The genius behind Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin dropped a take that might flip your fandom brain. He thinks Game of Thrones and Star Wars are basically two sides of the same coin.
Power struggles, family drama, and messy betrayals. It’s got us wondering if the Iron Throne is just the medieval cousin of the Death Star. Martin’s logic will make you see both universes in a way you never expected.
Why George R.R. Martin thinks dragons and Death Stars are just two flavors of the same storytelling magic
George R.R. Martin thinks Game of Thrones and Star Wars share the same storytelling magic. On HBO’s Official Game of Thrones Podcast, Martin dropped some serious wisdom. While one show has dragons and castles and the other has lightsabers and galactic empires, they’re still pretty alike in one way.
What way, you may ask? Well, the conflict of the human heart with itself. Both shows are about messy emotions and internal battles. Martin revealed,
Well, many years ago, William Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and he gave an acceptance speech at that, in which he said a sentence, that I’ve often quoted, where he said, “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” And those are words I’ve very much taken to heart.
Sometimes in the context of science fiction or fantasy, I mean, there are science fiction writers who think those are opposites, those are polar, you know. Fantasy is the “dreaming pole,” as I think Brian Aldiss called it. Science fiction is the “thinking pole.” And they’re opposite ends of each other.
Martin gave a shoutout to literary legend William Faulkner, whose famous line, “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself” is Martin’s creative mantra.
And you know what? Be it knights swinging broadswords or Jedi battling with the Force, it’s the emotional stakes that keep us hooked. Fantasy and sci-fi are not really opposites, as Martin alluded,
Well, I don’t think that’s true. I think they’re two flavors of the same thing. They’re two flavors of a different part of romantic fiction, and the thing that’s important about both of them is still the human heart in conflict with itself. The rest is furniture, you know. Science fiction story has spaceships, and it has aliens, and it has the galactic empire and all of the kinds of stuff you associate with science fiction.
Fantasy has dragons and castles and knights and swordfights. But ultimately, it’s the human heart in conflict with itself. In either stories, your characters have to come alive. The reader has to get emotionally invested in them. They have to care about them. And I don’t care if they’re fighting with broadswords, or lightsabers, or ray guns, or whatever, it’s still– Faulkner had the right to it. It’s the human heart in conflict with itself.
Guess it’s really all about the human heart in conflict with itself, whether you’re watching dragons or Death Stars. It’s not the swords or the ships; it’s the characters and their messy, beautiful chaos that make it all work.
Why George R.R. Martin hasn’t written for House of the Dragon and why it’s unlikely he ever will
George R.R. Martin wrote some of the most unforgettable Game of Thrones episodes. Blackwater? Iconic. The Lion and the Rose? Chilling. But when it comes to House of the Dragon, he hasn’t touched a single script and probably won’t ever.
Blame The Winds of Winter. Martin swore off TV writing back in 2016 to focus on finishing the book that’s been stuck in limbo since A Dance with Dragons dropped in 2011. He admitted he’s 13 years late, and fans aren’t exactly patient anymore.
But he isn’t just holed up writing. He’s juggling Blood & Fire, Dunk & Egg novellas, and producing shows like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin’s world is on fire, but just not in a House of the Dragon way.
Watch Game of Thrones and Star Wars on Max & Apple TV.
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