The latest episode of House of the Dragon saw the titular dragons finally get some screentime as Queen Rhaenyra tries to find Dragonseeds for her army. The episode sees a new set of dragon riders, who were not much known till now. Jace’s idea for finding dragon riders outside the family finally gets some traction.
However, Jace is shown as unaccepting of lowborn and Targaryen bastards being allowed to be dragon riders. Despite encouraging Rhaenyra to look outside the family, Jace suddenly seems to be against the idea of Targaryen bastards being dragon riders. However, in the book, Jace is reportedly the one who pitches the idea.
Jace’s Stance on Dragonseeds Is Different In House of the Dragon Change Than In The Books
In episode 6 of the House of the Dragon, Jacaerys Velaryon a.k.a Jace pitches the idea of looking for dragon riders from outside the family after the loss of Rhaenys and Meleys at Rook’s Rest. While Team Black tries to find a worthy successor, the dragon Seasmoke seems to choose Addam of Hull.
This leads Team Black to find dragon riders among Targaryen bastards, thus inviting people like Ulf and Hugh Hammer. Ulf is revealed to be the half-brother of Daemon and Viserys. While the dragons choose their riders after many perished while trying to be the worthy dragon seeds, Jace seems to be against the idea of bastards being dragon riders.
This came as a shock to hardcore fans as, in the book Fire & Blood, Jace is the one who suggests they look for dragon riders among Targaryen bastards and even promises them land and gold.
In HOTD, however, the eldest son of Rhaenyra seems to have disdain towards the lowborn and even calls them ‘mongrels’.
Jace’s Change In Stance May Have Lasting Implications On House of the Dragon
While House of the Dragon opts for many changes in the show from the books, one of the most important ones is Jace’s reluctance to choose bastards as dragon riders. And, he has a point. The Targaryens have been in power for a long time due to their control of the dragons, which builds a certain level of fear among the people.
However, putting across the idea that the Targaryens don’t need to be the sole dragon riders will allow the people to stage a coup and threaten their power. Allowing commoners into the fold and giving them the reins over dragons would act as a threat to the Targaryens themselves. Being a bastard himself, Jace tries to avoid more people eyeing the throne.
Keeping control over the dragons among the highborn gives a level of control over the general folk in the realm and also discourages them from retaliation. Jace is also of the opinion that the commoners may not be loyal to Team Black and could switch teams after being offered more riches.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max.
