A new trailer for Game of Thrones' hotly-anticipated seventh season has arrived, and though it basically just shows three characters playing a very slow game of musical chairs (which we suppose the whole series is, really) there’s still some interesting information about the new series hidden away in there.

Advertisement

Starting with…


1. Daenerys has a new throne

Sure, she might not have plonked her bum on the real pointy throne yet, but Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen has found a suitably stony replacement at her new digs. It certainly couldn’t be less comfortable than the real one.

And speaking of Daenerys’ new crib…


2. Daenerys might be hanging out at an old Game of Thrones location

Based on what we’ve seen of the areas Daenerys is walking through, it seems likely that her new base is none other than Dragonstone, the old stronghold of departed wannabe king Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane). Hey, he wasn’t using it any more, right?

Check out the picture below, and you can see the familiar rough stone walls appearing in both images.

Located on an island off the south coast of Westeros, Dragonstone is the perfect location for Daenerys to plan her attack, but also has a greater significance for the Dragon Queen – it’s where her conquering ancestors first landed their dragons centuries before the series began (which could be a good precedent for her own ambitions), and also where Daenerys was born following the rebellion that removed her family from power.

If (creepy stone) walls could talk, eh?


3. Game of Thrones’ romance with modern musicians continues

After previously casting the likes of Coldplay’s Will Champion, Icelandic band Sigur Rós and Ed Sheeran in the fantasy series, the new footage continues Game of Thrones’ history of mixing medieval action with more modern music.

In this case, we get the oddly appropriate “Sit Down” by indie-pop Manchester eight-hundred-piece James to punctuate the action, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them among the HBO series’ cast of thousands in series to come.


4. It seems like Jon, Daenerys and Cersei will be battling for the Iron Throne

After killing off half the cast last year (still miss you, Maergaery), the trailer seems to imply that Game of Thrones will have a more simplified three-way contest for the Iron Throne next season as Cersei (Lena Headey) takes on Jon (Kit Harington) and Daenerys for control of Westeros.


5. …unless the White Walkers unite them in common cause

The trailer ends just as the last one did on a close-up of a White Walker’s eye, continuing to emphasise the icy foe’s importance to the final clash in Westeros. We’d imagine that Jon’s mission this year will be to stop his fellow monarchs squabbling to fight the greater foe, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be successful – especially given what Cersei could be up to.


6. Cersei might have a connection to the White Walkers

Just before the White Walker close-up, the teaser shows usurper queen Cersei releasing an icy breath, and while this could just be a nod to the fact that winter has finally come to Westeros – the Seven Kingdoms' version of the Met Office is big on symbolism, we hear – the fact that this icy breeze then morphs into the series’ mystical villain could suggest a connection between the reigning Lannister and the chilly chappies.

After all, who better to team up with against your enemies than a cold, emotionless killing machine? And on the flip side, we’re sure Cersei could use THEIR help as well.


7. The White Walkers have their eyes on The Wall

As eagle-eyed fans have pointed out, the White Walker eye at the end of the trailer appears to show the reflection of The Wall, the icy fortress manned by the Night's Watch that protects the Seven Kingdoms from the supernatural nasties.

Unless they're just sightseeing, this would seem to imply that they're finally going to take the fight to the realms of men, launching an assault on The Wall to try and break through and inflict their terrible skincare regime on all of Westeros.

Here's hoping these crazy kings and queens can work out their differences and stop them...


And one thing we probably knew already…Game of Thrones can get the whole world excited about footage of people walking slowly towards chairs

Though in fairness, the first ever trailer (above) just had the characters already sitting down, so at least there's been some progression.

Advertisement

Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres on HBO on 16th July and on 17th July on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 2am, repeated at 9pm on the same day

Authors

Huw FullertonCommissioning Editor

Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement