(by Mandos – with a gloss by Beleg)

I think Saruman is the unsung hero of the Lord of the Rings
What if Saruman would not have chiosen the “Dark side”?
The fellowship would go to Mordor through Rohan’s Gap and Minas Tirith. But here Denethor, with the help of Boromir, would have not permitted the Ring to leave the city.
Then the attack from Mordor would have followed. But, as Gandalf says in the book, there is no hope of a military victory agains Mordor. Not even with the help of Dunlandings, Uruk-hai and Orcs sent from Isengard.
Also becouse Moria’s balrog would still be alive, bringing havoc in Lorien or whenever Sauron would send it and the Moria orcs.

And if, by chance, the mission was fulfilled, who would stop the Norther Army? Not the Ents, not awakened by Merry and Pippin

But who is Saruman?
He was proud and was considered the most powerful of the Istari. Could it be the Valar – the power of the world – made the wrong pick? I suggest Saruman did not bother to explain the risks of not passing through Moria (to have a living Balrog) and go to Minas Tirith (Denethor’s desidere to size the Ring). Could he ask, or command, Gandalf to pass through Moria? Of course not. Gandalf would not have risked the Ring to pass so near a balrog.

So Saruman devised a plan to:

• kill the balrog
• have the Ring pass away from Minas Tirith
• awake the Ents
• hinder Gundalf so that he will not lead the hobbits to Rivendell, letting them find the swords – remember Merry on the Pelennor Field
• put on the wrong track Sauron’s spies concerning “Baggins” and “the Shire”

After the war was won, he devastated the Shire to help Sam, Pippin and Merry complete their growth and to make Frodo understand immediatly the Shire was not for him. So he could leave with Gandalf to go West

And after all this toils, he is considered an evil caracter!
I say again: he is the unsong hero of the war of the ring

Gloss by Beleg

Note also how he saves Merry and Pippin from Sauron’s orcs.
And why would you think Rohan’s raider chose to scout the very spot where the orcs are, finding and killing them all? Whith all the space of the plain of Rohan, they do pass in that very spot by chance. A chance, as we say in Middle Earth
And who make Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas enter the wood and so meeting Gandalf?