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The Only Targaryen Nobody Hates Takes the Spotlight in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

The Only Targaryen Nobody Hates Takes the Spotlight in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Image credit: Legion-Media

Targaryens rarely win hearts, but HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms rides in with the one heir who has zero haters — a familiar face you’ve seen before.

The Targaryens are not exactly the fandom’s comfort family. Centuries of keeping it in the family will do that. But there is one Targaryen who somehow dodges all the hate: Maester Aemon. You met him in Game of Thrones at Castle Black, quietly mentoring Jon Snow. HBO’s next Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, rewinds the clock to show Aemon’s world when he was young and the realm was a lot messier.

So who is Egg, and why should you care?

The show pairs Ser Duncan the Tall (a.k.a. Dunk) with his squire, a bald kid nicknamed Egg. The nickname is not just cute; it fits his close-cropped look. Dunk and Egg roam the Seven Kingdoms chasing coin, courage, and the kind of trouble that finds you whether you want it or not.

Here’s the twist longtime book readers already know: Egg is actually Prince Aegon Targaryen, the son of Maekar I Targaryen. He’s traveling incognito with Dunk. That secret becomes a big deal when the royal succession blows up.

The succession spiral that shapes everything

Maekar I dies fighting in the Dornish Marches, and suddenly the Iron Throne needs a new occupant. By the rules of succession, it lands on Aemon Targaryen — yes, that Maester Aemon — who famously turns it down and takes the black instead. After Aemon’s refusal, the crown passes to his younger brother: Egg, who becomes King Aegon V Targaryen.

If you remember Aemon’s talk with Jon Snow about honor and sacrifice at Castle Black, this is the history he’s drawing from. The show digs into that era rather than just letting it live as a great monologue.

What the show is adapting

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is co-created by Ira Parker and George R.R. Martin. Season 1 adapts Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight, which is part of the larger collection also titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s the third HBO series set in the Game of Thrones universe, and the one most likely to warm the cold, dead hearts of people burned by, well, you know.

Episode count, dates, and where to watch

Season 1 runs six episodes. HBO has it slated to premiere on Sunday, January 18, 2026. If they stick to a weekly rollout like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the Sundays would line up like this (tentative):

  • Episode 1: January 18, 2026
  • Episode 2: January 25, 2026
  • Episode 3: February 1, 2026
  • Episode 4: February 8, 2026
  • Episode 5: February 15, 2026
  • Episode 6: February 22, 2026

You’ll be able to watch it on HBO and stream it on HBO Max in the U.S.

Short version: expect a grounded, character-first adventure about Dunk and Egg that also peeks behind the curtain at the most universally liked Targaryen to ever live. That alone is a plot twist.