- TheMouthOfSauron
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- Fabled Heroic Member
And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord's favour; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc.
He's a black astrophysicist. That might not seem like a big deal, but if you've seen any of the interviews in which he talks about his ethnicity, it's pretty important. He recalled growing up without ever seeing a black man (who was a highly regarded academic expert) on television. He explained that in college, he was considered a "traitor" to his race by another black student for going into a pursuit that wouldn't further black rights, after which he was approached to be a speaker on some news program to discuss some astronomical event. He then became someone whom black kids could look up to.
It's not that he's a brilliant scientific mind, it's that he has overcome the odds and has become somewhat of a symbol.