17 years before Game of Thrones

When Rhaegar Targaryen (Dan Stevens) “kidnaps” Lyanna Stark (Lily Collins), her brother Brandon (Eoin Macken) rides to King’s Landing demanding King Aerys (Jason Isaacs) bid his son the Prince of Dragonstone to “free” her.

Brandon further demanding that Rhaegar’s life be taken as forfeit provokes Aerys to arrest him for treason. Aerys calls Rickard Stark to the capital. Accusing Rickard of treason too, the Lord of Winterfell demands a Trial by Combat.

Not thinking that Aerys would name fire as his champion, Rickard is burned alive. And then Brandon is killed by strangulation with his own chain. Reaching out for the sword that was just out his reach, the chain round his neck suffocated him. All that could be heard in the moments afterwards was the Mad King’s cackling.

Hearing this news, Robert Baratheon (Henry Cavill) and his friend, the new Lord of Winterfell Eddard Stark (Tom Hopper) rally their bannermen, along with their friend and mentor Lord Jon Arryn (Liam Neeson) of The Vale.

Jon and Ned (Eddard) promised themselves in marriage to the Tully daughters Catelyn (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Lysa (Ruth Wilson) to gain the support of Lord Hoster Tully (Sam Neill) and the Riverlands in the fight against The Crown.

An alliance between The North, The Stormlands, the Vale and the Riverlands is made. And thus, a bloody civil war is waged against The Mad King, House Targaryen and their loyalists.

This is a story of love, conflict and politics. And at the end, a new world dawns.

The Rebels

The North

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Creators: George R.R Martin & Michael Hirst

Writers: Michael Hirst & Peter Morgan

Director: Dominic Cooke

The Stormlands

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Distribution: HBO

Musical Score: Ramin Djawadi

Cinematography: Cary Joji Fukunaga

The Vale And The Riverlands

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The Enemy

The Crown

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 The Westerlands

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Flashback Scenes

• Nine years earlier, Joanna Lannister dies in giving birth to Tyrion; and this is the root of Cersei’s hatred for her brother.

Cersei: You’ve always been funny but none of them will ever match the first joke, will they? You remember, back when you ripped my mother open on your way out of her and she bled to death.

Tyrion: She was my mother too.

Cersei: Now they’re gone, for the sake of you. There’s no bigger joke in the world than that.

Dorne

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No. Seasons: Two

No. Episodes: Eight (Four per season)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Certificate: 18

Other

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The Tower Of Joy

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Key Scenes

• The Tourney of Harrenhal: Rhaegar (Dan Stevens) slights his wife Elia Martell (Aarti Mann), and Dorne, by naming Lyanna Stark (Lily Collins) the Queen of Love and Beauty. He places a crown of blue winter roses on her lap… over his own wife!

• Aerys (Jason Isaacs) killing Rickard Stark (Ray Stevenson) and his son Brandon (Eoin Macken) in The Capital.

• The Battles Of Summerhall – The rebels won three battles in a single day, Robert (Henry Cavill) killed Lord Fell in single combat.

• The Battle of Ashford – Randyll Tarly’s (Graham McTavish) forces run into Robert’s army which ended in a a victory for the Crown, as House Tarly are Targaryen loyalists and Tyrell bannermen.

• The Seige of Storm’s End: Mace Tyrell (Hugh Bonneville) attempts to starve Stannis’ forces out for nearly a year. Stannis holds out with five hundred men. Smuggler Davos Seaworth, manages to sail through Redwyne-Tyrell forces to get supplies to Stannis’ men, from then on called ‘The Onion Knight’.

• The Assault of Dragonstone by STANNIS THE MANNIS!

• Ser Gregor Clegane (The Mountain) killing and raping Elia Martell, and then murdering her children too.

• Rhaegar V Robert on the Trident.

• Walder Frey (David Bradley) turning up at the Trident at the end of the battle (just for witty banter)

• The Sack of King’s Landing and Ser Jaime Lannister (Charlie Hunnam) killing Aerys as he bellows “Burn them all!”

• Combat at the Tower of Joy and the Birth of Jon Snow.

Game Of Thrones ends soon, and I always found prequel stories like this one more interesting