Game Of Thrones Creator George R.R. Martin Did Not Mince Words About Battlestar Galactica

The 2000s version of "Battlestar Galactica" received a lot of love across its four seasons and established itself as a sci-fi classic. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds 95% critical approval and a 94% audience score, signifying near-universal acclaim. However, "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin didn't beat around the bush about the ending of "Battlestar Galactica" in 2009.

Taking to LiveJournal, Martin criticized the show's conclusion, writing, "'Battlestar Galactica' ends with 'God Did It.' Looks like somebody skipped Writing 101, when you learn that a deus ex machina is a crappy way to end a story."

For those unaware of what deus ex machina is from a writing perspective, it's when an unexpected event or omnipotent figure arrives just at the right time to solve all the problems. In other words, the ending isn't earned; it's resolved almost too conveniently. A good example of this would be the Tyrannosaurus rex surfacing to attack the velociraptors before they eat Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Co. at the end of 1993's "Jurassic Park." Alternatively, it's like when a fire-breathing dragon swoops into the Seven Kingdoms and incinerates the enemy alive before they kill a beloved protagonist.

Karma works in mysterious ways. A decade after George R.R. Martin criticized "Battlestar Galactica," the author too experienced disappointment from fans over the final season of "Game of Thrones." Lest we forget, the TV show adaptation did its own thing since Martin hadn't completed the novel series, so he can't be blamed for the creative choices taken here.

Even though Martin initially said the "Game of Thrones" series ending wouldn't be too different from the book he had planned, he distanced himself from the show's decisions in later interviews. Speaking to Fast Company, Martin spoke about adaptations in general, stating that "sometimes their creative vision and your creative vision don't match, and you get the famous creative differences thing — that leads to a lot of conflict." Addressing "Game of Thrones" in particular, he added, "The [final] series has been... not completely faithful. Otherwise, it would have to run another five seasons" (via Digital Spy). In fact, the series was no stranger to a controversial change, often straying away from Martin's books quite dramatically.

It's not the first time that Martin has been critical of adaptations of his work, as he had a famous falling out with the people involved in "House of the Dragon." The only question that someone still needs to ask Martin is, does he think the ending of "Game of Thrones" was better than "Battlestar Galactica's"?