A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Potential Title Change Addressed By Creator

Spoilers for the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" season 1 finale ahead.

Overall, in its first season, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" marked a welcome return to Westeros. Taking a lighter approach to the fictional world envisioned by George R.R. Martin, season 1 told a small-scale story featuring characters who're genuinely decent people. Sure, its antagonists were pretty despicable, and its climactic battle was exceptionally gruesome, but for the most part, this particular "Game of Thrones" spin-off has so far been a gentler tale focused on pleasant individuals like honorable hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), party animal Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), the naive but lovable Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas), and the young squire/secret prince Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" has also proven to be an unexpectedly quirky show full that's prone to making offbeat choices, whether it's paying tribute to "Furious 7" in its season 1 finale, including a thoroughly anachronistic real-world song, or abruptly changing it title. That's right: In case you didn't notice, the season 1 finale ends with a title card that reads "A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms," a cheeky nod to the discussion that Duncan, aka Dunk, and Egg have regarding the actual number of kingdoms in Westeros shortly before that.

However, before anyone gets out their pitchfork, you can rest assured knowing this is little more than a one-off joke. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" showrunner and co-creator Ira Parker explained that this gag is both "a wink to the audience" and a nod to fans who've argued about this very matter, "but we're not changing the name of the show."

At the end of the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" season 1 finale, Dunk and Egg chat about where to head next. When Dunk says they can simply go anywhere in the seven kingdoms, Egg is quick to correct him, stating there are nine kingdoms: the Crownlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, Riverlands, the Iron Islands, the North, the Reach, the Vale of Arryn, and Dorne. Cue the title change.

Arguably, what Egg said is only partly true, but that's a much bigger debate and isn't actually the point of this scene. "It didn't necessarily have to be the conversation about the kingdoms, but just Egg, in his way, making sure that Dunk never feels like he knows anything," as Ira Parker explained to the LA Times.

At the same time, this temporary title change hits on one of the core themes of season 1 — lies. The "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" season 1 finale suggests that Dunk was never really knighted, and, in light of Egg's explanation, the show's title appears to be equally unreliable. But that's not important; what truly matters is the collectively agreed-upon story and whether that lie serves a noble purpose. Dunk may not be an official knight, but he's more of a knight in spirit than most actual knights. By the same token, Egg lies in the season 1 finale about having permission to travel with Dunk, but it ends up being good for him. Besides, seven kingdoms sounds better than nine.

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" season 1 is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max.