Can Jon Snow command the dragons like Daenerys or is he limited to just piloting them around?

Question

In Game of Thrones S8 E3, there weren't any scenes where we heard Jon say "Dracarys" and set things on fire, so the question. There was this one scene 15 minutes into the episode where both the dragons sent the dead on fire... but apart from that one scene there weren't any scenes where Jon stepped up and did any fire damage when his assistance was needed. Can Jon actually command the dragons now? Or is he just limited to piloting the dragons?

For example:

1. 25 minutes into the episode when he could be setting the trench on fire but isn't.
2. Lot of scenes where he could be burning down the dead, but he isn't.

Since Jon is a Targaryen, can he now command the dragons just like Daenerys did? Can he day the word Dracarys and set the dead and things on fire or is he just limited to flying the dragon (and possibly all commands of Dracarys come from Daenerys?) and the dragons only listen to Dany?

Answer 1

He might be able to

As you say, we don't have any scenes where Jon uses Dragon fire when Dany is not around. However there is a scene where he sees all the White Walkers and he charges his dragon towards them. He was of course stopped by the Night King, but it seemed like he was going to set them on fire so that the Wights they raised will die.

1. 25 minutes into the episode when he could be setting the trench on fire but isn't.
2. Lot of scenes where he could be burning down the dead, but he isn't.

It looked like he was waiting for the Night King to show up. He disagreed with taking the Dragons into the battle before the Night King showed up. He might not have wanted to take the dragon far away from Godswood.

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From comments,

Just from a logical standpoint, what would be the point of riding the dragon into battle if one is merely a passenger?

He could watch out for "Ice spears" and direct the dragons away from them. It is unlikely that he was put at the top of a dragon just for this though.

Answer 2

Jon is a warg, like his cousins, the true children of Eddard Stark and Catlyn Tully. (See also Skinchanger.)

With the children of Eddard, this capability likely comes from the old blood of the first men, which still runs in the veins of the northerners. However, the noble bloodlines of Valyria also have these powers, related to their dragons, so it is not restricted to Westeros.

Jon Snow, aka Aegon Targaryon, has this capability from both sides of his lineage, the old blood of the North and the old blood of Valyria.

Therefore it is most likely he would be able to exert the same control over the dragons as Dany, just that he doesn't seem to have pursued this, possibly put off by his experience with the wildling skinchangers, who become, in character, like the animals they inhabit.

• If Jon can steer the dragon with his mental link, he could surely command it to breathe fire, if he were so inclined. It's a matter of degrees, but the mental link must exist.

(There were certain moments in Emilia Clarke's performance, in the recent episodes especially, where she reveals an uncharacteristic viciousness, at one point sort of baring her teeth. My sense is this was meant to convey her becoming more and more dragon-like.)

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Note: I use warg instead of skinchanger because Jon has not developed the skill. Bran, who might be presumed to have the strongest aptitude, still requires training to inhabit animals, as do the wildling skinchangers. Nevertheless, it is the same basic ability, with different degrees of development and capability. For Dany and Jon, it is more a matter of the mental link and instinct.