In 2021 Dreamworks came out with a new series for the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ franchise called “The Nine Realms”. Even though after the third movie came out I, like many others in the fandom thought that it was end of the franchise, was surprised to hear about a new show coming out for how to train your dragon series. I don’t think I have the space to go over all 6 seasons so I’m just going to go over season 1, it opens with a commit heading to earth, then we jump to our main protagonist Tom Kullersen and his mom heading to the Kullerson Fissure, a massive trench created by a meteor strike, which also is home to Project ICARIS: a scientific research station built to study the fissure. Tom meets 3 other kids; Jun Wong, who believes in all things mythical and magical; D’Angelo Baker, an animal-loving army brat; and Alexandra ‘Alex’ Gonzalez, a shy and reserved computer hacker. Tom runs off to see the fissure and helps Phillip Baker, Chief of Security, save a worker who nearly fell in when an earthquake struck, catching a glimpse of a glowing creature underneath the fissure. With some help from Alex, Tom finds the cave where the dragon lives and befriends it. While going on a flight with the dragon, an earthquake causes them to forcibly land and discover a crystalline cave with an entire realm filled with dragons. When Tom goes to the cave, Jun catches up and goes down to the cave where the Night Light sleeps. She is awestruck to finally meet a dragon in real life. Tom convinces her to keep the existence of the dragon a secret and, after naming it “Thunder”, brings her to the hidden world. She is amazed and sees a pack of dragons feasting on the crystals. She approaches some aggressive dragons. As they try to escape, Jun falls into a cavern while Tom and Thunder are kept busy by the aggressive dragons. She discovers a two-headed dragon with the ability to breathe fire and ice and unsuccessfully attempts to befriend them. As she laments her inability to train them, the dragon sympathizes with her and realizes they deserve respect. This allows her to bond with them and she names them “Wu and Wei”. While exploring the hidden world Tom and Jun notice an injured Gembreaker dragon nearby. As they try to help the dragon it becomes aggressive, and they decide to return to ICARIS to gather medical supplies. In the hospital area, D’Angelo is helping his mother arrange supplies and reveals to her his struggles with befriending the others. He catches Tom and Jun stealing a first-aid kit and wishes to come along as he possesses veterinary skills. A reluctant Tom reveals their secret to a terrified D’Angelo. They convince him to help the injured dragon. D’Angelo manages to get close enough to treat her and allows them to bond. Back at the cave, the group are practicing their stealth skills. Alex tries to find Tom in the woods and sees the dragons, which scares her and sends her running back home with the trio and the dragons in pursuit. The invisible dragon follows her and reveals itself to the group, which Alex is initially scared of. Her parents come home and let Alex hang out with her new friends by heading out. Alex tries to avoid the dragon and eventually opens to Tom about her past and fear of the outside world. After some comforting words from Tom, Alex bonds with the dragon. ICARIS experience dangerous tremors and Olivia suggests that they send a probe down the fissure to blow up the area that is the very source, Tom worries as it is to the entrance of the Hidden World. Wilma Sledkin arrives and tries to shut Olivia’s plan down. Concerned for their dragons’ safety, Tom and the others decide to send them to the hidden world. The kids discover that a burrowing dragon has been causing the quakes. Tom realizes that they’ll have to save their parents on their own. Tom and Jun take the probe into the fissure while D’Angelo and Alex keep watch. They confront the subterranean dragon and discover it is blind. Tom and Jun arrive at the entrance only to find it collapsed. Olivia and Baker carry out the plan, but the Fault Ripper knocks them unconscious. Thunder frees the probe allowing it to return to the surface. Together with the other kids, they defeat the dragon by exploiting its weakness to sound and send it falling into the fissure. Back at the cave, the kids swear to protect the dragon’s secret. Thunder marks a symbol on the rock which Tom recognizes from his mom’s ancestral Viking helmet.
