[quote]Did Stannis have any sort of impact on the world of GoT besides serving as a way for Melisandre to be in the right place at the right time to revive Jon Snow? There was so much time devoted to him on the show, all for his story to end in a rather dismal and seemingly rushed way. I get that he was the reason Mance Rayder died, but I'm not sure a whole lot would have changed if that hadn't happened. Did Stannis actually have any significance to the realm or was his story just a dramatic but dead end arc?[/quote] I feel Stannis had quite an important role in the Game of Thrones universe. If you go back to beginning, melisandre and Stannis were responsible for killing Renly, right in front of Brienne's eyes no less. This one death causes a fracture with the Tyrell's and forces Margarery to marry Jeoffrey. Stannis also was responsible for the Battle of Blackwater, a battle that brought to light wildfire. As you know , it made a return journey his season but without it being used in the first place, the idea might have eluded cersei. It also was important for Stannis to attack winterfell. Yes he did not win, but his forces drastically weakened the defenses. As you pointed out, this was important to get melisandre to meet up with Jon snow. And that's where his crowning achievement comes into place. Stannis was never in line for the crown. Stannis was always consumed by the "light" ,which ironically uses dark methods to achieve desired effects. This portrayal through the years has set up a true "Fire and Ice" narrative that will be played out during the final two seasons. The ice being Jon snow backed by a cold, dark presence (melisandre ) vs the fire(don't have to explain this one).