Sea Snake, which explores Lord Corlys Velaryon's famous Nine Voyages.
Will 10,000 Ships Happen? What We Know About The Game Of Thrones Spinoff
Out of all the potential Game of Thrones spinoffs being developed by HBO, 10,000 Ships seems the most likely to happen next – but none have been greenlit yet. HBO already ordered a pilot script from Amanda Segel, who was a co-executive producer for Hulu’s Helstrom and Person of Interest. It has yet to be revealed whether the pilot script for 10,000 Ships has been officially completed and will be filmed, but it still seems to be moving quickly in the development stages alongside the other Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works. George R.R. Martin gave an update on his blog in June 2022 that Segel had already submitted several drafts of the pilot script, which also confirmed his involvement in the potential show.
Ten Thousand Ships, which seems to be the new working title for the spinoff, would finally give a closer look at Dorne, the last of the regions to join the Seven Kingdoms. During the House of the Dragon timeline - set some time after 10,000 Ships - Dorne is still separate from the Seven Kingdoms, but will prominently feature a Dornish-descending character named Ser Criston Cole. House Martell of Dorne had a significant role to play in Game of Thrones beginning in season 4, but the original series hardly dove into the history of the area.