Details you missed in The Wheel of Time trailer

From the first table-read to massive billboard advertisements, the upcoming television adaptation of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time books has been on a long journey. Last week, Amazon Prime dropped the official trailer ahead of the November 19 release, and there’s something for everyone to like.

The trailer is full of little details that longtime fans of series will nod their heads at and newcomers will be intrigued by. Let’s break down a few, starting with…

The Oath Rod

“Swear your oath, Moraine Sedai.” The trailer begins in the White Tower. Moraine (Rosamund Pike) is reciting the Three Oaths to the Amyrlin Seat of the Aes Sedai. The rod she holds is known as the Oath Rod, and the words sworn upon it are unbreakable. Every woman who becomes a full Aes Sedai sorceress must make these oaths:

1. To speak no word that is not true
2. To make no weapon with which one man may kill another
3. Never to use the One Power as a weapon except against Darkfriends or Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme defense of her life, the life of her Warder, or another Aes Sedai

For book readers, it’s confusing to hear Moiraine do this as she’s already sworn the Three Oaths before The Eye of the World (the first book in the series) begins. Perhaps the show will start earlier in the timeline than expected, or we could see a flashback to Moiraine’s early days in the White Tower.

The Aes Sedai Symbol

In The Wheel of Time books, the Aes Sedai symbol basically looks like a flipped version of the Yin-Yang symbol most people are familiar with. There are several nods to this symbol in the trailer, including the above shot of Egwene (Madeleine Madden) in a pool of water.

Winternight

Many shots from the trailer appear to be from Winternight, when the quiet village of Emond’s Field falls under attack by vicious Trollocs in service to the Dark One. It’s an important event in the books, and everything from the trailers points to a faithful adaptation.

Tam al’Thor (Michael McElhatton) is shown fighting one of these monstrous creatures to defend his son, Rand (Josha Stradowski). The scene confirms the attack on the al’Thor farm and possibly what follows, as there is another shot where Tam appears wounded on a horse.

The events of Winternight seem to be unfolding in a similar fashion to the books. In Jordan’s version, as Rand and Tam are attacked by Trollocs, Moiraine and Lan are working tirelessly to defend the village of Emond’s Field. We don’t actually see much of their fight on the page, but we will in the show, and it looks pretty spectacular.

Fal Dara

We also get a look at the borderlands city of Fal Dara, which our visit towards the end of The Eye of the World. Soldiers escort Lan into a fortress, and on one of their shields you can see the sigil of a bird in flight. This may be the swooping black hawk of Shienar, suggesting this location is Fal Dara. The figure in the circular doorway could be Lord Agelmar Jagad, the Lord of Fal Dara, based on his iconic topknot.

Eamon Valda

This vicious Whitecloak is Eamon Valda (Abdul Salis), Lord Captain Commander of the the Children of the Light, a fanatical group who believe Aes Sedai to be agents of evil. Terrifyingly enough, he looks to be collecting Aes Sedai serpent rings. The trailer briefly shows a woman burning at the stake, and the reflection in Valda’s cup shows he’s responsible. It’s possible he’s just murdered an Aes Sedai, which means he shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The False Dragon

The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins has talked about an “expanded role” for Logain Ablar, the False Dragon. In the books, we heard that Logain was captured by the Aes Sedai in a great battle that left many sisters dead. Before traveling to Tar Valon to have his powers stripped from him, he arrives in Camelyn and sees Rand, but that city won’t be appearing in the first season.

From the trailer, Logain looks to be escaping captivity before reaching the White Tower. This would be an interesting twist to the story, but would serve basically as filler. His role in the books is rather small until the latter half of the series.

The Knight of the Bees

The most intriguing scene from the trailer reminds us of when Judkins said there will be one Aiel appearing in season 1. The Aiel are an important group of people who live in the Aiel Waste, but we don’t see them at all in the first book.

There’s a few shots in the trailer of a warrior dressed in shoufa fighting an armored soldier. The helmeted soldier appears to have the sigil of Illian on his chest plate: nine golden bees.

There’s only one instance of an Illianer soldier fighting an Aiel I can think of. Without going into much detail, Tam al’Thor joins the army of Illian and fights in the Aiel War, which happens years before the story proper begins. So it’s possible this scene is a flashback involving Tam.

Ba’alzamon

Fans watching the Wheel of Time Official Trailer 360 Experience were able to uncover a few hidden Easter eggs. This included the fiery face of Ba’alzamon — one of the main villains of the series — along with a Myydrral and a Trolloc. This could be the first confirmation of Ba’alzamon’s appearance in the first season.

What else did you notice in the trailer for The Wheel of Time?

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