Game of Thrones recently announced the winner of its first (and likely only) presidential campaign for the Iron Throne. Surprise no surprise, Westeros’ new elected ruler is Jon Snow, but his VP is Lyanna Mormont so can we get another Night’s Watch coup over here?
Photo Credit: HBO
The voting took place over four weeks, with an impressive 1.6-million people casting their ballots for the King or Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. The Snow/Mormont ticket narrowly achieved victory, garnering just 35-per cent of the vote. That was merely three more percentage points than both Daenerys Targaryen, running with Tyrion Lannister, and Littlefinger, with Sansa Stark as his running mate.
Cersei Lannister, with that weird warlocky guy Qyburn, only got 2-per cent of the vote. Shame.
It (sort of) makes sense why people would vote for Jon Snow. He’s the safe candidate, a super chill warrior who always acts like he doesn’t want power even though he keeps getting power. But how can you settle for Jon flipping Snow when Lyanna Mormont is now a heartbeat away from the presidency?
This is a character who from her very first scene established herself as one of the coolest people on Game of Thrones. The 10-year-old ruler of Bear Island is intelligent, shrewd, and confident as hell. She’s quick to put adults four-times her age and size in their place, because she knows what’s right and how to make it happen. In short, she’s a bad-arse mother who don’t take no crap off of nobody.
She’s also played by one of the most talented young actresses to appear on TV in years, in her first credited acting role. Even though the official Game of Thrones website doesn’t actually show that credit. Get on that, HBO.
Photo Credit: Screengrab via HBO
A Jon Snow presidency sounds as boring and do-nothing as Snow himself. He’d keep talking about stupid stuff like honour and duty and how to keep those damn White Walkers off the King’s Landing lawn, but wouldn’t really present ideas on how to make it happen. And come on, who’d really pay attention anyway? Jon Snow can barely hold a room together. It’s why the Night’s Watch killed him in the first place.
Lyanna Mormont is the ruler Westeros deserves. She’d take her experience running Bear Island, a tumultuous country that’s constantly invaded, and use it to fend off the White Walkers. She’d rally the troops to her side, and shame her enemies to lands far far away. And after taking the Iron Throne away from Cersei Lannister, Lyanna would cut her down with so many incest barbs you’d think she prepared them in advance. But nope, it’s all improvised.
Photo Credit: HBO
For the time being, at least until Season 7 arrives, it looks like Jon Snow is the democratically elected leader of Westeros. But Game of Thrones isn’t a democracy, it’s a cheerocracy- I mean survival of the swiftest. If some Night’s Watch renegade all of a sudden shows back up in Winterfell to finish the job, I’m not going to cry. We’d have President Lyanna Mormont.
That has such a nice ring to it.
[Mashable]