Only ‘Game of Thrones’ can make less sense after its conclusion.

As far as fantasy shows go, Game of Thrones is fairly well explained. However, some things, like the problematic fast-traveling, don’t receive an explanation. Yet, there is a larger plot hole that has a more significant effect on the series, though it doesn’t stand out immediately. Game of Thrones is inconsistent with how genetics work despite using them as the proof that sets the story into motion. In Season 1, Ned Stark (Sean Bean) discovers that Cersei’s (Lena Headey) three children are not from her marriage to Robert (Mark Addy) but from an affair with her brother, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). This discovery changes things, leading the honor-driven Ned to defy the Queen after her husband’s death and sending Westeros into chaos. But his only evidence is that Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free), and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) don’t look like their father. Time proves Ned right, but his evidence is flimsy, especially considering his experiences with his own family.

As the story is set in a world with dragons and magic, genetics are not required to follow the rules of science, but they should be consistent within the story, and that is not the case. Ned risks his life on flimsy evidence that cannot definitively prove Robert is not the father. This assumption is particularly interesting compared to a similar situation in the prequel series, House of the Dragon, where the children whose parentage is in question look like neither of their parents. Yet, many people are willing to accept them as the rightful princes anyway. After somehow confirming Ned’s suspicions, the genetics in Game of Thrones are ignored, leading to significant inconsistencies. Such a significant aspect of the story deserves a more foolproof explanation.

Genetics Play an Important Role in ‘Game of Thrones’

Family ties are important in Game of Thrones, determining a character’s status and loyalties. This connection is often highlighted through appearance, specifically, their hair color, whether it’s the Targaryen’s silver locks or the redhead Tullys. In fact, the hair of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen clues Ned in to the fact that they are not true Baratheons. King Robert’s family is known for their dark hair, which can be seen clearly in Robert and his brothers. Looking into the death of his predecessor, Jon Arryn, Ned discovers a book that describes the noble families going back generations. Tracing the clues of Jon Arryn’s last words, “The seed is strong,” and the appearance of Robert’s bastard son Gendry (Joe Dempsie), Ned comes to the conclusion that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen cannot be Robert’s children because their hair doesn’t match.

Certainly, there is some genetic logic to his suspicions. For all three to look like their mother is odd, especially if his children from other women have dark hair — but it is not impossible. They look like Cersei, and Ned’s most significant evidence is their hair color, which is not genetically impossible. Though Baratheons are known to have dark hair, not all who married into the family did. Robert was chosen as the king after the Rebellion partly because his grandmother was a Targaryen, giving a recent example of fair hair in his family. This proves that, with the combination of Cersei’s Lannister genetics, it is possible for Robert to have blond children. The difference in their appearance is enough for Ned to hazard a guess that Robert is not the father, but it is not evidence worth staking his life on, which is what he does.

‘Game of Thrones’ Creates a Plot Hole With Inconsistent Family Genetics

Perhaps it could be assumed that in this fictional world, children of the noble houses magically look like the fathers whose names they inherit, but that is proven false. Certainly, all the Lannisters have golden hair, but that is not true of many other houses. Take the Starks, for example. Ned casts doubt on Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen’s parentage because they don’t look like their father, but some of his own children don’t have the Stark’s classic look. Most notably, Sansa (Sophie Turner) looks like her mother’s family with the Tully’s red hair, yet her birth is never in doubt. This situation is highlighted more in George R. R. Martin‘s books, where Arya (Maisie Williams) is the only Stark child who takes after Ned. This makes Ned’s assumption that the royal children should look like their father more complicated.

Game of Thrones has many examples of children who look like mothers or simply don’t share the classic traits of their House. Though not revealed until later, Ned should have compared the situation to Jon Snow (Kit Harington). The character conveniently looks like his mother, Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi), rather than his father, Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding), allowing Ned to conceal his true identity for years. But more specifically, the Baratheon hair is not reliable. Shireen Baratheon (Kerry Ingram), the daughter of Robert’s brother Stannis (Stephen Dillane), has light hair. Though not the bright gold of her supposed cousins, her hair is far from the trademark Baratheon color, weakening Ned’s argument considerably. Exploring more characters reveals the flaws in Ned’s logic, proving he should not have been so persuaded by the minimal evidence. However, the story needed to begin, so Game of Thrones ignored the plot hole and let Ned push ahead.

‘House of the Dragon’ Makes Ned’s Evidence Thinner

As the world expands, more lore is added to the franchise, but one element makes Ned’s choice even odder. House of the Dragon introduces a new generation vying for the Iron Throne, but some things remain the same. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) finds herself in a situation akin to Cersei’s as her sons’ parentage is questioned. Jacaerys (Harry Collett), Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), and Joffrey do not share their mother’s Targaryen features, nor her husband’s light hair and dark skin, though they receive the Velaryon name. Instead, they share a striking resemblance to Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Even so, many people are willing to accept them as the rightful princes, fighting a war against Rhaenyra’s half-brother in the process. This is helped by King Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) refusal to believe the rumors about his grandsons, but it holds even after his death.

Rhaenyra and Cersei experience slightly different circumstances. Rhaenyra’s children can claim the Throne through their mother, whose connection to them is not under suspicion. Meanwhile, Cersei’s children lose their claim to rule without Robert being the father. However, Westeros is largely unaccepting of bastard children. Although occasional exceptions are made, the Kingdom would not choose to be ruled by one if there were any other options. The willing blindness towards genetics in House of the Dragon makes Ned’s insistence even odder. Why should it matter so much if children look like their father in Game of Thrones when so many don’t care in House of the Dragon? Cersei’s children have the added excuse of looking like their mother. Any resemblance to their biological father, Jaime Lannister, can be easily explained away, as he and Cersei look so similar.

Ned’s suspicions are not unfounded and turn out to be accurate, but he jumps on them too fast and insists too hard, considering all the inconsistencies. As Joffrey’s birth is questioned, others proclaim themselves King instead, inciting the war that the series relies on. As the story goes on, the inconsistencies weaken the evidence, showing Ned as a foolhardy individual that he is not. Even assuming genetics work differently in Westeros, the show contradicts itself, proving that the appearance of children cannot prove who their parents are. The discovery that initiates so much of the plot deserves more reliable evidence than the contradictory genetics.