House of the Dragon: Season 3 Trailer Shows Major Book Change

The official Season 3 trailer for House of the Dragon opens with a striking change: within five seconds Baela Targaryen appears astride her dragon Moondancer, soaring above burning ships in the Gullet. That early image signals a clear departure from the source material and alters at least one character’s trajectory.

Moondancer made her show debut in Season 2 when Baela patrolled the Crownlands, but the trailer places them squarely in the gruesome sea battle. In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Baela remained on Dragonstone—betrothed to Jacaerys Velaryon and dividing her time between Dragonstone and Driftmark once Moondancer could fly—rather than fighting at the Gullet.

Fire & Blood has Nettles, a dragonseed, riding Sheepstealer into the battle, and Rhaena encounters Sheepstealer in the Season 2 finale. By putting Baela at the Gullet, the show appears to fold elements of Nettles’ story into Rhaena’s and Baela’s arcs, making it likely that the series will redistribute parts of Nettles’ role among those characters.

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