When fans of Game of Thrones tuned into the very first episode of the spinoff series, House of the Dragon, they may have noticed one thing was missing.
Sure, the intrigue and story were set up immediately as House Targaryen was pitted against itself in the battle for the Iron Throne.
King Viserys (Paddy Considine) was initially undecided over who would rule in his place as he had not yet produced a male heir.
Most likely, it was expected his younger brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), would replace him.
However, after Daemon was particularly cruel, the king decided to announce his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), would replace him, setting up what will very likely be a bloody season.
While all of this was entertaining, many viewers wondered where the opening credits had gone.
Opening sequence missing from House of the Dragon
Everyone who watched Game of Thrones will be familiar with the music and opening sequence used in HBO’s original epic fantasy series.
However, those expecting something similar when Episode 1 of House of the Dragon aired were sorely disappointed because the network decided not to include an opening sequence at all.
There was a reason for this, though.
According to ET Online, there was a reason for omitting the opening credits and sequence from Episode 1.
“It was a creative choice,” House of the Dragon co-showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik revealed.
“It seemed important that once the curtain went up so to speak, having a title sequence felt like an indulgence. We wanted to get on and tell the story.”
An opening sequence will appear in Episode 2
While the showrunners opted out of revealing a new opening sequence in Episode 1, they will not be dropping it altogether. Instead, from Episode 2 onwards, the new sequence and music will be revealed.
As yet, though, there has been no indication of whether or not it will be similar to the original show.
Music from the opening credits of Game of Thrones was used during Episode 1, so there has been some speculation that it might also be incorporated into House of the Dragon opening credits in some capacity.
Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi has also been enlisted in House of the Dragon to create the music for the show adding further speculation that there could be some similarities between the original series and the new one.
Unfortunately, though, fans will have to wait until Sunday night in order to find out exactly how the opening credits will look and sound.
House of the Dragon airs every Sunday night at 9/8c on HBO Max.