A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS Showrunner Admits Cutting Key Line Was “a Mistake”
HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has done a solid job bringing George R.R. Martin’s beloved Dunk and Egg novellas to life. For the most part, it sticks close to the source material. But even faithful adaptations can fumble a detail or two, and showrunner Ira Parker is owning up to a couple of those slips.
During a recent Reddit AMA, Parker responded to fans who noticed a major line missing from the Trial of Seven sequence. In Martin’s novella, Dunk questions why the smallfolk would rally behind him.
When he asks Pate, “What am I to them?” the answer cuts straight to the heart of the story: “A knight who remembered his vows.”
That exchange never made it into the show and Parker didn’t dodge the criticism. He wrote:
“Honestly it was a mistake on my part. Not my first not my last on this show. That scene was in the script at one point, then fell out. I agree that 'a knight who remembers his vows' is the soul of this story, but I think that is still very much at the core of the show, even if I stupidly left out this scene... it may not be said explicitly, but Dunk's actions remain the same.”
That line is more than just good dialogue, it captures the entire moral spine of Dunk’s character. Still, the series does reflect that idea through action. When Baelor Targaryen steps up to fight alongside Dunk, it’s because Dunk defended the innocent. The words may be gone, but the principle remains woven into the story.
Parker also acknowledged another error that eagle-eyed fans caught. Maekar and Aerion Targaryen appear in the series bearing the standard Targaryen crest, rather than their distinct personal sigils.
In the books, Maekar’s coat of arms repeats the Targaryen dragon four times, while Aerion’s features a single yellow dragon head.
Parker admitted he missed that detail, saying: “So far, I've seen fans point out 2 mistakes in this show that I was unaware of. This is one of them. Definitely should have had Maekar's… that would have made it soooo easy to distinguish him in the fog. Whoops,” Parker wrote.
It’s a small visual detail, but for longtime fans of Martin’s lore, heraldry matters. In a world where family banners carry history and identity, those crests help define who these characters are before they even speak.
The cool thing here is that Parker isn’t brushing off the criticism. He’s engaging with the fanbase and admitting where things could’ve been handled better. That kind of transparency goes a long way, especially with a fandom that knows every line and sigil by heart.
Even with those hiccups, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms remains the best and strongest fantasy TV show tied to the Game of Thrones universe. Dunk and Egg’s story is smaller in scale but rich in heart, and the core theme of honor and vows still drives the series forward.