How'd I'd have done the climax of LOTR differently

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

I'd have done a lot of it similar, but had the very climax on Mount Doom have a huge difference.

I'd have Gollum get the Ring from Frodo but, instead of having him dance and fall into Mount Doom by accident, I'd have him wonder what to do with it.  The Nazg?l would be practically outside the door after a while.

Right then, the last bit of SmeagÛl in him would realize that the Ring was evil and had been nothing but trouble to him and he'd regret all he'd done, including killing DeagÛl, and would throw his old Precious, the Ring, right into the fire of Mount Doom.  The Nazg¸l would rush forward, but the Ring would be destroyed and they'd explode as they can't be around with the Ring gone.  

Gollum would get weaker and apologize to Frodo and Sam for all the evil he'd done.  They'd try and save him, but he'd say that their kindness to him had already saved him.  He'd then die, as he was like 500 years old and needed the Ring to keep around.  

After that, everything else would go as before, though Gollum would also be hailed as hero by the Lords of the West too in addition to Frodo and Sam.  

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

needs more eagles

[Nick22]

Without the ring, Gollum would be, more or less cured. he would not die without the ring, but he would start to feel the affects of age, as even bilbo did, with far less time exposed to the ring (60 years vs the 500 or so Gollum had it). he was at least 600 years old, and spent close to 500 years in the Misty Mountains. the eagles would rescued all 3 from mount doom, and then gollum would have had to decide what to do with what time was left to him.gollum was literally the last of his kind, his species had died out hundreds of years before. its possible that gollum would have been permitted to join the group sailing from the grey havens, which included bilbo (by then 131 years of age- the oldest hobbit on record), Frodo, Galadriel, Elrond and gandalf. I figure at that point. Bilbo and Golum would have been like two  very old men who like to share stories with each other, their old emnity forgotten. gollum, like bilbo would have been an old creature who liked naps.

[Malte279]

I think such endings would underestimate the effect the ring did have on Gollum. We saw Bilbo's rapid aging afterwards and Gollum was (through duration of posession as well as evil means by which it was obtained and frequent use) a lot more under the influence of the ring. I think that a sudden change of mind at the spot where the power of the ring was probably greater than anywhere else would have been rather implausible.
Also Gollum himself (when confronted by Sam just before entering Samath Naur, the door into Mount Doom) is very concrete about what the destruction of the ring will do to him:

"Lost, lost! We're lost. And when precious goes we'll die, yes, die into the dust." He clawed up the ashes of the path with his long fleshless fingers. "Dusst!" he hissed.

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

I think such endings would underestimate the effect the ring did have on Gollum. We saw Bilbo's rapid aging afterwards and Gollum was (through duration of posession as well as evil means by which it was obtained and frequent use) a lot more under the influence of the ring. I think that a sudden change of mind at the spot where the power of the ring was probably greater than anywhere else would have been rather implausible.
Also Gollum himself (when confronted by Sam just before entering Samath Naur, the door into Mount Doom) is very concrete about what the destruction of the ring will do to him:

"Lost, lost! We're lost. And when precious goes we'll die, yes, die into the dust." He clawed up the ashes of the path with his long fleshless fingers. "Dusst!" he hissed.

I know, but Gandalf himself said that Gollum might be capable of some good, and, indeed, he he was, as he led them the only way in that would have worked (Frodo would have tried going through the Black Gate had Gollum not come.)

Also, the fact that Gollum is kind of a Hobbit too may make him stronger than men and stuff.   Anyway, Bilbo came very close to killing Gollum when he took ownership of the Ring.  

As for Deagol, I don't condone what Gollum did, but, well, in a sad way, he might have done his old friend a favor by killing him rather than letting him be the one driven mad and bad by continuing to have it.

Also, as I said, the Nazg?l would be very near and Gollum would realize that he's not gonna be able to keep the Ring anyway and so would do the right thing for once when Frodo failed.  

Yes, he'd die right afterward, as he says so, and hence couldn't be rescued by the Eagles.  

Anyway, Gandalf says that Gollum actually really hates the Ring and this is his chance to finally be rid of it and die in peace.  Gollum wouldn't destroy the Ring, but I think Smeagol would.  

Anyway, Gollum would know the evil effects of the Ring better than pretty much anyone and so would want it gone the most.