: The episode begins with a prologue at the Great Council of 101 AC, where the lords of Westeros choose Viserys Targaryen as heir over his older cousin Rhaenys , "The Queen Who Never Was," reinforcing a patriarchal precedent.

: Years later, King Viserys is desperate for a male heir. During a difficult labor, he authorizes a fatal procedure on his wife, Queen Aemma , to save the baby. Tragically, the infant son, Baelon, dies shortly after.

The first episode of , titled "The Heirs of the Dragon," premiered on August 21, 2022, on platforms like HBO Max and Hulu . Directed by Miguel Sapochnik and written by Ryan Condal , the episode establishes the succession crisis within House Targaryen roughly 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. Plot Overview