Here are all the contradicting eras we saw in Amazon’s second teaser trailer for “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which doesn’t quite have one timeline to govern them. The Hobbit and “The Lord of the Rings” were at least three thousand years ago when Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings” TV series was first announced. But as photographs, plot summaries, and video have slowly trickled out of Amazon Studios, a more nuanced picture has developed. Although “The Rings of Power” centers on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age, the story’s scope is much greater.
Amazon has published a second “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” trailer ahead of a much-anticipated SDCC 2022 panel. Although many of the scenes are at least subject to some interpretation, referring to The Rings of Power as a “Second Age narrative” feels something like referring to Doctor Who as a “story set in present-day England.” Yes, viewers will spend most of their time there, but there will also be many other stops along the road.
“The Rings of Power’s” extensive timeline is best illustrated by Amazon’s second teaser trailer, and while a lack of context makes it impossible to pinpoint with certainty when each scene takes place in “Lord of the Rings” history, we can already recognize a wide range of various Tolkien eras.
Telperion and Laurelin’s “The Years of the Trees”
The Years of the Trees, one of the earliest periods in “Lord of the Rings” mythology, came to an end over 600 years before the Second Age, although key events from this crucial time are proven to appear in “The Rings of Power.” The sight of Telperion and Laurelin in the second teaser trailer for “The Rings of Power”—the golden and silver trees that existed before the sun—is our strongest hint. These trees were devastated by Morgoth before Galadriel and her relatives ever set foot on Middle-earth and now stand in Valinor’s Tirion upon Tna. The Kinslaying at Alqualond (many dead bodies floating in water), crossing the Helcarax, and the Oath of Fanor are three possible Years of the Trees events that may be seen in the trailers (Galadriel on ice).
Late First Age: War Against Morgoth?
“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will undoubtedly include Years of the Trees flashbacks, but it’s unclear whether Amazon will go farther into the First Age before moving on to the Second. In the second teaser trailer for “The Rings of Power,” Galadriel is shown scorched and tired on a battlefield. Even though Galadriel shouldn’t be there, these moments remind us of the brutal Dagor Bragollach that Morgoth inflicted upon the elves in Middle-earth. If the Dagor Bragollach appears in “The Rings of Power,” the story will proceed into the late First Age, which is more than 1500 years before Sauron forged the One Ring and about 500 years after the Years of the Trees.
Early-Middle Second Age: Galadriel & Elrond
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will take place primarily in the early to mid-Second Age. Although Galadriel harbors dark thoughts to the contrary, Elrond, played by Robert Aramayo, reassures her that the fight is done. This would explain why the Dark Lord has not shown at all in The Rings of Power’s season 1 marketing, as Sauron has not yet publicly announced his return (which occurs around Year 1600 of the Second Age). The story must, however, take place about 1500, as this is when the Rings of Power are created. The Rings of Power will likely take place in the middle of the Second Age, leading up to Sauron’s debut among the elves as Annatar and the Rings of Power origin story that the show’s name promises.
In the late Second Age, Numenor
The second “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” teaser from Amazon provides the best look yet at Numenor, the enigmatic isle of men situated halfway between Valinor and Middle-earth. Unfortunately, these scenes cannot take place during the period described above for The Rings of Power since Maxim Baldry’s Isildur is present. Approximately 1500 years after the One Ring’s creation, Middle-Savior earth is born. The Second Age is, of course, brought to an end by Isildur chopping off Sauron’s finger, and although the men of Numenor live longer than the average mortal, their lifespan does not last that long. The Numenor material must come millennia after the construction of the rings, according to the main timeline in The Rings of Power.
A chronological shift to the end of the Second Age is supported by additional figures seen in “The Rings of Power’s” Nmenor sequences. Tar-Mriel (born in the Second Age of 3117) is portrayed by Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) is the final ruler of Nmenor before everything goes tragically wrong. Strangely, Galadriel and Elendil, the father of Isildur, can be seen riding horses in the second trailer for “The Rings of Power.” Therefore, Morfydd Clark’s character in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” must cross every age.
See the newest LOTR: Rings of Power trailer here: