BalrogRingDestroyer
Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2018
- Messages
- 267
This is an interesting one. I cannot, off the top of my head, think of a situation that Sam was truly NEEDED with Frodo in TTT or ROTK, except maybe, perhaps, on Mount Doom itself in ROTK.
True, Sam did help Frodo fend off Gollum, but Sam only had a Barrow Blade. Frodo had a Mithril Coat and Sting. It's possible Frodo could have bested Gollum even without Sam's help.
Also, Sam's snide remarks about Gollum hindered Smeagol's redemption. While the incident of the Forbidden Pool still would have happened even without Sam, but it mentions that Smeagol came near to changing his mind about betraying the two to Shelob but then Sam came and made some snide remarks and that sealed Smeagol's fate. Had Sam not been there, however, Smeagol might have repented and shown Frodo a way around Shelob (this is even hinted at in Tolkien's writings.) As such, Sam wouldn't be needed to fight Shelob nor would he have been needed to get Frodo out of that tower and Frodo might not have been captured.
Now, getting across Mordor would be trickier with Smeagol and Frodo instead of Sam and Frodo, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that, since Smeagol was able to find a way to Mount Doom (without an orc disguise) and catch up with Frodo and Sam in the actual timeline, that he could have taken Frodo this route in this alternate timeline.
Now where it could go differently is on Mount Doom itself. Sam carried Frodo up when he was getting rather weak. I'm not sure Smeagol would have, or perhaps even COULD have, helped Frodo up. However, it's possible that Frodo could have taken more time to get up but still done it and maybe Smeagol would have helped after all.
Now, this delay likely would have meant more good guys died in the Battle of the Black Gate than did in the actual timeline.
However, if Frodo made it to the fire's edge, then he'd have again fallen to the Ring's power and claimed it. However, as Tolkien states, Smeagol, feeling pity for Frodo, would again attack Frodo, if only to save him, and possibly bite off his finger as before. Here, he would find that he couldn't directly throw his Precious into the Fire, but would, as the Nazgul neared, realize that the Ring HAD to be destroyed, as there would be more good left in him than the actual timeline, and hence he would throw himself into the Fire to destroy the Ring and save Frodo and Middle Earth and redeem himself. (Again, Tolkien even suggests this.)
So, unless I'm much mistaken, Sam may not even have needed to go with Frodo in the end.
True, Sam did help Frodo fend off Gollum, but Sam only had a Barrow Blade. Frodo had a Mithril Coat and Sting. It's possible Frodo could have bested Gollum even without Sam's help.
Also, Sam's snide remarks about Gollum hindered Smeagol's redemption. While the incident of the Forbidden Pool still would have happened even without Sam, but it mentions that Smeagol came near to changing his mind about betraying the two to Shelob but then Sam came and made some snide remarks and that sealed Smeagol's fate. Had Sam not been there, however, Smeagol might have repented and shown Frodo a way around Shelob (this is even hinted at in Tolkien's writings.) As such, Sam wouldn't be needed to fight Shelob nor would he have been needed to get Frodo out of that tower and Frodo might not have been captured.
Now, getting across Mordor would be trickier with Smeagol and Frodo instead of Sam and Frodo, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that, since Smeagol was able to find a way to Mount Doom (without an orc disguise) and catch up with Frodo and Sam in the actual timeline, that he could have taken Frodo this route in this alternate timeline.
Now where it could go differently is on Mount Doom itself. Sam carried Frodo up when he was getting rather weak. I'm not sure Smeagol would have, or perhaps even COULD have, helped Frodo up. However, it's possible that Frodo could have taken more time to get up but still done it and maybe Smeagol would have helped after all.
Now, this delay likely would have meant more good guys died in the Battle of the Black Gate than did in the actual timeline.
However, if Frodo made it to the fire's edge, then he'd have again fallen to the Ring's power and claimed it. However, as Tolkien states, Smeagol, feeling pity for Frodo, would again attack Frodo, if only to save him, and possibly bite off his finger as before. Here, he would find that he couldn't directly throw his Precious into the Fire, but would, as the Nazgul neared, realize that the Ring HAD to be destroyed, as there would be more good left in him than the actual timeline, and hence he would throw himself into the Fire to destroy the Ring and save Frodo and Middle Earth and redeem himself. (Again, Tolkien even suggests this.)
So, unless I'm much mistaken, Sam may not even have needed to go with Frodo in the end.
