[oxfordgamers] And the fanboy discussion is on!

        As to Yoda and the balrog, one thing we did learn was that attacks
with the force can be resisted by the force, such as Darth Tyrannus using
force lighting against Yoda.  The balrog's posses a lot of spiritual power
that we think of as "aspect" which would translate to strength in the force.
It's this power that they use to resist things like the songs of power sung
by the elf-lords.  Again I can only think of one time when balrogs were
overcome by spiritual powers and that was when Luthien sung them all to
sleep along with Morgoth himself, and she was a very special case.
Ultimately, like Yoda and Tyrannus, you have to wade in there and start
swinging.  

        Your comment about the Empire and Sauron doesn't really apply.  They
also could have annihilated a planet containing all the Jedi who ever lived
and wiped them all out with no fear of reprisal (assuming the Jedi didn't
have ships of their own).  The difference is that Sauron would survive the
annihilation of the planet and his spirit could flee across the abyss of
space to another world and reform.  In Arda that isn't an option, since
there's only Middle Earth and Valinor to exist in.  But Sauron was cast into
the abyss before, when Illuvitar "bent" the world and made it round, and his
form was destroyed and he fled back to Mordor and restored himself.  He
could also have fled back to Valinor except that the powers there would have
passed judgement on him.  If there was another option to go to, another
planet, he probably could have reached that too.  He did have a hand in
their creation after all.  We do know that the spirit can travel back and
forth between the spheres because Gandalf came physically out of the West
from Valinor, was sent back in spirit, and returned again to take physical
form once more.  

        It may take a while for Sauron to reach another world and reform,
but time doesn't mean much to him.  He's been around since before the first
lights existed in the world.  Also Sauron would be unlikely to openly give
the Empire trouble.  When the Numenorians came to Middle Earth to challenge
Sauron he knew that his own forces would not stand against the Numenorians
so he surrendered and allowed himself to be taken hostage.  That lead to his
corruption of the kingdom and to their eventual perversion and destruction.
I think Sauron would have a much easier time with the Empire and it would be
more likely that he'd end up subverting them and taking over.  Sauron, being
formerly the chief servant of Aule the maker, would also have no problem
grasping technology.

        And then he'd pour all his power and malice into the creation of the
One Death Star.  One Ship to Rule Them All, One Ship to Bind Them, One Ship
to Nuke Them All and in the Darkness Blow Up Their Planets!  And the One
Death Star could only be destroyed by casting it back into the supernova
from which it was forged.....


> ----------
> From:         Aaron Einhorn
> Reply To:     oxfordgamers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent:         Monday, December 30, 2002 3:11 PM
> To:   oxfordgamers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:      [oxfordgamers] Re: Two Towers
> 
> You see, I don't know if I can concur, simply because we have to
> remember the differeing scales of the mythologies.
> 
> Balrog's are amazingly potent, and frigtening creatures, and are able
> to easily slay any non-divine being. Their mythos is also restricted to
> a single planet. Yoda's mythos emcompasses entire galaxies.
> 
> To put it another way: The Empire would have no serious issues with
> Sauron. They'd simply anihilate the planet from afar with orbital
> bombardment.
> 
> Also, as we've discussed before, Tolkien's magic works in such a way
> that it's easier to raise a mountain than to throw a fireball. Yoda,
> when he wants to, can easily and quickly acomplish "magical" feats. Why
> fight the Balrog, when you can just TK it away?
> 
> Aaron
> 
> --- "Bolenbaugh, Tom" <TBolenbaugh@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > 
> >     Too true, too true.  I remember Lucas saying he was never completely
> > sure that the muppet Yoda would work out until he actually saw it on
> > film.  
> > 
> >     I now feel compelled to release my inner fanboy ; )  I think the
> > best outcome we'd see would be for Yoda and the Balrog to kill each
> > other.
> > In all of Tolkien's history of Middle Earth there are only two times
> > when
> > non-divine beings managed to kill a balrog, both happened during the
> > fall of
> > the elven domain of Gondolin, both involved mighty elf-lords and in
> > each
> > case the elf-lord died in the battle.  Even Gandalf, who himself was
> > of the
> > same divine race from which the balrogs were created (the Maiar),
> > died
> > fighting the balrog of Moria.  The only other time we know of balrogs
> > being
> > destroyed is when the entire host of the Valar (gods) and Maiar
> > (demi-gods)
> > came against the dark armies led by balrogs in open warfare and
> > destroyed
> > almost all of them.
> > 
> >     Given Yoda's great power I think he'd likely share the same fate.
> > He would probably defeat the balrog but die from the battle.  
> > 
> 
> =====
> "Give me a man or a woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an
> interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three
> and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed."
> -Anne Rice, The Witching Hour
> 
> Check out the Blade Brothers Home Page!
> http://www.bladebrothers.com
> 
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