The Rings of Power just showed a surprising new side of the Orcs

Adar and his Orcs were not the focus of Prime Video Season 2, Episode 3 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerbut the one scene in which they appeared had fascinating implications for Middle-earth lore. A high-ranking Orc spoke to Adar about how he did not want to go to war with Sauron. He wished to remain in Mordor because he believed that he and the other Orcs would be safe there. Adar was sympathetic, but replied that the Orcs would never be safe as long as Sauron lived. After this conversation with Adar, he approached another Orc who was cradling a bundle, apparently a baby judging by the whining noises it was making.The two Orcs hugged each other and rubbed their faces affectionately.

No other major adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have shown such acts of love between Orcs, nor have they shown any young Orcs, other than the Uruk-hai in Peter Jackson's film trilogy, who were fully grown and ready to fight from the moment they were born. This intimate moment between the Orc parents contained no dialogue, and was interrupted after only a few seconds by the menacing arrival of Damrod the Hill Troll, but it immediately threw The Lord of the Rings' most iconic monsters in a surprisingly sympathetic light. In JRR Tolkien's lore, Orcs were usually in conflict with each other, yet The Rings of Power showed what appeared to be an Orc couple caring for their baby and wanting to stay home to care for it. This tied into an overarching theme of the series and may be more significant to the plot than it initially seemed.

The Lord of the Rings ignored the inner life of the Orcs

Tolkien did not mention that Orcs had families in The Lord of the Ringsbut the concept emerged in his previous novel, The Hobbit: Bolg, who led the Orcs during the Battle of the Five Armies, was the son of Azog, who had done the same during the Dwarf and Orc War. In Jackson's films, Azog treated Bolg as nothing more than a military subordinate. However, he was slightly more merciful to his son than to his other subordinates; Azog usually killed Orcs who disappointed him, such as Yazneg, whom he fed to his Warg, but Bolg received only a few harsh words when he failed to kill Legolas and Tauriel. In the novel, Bolg and Azog never interacted, so it is unknown whether they felt love or even respect for each other in Tolkien's version of the story.

It is possible that Azog and Bolg were not actually blood relatives. They may have used the terms “father” and “son” metaphorically, in much the same way that Adar calls The Rings of PowerOrcs and his children. Tolkien's other writings were equally reticent about Orc family relations, but did clarify some facts. In one letter, Tolkien stated that female Orcs did exist and that they simply did not appear in his novels. In the section “Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor” from The Silmarillionhe explained that Orcs reproduced “after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar”, that is, Elves and Men. This meant that Orcs actually had biological parents, although Tolkien never wrote about infant orcs.In the chapter “Riddles in the Dark” from The HobbitGollum referred to an Orc as a “young squeaker”, which some fans interpreted as a child, but this was a vague statement.

The orc child could be important for the future of The Rings of Power

• The name Adar means “Father” in the Elvish tongue Sindarin.

Tolkien did not even clarify how Orcs aged. Although they probably had Elven origins, they were not immortal like Elves, but since Orcs were constantly involved in violent conflicts, it would have been extremely rare for one to die of natural causes. Bolg was alive during the Battle of Azanulbizar in the year 2799 of the Third Age, so he must have been at least 142 years old during the events of The Hobbit in 2941. Yet this may have been an exceptionally long lifespan for an Orc; according to the “Myths Transformed” section from Morgoth's RingOrcs were “by nature short-lived compared to the lifespan of Men”. Orcs may have matured much more rapidly than the other races of Middle-earth, as demonstrated by the speed with which Morgoth, Sauron, and Saruman were able to create their enormous Orc armies. This would explain the absence of young Orcs in the stories.

The Rings of PowerThe little Orc may never reappear, but may instead be part of a future storyline. So far, the heroes of the series have been ruthless towards Orcs. For example, in the first season episode “Udûn”, Galadriel told Adar,

Your kind was a mistake. Made in mockery. And even if it takes me all this Age, I vow to eradicate every single one of you. But you will be kept alive, so that one day, before I plunge my dagger into your poisoned heart, I will whisper in your piqued ear that all your offspring are dead and the scourge of your kind ends with you.

One of The Rings of PowerThe heroes might kill the Orc parents and find the orphaned child later, causing them to reconsider their bloodthirsty stance.. The series could use the Orc child to explore themes of nature versus nurture and whether Orcs are inherently evil. Perhaps non-Orcs will end up raising the Orc child; or, since the child hasn't actually been shown, perhaps it's a non-Orc child that the Orcs will end up raising.

The orcs of the Rings of Power are more than just monsters

• In the novel, Azog dies before the events of The Hobbitso Bolg was the main antagonist of the Orcs.

The first season of The Rings of Power had already expanded the concept of what an Orc could be. In Jackson's films and most other adaptations, only male Orcs appeared, but The Rings of Power introduced some Orcs. Previously, in “Udûn”, Adar addressed the Orcs as “brothers and sisters”, and actresses Ellyce Bisson and Hori Ahipene were credited as unnamed Orcs in that episode. However, the series did not draw attention to this, and under the Orcs' heavy prosthetic makeup, it was difficult to notice. An exploration of Orc motherhood would be a fascinating way to further examine Orcish culture.

The Rings of Power he aimed to make his Orcs more sympathetic. They are certainly evil, and at times display even more brutality than those in Jackson's films, but they also have understandable needs and desires. They want a safe place to call home in which to raise their families. In Tolkien's writings, Morgoth, Sauron, and Saruman considered the Orcs to be disposable pawns, but Adar genuinely cares for his children. They, in turn, admire and serve him out of love rather than fear. This added layer to the Orcs' nature makes the ongoing conflict between them and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth more morally complex.