the House of the Dragon pilot’s graphic birth scene caused

a visceral response even at the show's gala premiere.

Showrunner Ryan J. Condal, who cocreated

the Game of Thrones prequel with George R.R. Martin, noticed an intense

reaction in the theater, and says people were quick to discuss

it afterward. “A lot of people had things to say about

the birth of Baelon, Prince Baelon,” he told Vanity Fair.

Now that the show has made its HBO debut, everyone can share in the devastation

The creators insist this grisly moment was a necessary way to mark the start

of the “Dance of the Dragons,” the family civil war that not only tears apart the

powerful House Targaryen, but eventually annihilates dragons from the skies of Westeros