In a recent blog post, renowned Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin shared his opinions on two of the biggest—and most divisive—franchises in modern popular culture: Star Wars and DC.
After noting that he’s enjoyed shows like Apple TV+’s Murderbot, he shared a more in-depth review on a Star Wars spinoff we loved here at Winter is Coming.
“Andor was this year’s highlight, though. Far and away the best of the Star Wars spinoffs," Martin wrote on July 25. "Looked gorgeous, Diego Luna was first rate, and there was a realism and tension to the story that was sadly lacking in most of the other spinoffs. It’s nice to see someone doing science fiction right.”
Indeed, Martin’s statement echoes many a sentiment shared by Star Wars fans across the globe, the vast majority of whom were enthralled by Andor’s explosive mix of political intrigue and high-stakes drama.
The last decade has been one full of high highs and low lows for Star Wars fans of every variety. Since the purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 for a total of $4 billion, Walt Disney Studios has been keen to keep a galaxy far, far away fresh in the minds of audiences everywhere. To this end, even from the very earliest days immediately following the purchase, the House of Mouse had ambitious plans to expand the Star Wars universe in just about every direction.
While these plans have changed over the years, the intention has remained the same: make more Star Wars.
This has resulted in dozens upon dozens of hours of content being created over the past decade alone, vastly more than was ever created in the 30-plus years prior to Disney’s purchase. This massive increase in the quantity of Star Wars has led to a precarious dip in the quality of the franchise in many fans' eyes, something which is only made all the more complicated by the fact that different subsections of the fandom seem to like totally different things within it.
"Divisive" is a term that has come to be commonly associated with the Star Wars franchise, but one recent spinoff proved to be so good that even the most ardent of Disney Star Wars detractors have essentially given up pretending not to like it.
That show, of course, is Andor, the Disney+ series that has been nominated for 22 total Emmys. Further cementing the show’s authoritative position as the cream of the crop for Star Wars material is Martin's recent praise.
Earlier on in his post, the Game of Thrones scribe weighed in on James Gunn’s new Superman film, with similarly glowing praise, referring to it as one of the “best Superman movies in a long time… maybe ever.”
Martin went on to say that, “This new Superman reminds me of the version I used to read about when I was a kid, the strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.”
Like Star Wars, the Superman and larger DC franchise has been mired in controversy and divisive fan sentiments over the past decade, but James Gunn’s Superman has managed to unite many fans and general audiences alike with its broad appeal and distinct hopefulness.