Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
Are there any clues in the books on how an Uruk-Hai was selected to be a Captain, or otherwise increased in rank, over any other Uruk soldier?
Were there fighting pits or some other method of identifying Uruk-Hai with superior leadership/fighting skills?
In the movies it seems the army was created in a matter of months, which seems a short time to select ranking soldiers based on a measurable quality.
It is never made clear. The best we know from the books is that they (as a sub-race) are faster, smarter, stronger and larger than normal orcs.
Treebeard speculates that they were once Men or a hybrid between Orc and Man.
[Saruman] has taken up with foul folk, with the Orcs. Brm, hoom! Worse than that: he has been doing something to them; something dangerous. For these Isengarders are more like wicked Men. It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman's Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it. I wonder what he has done? Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!'
The Two Towers: Book III - Chapter 4: Treebeard
Tolkien later reiterated the fact that Uruk-hai were greater than the other Orcs.
Related, no doubt, was the word uruk of the Black Speech, though this was applied as a rule only to the great soldier-orcs that at this time issued from Mordor and Isengard.
Appendix F: Of Other Races
(bold emphisis mine)
That is all Tolkien writes on the creation of the Uruk-hai. We know they are better than normal Orcs and both Mordor and Isengard created some. Basically all that we see in The Two Towers (2002) is a creative liberty. Though, to be clear, there are commanders in the books.
'Not our orders!' said one of the earlier voices. 'We have come all the way from the Mines to kill, and avenge our folk. I wish to kill, and then go back north.'
'Then you can wish again,' said the growling voice. 'I am Uglúk. I command. I return to Isengard by the shortest road.'
The Two Towers: Book III - Chapter 3: The Uruk-Hai
(bold emphisis mine)
That said, given what we know about the Uruk-hai, it can fairly safely assumed that they all had leadership potential (similar to a "normal" soldier in the US Marines or Israeli Special Forces), but the best of them became the commanders. Unfortunately we are never told how said commanders were chosen.
You're asking how Captains were selected in the books, but Orcs were just like Elves and Men in their manner of reproduction in the books. They were not "farmed" or grown in vats, as we saw in the movies.
For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Iluvatar. (Silmarillion)
or in the specific case of some of Saruman's Orcs,
Saruman rediscovered this, or learned of it in lore, and in his lust for mastery committed this, his wickedest deed: the interbreeding of Orcs and Men, producing both Men-orcs large and cunning, and Orc-men treacherous and vile. (Letters)
There's no reason to believe anything other than that the strongest, meanest, and most cunning Orcs ended up Captains, and that they demonstrated their talents as they grew up over the course of many years. Presumably Sauron and Saruman also valued obedience.
In general, it's helpful to remember that Orcs were people, just an evil and fallen people. They otherwise did everything normal Men or Elves did: eat, drink, sleep, hunt, etc. We see only one aspect of Orc life.
There must have been orc-women. But in stories that seldom if ever see the Orcs except as soldiers of armies in the service of the evil lords we naturally would not learn much about their lives. (Letters)
Uglúk is called out as a particularly large orc, even for one of the Uruk-hai:
In the twilight he saw a large black orc, probably Uglúk, standing facing Grishnákh, a short crook-legged creature, very broad and with long arms that hung almost to the ground. Round them were many smaller goblins. Pippin supposed that these were the ones from the North. They had drawn their knives and swords, but hesitated to attack Uglúk.
Uglúk shouted, and a number of other Orcs nearly his own size ran up. Then suddenly, without warning, Uglúk sprang forwards, and with two swift strokes swept the heads off two of his opponents.
The Two Towers: The Uruk-Hai
Several other orc leaders are also noted as being quite large, among both Mordor's troops and the goblins of Moria:
Thereupon Azog came forth, and he was a great Orc with a huge iron-clad head
The Return of the King: Appendix A
But even as they retreated, and before Merry and Pippin had reached the stair outside, a huge orc-chieftain, almost man-high, clad in black mail from head to foot, leaped into the chamber; behind him his followers clustered in the doorway.
The Fellowship of the Ring: A Journey in the Dark
Out of the turret-door a smaller orc came flying. Behind him came Shagrat, a large orc with long arms that, as he ran crouching, reached to the ground.
The Return of the King: The Tower of Cirith Ungol
Considering how much of Uglúk's (and Shagrat's) discipline consists of threatening and killing rebellious underlings, this pattern is probably not a coincidence.
While not part of the original canon literature, this is one of the main premises explored in the Shadow of Mordor video game series.
The game takes place as a prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring, showing that the army was created some time in advance. During the events of the game, the Uruks constantly rise and fall in rank due to internal power struggles, success on their raiding missions, or by killing / being killed by Talion (who keeps coming back for more, thanks to Celebrimbor). It is shown that even a lowly grunt can rise through the ranks very rapidly, all the way up to War-Chief, if they prove themselves over their fellow Uruks.
It was pretty clear in the movie. There was a scene where the new captain ate the old captain. He says "Meat is back on the menu, boys!" So it's clear that it's similar to how it works with wolves and lions: to take over, you eat the old boss.
