For geeks only. All you cool people:
@Tar Said 
If smeagol was killed, Sauron would never have known a hobbit had the Ring.
It is possible that, even if Bilbo would have killed Gollum when he encountered him in the Misty Mountains, that Saruman could have eventually discovered the location of The Ring when he held Gandalf prisoner in Orthanc.
Saruman was more powerful than Gandalf and aware of Gandalf's relationship with The Hobbits. Maybe some waterboarding would have loosened Gandalf's tongue a bit?
@Tar Said Also remember that Smeagol, once escaping the goblin caves, followed the company to Laketown and ate some babies.
I don't recall Gollum ever going to Laketown. In FOTR, it tells that he eventually overcame his fear of the sun, moon and other creatures to pursue Bilbo and the dwarves but the trail was cold.
He then found his way to Shelob's lair, was caught by orcs and then brought to Sauron where he was tortured and gave away Bilbo and The Shire. Laketown was never mentioned in any of his travels. Possibly because Laketown wad destroyed by the time he left the Misty Mountains to pursue Bilbo and the ring.
@Tar Said Its possible that if he were dead, a baby which he ate could have instead grown and become a great and powerful leader who would bring about the destruction of Sauron himself...
As far as eating babies goes, I do remember this passage from 'Shadows Of The Past'
Quote:
The wood was full of the rumor of him, dreadful tales even among beasts and birds. The Woodmen said that there was some new terror abroad, a ghost that drank blood. It climbed trees to find nests, it crept into holes to find the young, it slipped through windows to find cradles.
Could you have found any Woodmen brave enough to go to Mordor to destroy the ring? Seeing that was the only way to truly bring about the destruction of Sauron.
I personally prefer Gollum's role in the stories much better.
Jul 02, 2013 @ 06:18:11
