WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight novella, on which A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based!Though they were at center focus in Game of Thrones, House Stark has been notably underrepresented in the franchise’s subsequent offshoots. Rather, previous generations of House Targaryen’s family tree have become the priority in new Game of Thrones spinoffs, with these stories generally situating House Stark as a minor factor in the overall plot.
In House of the Dragon, the Starks’ screen time has amounted to just two brief scenes in two seasons. The first included Rickon Stark swearing an oath to young Princess Rhaenyra as King Viserys’ official heir, and the second season featured Prince Jacaerys Velaryon treating with Lord Cregan Stark in Winterfell.
With the Starks continuing to play a relatively minor role until House of the Dragon’s ending, the franchise’s upcoming spinoffs don’t fare much better in terms of their presence. Indeed, fans of Game of Thrones’ House Stark may struggle even more with HBO’s next prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premieres in early 2026.
House Stark Has Even Less Of A Role In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Than HOTD
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If you thought House Stark’s role was small in House of the Dragon, the 2026 prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be a harsh awakening. The Starks are expected to play an even less prominent role in the series, which is set during the youth of King Aegon V Targaryen, nearly 100 years before Game of Thrones and roughly 70 years after House of the Dragon’s timeline.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ story primarily revolves around two main characters: Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall and his young squire, Egg. With Egg being revealed as the young Prince Aegon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms yet again gives a larger focus to House Targaryen, as the series will also set up the Iron Throne’s infamous succession issues during this era.
The George R.R. Martin book that season 1 is based on, The Hedge Knight, is largely set around the Reach and the Crownlands. Unless HBO makes a major change to the novella, Dunk and Egg don’t have much reason to venture all the way up to the Starks’ home of Winterfell.
In fact, the only occasions on which we might meet a Stark from this generation would be at the Ashford Tourney, a funeral, or a ceremony to certify the new heir to the Iron Throne. However, The Hedge Knight doesn’t include any Stark family members as significant characters – even briefly. At least House of the Dragon has Cregan Stark, who becomes a major figure in the Dance of the Dragons’ immediate aftermath.
Of course, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ adaptation could end up making some changes to appease House Stark fans. Little has been officially explored about the Starks during this era in Game of Thrones’ timeline, so it would be exciting to see what the family dynamics look like in the gap between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones.
Game Of Thrones’ Other Upcoming Spinoffs Won’t Make Its House Stark Problem Any Better
Unfortunately, after House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the other upcoming Game of Thrones spinoffs on the docket won’t be much more House Stark-centric. One highly anticipated series in development is the Aegon’s Conquest prequel, which would focus on King Aegon I Targaryen and his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys’ conquest of Westeros.
In that series, we’re only likely to see the iconic family when King Torrhen Stark and his army march to face off against Aegon, only to bend the knee to the Targaryens. Ultimately, Torrhen Stark would most likely have a presence comparable to Cregan in House of the Dragon.
The other unconfirmed Game of Thrones spinoff series in development include shows about the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, the Sea Snake’s backstory, and a 10,000 Ships prequel about Nymeria’s legendary journey to Dorne. Though they do provide a refreshing change in departing from the recent House Targaryen tunnel vision, they won’t improve Game of Thrones’ lacking Stark presence.
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