Amazon Prime took a huge risk when it purchased the TV show rights to the Lord of the Rings, with an overall commitment of five seasons worth one billion USD—paired with the fact that the series cannot be directly linked to the LOTR and Hobbit trilogy, due to some legal disputes.
The first full-length trailer of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is out now, ready to show us if this risk was well taken or not.
Set to debut on September 1, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will explore the second age of Middle-Earth, chronicling major events like the fall of the kingdom of Numenor, the last alliance between Elves and Men, the rise of Sauron, and the forging of the Rings of Power.
The trailer is brimming with all sorts of details, some that can be easily missed if you’re not paying close attention. Here are the major moments that will help you gear up for S1 better:
1. Younger Versions of Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-Galad
Galadriel will be the first character you will recognize, a veteran from LOTR whose older version was played by Cate Blanchett.
In the first scene, she is placing a helmet of a fallen elf on a huge pile of helmets, talking about how relieving it is for the war to be over. It is theorized that she is talking about the War of Wrath that went on for about 40 years and ended the first age of Middle-Earth.
In the following scenes, we also see younger versions of Elrond and Gil-Galad, with the latter crowning Galadriel with some kind of wreath to mark an honor. As Elves are immortal, we’re bound to see younger versions of quite a few known characters.
Here is also where we get Galadriel ominously warning us that the war is not yet over.
2. Palantir Predicts Numenor’s Fall
The infamous seeing stone, Palantir, appears with Galadriel and Miriel hovering around it. However, as soon as Galadriel touches it, it seems to have cracked. Fear now, as it might just be a perceived effect of the visions she has, and not the Palantir actually breaking apart.
As for the visions, there are debates on them being either glimpses into the future or flashbacks of the past. I think both are equally correct, as there are certain battles that look reminiscent of the first age, while others seem to be part of the show—especially the ones that seemingly show the destruction of Numenor.
Along with the Palantir’s visions, Numenor’s white Nimleth tree shedding is also a sign of oncoming distress.
The trailer shows us a lot more of Miriel, Numemor’s queen regent. But it will be her husband, Pharazôn, who’ll be the real cause of the kingdom’s doom.
3. Morgoth or Annatar, the fair form of Sauron?
We get our first look at the big villain of the show… except, we don’t really know who it is. Sauron’s name has been openly invoked by this point in the trailer, so a few fans believe this guy could be Annatar, the fair form of Sauron.
However, given this is only the first season, it may still be too early for Sauron’s appearance. In that case, this could also be Morgoth, the first Dark Lord and Sauron’s master. (However, my money is still on it being Sauron himself.)
Whoever this character is, he returns at the end of the trailer to caution the viewer that they’ve been fed too many lies about Middle-Earth.
4. Theo and the Mystical Blade
On that note, let’s look into Theo, who was newly created for the series. There’s an odd man forcing Theo to talk about Sauron, which points to the two having some sort of connection.
Theo is also in possession of a blade that usually appears broken but that can magically conjure up its sharp metallic side. This blade could be Gurthang, a weapon that is prophesied to kill Morgoth.
Since his mother, Bronwyn is also heard advising him to “find the light,” my guess is that Theo is the “key” that can either strengthen the villain or kill them. This is the classic trope of a child shouldering the burden of destiny and having to make the right choice.
5. The Ruins of Utumno
For a brief moment, there is an image of a fortress being illuminated in the dark—this has to be the ruins of Utumno, which was known to be Morgoth’s safe haven. The fortress, of course, is said to have been destroyed when Morgoth himself was defeated.
I am also sure that the troop of warriors, (including Arondir) who go about fighting orcs, are at Utumno as well. This is where they’ll find the evil who does not sleep but waits. Whether that evil is Sauron or Morgoth is left to be seen.
6. “There Can Be No Trust Between Hammer and Rock”
It’s about time we talk about the dwarfs in the room, as we hear Durin IV talk about the inevitable tensions between the different communities. If you pay close attention, you’ll see that in the very beginning, Miriel had taken Galadriel prisoner as well, showing that no parties are easily aligned.
It’s clear that they all have to come together in order to fight the greater evil, but it is seldom easy uniting these groups when they have interests of their own to protect.
While we’re on the subject of dwarfs, I know seeing a Balrog at the end totally blew your mind. I think it is very possible that the dwarfs had something to do with it as well!
7. Miscellaneous
- The kids dressed in white seem to allude to being Elven children, which although a rare possibility, would be fun to see.
- The blonde man seen prominently crying in the middle of the battle is most likely to be Finrod, Galadriel’s brother. We see his dead body covered with claw marks in a later scene as well. He is also seen with the blade that Galadriel is holding in her character poster.
- Orcs continue to be a large threat to Middle-Earth. But they won’t be the only monsters in the show. Keep an eye out for sea serpents and ents, both of which were teased in the trailer.
- Out of the original characters created for the show, we also get our first look at Halbrand and Arondir in action.
8. About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American TV series, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Set 3,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the show will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Beginning with a time of peace, the series will follow the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the forging of the rings of power.
The cast includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, and Dylan Smith among many others.
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