Prime Video is releasing a new series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic “The Lord of the Rings.” The epic trilogy takes place more than a thousand years before the events depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which took place in the Third Age of Middle-earth.
The show opens in an era of tranquillity and follows an ensemble cast as they confront the long-feared return of evil to Middle-earth. The kingdoms and personas from this new series will leave behind legacies that will survive far beyond their passing, from the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains to the magnificent woodlands of the elven kingdom of Lindon, to the exquisite island realm of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the world.
The Second Age begins after the War of Wrath (the most catastrophic war in Middle-earth history), which brings the First Age to an end. In it, the Valar, a pantheon of lower gods who rule over Middle-earth and serve Iluvatar, the “real” God in Tolkien’s universe, led a massive army against Morgoth, the first Dark Lord and the most powerful of these lesser gods. The War of Wrath involved dragons, eagles, Balrogs, Elves, mankind, Valar, and dwarves. The fierceness of the battles had changed the landscape, Morgoth was defeated and imprisoned in the “Void,” where he could no longer cause harm to anybody. Parts of the world were submerged under the sea, the Valar and the majority of the Elves had isolated themselves in the West on a different continent, and it was a new beginning.
The Second Age lasts around 3,500 years and ends with the War of the Last Alliance, depicted at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring film, in which Isildur destroys Sauron by cutting the One Ring from his finger.
The initial trailer begins with a view of a stunning, opulent city by the water, the island kingdom of Númenor. A young girl’s voice can be heard speaking, “Haven’t you ever wondered,” the young woman’s voice asks us, “what else is out there?” A reminder that the series will explore previously untold tales from Tolkien’s universe.
“Before the Ring” comes up, which tells us that the story will begin before the One Ring was forged. We will actually encounter Aragorn’s ancestor and One Ring thief, Isildur, during the course of the show’s five anticipated seasons, which will significantly condense the Second Age’s tens of thousands of years of history. He wouldn’t be born until many thousand years from now if we followed Tolkien’s timeline! This accelerated timeline makes it highly probable that the Rings, or at least some of them, will be forged before the end of season one.
Within just a few days till the launch, a new teaser was unveiled for Rings of Power focused on Galadriel’s quest and her conviction that evil is going to resurface. Galadriel enlists the aid of other warriors in her fight. She can be seen imploring with Elendil, Halbrand, Elrond, and others to join the battle in the trailer. She responds, “Without it, what am I to be,” as Elrond urges her to lay down her sword. We also see Gil-galad, Mriel, and Isildur rallying the people of Middle-earth to the cause of battling evil.
The epic series recounts Galadriel’s journey to being as the wise ruler of Lothlorien and will go into further detail about how she impacted people’s lives throughout Middle-earth, especially those of humans like Halbrand.
“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power starts on Prime Video on September 2nd, 2022.
Image source: Amazon Studios
