Why Game of Thrones season 7's dragons are a problem for the writers

'Ultimately, Dany’s got nukes'

As Game of Thrones heads into its penultimate season, a cataclysmic war is on the horizon that will likely involve Houses Stark, Targaryen, Lannister and Greyjoy along with legions of White Walkers.

It's a daunting prospect for the writing team, especially in terms of keeping the fights balanced, when Daenerys Targaryen essentially has "nukes" at her disposal.

"How do you write a compelling show about a war when one of the sides has dragons?" co-executive producer and frequent episode writer Bryan Cogman told EW.

"It should all be over. Ultimately Dany’s got nukes.

"But somebody who wants to rule effectively and be supported by the people doesn’t want to just come in firing nukes..."

This suggests Daenerys won't just rain down fire on her enemies in season 7 then (though you can definitely expect a little incineration) but rather use her dragons as a threat or deterrent.

Cogman discussed the other challenges facing the writers:

"Also, balancing the characters. We have some of our main characters sharing the space. So there’s some balancing and making sure everyone has their moments and making sure all the story arcs are serviced.

"Also: Resisting the urge to have characters recapping the show that everybody has already watched when they meet — this is a tricky thing because you’ll have a character who hasn’t seen another character in however many seasons and you want those characters to compare notes on everything that happens. And while that would happen, and would make sense, it’s not always the most compelling thing to watch. So in some cases, we have that but other times you cut to another time and they’ve clearly had that conversation off-screen."

He didn't, however, mention another key narrative obstacle: is Jon going to get it on with his aunt?

Game of Thrones season 7 arrives through HBO, Sky Atlantic and NOWTV.