In the dramatic final moments of Episode 1 of "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is on a ship from Middle-earth to Valinor, the place she was born and a haven of sorts where elves can live in eternal bliss.
Why'd she do it? Despite peace throughout Middle-earth, Galadriel believes that evil is ready to reemerge at any moment, so she leads a tireless quest to find the Dark Lord Sauron at the start of the series.
Although she and her warriors come up short, the elven high king Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) rewards them for their efforts by sending them to Valinor, otherwise known as the Undying Lands or Grey Havens.
Clark believes Galadriel wouldn't have been content in Valinor, because she'd always be wondering what might've happened if she'd stayed and fought.
"She feels that's a duty of hers," Clark says. "Galadriel is immensely powerful, so when she sets her mind to something, big things will happen.
Some of them she expects and is ready for, and some no one in the whole of Middle-earth is prepared for."
Co-creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay say Galadriel's conflicted feelings about leaving Middle-earth was one of the earliest ideas they had for the "Lord of the Rings" prequel series.