House of the Dragon is part of George RR Martin's pre-existing Game of Thrones universe. As part of that universe, there were plenty of places where the series could have started, as Martin revealed.
House of the Dragon centers on the history of House Targaryen, particularly the era of a civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. That civil war requires quite a bit of context to set up, however, and the show itself featured many time skips in order to bring audiences up to speed on the backstory surrounding the Dance. Ultimately, the series begins in 101 AC (After the Conquest) with a Great Council called to determine Westeros' succession. Viserys (Paddy Considine) is chosen as King, and the series continues to jump forth throughout his reign.
In an interview with Penguin Random House, Martin discussed the various ways House of the Dragon could have begun. “One of the writers wanted to begin it later, with Aemma dying. Skip the Great Council, skip the tournament, a scream sounds out, Aemma is dead, that’s where you begin. That was one possibility,” Martin said. “Another of the writers wanted to begin even later than that, with Viserys dying. But what happens there? Then you have to present all that material in flashbacks or dialogue, that becomes challenging, too. But we discussed all these possibilities.”
Martin's own desired opening for House of the Dragon touched on an earlier important event in House Targaryen's history. “I would’ve begun it like 40 years earlier, with an episode I would’ve called ‘The Heir and the Spare.' Jaehaerys' two sons, Aemon and Baelon, are alive, and we see the friendship but also the rivalry between the two sides of the great house. Then Aemon dies accidentally when a Myrish crossbowman shoots him by accident on Tarth, then Jaehaerys has to decide who becomes the new heir," Martin explained. "Is it the daughter of the son who’s just died, or the second son who has children of his own and is a man where she’s a teenager? You could’ve presented all that stuff, but then you would’ve had 40 more years, and even more.”
The fact that Martin had to explain so much of his planned opening is probably a sign that it was not meant to be. Though it would have been fun to see more of his world of Ice and Fire brought to life - Jaehaerys' reign is a particular favorite of fans - House of the Dragon fans already felt it had a time jump problem. Some of the more casual viewers, in particular, also were confused by the casting changes and the number of characters in the time period.
The series stretched itself pretty thin, time-wise, but House of the Dragon's final scene ended right where it needed to, with Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) roused like a true dragon following her son Lucerys' (Elliot Grihault) death. Season 1 serves as a great prelude, but the true “meat” of the story is the Dance, and pushing that further back in the show might have turned viewers off.
House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Penguin Random House