That sounds plausible. I hope it's not right, because if it is we'll have to watch more and more of that tedious weenie instead of, ah, well I guess most of the interesting people are dead now.

I like the theory, but what I really love about this video is all the back story. I haven't read the books, so all these details about what happened during the war with the Mad King are fascinating.

I think I need to look for more videos that expound on that. Any links would be appreciated.

You might want to take a look at the "History and Lore of Westeros" DVD features:

http://videosift.com/video/Game-of-Thrones-History-and-Lore-Mad-King-Aerys

http://videosift.com/video/History-and-Lore-of-Westeros-Greyjoy-Rebellion-Stannis

Since most of these videos are dead on the sift, here's a YouTube playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lf8aKdn0xc&list=PL5YR1uuDpCPkeknDiwZB9AFkEnsJ-dX2R&index=11

*facepalm*

Wanna know what kind of moron I am? I have all three blu-ray box sets and I'm still making my way through season 3, but I haven't even considered watching the special features.

I think I'm going to have to backtrack to watch all those before I continue.

Thanks for reminding me what a dipshit I am! And thanks for the links!

(I also just finished the full Breaking Bad series and didn't watch any special features on those. Now I'm contemplating if I should.)

Surprisingly, every one of them that I've tried thus far is still working.

I've marked several of them as dead about an hour ago and apparently they have already been fixed in the meantime.

So I take it reading the books is out of the question?

This one wonders why.

A man has no bloody time to read. A man sleeps only 3 hours a night and still can't complete adequate work.

I'm actually starting to work on my Master's degree in a month and I have no clue how I'm going to be able to study.

There simply aren't enough hours in the day.

Hey Lucky, I think this girl does some really watchable videos, explains things pretty well.

Video for the history of house Stark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIIzuqIRB2g&list=PLHZDkFt4F9fOL_cJCd_ySWaugLkjI2VHK

She also does videos for House Targaryen, Baratheon, and Lannister. Just scan the related videos on the right once Youtube is up.

Freaking. Awesome.

Thank you very much.

The only problem with this theory, which btw I think is prob right, is that John has the wrong coloured hair. Since there is the whole The Seed is strong thing in the first season, it seems a little out of place. But yeah otherwise. Bang on.

I believe you're thinking about it in reverse.

From season 1, a blonde (Lannister) mating with a black-haired (Baratheon) is expected to yield a black-haired child. (That's why Ned knew blonde Joffrey wasn't Robert's son.)

For this theory, black-haired Lyanna Stark supposedly made Jon Snow with blonde-haired Rhaegar Targaryen, so it would be expected that his hair would be black.

No?

In genetics, that is pretty much how it works. The dominant black/dark-haired gene will trump the recessive blonde-haired gene. Punnet squares for the win!

However, as I remember things in the Song of Ice and Fire books, it is presented as though that understanding of genetics isn't really common knowledge in Westeros as it is for us. The books play up the "seed is strong" thing even more, which to me suggests that while people who stop to consider it the most (ie., Jon Arryn) feel that Robert's "seed"/genetics are strong and should be probably be expressed in his "kids" with Cersei, MOST people of Westeros just accept that they "must take after their mother more" and don't think anything is amiss. Ned getting wind of the "seed is strong" idea and thinking about it himself makes him suspicious too, but he doesn't have our understanding of genetics to provide the (nearly) ironclad parentage proof at a glance.

So, you're both right, kinda.

I think our understanding of genetics would make a Jon Snow born of Lyanna (likely carrying double dominant brown/black hair gene BB) and Rhaegar (I think platinum blonde, so guaranteed to be double recessive bb) either have a 100% chance of being dark-haired (BB cross with bb will result in 100% Bb children, carrying the blonde gene but expressing the black) or at most a 25% chance of being blonde IF Lyanna happens to be a carrier of the blonde gene (which seems unlikely).