A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Finally Honors An Original Game Of Thrones White Walker Detail

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Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Published Feb 26, 2026, 3:30 PM EST

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

Although Game of Thrones changed the name of the White Walkers, the season 1 finale of A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms brought back their original name in a fun nod to George RR Martin’s original book series. Of all the planned Game of Thrones spinoffs, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms may well become the franchise’s breakout hit.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Refers To White Walkers As "The Others”

White Walker with ice blade in Game of Thrones

When the show’s shocks do occur, they are all the more impactful since the series isn’t as grisly and bleak as earlier shows in the franchise. For example, the brutal death of Baelor after the Trial of Seven was a rude reminder that, as fun as the series can be, it still takes place in the world of Westeros.

Similarly, the season 1 finale of A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms opened with Lyonel Baratheon attempting to heal Dunk’s wounds after the trial, only to give up in sweary frustration when they proved too substantial. In the process, Baratheon makes an offhand comment that references a piece of lore missing from the original series.

He yells for “The Others” to geld him to express his frustration, a comment that might be lost on viewers unfamiliar with George RR Martin’s books. In the original novels, the villains that live beyond the Wall are called “The Others,” rather than “White Walkers,” as they are known in the HBO adaptation of the books.

Why Game Of Thrones Used White Walkers Instead Of The Book Name

Skeletal White Walker children in Game of Thrones

Surprisingly enough, the classic mystery box TV show Lost explains why the original series made this change. “The Others” was the name given to a group of survivors who were pivotal to Lost’s twisty story, and the creators of Game of Thrones wanted to avoid overlap between the two shows.

While A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms didn’t even play the Game of Thrones theme song until its fourth episode, this season finale nod to the franchise’s lore proves just how much the show cares about Martin’s world. The series is studded with these subtle nods, which function as fun moments for longtime fans of the author.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Also Honored Another GRRM Book Detail

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms kingsguard white armor

Another example arrived earlier in the season, when the Kingsguard were seen in the white armor that is described in the novels. A Knight Of The Seven Kingdom’s Kingsguard fit the description from the books, whereas Game of Thrones depicted them as ordinary knights.

When Ser Roland Crakehall and Ser Donnel of Duskendale are seen in episode 2, they are dressed in the white armor from Martin’s book descriptions instead of the gold armor favored by the Kingsguard in HBO’s show. Like the finale’s reference to “The Others,” this allowed A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms to fix a subtle change that Game of Thrones made over a decade earlier.