Amazon Studios The Rings of Power is here. We want all Spoilerites to have the best viewing experience possible and have the widest knowledge base about the Second Age of Middle-Earth. This is a weekly Let’s Get Nerdy article series highlighting a different piece of Tolkien I think you need to know about!
In past articles I have answered the question:
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- What Are the Rings of Power?
- What is Númenor?
- What is the Second Age?
- Who are the Harfoots?
- Who is Prince Durin IV?
- What is Khazad-dûm?
- Who is Celebrimbor?
- What is the Last Alliance of Men and Elves?
- Who is Elendil?
- New Pics! Who are Bronwyn and Theo?
- What is Rivendell?
- The Rings of Power First Reactions Are In!
- What is Lindon?
- What are the Nine Human Rings?
- Empire Magazine’s The Rings of Power Covers
- New Character Pictures
- Will Wizards Appear in The Rings of Power?
- New Promo for The Rings of Power
- What is Eregion?
- Leaked! Rings of Power Trailer Breakdown
- The Rings of Power Teaser Breakdown
- New EW Rings of Power Pictures
- SDCC Rings of Power Trailer Breakdown
- Who is Isildur?
- The Rings of Power is Here! Read the Reactions
- Who is the Stranger?
- Who is Queen Míriel?
- Who is Ar-Pharazôn?
- What is the broken black blade?
- What is Mordor?
- What is Mithril?
- What are the Silmarils?
- What is Narsil?
- Who founded Númenor?
- Who is Galadriel’s Brother Finrod?
- Rings of Power Adds 15 New Cast Members for Season 2
- Who is Círdan?
- Will Celeborn Appear in The Rings of Power?
- Are Galadriel and Sauron Enemies in Book Canon?
- Who is Narvi?
- Jamie Bisping Cast as Viran
- Will the Harfoots Settle The Shire?
- What to Watch Before The Rings of Power Season 2
- Will We See More Rings in The Rings of Power Season 2?
- Will Lord Belzagar Appear in The Rings of Power Season 2?
- Who is Diarmid?
- Will Ringwraiths appear in The Rings of Power Season 2?
- Will Gil-Galad Lead an Army in The Rings of Power Season 2?
- Is the Balrog Durin’s Bane?
- Who is Isildur’s sister Eärien?
- What is Rhûn Where Nori & The Stranger are Headed?
- Will Galadriel Go Dark in The Rings of Power Season 2?
- Where are the Southlanders Going?
- Is Durin Still a Prince?
- How Eärien will use the Palantir in The Rings of Power Season 2
THE QUESTION OF CANON.
Canon looms large over The Rings of Power. Adherence to the canon has been a point of debate among
viewers, fans, and critics. It’s the never-ending question my Let’s Get Nerdy! features circle around week after week after week. Part of the reason why is because the first season of The Rings of Power follows more “the suggestion of canon” – as I said to Stephen during one of our discussions on Finally Friday – than Tolkien’s canon in The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales.
This is the paragraph where I tell you adaptation is tricky. Both The Lord of the Rings original film trilogy and The Rings of Power heavily change and adapt the source material. You’re probably super familiar with this argument. There are differences in the mediums of prose and film, prose and television, film and television. There should be changes made between any mediums – no matter how closely they may appear at first glance.
The Rings of Power stands more on the side of taking canon people, places, and things (all those pesky Elementary School nouns!), and supplementing them with original characters and extended plot points. Many key characters in The Rings of Power are Tolkien created including: Galadriel, Elrond, Gil-Galad, Celebrimbor, Sauron (in his many forms! Although the naming convention changes in The Rings of Power), Isildur, Elendil, Míriel, Ar-Pharazôn, King Durin, Prince Durin with the broader plot points giving inspiration for what we have seen from episode to episode. Yes, Galadriel formed The Last Alliance of Men and Elves with Gil-Galad and Elrond per Tolkien, but maybe she didn’t go on a revenge quest along the way.
Why raise the topic of canon now, Ashley? You’ve been writing about The Rings of Power for a year!
You’re right, Spoilerite.
You’re right.
I wanted to bring it out as more details about The Rings of Power season 2 make themselves known because the concept of canon is clearly on the mind of the creators of the show itself. In The Hollywood Reporter co-showrunner JD Payne told addressed the show’s adherence – and sometimes lack thereof – to canon moving forward:
“Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them.”
Payne also addressed canon and the second season of The Rings of Power in the official Rings of Power podcast saying:
“You will see bigger battles in season two including some iconic moments from the appendices and the books.”
The official Rings of Power podcast is a good listen for fans who want a more behind-the-scenes look at the series.
Some of those “bigger battles” referenced above are exciting to me, personally. Earlier this year I wrote Will Gil-Galad Lead an Army in The Rings of Power Season 2? based on a comment actor Benjamin Walker made about Aeglos. The Last Alliance of Men and Elves feels potentially too far a time jump, but conflicts such as: The War of the Elves and Sauron could very well be on the horizon!
The final thought about adding more canon requires you to cast your minds all the way back to when Amazon Studios first announced The Rings of Power. There was a huge upheaval about the show taking place during The Second Age of Middle-Earth when fans were crying for stories told during The First Age of Middle-Earth. With the 20+ actors who have been announced as joining the cast of The Rings of Power for season 2 I also suspect there’s a good chance we may get flashbacks intertwining or related to the plot of the characters we have come to know in love OR, pertaining to last week’s How Eärien will use the Palantir in The Rings of Power Season 2 feature, perhaps the audience will get to see the story of characters like Beren and Lúthien play out through the lens of a seeing stone.
