What was Gandalf's Plan?

I was listening to the radio plays, the Ring Goes South episode, and it got me thinking. In play, and book, Aragorn says he is going with the Company because he is going to Minas Tirith with Boromir and therefore Bormomir will also be joining the Company. The Plan, as much as there seems to be one, is that Gandalf would go with Frodo to Mordor.
But Gandalf is to the orcs and their like what the Black Riders are to normal people- a terrifying presence. So how did Gandalf plan to get into Mordor?
Hard to imagine him sneaking his way in without alerting the Enemy to a great power within His borders. So it got me wondering what was he originally planning to do?
Any thoughts?

I think the plan was to split up, like everyone was going to do anyway. Weren't Legolas and Gimli going to leave once they got somewhere? same with Boromir? So I think that they all would've split up anyway, and then whoever was with Frodo would find a way into Mordor. Probably the same way Frodo DID end up getting in.

Unless Gandalf was planning on calling the eagles.......

Btw, where is everyone?

Tinuviel wrote:Btw, where is everyone?

I'm still here and still reading posts, I just haven't been as active on forums in general for the past week or so for a number of reasons.

I think Tin is right. Aragorn and Boromir were planning to split off and go to Minas Tirith if I'm not mistaken.

Yes but had Gandalf not fallen in Moria- where was he planning to go?
Was he planning to send Frodo off on his own or just with Sam?
Was he planning to go to Minas Tirith with Aragorn and Bormoir?
Or was he going to stay with the ring-bearer?

Putting myself in Gandalf's shoes, I think my plan would be to get the Ringbearer close enough for mission insertion, but do some recon before putting the final plan into place. News was more uncertain in middle earth, so planning every detail to the very end would be silly until you have some ground truth near zero point.

At Parth Galen Aragorn says of Gandalf something like "If he had a plan for this hour he never told me. But I still think the choice would have fallen on you Frodo."

But even if Gandalf had let Frodo choose what if Frodo had choosen to go but with Gandalf- I would have opted for him if I was to be given that choice.
But would he have gone? Could he go?
It seems almost as difficult for Gandalf to conceal his power and presence to servants of the Enemy as it is for Black Riders to do so to normal people.
Could Gandalf have slipped into Mordor unnoticed by Sauron? Especially wearing one of the three?

Well as the quote says I think Gandalf would let Frodo choose who he wanted to go into Mordor with him. I'm not sure if Gandalf would have felt it necessary to stay in touch with their allies in Gondor and Rohan to coordinate the defense of the west while Frodo was still en route to Mount Doom or if he would have felt secure trusting that to Aragorn, Faramir, and others. I could see a case being made either way.

I think you raise a very good point about it being significantly harder for Gandalf to sneak into Mordor. It's not one I'd thought about but you're probably correct and that would doubtless be something he'd have considered.

I'm guessing he would have escorted Frodo up to Cirith Ungol (protecting against the dark unknown menace that turned out to be Shelob), then back out to help arrange some type of diversion at the black gates much like what actually happened.

Or the longer route that's clear from any map: go clear around the mountains of shadow to the western coast, and back past the lake into Mordor.

Sorry, mountains open up to the east. A very long trip.

I have always wondered if Gandalf planned to go all the way to the east, or if he would have suggested it. I believe Rhovanion was mostly empty at that time, and there were some ancient roads, but those were also the main route Easterlings used to reach the West. It probably would have been safer than Cirith Ungol (which I'm sure Gandalf knew about), though.

If Gandalf had taken on Shelob Sauron would surely have known something was up- look at his encounters before that- he lit up Weathertop against the nazgul and the mountain top fighting the Balrog, and he 'augments' his powers with the Ring of Fire- he'd have been way to obvious.
I think he would have resisted going Shelobs way at all, but that doesnt leave many options.

I think its Gandalfs role to go only so far with the Hobbits whether its Bilbo or Frodo. I think part of is unfolding events outside his control and part of it is foresight, he is a powerful and mysterious wizard with strange powers, and part of it is that the story is about the Hobbits overcoming terrible odds and part of it he probably knew that if he went with them he would be lit up like a christmas tree to his enemies but he was willing to go anyway. I always thought Aragorn pledged to go with Frodo but was unsure and that Boromir tried to pursuade him to go to Minas Tirith. I think Gandalf knew that it would fall on Frodos and Sams shoulders in the end.

If LOTR was written by one of Tolkien's american imitators (or better yet an action movie director), Gandalf would have just blasted his way the fuck into mordor and deposited that mo-fo in the bloody mountain instead of prancing about the issue like a pack of goddam nancies. I mean, what good is wizard otherwise?

Mmm maybe a remake is on the horizon with the cast of the expendables as the Fellowship!
Arnie as Gandalf, as he falls strangling the Balrog with is bare hands shouting "I'll be back!"

thats why PJ is so brilliant

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Mmm maybe a remake is on the horizon with the cast of the expendables as the Fellowship!
Arnie as Gandalf, as he falls strangling the Balrog with is bare hands shouting "I'll be back!"

I liked that idea until I realized that Sly Stallone would probably be Frodo.

Actually that would be kinda cute.

So... it'd be Lord of the Expendables?
And I think Gandalf would have mysteriously left anyway. He did it in the Hobbit, he did it at Bree. I think he trusts the hobbits more than he trusts men. He'd find a way to get Frodo to go by himself, or perhaps with the other hobbits, if he'd never left, or he'd ask for a horse, and when asked where he was going, would respond with "In search of answers!"

He managed to get in to Dol Guldur a couple of times. I am not so sure that he couldnt have made his way in undetected. Then maybe have tried to take on Barad Dur himself as a diversion or something.

Also, he wouldnt have been Gandalf Mk.2 if he hadn't fallen.... he may not have had the power to do too much when he was in there.

Could replace the Army of the Dead with Chuck Norris!!!