Gwendoline Christie compared Game of Thrones and Star Wars during the show's panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, saying that they have a similar sense of 'coming home' to them. The Game of Thrones panel was certainly one of the biggest events at the convention today, as the show's seventh (and second-to-last) season started only last week. With events in the series coming to a head very soon, fans are already busy speculating about every detail of the premiere episode of the season, and while no-one could give away spoilers this weekend, fans were certainly hoping for some.
Of course, Star Wars is also enjoying a lot of attention at the moment, since the franchise returned to the big screen in 2015 with The Force Awakens, the first in a brand new trilogy of Star Wars films. Christie appears in both franchises, as Lady Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, and as Captain Phasma in Star Wars. It's not surprising, then, that she was asked about the two fandoms this weekend.
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The question came from the audience, as a fan asked Christie which fandom she thought was 'crazier', and her response shows that she sees both as incredible and long-lasting franchises.
It’s not really a craziness, but the level of passion is pretty much equal. What is noticeable is that Star Wars is something many of us grew up with, which gives many of us a sense of hope. That’s how I feel: like I came home. With Game of Thrones, we’re going into season 7 now, and there’s a similar feeling. I hope that Game of Thrones lives on so people have that same feeling of home and love for it.
'Hope' and 'home' might not be the first words that someone would associate with a show like Game of Thrones, where rape, torture, mutilation and death are lurking around every corner, but Christie's comments refer to more than just feeling uplifted by the story. As she points out, people are now growing up with Game of Thrones as their introduction to the world of fantasy in the same way that many did with Star Wars and science fiction, and that sense of nostalgia and 'home' comes from familiarity and association as much as it does with plot.
Of course, Game of Thrones has a long way to go before it becomes as massive a franchise as Star Wars, but there is more to come from the world of George R R Martin after the original series ends next season. At least one spin-off is being planned by HBO, Martin's original book series is still to be finished, and there is plenty of room for a larger franchise to be built - and potentially even make it onto the big screen one day. With so many inspiring and powerful characters, Game of Thrones certainly does have its own kind of hope to offer, and only time will tell if Christie is right in expecting it to live on for decades to come.
