House Targaryen is one of the most powerful houses in Westerosi history. Here’s what would and wouldn’t fly about it today.

In the world of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s hard to imagine a single house that has influenced the world more than House Targaryen. This house built it’s foundation on the back of dragons, the most powerful and dangerous creatures in the world, and they literally did change the face of the earth with that firepower.

But of course, with great power comes great responsibility, and unfortunately the Targaryens weren’t always responsible in the way that they wielded that power. So with that in mind, here are 5 things that would never fly today about House Targaryen, and 5 things that would.

Wouldn’t: Conquest

Obviously one of the least appealing aspects of the Targaryen dynasty is that they have gotten everything that they ever had through force and threat of death.

Many conquerors can say the same, but the notion that they should be able to control the world simply because they have the power to is not something that resonates well with a contemporary world. The Targaryens have a history of taking whatever they can, but that history should remain in the past.

Would: Female Empowerment

While Daenerys is a leader who has made many mistakes, one of the more inspiring aspects of her leadership is the fact that she lives in a world that tries to keep women in a position of subjugation and she refuses to let that happen to herself.

Granted, she’s one of the only women in this world who has enough literal firepower to actually choose her fate, but the fact that she consistently stands in her strength without shame or reservation is impressive.

Wouldn’t: Fire And Blood

While the dragons have enabled the Targaryens to conquer an entire continent and then later almost the entire world, their house motto of “fire and blood” is a profoundly disturbing one. It’s clear that the Targaryens feel entitled to rule over whatever they choose, and they will do so violently.

That might be an effective way of taking power, but it’s not a very good one, and most people in the past or present wouldn’t respond well to it.

Would: Justice

While it was a tragic end to a character who at least tried to be heroic, the fact that Jon Snow decided to kill his aunt in order to protect the world from the damage that she might do is a positive way of letting House Targaryen die out.

For too long the Targaryens allowed dangerous members of their family to run rampant just because they were Targaryens, and that needed to be stopped.

Wouldn’t: Godlike Status

Honestly, the way that Daenerys behaves throughout most of the Game of Thrones series makes it clear that she does not see herself as a mere mortal.

But the fact of the matter is, the Targaryens legally considered themselves immune to the laws of gods and men, which is how they justified doing many things that are considered abhorrent both in the real world and in George R. R. Martin’s imaginary one.

Would: World Unity

Although the aspirations of Aegon the Conqueror and Daenerys herself seem to be largely driven by selfish interests, there is something to be said for the fact that Aegon united the Seven Kingdoms and Daenerys tried to revolutionize the culture of the world.

Globalization is definitely a phenomenon that most people in the world today can relate to and understand, and it was interesting to see that the Targaryens understood the bigger picture.

Wouldn’t: Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Even in the real world, weapons of mass destruction exist more as a fail safe than an actual threat to be used, and nuclear bombs have only been used a few times in history.

But dragons are essentially the Planetos version of weapons of mass destruction, and the Targaryens have proven themselves willing to use them against anyone who stands against them, even other Targaryens. That kind of destructive power should never be used, and should never be under the control of one or two people in the world.

Would: Cultural Adaptation

Although the Targaryens conquered Westeros and subjugated it’s people, one thing that can be said in their favor is that they didn’t try to force Valyrian culture on to their subjects.

On the contrary, the adapted themselves to Westerosi customs for the most part, and tried to blend into the world that they wanted to rule instead of trying to change the people that already established their own way of life.

Wouldn’t: Incest

Obviously the most bizarre and off putting aspect of House Targaryen is the fact that they constantly married each other. They clearly wanted to keep their bloodlines “pure”, although the purity and benefit that this incest provided is pretty darn dubious.

The Targaryens never considered themselves to be normal people, but almost exclusively marrying each other is taking things way too far.

Would: Abolition

While Daenerys Targaryen’s end was not what anyone had been hoping for at the beginning, her ultimate goal of abolishing slavery throughout the world is one the noblest goals that any powerful person had ever undertaken before.

In the beginning of her journey she benefited from slavery, but once she saw the real cost of it she realized that it had to be destroyed by any means necessary, and she was more than willing to do that. She may have been the last Targaryen, but abolishing slavery is one legacy House Targaryen can be proud of.