The first two seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered in similar ways, and this opens the door for further exciting possibilities in future installments. The Prime Video series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, several thousand years before the events of Lord of the Rings. However, the events of Rings of Power are still nowhere near the beginning of Tolkien’s stories. There were centuries upon centuries of important events that happened before Sauron made his titular Rings, and Rings of Power‘s season premieres have been used to explore some of them.
In the first episode of Rings of Power season 1, Galadriel narrated some of the events of the First Age, describing the war against Morgoth and the Elves’ departure from Valinor. This sets the stage for the start of her story, establishing Finrod’s death and Galadriel’s desire to find and seek her revenge on Sauron. Rings of Power season 2’s premiere continued the trend, starting off with a flashback to Sauron’s initial attempt to replace Morgoth after his master’s downfall. Since both premiere episodes have taken this approach, it can be hoped that Rings of Power season 3 will keep the ball rolling.
Rings Of Power Season 3 Can Continue The “Flashback” Lore Trend
Rings Of Power Seasons 1 & 2 Started Off with Flashback Scenes
The events of the First Age, and even before, are deeply important to the story in Rings of Power, and it’s essential for audiences to have context (especially those who haven’t read Tolkien’s works). Since the Prime Video series’ first two seasons used the premiere to briefly dive into this background, it seems likely that the third season and beyond would do the same. It’s possible that with each new installment of Rings of Power, audiences will be given another flashback to Middle-earth’s past. This is an exciting concept since it greatly expands the events that could be brought to the screen.
The Possibilities Are Nearly Endless For Future Rings Of Power Season Premiere Flashbacks
We Could See A “Good” Sauron Or The Ainulindalë
Rings of Power may be set in the Second Age, but the previous two season premieres have already proven that any point in Middle-earth’s history could be brought to the screen down the line. So far, both flashbacks have revolved around the War of Wrath and its aftermath. Season 1 provided only a brief overview of Morgoth’s evil deeds, while season 2 focused on expanding Rings of Power‘s version of how Sauron lost his body following his master’s defeat. There are plenty more First Age and Morgoth-related stories for future seasons to explore, but future flashbacks could go in other directions as well.
If Rings of Power’s premiere-episode trend continues, season 3’s opening could actually show Sauron’s life in Valinor, back when he was a good and fair Maia called Mairon.
If Rings of Power‘s premiere-episode trend continues, season 3’s opening could actually show Sauron’s life in Valinor, back when he was a good and fair Maia called Mairon. After all, the villain has talked about his downfall in Rings of Power, blaming Morgoth for his corruption and evil deeds. A flashback could reveal just how much Sauron is lying to himself, exploring his own choices that made him evil. Still, future Rings of Power seasons could go back even further, perhaps exploring the creation of the universe (Ainulindalë), the awakening of the Children of Ilúavatar, or the departure of the Istari from Valinor.
Amazon’s Limited TV Rights Could Make Canon Lore Moments Difficult
Prime Video Has To Be Careful About What It Adapts
While it’s exciting to imagine what sorts of early Lord of the Rings events Rings of Power could bring to the screen, there may be some limitations here. Amazon only has the adaptation rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so only events and characters mentioned in these books can be easily added to Rings of Power. It’s for precisely this reason that the flashback scenes that have been so far included in season 1 and season 2 differ from canon. Prime Video had to get creative with these First Age events to stay within the series’ rights.
Galadriel didn’t mention that the Noldor Elves left Valinor to reclaim the Silmarils (against the will of the Valar) in Rings of Power season 1, and the events of Sauron’s murder at the hand of Adar and the Orcs were an invention of season 2.
However, there is some indication that Amazon has managed to come to an agreement with Tolkien’s estate regarding specific names and events from other works. The topic of the Silmarils, for example, was avoided in Rings of Power season 1, but season 2 was able to mention them. Therefore, it’s hard to predict what the series will or will not be able to include in future episodes. Additionally, anything that is included is likely to see significant changes as Prime Video’s writers find ways to work around topics they don’t have legal access to. Regardless, we can hope for more epic flashbacks going forward.
