‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7: Daenerys Targaryen Next Westeros Rulers but Ascension to Iron Throne Delayed?

By Erik Pineda
Dragon Queen Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones.
Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones.  Facebook/Game of Thrones

In "Game of Thrones," there are two possibilities that would both restore the Targaryen Dynasty - through Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) or Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). The chance though is higher for the Khaleesi to one day sit on the Iron Throne but that scenario will need to wait a bit longer.

A Targaryen ruling again at King's Landing is among the dreamed scenes by many Game of Thrones fans, and more so if that Targaryen is Jon Snow or Daenerys. Any of the two would be deserving and perceived to deviate from the Baratheon-Lannister reign. Jon is likely to be a king molded after his acknowledged father, Eddard Stark - just and uncompromising, even to a fault.

And so is Dany, who from Day One has been trying to prove that she's a cut quite far from the other Targaryens. According to Clarke, her character "is continuously reaching for the purest level of rulership."

"I always believed that Dany had the highest of hopes for what kind of impact she could leave on this world," the actress was reported by The Daily Express as saying.

Clarke also hinted she's optimistic about Dany's fate as the last known Targaryen - that she'll accomplish her mission. From last season, the Mother of Dragons was seen headed to Westeros in an obvious quest to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms that the Targaryens lost during Robert's Rebellion. Will fate smile at her?

Clarke can only offer vague clues. "Right now, I'm sort of feeling - with her - optimistic. She'll probably need some help, though ... I'll definitely be disappointed if she doesn't make it."

If indeed success awaits Daenerys in Westeros and she will one day own the Iron Throne, such a spectacle will need to wait a bit more. To be clear, there is no solid indication that the 7-episode Game of Throne Season 7 will finally reveal the legitimate occupant to the Iron Throne. If not, then Dany becoming Queen will have to wait until Season 8, which according to HBO will not necessarily start airing in 2018.

Per HBO programming chief Casey Bloys, the last GoT season may have been confirmed to consist only of six episodes but what will unfold remain a mystery. Everything is up to GoT showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the HBO executive said in an interview with the Entertainment Weekly.

In fact, Bloys said Benioff and Weiss still have to write the Season 8 episodes and the two will have the last say on the production schedule. And HBO and the showrunners are taking their time to make sure that Game of Thrones will exit in a blaze of glory - serving the same cinematic quality that is the signature of the show or even surpassing it.

Effectively, Benioff and Weiss have been given the license to finalize Season 8 next year or if they choose to, in 2019, HBO said.

That's like saying the coronation of Queen Daenerys or any other Iron Throne ruler, if not covered in Season 7, will have to wait two more years.

The Game of Thrones Season 7 will return to HBO on July 16.

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