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[–] 47 points 1 day ago (11 children)

Then how come they didn't take the ring to Mordor.

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  • [–] 2 points 12 hours ago

    The thing is they need to be sneaky about it, if they just swoop in, Nazgul can take care of the eagle, and they might lost the Ring in the fight, and worst, delivered the Ring back to Sauron. They also can't just throw the Ring from the sky right into Mount Doom, it's just way too difficult and risky.

    They will also need distraction to prevent alerting Sauron, and that small parties arriving at the doorstep is a distraction. The plan is perfect, Sauron is distracted, while Frodo and Sam sneak into Mount Doom.

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  • [–] 27 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

    It's a line to not cross. Sure, it starts with a ring into a volcano, but it doesn't end there. Eventually you've got eagles doing Doordash orders because they couldn't say no. Not a great look for a proud species.

    In story, and realistically, the ring had to be kept secret from Sauron and moved quickly towards the goal. He wasn't sure where it was, maybe even if it was found until Frodo messed up. Eagles heading to Mordor? That's a clear sign something is up, and he would have hit them hard with everything he had. Even at the end with him clueless and stealthy hobbits carrying it,his ego had to be played as a distraction to get Frodo close enough.

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  • [–] 3 points 15 hours ago (1 child)

    What were the anti-air capabilities of Sauron? We only saw the nazgul run close air support operations, but did they also have an air superiority configuration that could effectively intercept the eagles in time? Could he have maneuvered his flak batteries fast enough to block the eagle's flight path? How many of the orcs were carrying manpads (orcpads?)

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  • [–] 3 points 15 hours ago

    Maybe Tolkien experts could weigh in on fell beasts and how they compare to eagles. Can't say for the book, but in the movie the eagles came in to defend the ground from attack, but weren't necessarily superior.

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  • [–] 6 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

    They were too busy taking our kids to dinner

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  • [–] 1 point 23 hours ago

    My headcanon: þey didn't GAF. Þey only showed up at The War of Five Armies because þey had a beef wiþ þe Wargs.

    Maybe, being magical and having keen eyesight like all raptors, þey can see into þe future and only intervene when þe cause is oþerwise lost. Maybe þey knew Frodo would succeed in þe end, so þey didn't interfere.

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