HBO has already asked for a Game of Thrones spinoff pilot

Although the Game of Thrones brand should be enough to bring in plenty of hardcore fans to HBO’s spinoff series, is this time period the right choice?

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves here, a point of order. Just because HBO wants a pilot for one of the Game of Thrones spinoffs it put into development does not mean that this is the series we’re going to get. It’s a good sign at the very least, one that shows that HBO thinks it has a winner on its hands.

But it is not everything.

That all being said, here’s what Entertainment Weekly, linked above, has to say about the pilot’s setting:

"Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know."

Now, the “mysteries of the East” might be the most interesting piece here. As EW notes, the Age of Heroes goes pretty far back in Westerosi history; about 10,000 years. It also precedes the Doom of Valyria — and might even precede the Valyrian civilization entirely, considering that Valyria only existed about 5,000 years before current events.

However, EW points out that things aren’t necessarily all correct. We’re willing to bet that things are actually a little more condensed than that, and it’s possible that Valyria’s origins might take place at the same time, bringing more magic into the world with the discovery of dragons. But Asshai may be another option; Azor Ahai, too, could end up showing up. Both would satisfy some fan curiosities.

What of the “horrifying secrets,” too? The history of Westeros is already pretty horrifying on its own. It doesn’t need help in that regard.

Next: Game of Thrones season 8 spoilers: Time to say goodbye

Does this time period make the most sense? In some ways, yes. There have always been a lot of questions about the dawn of the world of Westeros and Essos. But those questions have also led to a lot of room for interpretation and the theme of knowledge from different points of view. That’s been a strength of Game of Thrones. Hopefully, this successor, should it ever air, doesn’t try and explain too much.