90 Percent of the plot of Game of Thrones could have been avoided by changing one thing

I know the whole point of Game of Thrones is that there's a huge, world-ending threat looming and everyone is too busy with their petty squabbles to notice, but bear with me. One single decision could have, at a bare minimum, prevented the War of Five Kings and all its fallout.

That being the very sensible decision to kick Jaime Lannister out of the Kingsguard when Robert ascended the throne.

Think about it. It makes absolutely no no sense for Robert to keep him there. Jaime's already proven that his oath to protect the King doesn't mean shit to him. Why would you trust him to have your back when you become the new king?

I know the Kingsguard are supposed to serve for life, but that doesn't stop them kicking people out anyway. And "you broke your oath and murdered your king" is a pretty legit reason to kick someone out in my opinion. And you can even swing it so that Robert pardons him for the obvious treason because he did him a favour.

Tywin will probably pretend to be pissed about it for appearances' sake, but you can't tell me he wouldn't be pleased to have Jaime back as his heir. He'll probably demand Jaime return to Casterly Rock immediately.

And if Jaime is in Casterly Rock instead of King's Landing, he's not gonna be around to knock Cersei up, making this a world without Joffrey.

No Joffrey means there's no secret for Jon Arryn to discover, and no reason to murder him. If Jon Arryn is alive then there's no need for Ned Stark to become Hand of the King. And if Ned is safely in Winterfell then his imprisonment and execution can't kick start a Northern rebellion.

No Joffrey also means that Robert likely has trueborn heirs, so there's no reason for Stannis or Renly to make a play for the crown. And if Robb, Stannis and Renly aren't fighting each other and the Lannisters, there's no chaos for Balon Greyjoy to take advantage of. No reason for any of the five kings to go to war.

Sure you've still got all the plot happening over in Essos with Danaerys and the dragons, but without the War of the Five Kings she's not gonna be able to come to Westeros until much later, if at all.

Cersei will probably still conspire to murder Robert at some point, simply because he's not Jaime. But without her brother around I imagine she'd be less bold about things. And Kings get bumped off all the time, so it's not that big a deal, not without the revelation that he has no trueborn heirs. They'll have a big old funeral and carry on.

Knowing how Westeros works they'll probably find some other shit to fight over. But at least in this world there's a chance it won't result in millions of deaths and the destruction of at least two Great Houses.

And maybe, just maybe, they'll be a bit more prepared for the threat from the North. After all, winter is coming.

Planted: Thursday 5 June 2025
Last tended: Friday 20 June 2025