Game of Thrones has acquired a reputation for shockingly killing off characters, but per author George R.R. Martin, all the deaths, no matter how devastating, serve a purpose and have an emotional impact on the audience. However, Martin believes that the same cannot be said of Star Wars, especially given that the series has a significantly higher body count than Game of Thrones. In a recent interview with The Independent, Martin argues that 1977’s A New Hope killed off billions of people with the destruction of Alderaan, but nobody cared about it.
"Star Wars kills more characters than I do!. In the very first Star Wars movie they blow up the entire planet of Alderaan, which has, like, 20 billion people on it, and they're all dead. But you know what? Nobody cares. Everybody on Alderaan is dead. Oh, OK. But we don't know the people on Alderaan. We don't feel their deaths. It's just a statistic. If you're going to write about death, you should feel it."
Martin makes further comparisons between the two franchises citing the effect of GoT's infamous Red Wedding massacre, which saw House Stark crumble after the brutal murders of Robb Stark, his wife and unborn child, and his mother Catelyn Stark.
"It's a horrible chapter, and it upsets people. It makes people angry, it makes people sad. People throw the book against the wall or into the fireplace. When it was on TV, it had the same effect on tens of thousands, if not millions, of people. To my mind, that's good. We're talking about death here!"
Martin does have a point there, as the Red Wedding inflicted genuine trauma upon some first-time readers and viewers. On the other hand, Anakin Skywalker murdered children in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, probably slicing them in half, and yet it is one of the most joked about moments among fans. As for the destruction of planets, it’s safe to say 2009’s Star Trek did a better job of portraying that than at least The Force Awakens, which goes a step further and destroys five planets at once. And not to mention how Star Wars routinely kills off supporting characters, from rebels to X-wing pilots. Although some moments, like the ending of Rogue One, Darth Vader’s sacrifice, and the deaths of Han Solo, Padme, and Luke’s parents, certainly tug at the heartstrings.
However, a case can be made that, unlike GoT, Star Wars is made for everyone, and like most other PG-13 and below content, death is not a topic most filmmakers would want to deeply explore. There are exceptions to that rule, like Up (2009), but people want to have fun when they watch Star Wars, not toss things at the screen out of anger.
George R.R. Martin Is Currently Busy With The Game Of Thrones Prequel House Of The Dragon
George R.R. Martin is currently hard at work on the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. After the polarizing finale of GoT, Martin and the rest of the creative team of House of the Dragon have a difficult task ahead – winning over the fandom. Martin serves as a co-creator of House of the Dragon alongside Ryan J. Condal and has promised that the series won’t disappoint fans. Martin has seen rough cuts of the series and is pleased with what the showrunners have accomplished.
So far, House of the Dragon looks quite impressive, with the trailer teasing many deaths, dragons, betrayals, and another contentious battle for the Iron throne. Starring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, and Rhys Ifans, the show is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of the Targaryen civil war.
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21, 2022.