Daenerys’ wedding night in Game of Thrones was originally supposed to be different and was changed when Emilia Clarke joined.

When an adaptation is being made, many creative liberties are taken to make a better-translated story from one medium to another. Emilia Clarke’s Game of Thrones was no different in this, going from page to screen with a story that rivals the imagination of its creator. With nothing like it having come out before, there were a lot of liberties taken with it when it comes to certain elements of its plot.

However, as the books have been just as successful as the series, a sort of debate has begun among fans about which version of the story is better. There is no better example of this than Daenerys Targaryen. Her character has changed quite a lot through the years. However, this can all be traced down to one change that was made in the very first episode of the series.

With the story behind the change, one cannot help but wonder if Emilia Clarke was the reason for Daenerys’ inconsistencies throughout the series.

The Great Daenerys Targaryen

Early into Game of Thrones, fans noticed a change that the series made from the books when it came to Daenerys Targaryen’s character. During her wedding night, the series made it so that Daenerys did not have a choice in what happened to her. At the same time, the books originally took a different approach, with Drogo specifically asking for her consent to make sure that she is okay with what is about to happen.

And I should point out, and you probably know this if you’ve read the books and watched the show, Daenerys’ wedding night is quite different than it was portrayed in the books.

During an interview with Time, George R.R. Martin talked about this scene, revealing the story and intention behind the change. He started by mentioning that the series was originally going to go with a different actress for the role of Daenerys. Many fans may know that Tamzin Merchant was originally cast in the role before Emilia Clarke got it.

However, many may be surprised to know that she ended up filming the entire pilot before Clarke was hired.

Again, indeed, we had an original pilot where the part of Daenerys was recast, and what we filmed the first time, when Tamzin Merchant was playing the role, it was much more true to the books. It was the scene as written in the books. So that got changed between the original pilot and the later pilot.

Interestingly enough, Martin revealed that in her version of the episode, Daenerys’s wedding night was done by the book, following exactly what the writer had originally penned. However, when Clarke joined the cast and the scenes were reshot with her, this change was made to the scene.

Emilia Clarke Was the Reason?

Although the change that was made to the Game of Thrones pilot episode may seem insignificant, it has some very great implications for Daenerys Targaryen’s character. Many fans believe that the original version of Daenerys’s wedding night was very important to her character development and where she would eventually end up as the story progressed.

It showcased that she always had fire in her, being able to hold at least some semblance of power in her hands, even when she was seemingly powerless. When the change was made in the series, this significance was taken from her. Naturally, many fans were upset by this, specifically because some aspects of her arc seem to sneak up on the viewers in the worst ways possible.

Considering the fact that the change did not exist when Tamzin Merchant was supposed to play the role, one cannot help but wonder what other changes were made to Daenerys’s character for the sake of Emilia Clarke. As the show goes on, the story makes many deviations from the books when it comes to the mother of dragons.

Aspects like age do make some sense since the decision to make his characters extremely young was something that even Martin went on to regret in the books. However, her humanity and kindness seem to be completely lost by the end of her story, with this being just one of many changes that were made to her.

Although there is no denying that the series miserably failed Daenerys, one cannot help but wonder if part of it sits on Clarke’s shoulders.