Perhaps you, like me, have become a huge fan of Adar on The Rings of Power and, by extension, feel fondly toward his beloved children, the Uruk—derogatorily known as orcs. If so, then you’ve probably found yourself returning to one important line from Tolkien’s lore. In The Lord of the Rings precursor text, The Silmarillion, Tolkien shares something very interesting about The Last Alliance of Elves and Men, the final great stand of Middle-earth’s forces of good against Sauron’s evil in the Second Age (when The Rings of Power takes place). He writes, “All living things were divided in that day, and some of every kind, even of beasts and birds, were found in either host, save the Elves only. They alone were undivided and followed Gil-galad.” What was that Tolkien, some of every kind?
To us, that sounds very much like the orcs, or Uruk, as they prefer everyone call them, had a canonical presence on the side of good during this great battle. And that means they fought against Sauron to help save Middle-earth from evil. On The Lord of the Rings‘ prequel series, we’re still some time away from The Last Alliance. But if the Uruk/orcs intend to join the forces of goodness on The Rings of Power, they should probably get started sooner rather than later… Maybe as soon as season two?
We brought up this point and quote to showrunner Patrick McKay, who agreed that the story of the Uruk/orcs sits at the heart of The Rings of Power‘s second season. In fact, the question of the orc and Uruk dichotomy is exactly what’s at on the table in The Rings of Power season two.
McKay shared with the following about the orcs’ story in The Rings of Power upcoming episodes:
Season two of The Rings of Power is very much concerned with who the orcs are, or as they prefer to be known, the Uruk. Well, actually, maybe that’s a good way of saying it. Are they orcs? Or are they Uruk? That is very much one of the questions that season two is interrogating. We have this battle for control of Mordor and the Orc Nation between Adar and Sauron. There are two snakes in a basket here, and you have to see who wins and how to see what the fate of the Uruk will be.
Are they orcs? Or are they Uruk? For now, they’re obviously Uruk. But will they be able to stop themselves from becoming orcs when Rings of Power are in play? In early clips from season two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has already threatened Adar with this outcome. Under the guise of Halbrand, Sauron insinuates that he’ll enslave the Uruk when he rises to power. It’s clear he means to bind them to his will with the rings. If that happens on The Rings of Power, Adar’s children will have no choice but to obey and will undoubtedly become orcs, as we know them in the Third Age, at Sauron’s hands.
But in The Rings of Power season two, the Uruk might finally have more options available to them. Before Adar tried killing Sauron, both Sauron and the Elves threatened the orcs’ survival in The Rings of Power‘s world. The former tried to enslave them, and the latter to slay them. The Uruk were between a rock and a hard place. No beings truly allowed them to be better than the expectations set out for their kind. Would the elves really have entertained an orc pledging to fight alongside them for good in the early Second Age? It seems unlikely.
But as Sauron’s threat grows in The Rings of Power season two, the status quo for orcs could change. It looks like Galadriel and Adar might come to form a tenuous alliance despite themselves. Perhaps, through that connection, the elves might understand that the orcs are not just simple instruments of evil. But, as Adar said in season one, each of the Uruk has a name and a heart. Each of the Uruk has the ability to choose to be more than just an orc in The Rings of Power‘s Middle-earth. At least for now…
Quite honestly, The Rings of Power‘s Uruk/orcs seem to want nothing more than a home and quiet. Uruk nation, we’re rooting for you. We just hope that when the moment comes, Adar can also make it to the Last Alliance alongside his children.