Answering Those Burning Questions: Does The Science Behind 'Game Of Thrones' Doom Another Dragon?

As a Dothraki horde of millions tuned in for Game of Thrones Season 7, fans of the show relished in all the death, dragons, and destruction (sometimes at the same time) that they have come to expect from HBO's frosty fantasy. However, as we wait for Season 8 of the sensational saga to take flight, there is some worrying news sent by raven over the skies of Westeros.

When Season 7 came to a close, we saw the game change and a dangerous new threat blast the competition with the reveal of that third dragon rider. We have all heard of something burning "white hot," but now scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson has pointed out a potential blue bombshell for the final series of #GameofThrones and possibly the loss of another one of our flapping friends.

Flaming 'Eck

The notorious hole-poker and movie botherer has taken his day job and applied it to ripping apart blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Baywatch. This time, Tyson is turning his attention to the world of #GeorgeRRMartin and hopes to topple Game of Thrones like a certain landmark of the Seven Kingdoms in the season finale.

Firstly, Tyson turns his attention to the death of Daenerys Targaryen's "son," Viserion. If you remember, one of her troublesome trio of dragons met a watery grave in the penultimate episode, "Beyond the Wall." Ignoring the logistics of an army of the dead conjuring chains from an icy tundra, Tyson claims that the physics behind hauling the weight of a dragon in such a way would've been impossible. Apparently, even with an army of the undead at your disposal, all the wights in the world wouldn't have been able to pull Viserion from those doomed depths.

Ignoring the physics of problem one, the deceased Viserion was brought back to life(ish) as a wight dragon and soon flew into the finale to bring down the Wall with a bright blue flame. The spectacular scene showed that it was a case of "I'll huff and I'll puff" as the reanimated flapper brought down 8,000 years of magic. Viserion gave the Night King and his frozen forces the perfect gateway into Season 8. However, with Team Dany still flying high with two of its three dragons, are two heads really better than one?

According to Tyson, the Season 7 finale could spell doom for Drogon and Rhaegal if they decided to go head-to-head with their deceased sibling. Notably, Tyson points out that your standard red flame burns around a toasty 1,000°C. He then goes on to reminds us that a stereotypical blue flame burns three times hotter at a scorching 3,000 °C — well, it is called A Song of Ice and Fire.

Admittedly, I am no dragon, but I wouldn't fancy my chances taking on someone who was packing such a substantial punch. Sure, Drogon may have the size, but Viserion has one heck of an advantage with those lungs of his. However, it isn't all doom (of Valyria) and gloom, and Tyson does praise HBO for accurately representing the wingspan of the dragons.

Tyson seems to answer one of the "burning" questions from the show about WTF Viserion is actually breathing. If you look to Martin's books, the mention of "Ice Dragons" refers to them breathing a super-cold substance, which readers had guessed would be like liquid nitrogen. However, is Viserion's flame actually super hot? That being said, who really cares about whether HBO has taken a degree in physics to bring fictional dragons to life? None of this will really come as solace when Viserion decides to roast his brothers like smores before the show comes to an end in 2019.