Along with the rest of Dragon Con 2024, the High Fantasy track launched Thursday, and one of the intriguing highlights of the day occurred in Hyatt International South at 7PM when moderator Jim Wert, Kirsten Z. Cairns (Greendragon), Laura Grabowski, and Willie Jenkins joined more than 200 members to watch the premier episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, season 2. Based roughly upon the material regarding the Second Age found in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, the series tells the story of events preceding those found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous novel (and Peter Jackson’s film adaptation). Creating new material to build upon Tolkien’s, the producers tell the tale of the rise of Sauron, the creation of the rings of power, the glory and demise of Númenor, and the wars fought by Elves and men to defeat the Dark Lord. The intrigue revolved around the watch party itself, and the fact that none of the organizers were sure it was even going to happen. Amazon Prime had to give its permission for the showing, and they only did so earlier the same day. It was close, but with Amazon’s blessing, members were treated to a commercial-free presentation of the new season’s first three episodes.
As the members filed in, each picked up a complimentary poster and candy ring, a thank you for their support of the series. When the lights went down, and the program began, the crowd settled in. What was a room resonating with applause and cheers as Wert and Cairns introduced the episodes became one marked by its silence as viewers were drawn into this world and the tensions driving the story forward.
Pivotal to the evening’s success was Kirsten Cairns. A staff member of Theonering.net (TORN) since 2007, Cairns continues to be excited by the new material and adaptations of Tolkien’s work that are appearing. From Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, every time she thought it was time to move on, a new project came along and drew her back in. Dragon Con keeps pulling her back as well. She started attending in 2005 as a fan. Nineteen conventions later, she’s here representing TORN as a senior staffer and playing a key role in facilitating the High Fantasy track’s continuing success.
Jim Wert, TORN staffer and regular moderator of High Fantasy track panels, reflected on his engagement with this world as well. “We’ve grown older doing this stuff,” he said, and yet, “we haven’t aged a day.” Perhaps like the company of the ring during their stay in Lothlorien, for Cairns, Wert, and the enthralled fans of the new series, the sense of time’s passage is lost in their shared excitement and joy.
