In January of 1970, Tolkien wrote a short essay (later published in The Nature of Middle-earth) explaining why there’s a 93-year gap between the moment Sauron forged the One Ring (and was thus revealed to Celebrimbor) and the actual war that followed. This gap specifically:
Tolkien’s writing was also about why Gil-galad and the Elves didn’t retaliate right away, either, “before [Sauron] could gather his forces.” Gil-galad didn’t even know where Sauron was based (Mordor wasn’t the universally understood HQ of evil at the time). Eventually it was discovered, because Númenóreans were friends with the Elves, and they had settled around the Mouths of Anduin. So there’s that.
But more important, Sauron himself wasn’t ready for war right away. He hadn’t counted on fighting the Elves in battle at all. He’d been counting on the Rings of Power to dominate them, and the Elves were totally jerks about just took off their Rings instead. The scheme failed, and he was pissed. So now he had to build up his armies and wage actual war. But see, for a very long time, at least 400 years, he’d been in his Annatar get-up. As the essay explains:
But until 1600 he was still using the disguise of beneficent friend, and oftened journeyed at will in Eriador with few attendants, and so could not risk any rumour that he was gathering armies. At this time he perforce neglected the East (where Morgoth’s ancient power had been) and though his emissaries were busy among the multiplying tribes of eastern Men, he dared not permit any of them to come within sight of the Númenóreans, or of Western Men.
Right. So he’s still in his fair form. He can absolutely look like a handsome Charlie Vickers, all Elf-like and fair-seeming, when he’s among the Elves. He’s a Maia, he can shapeshift like that. How freely can he shift, though? Can he stop into Eregion, check in on the jewel-smiths and their Ring-work with a charismatic face, then pop back over to Mordor and revert instantly into a bigger, scarier form to boss them around properly? Well, apparently not:
The Orcs of various kind (creatures of Morgoth) were to prove the most numerous and terrible of his soldiers and servants; but great hosts of them had been destroyed in the war against Morgoth . . . But further East there were more and stronger kinds, descendants of Morgoth’s kingship, but long masterless during his occupation of Thangorodrim, they were yet wild and ungovernable, preying upon one another and upon Men (whether good or evil). But not until Mordor and the Barad-dûr were ready could he allow them to come out of hiding, while the Eastern Orcs, who had not experienced the power and terror of the Eldar, or the valour of the Edain, were not subserviant to Sauron—while he was obliged for the cozening of Western Men and Elves to wear as fair a form and countenance as he could, they despised him and laughed at him. Thus it was that though, as soon as his disguise was pierced and he was recognized as an enemy, he exerted all his time and strength to gathering and training armies, it took some ninety years before he felt ready to open war.
So until 1600, the year of the One’s making, he was keeping his fair shape going. For a good 400 years! And because he was putting all his eggs into the making-nice-with-Elves-so-they-make-Rings basket, he couldn’t also be putting eggs into his exerting-time-and-strength-to-gather-and-train armies basket.
It is clear in various writings (such as The Silmarillion) that although Sauron was different in his goals than his old boss, Morgoth—Sauron desired to impose order on the world rather than destroy it completely—his base tactic was still to rule “rather by force and fear.” He silvers his tongue only when necessary. Putting on a mask failed with the Elves eventually, and though he could boss around most Men and Orcs, he couldn’t beat the Númenóreans with armies. So with them he tried to “accomplish by cunning what he could not achieve by force.” Which actually eventually works. Works too well!
I have a very hard time believing that once Annatar was revealed, and the Ruling Ring was made, he’d have maintained a handsome Elf-like form among his own slaves and servants. Remember the Eastern Orcs who laughed at him? This is why I had a problem with the pre-Annatar red-haired pretty boy look The Rings of Power show gave Sauron in the prologue of season 2, and why I think it was so goofy and ineffective.
So what have we got coming in season 3? Yes, I know the show cannot straight-up use all the plot developments of Silmarillion or Unifnished Tales text they don’t have rights to (which is why I’ve always wished they’d just chosen a different Middle-earth story to make a show about, involving stuff they do have rights to). But they still have access to all the books and the character and psychology of these beings. I think they’ve disgarded all of that and just came up with a new version of Sauron. One that doesn’t jibe with Tolkien as a whole or even The Lord of the Rings specifically.
So Sauron in season 3 is still Charlie Vickers. He’s darkened his hair but kept the Elf-like appearance (pointed ears and all) apparently even at his forge in Mount Doom, where he has no one to cozen. He should be as intimidating to his servants as possible. I still find it backwards to have him resemble the very kind of being his Orcs hate and are meant to be battling.
Well, in this article on Nerdist, we have Charlie Vickers explaining some things:
“The appearances are really fun, but they have to be justified with his aims. . . . He’s a warrior this season. And if he exudes power, then his followers can respect him and his enemies can fear him. . . .
Okay, so, he added dark hair, amor, and crown to the Annatar shape. That’s . . . it? I suppose if he throws some sorcerous power around, that will help.
“He also is feeling himself a bit this season because he feels he’s getting closer to victory. . . . He’s at his most powerful point, so he’s quite vain; he wants to look cool. This season he’s like, ‘I don’t need to do this for anyone else or appear like this to manipulate anyone. I’m going to be this cool for me. I’m going to look cool for me.”
So there we have it. Sauron just looks cool for him. Got it.
Some viewers want a romantasy bad boy to swoon over, I suppose, and to have love triangles to imagine. Never mind the genocide and murder, some of it quite recent. If we actually saw him personally cut the heads off little Elf-tykes, would viewers romanticize this misunderstood dark lord less? Or is it just inconvenient to be reminded of that, and what a jerk I am for doing so?
Well, I am looking forward to the Orcs in this season. I’m not put off by the idea of an “orc with an arc” at all, and in fact I don’t even think it’s lore-breaking (yet?). The arc that the show gave Adar was excellent—particularly because of the way it ended—and I don’t mind that there might even be some Orcs not fully governed by Sauron yet. There is some precedence for that, after all. But it all still needs to end in a way that matches the status quo of Orc-kind in The Lord of the Rings. We’ll see if it will.
