House of the Dragon opens with a title card confirming that the series takes place 172 years before the death of the Mad King Aerys and the birth of his daughter, Daenerys Targaryen. Needless to say, that closes the door on any familiar characters from Game of Thrones making an appearance, but it doesn't stop the premiere from including plenty of nods to its predecessor.
There are various visual cues and lines of dialogue scattered throughout, with even the Game of Thrones theme coming into play at times.
One of the most exciting Easter Eggs for fans, though, is the fact King Viserys at one point wields a familiar Valyrian steel dagger. Those of you who were paying close attention may have noticed it's the same blade that, nearly 200 years later, would be used in an assassination attempt on Bran Stark.
Its biggest moment, however, came when Arya Stark used it to kill the Night King!
Another interesting scene potentially sets the stage for one of the many other spinoffs we know is in development. Rhaenyra and Alicent discuss Nymeria, the warrior who helped establish the rule of House Martell after leading the Rhoynar to Dorn. Remember, Arya's direwolf is even named after Nymeria, so it's a hugely important part of Westeros' history that's yet to be fully explored.
Well, 10,000 Ships, which tells that story, is currently in development at HBO, so we're sure this mention was no accident. Whether the series moves forward remains to be seen, but the roots of this franchise run deep and exploring another period of its storied history is an incredibly exciting prospect.
During The Tourney of the Heir, we also see a number of familiar vigils, including the direwolf of House Stark (we even watch on as Rickon Stark briefly swears allegiance to Rhaenyra Targaryen), and with the likes of House Lannister, House Baratheon, House Tarly, and House Velaryon. Does that mean characters from those will later come into play? We certainly hope so.
Of course, the episode also features one massive last-minute reveal that potentially retcons a key part of Game of Thrones and turns the franchise on its head. You can read about that by clicking here.