A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[Ecthy]

The information occasionally given about geography and population tends to be confusing, agreed. One note about the timespan: common legend in Westeros has the civilization at an age of 5000 years. The order of the maesters seems to have growing doubts about the truthfulness about large parts of narrated history. Also, so far we haven't been led in on the historical knowledge of the Free Cities. I'd guess we could find some reason there, especially in Braavos.

And then, let's not forget we're not talking about western socialized humans here. This series has its very own anthropology.

[Hauldren Collider]

Could it be that the books aren't entirely consistent or realistic?! I think I may faint.

[Ecthy]

Could it be that the books aren't entirely consistent or realistic?! I think I may faint.

Quite the contrary, but feel free to sit down

[Dr Strangelove]

Like I said, they should end the series with a bunch of guys in caravels armed with muskets landing on their shores asking if this is China.

[Hauldren Collider]

Sounds good to me. We can have a bunch of Republicans (the anti-noble kind) land with guns and cannons, blow the white walkers to hell, and spread democracy

[Dinner]

What I'd like to know is why is this civilization so backwards? According to the Features sections of the DVD it's over 5000 years old, yet it's stuck in a permanent dark ages. There doesn't appear to have ever been a golden age of literature, or philosophy, or arts, or math or science.

That's kind of something you see a lot of in different fantasy series. There are inexplicably long period of times where society is kept in something like a status where nothing changes. I'm not sure why so many fantasy series are like that but it seems like at least a 1/3rd of the ones I've read have that happening.

[Ming]

Yeah... why should reality get in the way of a good story

[Dr Strangelove]

One could legitimately ask, if not for the Europeans, how long, if ever would it have taken the Chinese, Indians and Muslims ever to reach the scientific / industrial era? Each of those societies had their golden ages of scientific intellectual endeavor and then forgot about it.

[kentonio]

Don't know if anyone mentioned it already, but apparently when the author saw the first version of the first computer game based on GoT he saw the wall and thought it was a mistake, because it was far too huge. They then explained that it was scaled exactly to his description in the book, and his response was basically 'Ah, I didn't realize 600 foot was THAT tall..'.

[Dr Strangelove]

Hmmmm....... Maybe the planet they're on is significantly smaller than the Earth. That would explain the pint-sized continents and the flying lizards.

[Patroklos]

What I'd like to know is why is this civilization so backwards? According to the Features sections of the DVD it's over 5000 years old, yet it's stuck in a permanent dark ages. There doesn't appear to have ever been a golden age of literature, or philosophy, or arts, or math or science.

I am sure the winters lasting from decades to maybe centuries at times have a pretty big impact on development. It's like throwing in a nuclear winter every generation or so. Since the series has been so quiet on how seasons actually work who knows.

[Hauldren Collider]

Don't know if anyone mentioned it already, but apparently when the author saw the first version of the first computer game based on GoT he saw the wall and thought it was a mistake, because it was far too huge. They then explained that it was scaled exactly to his description in the book, and his response was basically 'Ah, I didn't realize 600 foot was THAT tall..'.

Yeah, the wall always seemed way too tall to me. It's a wall of ice a thousand miles long and taller than the Washington Monument--it has to be a significant fraction of all the freshwater--or just water, period, on the entire planet.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

See also: Magic.

[Hauldren Collider]

Melt the wall and watch the seas flood Westeros!

[Dr Strangelove]

I am sure the winters lasting from decades to maybe centuries at times have a pretty big impact on development. It's like throwing in a nuclear winter every generation or so. Since the series has been so quiet on how seasons actually work who knows.

Yeah, how would anyone living in a medeival culture survive a winter 100 years long? They seem to imply that it involves the whole planet.