[Lalwendë]

Interestingly, during the time that Cirith Ungol was being used by the Gondorians, Sauron was not resident in Mordor, he was in Dol Guldur, and the tower was abandoned long before he returned to Mordor. Presumably the area was under the control of the Nazgul durng this time. That could possibly have some bearing on the nature of the Watchers; in order to guard against unearthly foes an unearthly warning system might be needed. An invisible force field to prevent unbodied Nazgul from entering?

The 'old times' referred to by the Orcs might be referring to the time when Sauron was not resident in Mordor. Clearly the escalation in military activity is a relatively recent development in Mordor, especially set against the great span of time of the whole Third Age; the Orcs could be talking of the time when they were under less control from Sauron. I think it is clear that Orcs do have minds of their own, but the slavery they are subject to is of an insidious kind; it has as much to do with subtle forces of control as it does with the Iron Fist.

Sauron may well, like all despots (and many democratically elected leaders), have utilised 'divide and conquer', playing his 'slaves' or 'servants' off against one another. That would explain why two seeming comrades such as Shagrat and Gorbag would quickly descend into violence when the opprtunity arose. One saw it as a chance for independence while the other may have seen the opportunity to please 'the boss'; both seek power and status, which is what Sauron would hope they would seek, as they will strive that little bit harder for his approval.