Comic-Con is the time to promote big genre projects, and few are as big as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon's prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece isn't lacking in ambition. It aims to tell an epic tale about the events in the Second Age of Middle-earth, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into production to accomplish that goal. Needless to say, a lot is riding on the show's success.
Sadly, the series' promo material has received a mixed reception thus far, so the studio has unveiled a new trailer to restore people's faith. The SDCC trailer contains many aspects from the books to tempt Tolkien fans. These devotees are sure to pick these goodies up, but their inclusion may only spark further confusion and ire. Only time will tell whether The Rings of Power lives up to Middle-earth's legacy.
7 Aftermath Of The First Age
The beginning of the trailer seems to show the Elves celebrating a hard-won peace. The dialogue implies that a war raged for a while and claimed countless lives. This probably refers to Morgoth.
During the centuries of the First Age, this fallen god killed countless denizens of Middle-earth. Galadriel appears to mourn those losses on a battlefield. The scorched landscape means it might be the aftermath of Dagor Bragollach.
This catastrophic event saw Morgoth's legions--Orcs, balrogs, and a dragon---burst forth from his fortress of Angband and slaughter the Men and Elf armies on an unprecedented scale. Though the show is set long afterward, a previous trailer revealed the Two Trees of Valinor. Clearly, the creators are willing to use iconic sights from the First Age.
6 A Palantir
Númenor is prominent throughout this trailer. In the moonlit kingdom of Men, Miriel speaks with Galadriel. She confides that a great evil has returned before revealing a palantir.
Forged by Feanor, these seeing stones allowed people to view distant sights and commune with others who held them. They essentially functioned as communication devices. The Elves gifted some of these stones to the Númenoreans residents who remained faithful to them. Over time, more and more of these Men grew disgruntled at their immortal peers. Much of that comes down to one individual...
5 Sauron The Deceiver
The eponymous Lord of the Rings is more prevalent here than in previous trailers. Not only does he get numerous references, but he seems to appear as an albino priest. That is how he spent much of his time during the Second Age.
Following Morgoth's defeat, his lieutenant initially tried to regather his forces before the Numenoreans thwarted him. He then returned to their island as a hostage, eventually becoming a royal advisor and a religious figurehead. He spent years preaching loyalty to Morgoth, turning many Numenoreans against the Elves, the Valar, and their immortality. He eventually convinced them to invade the Undying Lands, but this culminated in divine retribution as Númenor sank beneath the sea. With such severe consequences, one can understand Miriel's concern.
4 Fallen Tree Petals
Miriel's worry may also stem (no pun intended) from a bad omen. Viewers see her walking the streets of Númenor as white petals fall around her. These come from an ancient tree in the city's center. This sprouted from a seedling of the Two Trees of Valinor, which the Valar imbued with divine light to represent the day/night cycle.
These enchanted plants also spawned the White Tree of Gondor seen in Minas Tirith. After being dormant for so long, its budding leaves indicated hope against the coming darkness. Considering Númenor is the precursor to Gondor, the falling leaves likely foreshadow the island kingdom's tragic fate.
3 A Balrog
The end of the trailer shows an unmistakable monster: a balrog. These creatures were originally the angelic Maiar, but Morgoth corrupted them into his service. He had legions of the fiery demons at his command in the First Age, which makes it confusing as to why one is here.
Again, The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age, where Sauron is the main antagonist. He didn't have balrogs at his beck and call. In fact, he was a Maia himself and similarly served Morgoth in times past. Any balrogs left would be remnants of the First Age and function as wild cards amid the larger conflict.
2 Teleri
Maritime Elves are a recurring element here. Audiences witness a graceful vessel sailing towards a bright horizon, and a group of children play with a toy boat in a stream. These sights may point to a specific breed of these immortal beings.
The sequences possibly spotlight the Teleri. These Elves specialized in seafaring. They were the last to arrive in Valinor because of their passion for the ocean. Even after reaching the Undying Lands, they preferred to stay by the water. Thus, they contributed to the great portside cities glimpsed in previous pics and trailers. Their presence here is perplexing since they never returned to Middle-earth. The Noldor Elves did so, instead, killing several of their Teleri brethren and taking their vessels. Galadriel was reluctantly involved in this traitorous venture, so that may be why she seems hesitant to embark on a voyage.
1 Finrod
Another reason for Galadriel's concern lies in her previous losses. Finrod was one of her Noldor kinsmen who fought against Morgoth. During a disastrous battle, a Man named Barahir saved Finrod's life. The Elf lord swore to repay this kindness, which he later did by aiding Barahir's son, Beren, in a quest for a Silmaril. Sadly, Sauron imprisoned them both, leading Finrod to sacrifice himself to protect Beren from a werewolf.
This is the reason Galadriel leans over his body in the trailer. He even sports scratches indicative of an animal. Like many events here, however, this ill-fated adventure occurred in the First Age. As such, the scene is either a flashback or Galadriel visiting a fallen family member in the wake of Sauron's reemergence.