It's hard to imagine George RR Martin before Game of Thrones, but the writer of the hit book-turned-TV series did have a life and career before Jon Snow and friends came into our worlds.

But, as with most writers, it wasn't all high points for Martin in his fledgling career, as he was turned down for a writing job on Star Trek: The Next Generation in his early days as writer.

Before Thrones, Martin was already well known as a science fiction writer, and had previously worked on television as a writer and story editor on the revived series of The Twilight Zone in the 1980s.

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But none of this experience helped him when it came to interviewing for a staff job on TNG.

"I had an interview with Star Trek: The Next Generation for a possible job as a staff writer," Martin told the audience during a talk at UCSD's Arthur C Clarke Center for Human Imagination earlier this year (via TrekMovie).

"And I remember coming in to the office of this producer – who thankfully did not last long on the show – and you can see why when I tell the story. He said, 'Well, I don't know who you are, can you tell me your credentials?'"

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"And I said, 'Well, I am just coming off Twilight Zone where I worked for a while, but before that I wrote novels and short stories. I'm primarily a science fiction writer'.

"And he said, 'Oh really, well, you know, Star Trek is not a science fiction show, it's a people show'.

"I was fooled by the photon torpedoes and the starships! I was misled! Needless to say, I did not get that job."

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We can't really imagine the sort of Star Trek/Game of Thrones mash-up that might have ensued had got Martin got the job, but we're sure it would have been a hell of an interesting show with him on board.

Game of Thrones season 7 episode 7 – the final instalment of the current season – airs on Sunday, August 27 at 9/8c on HBO. Fans in the UK can catch a simulcast at 2am on Monday, August 28 on Sky Atlantic, repeated later that day at 9pm.

Watch a trailer for Game of Thrones' season 7 finale 'The Dragon and the Wolf' here:

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