Harfoots! The Trees of the Valar, Laurelin and Telperion! A song that feels very J.R.R. Tolkien! Isildur and Elendil! These are just a few beats in the latest The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailer. Though the footage has some doom and gloom vibes, we can’t help but feel joy and awe. The Prime Video series, set long before the events of The Lord of the Rings books and movies, is coming soon. The first teaser showcased the story’s grand scale. This footage only builds upon it, showing not only stunning landscapes worthy of Middle-earth but the many different races inhabiting the world.
Notably, we see more of the Harfoots. A kind of hobbit, Harfoots seem to also have the mindset that the greater world does not concern them. They have each other and feel safe. But as Galadriel and Gil-galad warn later in the trailer, Middle-earth is not as placid as it appears. Galadriel, who has seen some sh*t, doesn’t let Elrond dissuade her from fighting. This is a world who has survived the evil being known as Morgoth. But Middle-earth’s troubles didn’t fade with Morgoth’s defeat.
Morgoth’s second-in-command, Sauron, persists. Galadriel points out the enemy is still out there. Gil-galad cautions that darkness will march over the face of the earth. It could be the end of all peoples. This conflict between moving on from the past and remaining vigilant for new evil seems to be a key conflict in the series. We know The Rings of Power will feature the forging of the rings. We’ll cross Sauron’s path at some point. We can only hope all of Middle-earth stays on guard. The Númenóreans play a large role here, and the trailer shows our first look at Isildur, Elendil, Pharazôn, and Queen Regent Míriel.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuts on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Editor-in-Chief for Nerdist and the author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, The Jedi Mind, and more Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
