The Lance in the Starlight
Why Galadriel should fight in the Last Alliance in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 5
Author’s Note: This essay has previously appeared on my Facebook, Threads, and Substack Notes profiles, and in two parts on Instagram. But not all my email subscribers follow me on those platforms. And after copy-pasting this into a draft, I realized that I have enough to justify an email essay. So, much like I did with my essay last week, I’m publishing this as an email essay. 😊
Should Galadriel fight in the War of the Last Alliance in Rings of Power Season 5?
While I've long believed she should be definitely involved in the planning and strategy sessions before the armies set out, I've been of two minds whether I actually want her to fight at Dagorlad and Barad-Dur. Until now: I think she should be there, and I hope she is there. And there are three compelling reasons for it.
1) the show has structured itself around her rivalry with Sauron, their similarities but also their key differences in worldview and character; not an enemies-to-lovers-but-still-enemies thing like how Hulu's The Great characterized Catherine the Great and Peter III, but more akin to the rivalry between Maria Theresa of Austria and Frederick the Great of Prussia, who battled each other for the destiny of Germany and Central Europe from 1740-1763. There was the important detour with Celebrimbor in Season 2, and there will be another one in Numenor probably in Season 4 (it may start in late Season 3; when it should begin is another question entirely), but Galadriel has been set up as Sauron's "chief obstacle and adversary" and she will probably remain so. With that in mind, it is inconceivable to me that the Commander of the Northern Armies, who is referred to as such by Arondir even in her white dress in the S2 finale, will not have a major role to play in the Last Alliance and Sauron’s first downfall.
2) In the books, the Last Alliance was very much an all-hands-on-deck affair. Gil-galad stayed in Lindon for the War of Sauron and the Elves, entrusting Elrond to lead his expedition to Eregion. But for the Last Alliance, he went to war himself, and brought nearly every Elf of importance with him including Elrond, Cirdan, Amdir of Lorinand, and Oropher of Greenwood. Meanwhile, Elendil went to war alongside both his sons, Isildur and Anarion, AND Isildur's heir Elendur; the only ones who stayed behind were Isildur's younger sons Aratan, Ciryon (guarding the pass at Minas Ithi) and Valandil (too young to fight). Perhaps Anarion's son Meneldil also went to war, but we don't know for sure. This basically reinforces what I said earlier; in show, with Galadriel being Commander of the Northern Armies, there's no reason why she would be left behind. Except maybe to defend Rivendell, but if Elrond isn't staying behind to protect his own home, why should she stay?
3) While Galadriel is continuing to grow into the Lady of Lorien we all know and love, WE'RE NOT THERE YET. Season 2 is FAR too early. For one thing, she didn't even settle down as guardian of Lorien until 1981 of the Third Age; she may do that a bit prematurely in the show, but the earliest I can see that happening is after the Last Alliance and the death of Amdir (I could see his character being merged into Amroth for simplicity, and because of rights). For another thing, it was Nenya that helped Galadriel grow as the Lady of Light. But Sauron in show still has to forge the One. When that happens, she, Gil-galad and Cirdan are going to have to take off their Rings to avoid tangling with him with ring-powers in the Unseen World, which would be disastrous since none of them are powerful enough to resist him there with the One. And of course, we haven't even seen Lorien yet. For that matter, we've seen the valley of Imladris, but not the Last Homely House itself. These things take time. And between the War of Sauron and the Elves, the Akallabeth, and the Last Alliance, we don't have time for Galadriel to just sit around and be the Lady of Lorien. Maybe as one of the final scenes of the show, but not yet. At this point, with Sauron still out there, and still being a threat to the end, her settling down would be a totally uncharacteristic move for her. She still wants to fight in the Great Task, she just doesn't want to fight alone. And given how she has been built up as instrumental to the struggle against Sauron, her settling down would be a copout on the writers' part.
So I've come around to hoping that Galadriel does fight in the Last Alliance. What I'm not sure about is whether I want to see her fighting Sauron alongside Elendil and Gil-galad in their last duel. It was their fight and their ultimate sacrifice, and I don't want them to be reduced for her benefit. This is somewhat similar to some of my reservations about Hera in War of the Rohirrim; I can't shake the feeling that she's taking the glory from Helm Hammerhand, whose saga that technically is.
However, I do see the appeal of Galadriel being able to fight her great enemy, who almost killed her twice. This time, with the High King and the Elf-friend at her side, she has a chance to be able to defeat him and gain some satisfaction. Especially since in Seasons 3 and 4 he's definitely going to cause her more grief; Charlie Vickers and the showrunners have promised that his rivalry with Galadriel, his nearest peer and greatest enemy, will continue. And while it turned into a 1v2 between Sauron and the two kings, they were not the only ones present. Elrond and Cirdan were there as Gil-galad's seconds, and Isildur supported his father (Anarion by this point had been killed when a rock thrown from Barad-Dur crushed his head, and thus he was unable to participate). Given Sauron's great power, I would not be surprised if everyone present at the last duel took a crack at Sauron, even if it Elendil and Gil-galad bear the greatest burden. And even if Galadriel is fighting alongside Gil-galad and Elendil against Sauron, sharing the glory and actually being able to survive...we still get a duel between Sauron and the kings. We very much did not get that in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring; Gil-galad was barely even there for like five seconds, and Elendil got backhanded like a chump and died after like 15. Given how the show has built up Elendil and Gil-galad, I don't think they will be disrespected in that way.
So, there you have it. I've come around to the belief that Galadriel should be there at the Last Alliance, in the thickest press alongside her people and friends, not sitting idly by in Lorien or Rivendell while everyone else does the fighting and suffering. And I will fiercely defend this idea until we get an answer either way. What I’m less attached too is whether she should be present at the finish against Sauron on the slopes of Mount Doom, but even then, I see the appeal, and if it can be written in such a way so as not to detract from Elendil and Gil-galad’s supreme sacrifice, I would absolutely support Galadriel being there.
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