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You are not alone!

Tolkien was vague on that.... intentionally or not. It was in fact somehow crossing them with men that allowed them to move in daylight, was it not? - I don't remember that.

I'll have to get out my Silmarillion and other references tonight. Regardless, these are great times for us Tolkien fans. Jackson has hit a grand slam IMO. I can't wait for The Two Towers.

I just finished watching the extended version of FOTR and was super impressed. The treatment of the hobbits at the beginning and the detail of the gifts from Galadriel put the finishing touches on the first movie.

Tolkien was vague about the Uruk-hai, but more as a result of the POV style of the books. Only Saruman knew how he had changed the Orcs into Uruk-hai but we never get the story from his POV. Tolkien did give us some clues though from other characters' suppositions. Like Treebeard's comments:

"And now it is clear that [Saruman] is a black traitor. He 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!"