There is little doubt that Game of Thrones had a massive body count in just eight seasons and is considered one of the bloodiest shows in pop culture. However, George R.R. Martin is quick to point out that the HBO series isn't the only popular franchise that commits massacres. The author stated that Star Wars is worse since it annihilated entire planets in several projects.
George R.R. Martin recently spoke to The Independent where he pointed out that Game of Thrones didn't kill as many characters as Star Wars.
"Star Wars kills more characters than I do!" Martin said. He then pointd out that the bloodiest massacre happened in A New Hope when Moff Tarkin used the Death Star to destroy Leia Organa's home.
"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," Martin said.
He continues, "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."
Statistically, A New Hope had the bigger number but Game of Thrones was different in the way it delivered deaths that mattered. For reference, the infamous Red Wedding killed off several Northern soldiers, two Starks (Catelyn and Robb), Robb's wife Talisa, and their unborn baby (in a shockingly gory way to boot).
"In our entertainment, television, film, books, over the centuries as it's evolved, death is often treated very cavalierly" Martin explains. "Somebody is dead, we've got a mystery, and the detective has to figure out who did it. We never consider who the corpse is, or what his life was like...what it's going to be like without him. If I'm going to write a death scene... I want to make the reader feel it... People felt that death."
It's an interesting perspective and a great way to explain how deaths should be dealt with. Needless to say, we're expecting more significant deaths in the Game of Thrones spin-off series House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO in August 2022.
Related: Game of Thrones: Sophie Turner Says Sansa Controversial Scene Traumatized Her
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