Scenes from the unaired Game of Thrones pilot that you did not get to see revealed 

The very first Game of Thrones pilot, which was shot in 2009, did not get aired as it suffered from many problems that made it disjointed and messy for the audience. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and HBO bosses understood that the pilot could not explain the intricate plotlines and relationships of characters effectively.

Consequently, roughly 90 percent of the pilot was remade with major changes, including recasting important characters such as Daenerys Targaryen and Catelyn Stark.

The first pilot had scenes more akin to George R.R. Martin's books but contained things that did not work on television, like a different opening credits sequence, more graphic intimate scenes, and a constructed language used by the White Walkers. These and other variations were changed or deleted in the eventual version that was broadcast in 2011.

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Differences in the unaired Game of Thrones Pilot

Opening credits and prologue variations

The never-aired pilot of Game of Thrones had a completely different opening credits sequence. Rather than the iconic mechanical map, the first opening was actually about a Maester putting a message on a raven, which flew over Westeros as the map unfolded from the landscape.

The White Walker attack on the Night's Watch reconnaissance party prologue was also included in the original but had to be reshot for the most part because of recasting.

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Jon Arryn's final moments

The original pilot of Game of Thrones began with Jon Arryn, the King's Hand, alive and struggling to write a warning letter about a conspiracy before he died. Veteran actor John Standing portrayed this in scenes that were subsequently deleted.

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Intimate scenes were depicted differently

Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding night was filmed originally quite closely to the book, with Daenerys slowly agreeing to consummate the marriage. This is different from the broadcast version, where Daenerys is depicted as frightened and non-consensual, which was referred to by the showrunners as r*pe.

The scene was filmed at night, and this raised concerns about the filming cost in Morocco because nothing was visible. In the same way, the Jaime and Cersei scene was more graphic and open to interpretation in the pilot, with Jaime pulling Cersei by the hair and pushing her into s*x, while her protest by word was at odds with her moaning.

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White Walkers' language and design

In the original pilot, the White Walkers originally had a grittier look and used a conlang named "Skroth," designed by linguist David J. Peterson. It was a guttural language used by the White Walkers. By the broadcast of Game of Thrones, it had been replaced by unsettling sounds instead of any implications that the White Walkers could speak a full language.

The initial pilot contained flashbacks, a small scene in which Ned Stark's brother and father were murdered by the Mad King, which was eventually axed. The flashbacks were deemed too complicated for the pilot and were transferred to subsequent episodes to describe Robert's Rebellion background more clearly.

Some scenes from the original pilot, like conversations between Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon in the crypts, were retained but re-shot with different styling, including changes to Sean Bean’s hair.

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Production challenges and recasting

The original pilot was marked by confusion and a lack of clarity. Cast members recalled the pilot as "ridiculous" and "ill-conceived." The wedding scene filmed in Morocco was criticized for poor visibility and questioned for the expense involved. Following private screenings, HBO executives and the showrunners decided to completely remake the pilot.

Emilia Clarke substituted Tamzin Merchant as Daenerys, and Michelle Fairley substituted the first Catelyn Stark actress. The pilot of Game of Thrones was thoroughly rewritten and re-shot using a new director who had worked on HBO productions.

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The unaired Game of Thrones pilot was drastically different from the ultimately aired pilot. It had a new opening sequence, a more-book-accurate but divisive representation of pivotal moments.