The trailer for Game of Thrones season 7 has finally arrived, and it’s… well, a little bit confusing, really. It’s full of dialogue from previous seasons – a lot of the lines are spoken by dead people, presumably to remind viewers of what’s happened so far – but their words are also accompanied by fairly loaded imagery of house sigils and symbols. What does it all mean? Here’s a step-by-step guide.
1. Daenerys acknowledges her father’s failings
What happens: “I know what my father was,” we hear Dany say. “What he did. I know the Mad King earned his name.” This is accompanied by the below clip of the Targaryen sigil – three dragons – and we then hear Aerys shouting ‘Burn them all!’
What it means: This bit of dialogue reminds us of the differences between Daenerys and her mad pyromaniac dad. The last we saw of Dany she was heading for Westeros – this line is probably hinting that when she gets there, she’s not going to be the destructive conqueror you might expect her to be.
2. Robert Baratheon swears vengeance on all Targaryens
What happens: “I’ll kill every Targaryen I get my hands on,” Robert says in this line from 2010’s season one.
What it means: This is one of the weirder lines in the trailer, because Robert’s hatred of the Targaryens doesn’t really have any relevance now that almost every Baratheon is dead. The only surviving Baratheon we know of now is Gendry, Robert’s bastard son, and actor Chris Dempsie has been spotted on the set of season 7 after a three-season absence. Could this suggest he’ll share Robert’s hatred of Daenerys when he comes back? Or is it just a reminder of how long the show’s been running?
3. Cersei Lannister is against all non-Lannisters
What happens: Cersei says: “Everyone who isn’t us is an enemy.”
What it means: Cersei has just been named Queen, remember, so this line basically means she’s gonna be the worst.
4. Joffrey cackles
What happens: The late Joffrey Baratheon exclaims: “Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!” in reference to Ned Stark’s noggin.
What it means: The Stark children – particularly Sansa and Arya – will not have forgotten this moment, and although Joffrey is now dead, his mother Cersei remains complicit in Ned Stark’s death. So the Starks and the Lannisters are definitely going to be the standout enemies of this season – and Arya may even tick Cersei or Ser Ilyn off her list.
5. Balon talks about being Ironborn
What happens: Balon says: “We are Ironborn. We take what is ours.”
What it means: Balon is dead, but the same spirit of selfishness runs through the Greyjoy clan. This is a reminder that Euron Greyjoy is still a significant threat, and he’s probably going to be one of the main villains of season 7 alongside Cersei.
6. Roose Bolton sends the Lannisters’ regards
What happens: Roose Bolton’s Red Wedding line – “The Lannisters send their regards” – is recalled.
What it means: Like almost everyone else who’s spoken in the trailer so far, Roose Bolton is dead. But his words haven’t faded – again, it hints at the ongoing enmity between the Starks and the Lannisters.
7. Olenna reminds us that she helped kill Joffrey
What happens: Olenna says: “You don’t think I’d let you marry that beast, do you?” – referring to the fact that she organised Joffrey’s death on his and Margaery’s wedding day.
What it means: You’re meant to recall that Olenna can be deadly too. We haven’t seen her since her grandchildren Margaery and Loras were blown up by Cersei, and this is a strong hint that she’ll exact her vengeance somehow in the upcoming season.
8. Cersei is crowned Queen
What happens: The High Septon says: “I now proclaim Cersei of the House Lannister Protector of the Seven Kingdoms.” As you can see in the clip below, it’s accompanied by a green ‘whoosh’ noise as the Tyrell rose is blown up by Wildfire.
What it means: The Tyrells and the Lannisters are definitely no loner friends – but also, as discussed above, Cersei is going to be a terrifying and destructive Queen.
9. Dany talks about ‘The Wheel’
What happens: Dany’s favourite metaphor for Westeros is dredged up again, and given a nice stone animation shown in the gif below. “Lannister Targaryen, Baratheon, Stark, Tyrell,” Dany says, “they’re all just spokes on a wheel. This one’s on top then, that one’s on top, and on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground.”
What it means: Dany is going to break the wheel, as she said in the last season. How violently she does this remains to be seen, but remember: she’s just said she isn’t going to be like the Mad King.
11. The house sigils crumble
What happens: “Same thing is coming for all of us,” says Jon while the sigils crumble.
What it means: This is the only new quote in the trailer. Dany said she was going to break the wheel – could this line mean the White Walkers are going to do it first?
12. That spiral shows up again
What happens: Jon Snow says: “There’s only one war that matters – the Great War” as we see this familiar spiral image.
What it means: Jon’s line reveals that his main focus for season 7 will be the destruction of the White Walkers – he doesn’t give a shit about the Iron Throne. But the spiral image is a reminder of the connection between the Children of the Forest and the White Walkers. The spiral is used by both factions (see an example from season 6 in the second gif below) and this is because the Children created the White Walkers.
13. A blue eye encompasses everything
What happens: As the blue eye of the Night King surrounds the corpse-spiral, Jon Snow finishes his quote about the ‘Great War’: “And it is here…”
What it means: Season 7 is gonna be epic.
Check out the trailer in full below.
Game of Thrones Season 7: Official Tease: Sigils
The great war is here. #GoTS7 premieres 7.16.
Posted by Game of Thrones on Thursday, March 9, 2017