The Orchid
From Lostpedia
The Hydra • The Arrow • The Swan
The Flame • The Pearl • The Orchid
The Staff • The Tempest
The Looking Glass • The Lamp Post
[[:Category:{{{Images}}}|Images]]
The Orchid is a DHARMA Initiative station surreptitiously dedicated to time travel research, under the guise of being a botanical research station. It is located in an underground chamber beneath a greenhouse, and draws energy for its experiments from the same anomalous energy source as the frozen wheel.
This station is mentioned on the blast door map. At the 7:00 position, there is a notation: "Low Priority Zone for Exploration - Possible site for Above Ground Study of ?Flora?. Low Relevance to Valenzetti related Research Activity".
The Orchid was temporarily inhabited by Keamy and his men ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1") in attempt to catch Benjamin Linus, in relation to something called the "Secondary Protocol". It was last seen on December 30, 2004 from Ben's perspective as he used the most subterranean level of the station to "move" the Island. He wore an Orchid parka with the name Halliwax printed on the left breast. As he turned a giant frozen wheel, a bright white light was generated in the Island's entire vicinity, and a humming (similar to that of the discharge) could be heard. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")
When Ben wakes up in the Tunisian Desert in October 2005, he is wearing the same Orchid Jacket. He has steam coming off of him and still has the arm injury he sustained descending into the bottom level of the station. ("The Shape of Things to Come")
The Orchid was first mentioned in outtakes from its orientation film originally presented at the Lost Panel at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con and later on the Region 1 Season 3 DVD release. It was introduced by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse as a teaser for Season 4. The video is presented by Edgar Halliwax. According to the video, the Orchid, or "Station 6", is a fake botanical station that houses many numbered white rabbits. It seems to have an alarm system with elements similar to that of the Swan. The subject of the Orchid's research is described as "highly volatile and potentially dangerous", and reference is made to the Casimir effect.
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Construction
in 1977 when the Orchid station was under construction, Dr. Chang came to the station to inspect a problem. The workers had been cutting through the rock on his specs, but the drills had melted. Chang ordered the workers not to drill further into the chamber that they had detected behind the rock. An incident would occur. He tells them that the Orchid is being built there because of its proximity to what is believed to be an almost limitless energy that, once it can be harnessed correctly, would allow them to manipulate time.("Because You Left") Miles and Hurley later brought the corpse of a dead DHARMA worker to Pierre Chang, who was working at the Orchid at the time. ("Some Like It Hoth")
Introduction and presentation
Outtakes from the Orchid's orientation film were introduced by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse as an opportunity to "learn more about the DHARMA Initiative". Cuse further described the film as "something that will fire your imaginations about what you're gonna see in Season 4".
Before the video played, Lindelof and Cuse recounted a story in which the film was sent to them after being found in a building in Narvik, Norway that was set to be demolished (possibly the Hanso Foundation headquarters). The film was then purportedly spliced together and restored by the writers.
Orientation video
Implications of the film
- Because of their reputation as prolific breeders, rabbits are often used as a symbol of fertility as well.
- Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse suggest that fans curious about Charlotte's discovery of a polar bear skeleton in Tunisia watch the Orchid video, and further draw a link between the polar bear with the bunny in the video. (Official Lost Podcast/February 19, 2008)
- In the film, Edgar Halliwax specifically mentions the Island's creation of a " Casimir effect". The appearance of such a pointed reference implies that the Orchid plays a specific role in the unique space/time properties of the Island (see wormholes).
- The mention of 'negatively charged exotic matter' is something of a misnomer, more likely referring to 'negative density' exotic matter, like the oft-referenced theoretical particle known as the tachyon. These theoretical particles possess a 'negative energy density' or more appropriately, a negative mass, and are necessary to stabilize the event horizon of a wormhole enough for an object to pass through it. That the Casimir effect is also mentioned is significant insofar as the Casimir effect can lead to areas of space possessing negative mass density, and thus areas of space-time that could support the event horizon of a wormhole.
- Hidden messages in the film:
- 0:40 - The Lab in the video
- 0:49 - A tower block which is also seen in the Swan Orientation film
- 1:09 - "God loves you as he loved Jacob" (as seen in the Room 23 video)
- 1:42 - Video of a bicycle which is also seen in the Barracks video
The station
Greenhouse
The Orchid is several hours north or northwest of the Survivor's camp.
From the outside, the Orchid station resembles a greenhouse, containing a variety of flora. The station's exterior also appears to have become ruined and overgrown with vines covering, stairs and support beams.
There is a hidden switch within the station that activates an elevator taking one to the "actual" station underground. Ben tells Locke:
| “ |
You're going to go into that greenhouse through that hole there. Once inside, you're going to turn left. Go about 20 paces until you see a patch of anthuriums on your left. They're in an alcove against the north wall. Face that wall, reach down with your left hand, you'll find a switch that activates the elevator. The elevator takes you down to the actual Orchid station. | ” |
Inner sanctum
At the bottom of the elevator is a short corridor with adjacent rooms, and a larger area containing desks, various electronic equipment, rabbit cages, a TV and VCR upon which the Orientation video is to be viewed, and an oval-shaped room called "the Vault" where experiments with space-time are said to occur. Dr. Edgar Halliwax states that the device is used to displace a rabbit by 100 milliseconds in time, and that no metallic objects are to be placed in the room.
Judging by the original video, which was said by the writers to be "out-takes" of the real video, the equipment does indeed function, but often has unpredictable results.
Issue #19 of Lost: The Official Magazine shows some production stills of various locations within The Orchid. The stills show:
- A testing laboratory with beakers;
- A machine labeled 'MAGNETRON TRANSMITTER';
- An office-space;
- A chalkboard on which a maintenance schedule is written:
- Monday: Emergency Lighting(?)
- Tuesday: Water Pumps
- Wednesday: Electronic Generators(?)
- Thursday: Air Conditioning
- Friday: Oil Pumps
- Saturday: Backup Systems
- Sunday: Station wide PA
- Folders labelled 'VTS4 Procedures'
Orchid well
- During an unknown period of the Island's history, but prior to the construction of the Orchid, a stone well with a rope leading into it existed near to what would one day become the Orchid entrance. After Locke bid goodbye to the time-jumping survivors, Sawyer helped him down the well. Below the well was a cavern that led to the frozen wheel. This was a separate route to the wheel than the one Ben used. After another time flash (which seemed to emanate from the bottom of the well), this well vanished, sealing Locke inside the wheel chamber. Charlotte, alluding to a time in her childhood when she was associated with the DHARMA Initiative, knew of the existence of the well. ("This Place Is Death")
Wheel chamber
Behind the concrete wall of the Vault is a tunnel, similar in design to Ben's secret door. At the end of the tunnel is a ladder leading down a hole covered by ice, and at the bottom is a small ice cavern with hieroglyphs carved into several surfaces, a small lantern, and a large wheel embedded into a rock wall and encased in ice. The wheel apparently is the device which moves the island through space and/or time, and is apparently related to a massive electromagnetic discharge, as it sets off a reaction similar to the failsafe key in the Swan station.
Notable visitors
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| Picture | Name | First visit | Last visit | Reason for Visit | ||||||
 | Pierre Chang | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | "The Variable" | Was seen in the station's orientation film. Also came to the station under construction to inspect a problem. | ||||||
 | Keamy | "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | Led the mercenaries to the greenhouse to ambush Ben; later followed him to the hidden section, where Ben killed him | ||||||
 | Omar | "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | Traveled there with the mercenary team | ||||||
 | Ben | "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | Used the frozen wheel to move the Island and was transported to Tunisia in 2005 | ||||||
 | Locke | "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" | "This Place Is Death" | Traveled with Ben to move the Island and said goodbye to him and returned during the time flashes to stop the Island's moving | ||||||
 | Hurley | "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" | "Some Like It Hoth" | Traveled there with Ben and Locke | ||||||
 | Jack | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | Went to find Hurley, and argued with Locke | ||||||
 | Sawyer | "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | "This Place Is Death" | Accompanied Jack to find Hurley and returned with Locke during the time flashes to stop the Island's moving | ||||||
 | Daniel | "Because You Left" | "The Variable" | Visited The Orchid after returning from Dharma headquarters in Ann Arbor. | ||||||
 | Jin | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Followed Locke during the time flashes to stop the Island's moving | ||||||
 | Miles | "This Place Is Death" | "The Variable" | Followed Locke during the time flashes to stop the Island's moving | ||||||
 | Juliet | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Followed Locke during the time flashes to stop the Island's moving | ||||||
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Orchid/Theories
- Who constructed the well and when was it built?
- What happened to destroy the well?
- Why did the Dharma Initiative feel the need to conceal the true purpose of the Orchid?
External links
- The Orchid Orientation Video - This version lacks the profanity and countdown alarm sound.
- The Orchid Orientation Video from Comic Con audience - This version includes the profanity and countdown alarm sound, as well as the reactions of the audience.
- Lost Panel Video
- Casimir effect (Wikipedia)
- Exotic matter (Wikipedia)
- TheTailSection - video of Lost Panel at Comic Con 2007, including short statement about the Orchid video. (may contain other spoilers)
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