[No Spoilers] Opening credits

[Kat]

Here is an interview with one of the designers. He calls the rings an astrolabe and says he wanted to spice up the traditional fantasy map a little bit.

Those who aren't a fan of Renaissance and Baroque imagery will be disappointed to hear that this was, in fact, the inspiration.

[Werthead]

I thought the idea of putting Westeros and Essos on the inside of a dyson sphere (if only a little one) was a bit weird, especially as it's only discernible when the camera hits the ground and you can see the land rising up in the distance.

Episode 2 should be interesting, since it moves to Vaes Dothrak and you can see a bit more of the coast to the north and the land between the Dothraki Sea and Pentos, which should help with mapping (sharpens, erm, Microsoft Paint tool), assuming it's canon info from GRRM of course.

[Commodore]

I didn't much care for the credits, it moved around too fast, and the whole mechanical vibe doesn't really fit with the earthy nature of the show. And the very first part with the flames had a very video game feel to it.

A really good idea and cool technique, just some major flaws in execution.

But I could care less, the show itself is great.

[smegma]

Here is an interview with one of the designers. He calls the rings an astrolabe and says he wanted to spice up the traditional fantasy map a little bit.

Those who aren't a fan of Renaissance and Baroque imagery will be disappointed to hear that this was, in fact, the inspiration.

Cool!

[Phostopheles]

I hope they will fix the wrong house sigils for the DVD/BR edition of the show. Having this stuff being wrong then would not be that, well, interesting.

I must say I'm not really happy with the credits. They look too mechanical to me. It did not really connect with me. I don't associate this with Westeros, or Fantasy in general. The same is true, in my opinion, for the sun clock or whatever this thing is supposed, although I really like the relief about the Westerosi history from the Doom to the War of the Usurper.

They could change that in season 2 as well, and give us the story of season 1 in the reliefs.

I'm hoping for the reliefs to change as well...

And I have three theories on the glowing astrolabe in the sky (which I was going to describe as an astrolabe before I just read Kat's post while typing this):

1) It represents the red comet coming at the end of the season (in which case it will be gone next season)

2) It represents the sun and how summer is ending (maybe it will change positions in later seasons?)

3) It represents the sun and how the Martells are going to win everything.

[Hyper]

I love the detail in the credits... From the history recorded around the sun, to the gameboard look of the map. And putting the map on the inside of a sphere is just brilliant, IMO. Much more imaginative than flying over a flat map or a globe.

BTW, here is a 1080p HD version of the opening credits found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN8PKcNGcuI

[Alcarin]

I love the detail in the credits... From the history recorded around the sun, to the gameboard look of the map. And putting the map on the inside of a sphere is just brilliant, IMO. Much more imaginative than flying over a flat map or a globe.

BTW, here is a 1080p HD version of the opening credits found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN8PKcNGcuI

Not just that, the history as it looks like is history of Targeryens house, with Dragon errupting then we get to see battle with Lion, Direwolf and Stag and then Lion bows to Direwolf.

+ I think that ''Sun'' is more meant as Fire of Dragon ghouse in chain by Lion, Direwolf and Stag houses.

Also when the battle is shown we get the trembling of the ''Sun''

So much meanings, so wonderful

[theMountainGoat]

Interesting to note that there are only four different variations of the title sequence so it won't be changing for every episode of the season.

I have to say I am slightly surprised to hear that Vaes Dothrak will be shown in the second episode, I would have assumed that would not appear until half way through the season at the earliest. Unless they are just showing where Dany and Drogo are travelling to rather than where they arrive at this episode.

Can't wait to see the maps of Essos, I will be updating the map I am working on for my Animated Timeline Map project, it is coming along nicely for the Free Cities at the moment. Blending the mountains is proving very time consuming however.

[Lord Varys]

I've the same feeling about Vaes Dothrak. I really do hope that Dany and Drogo don't get there next episode, and hang around there for half the season. They should not be there for more than, say, three episodes.

Showing Vaes Dothrak in the credits before they arrive there, would not be necessary in my opinion. But if they connect Vaes Dothrak with the Dothraki Sea in this sequence it could make sense, as Vaes Dothrak is obviously their destination.

[Lord Toblerone]

I must say I'm not really happy with the credits. They look too mechanical to me. It did not really connect with me. I don't associate this with Westeros, or Fantasy in general. The same is true, in my opinion, for the sun clock or whatever this thing is supposed, although I really like the relief about the Westerosi history from the Doom to the War of the Usurper.

To me, it seems like this big mechanical map could be something a Maester built. Something that sits in the citadel in Oldtown.

I liked it.

[Phostopheles]

Interesting to note that there are only four different variations of the title sequence so it won't be changing for every episode of the season.

Only four?

So next episode we'll switch from Pentos to Vaes Dothrak. That will stay the same for an episode or two.

When some characters visit the Vale around episode 4/5, they'll include the Eyrie, giving us five locations.

And then when stuff starts happening around Riverrun in episode 7-ish, we'll have the Twins (or maybe Moat Cailin or Riverrun itself) and drop the Eyrie, still giving us five locations.

I can dig it.

[Lord Godric]

I'm sure someone has already said this, but watching them online allowed me to see that with the actors name the bullet used has the sigil of the house of the character they represent. I love it. Little things like that and the quick glimpse of the battle between the Dragon, Stag, Lion and Wolf, make very good opening credits amazing.

[The Fan]

I'm sure someone has already said this, but watching them online allowed me to see that with the actors name the bullet used has the sigil of the house of the character they represent. I love it. Little things like that and the quick glimpse of the battle between the Dragon, Stag, Lion and Wolf, make very good opening credits amazing.

I thought this was the case as well, but there were a few names (...that escape me now) who I knew weren't correctly assigned. (One of the Stark children, and Benjen, maybe?)

Was this in error, or was there something I am missing? By what stretch was Bran a Lannister? (for example)

[Hyper]

Yes, I think Sophie, Emilia, & and the actor who plays Bran(?) had the wrong sigils next to their names.

Apparently that will be corrected, but I'm not sure which episode that will occur.

[The Fan]

Isaac Hempstead-Wright if my spelling is correct...

In the grand scheme of the history of the world, its not a big deal, but the employee whose job it was to match the dropdown list icon to the actor's name should have his contract reviewed.... sloppy, sloppy, sloppy....

[Pasha Pook]

I wonder if the mechanical map will be featured in the second season as the map in dragonstone;). I could sure be something build by a maester.

I like the reliefs with the doom of Valyria and I like how the stag attacks the dragon head on while the lion jumps on the back... so many details.

I hope that the reliefs change in the 4 variations as well.

And I do really like the theme, reminds me of some old Final Fantasy theme...

[denstorebog]

Re-watching the intro sequence, I realized that the small sigils next to the cast members names seem to indicate their character's House affiliation - or so it seems at first. For example, Sean Bean gets the direwolf, then Mark Addy gets the stag, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau gets a third and different sigil which could be a lion, Michelle Fairley gets the direwolf like Sean Bean and Lena Headey gets the same sigil as NCW. So far so good, can't be a coincidence.

Then it gets weird. Emilie Clarke gets what is clearly the same sigil as the two Lannister actors, and so does Iain Glen. Ok, so far the discrepancy seems to be that the Lannisters and the Targaryens (including Jorah Mormont) have been combined.

Then Harry Lloyd gets a dragon as befitting a Targaryen - but Sophie Turner gets that one as well. WTF.

Is this an error?

[Pasha Pook]

Yup, it will be fixed in E02

[Guinevere Seaworth]

Until I came on this thread, I never caught on the that the history of Westeros was engraved on the astrolabe/gyroscope or the house sigils next to the actors name. Brilliant!

[CryFenril]

To me, it seems like this big mechanical map could be something a Maester built. Something that sits in the citadel in Oldtown.

I liked it.

Exactly what I was thinking - Oldtown would have something akin to this in it, I think, lol. A slightly more complicated version of The Painted Table.

I think the fiery center of the atrolabe is indeed representative of the sun, since it moves slowly across the map and lights up different areas. The "history" in the form of the animals is rotating slowly around the central fiery core, symbolizing time and its flow. The comet, or the Martells, would both be too "short-term" to be a central force. At one point I thought it might be a reference to The Lord of Light, but I have since discarded that notion for the same reason.

Ooo, and just had to add - when we see the shot of the heart tree expanding, and the camera pans up to the sky in the process, the small, dimly-seen sun above it does indeed appear to have rings rotating around its edges...