Contents 1 LOST Viewership 2 Contributions 3 Theories on the Flash-Sideways Timeline 4 Theory that the Man in Black and the Black Smoke were Once Separate Entities 5 Miscellaneous Theories 6 Partially Correct Past Theories 7 Disproved Theories 8 A Previous Theory on the Monster 9 Recommended Viewing

LOST Viewership Edit

I had traditionally foregone watching LOST in increments throughout the television season in favor of watching the season in its entirety on DVD over a period of several days after Christmas. However, after watching theDHARMA Booth Video in the summer of 2008, I became impatient and purchased season 4 on iTunes, watching the episodes on his computer at night and on his iPod at work. I now watch each episode as it is televised and the next day through iTunes, allowing me to be a more careful observant than previously and giving me time to develop theories between episodes. I am most intrested in the science fiction and metaphysical aspects of the show, particularly its use of time travel in an immutable continuity and its relation to destiny.

Contributions Edit

• I was the first on Lostpedia to identify the third painting in Charles Widmore's office as a depiction of the Incident Room.

• I was the first to coin the name "Esau" for Jacob's enemy.

Theories on the Flash-Sideways Timeline Edit

I. The so-called alternate timeline is not actually such, but rather an alternate universe altogether. Neither universe was created by actions taken within the other, but have always coexisted parallel to one another. It is possible that such a universe is composed of mirror matter, or exists as the result of some other hypothetical concept in physics.

Nevertheless, certain actions taken within each universe can have an effect on the other, such as Juliet's detonation of the hydrogen bomb. The bomb's energy transfered to the parallel universe as a side effect of the electromagnetic pocket of energy. This lead to the Island sinking in the parallel universe. The existence of a parallel universe allowed Faraday's reset to work while at the same time preserving the Novikov self-consistency principle, more commonly refereed to as "whatever happened, happened."

II.The Season 1 episode The Moth contains the key to understanding the flash-sideways. In it Locke uses the emergence of a moth from its chrysalis as a metaphor for the necessary pain and struggle which the survivors of flight 815 are undergoing in order to imbue in them greater inner strength.

The intense tests of faith forced upon the survivors by the Island do not seem to be present in the flash-sideways timeline, however.

Locke has a relationship with his father and Helen, but as a result succumbs to the limitations brought on by his paralysis, a clear abandonment of his characteristic faith and hope. Ben doesn't bare the guilt of sacrificing Alex in the flash-sideways timeline, yet it is his contrition for such an act in the original timeline has placed him on the side of the forces of good, likely leading to his eventual redemption.

To use Locke’s metaphor, the characters chrysalises have been cut open for them in the flash-sideways timeline, and although their lives appear benefited for the moment, it will eventual prove to be to their detriment. The original timeline, not the flash-sideways, will have the happy ending.

Theory that the Man in Black and the Black Smoke were Once Separate Entities Edit

The Man in Black and the Black Smoke were once separate entities that merged together at some point prior to the events of the series.

From Ab Aeterno we know that the Statue of Taweret and presumably the other ancient ruins (including the Temple) predate the arrival of the Black Rock and the first modern Other, Richard Alpert. Given the depiction of the Smoke Monster in the chamber below the Temple, it is fair to assume that the Black Smoke existed since this time. Far from the Temple being a place of refuge from the Smoke Monster, this chamber appears to have acted as its dwelling place, with its function being that of a security system (possibly even protecting the Temple from the Man in Black, though he would not have been a significant threat prior to the merging under my theory).

Its composition would likely consist of exotic matter similar to that found near the Orchid Station, charged by the Island’s unique electromagnetic energy, both of which the Island's earliest inhabitants were capable of crudely manipulating.

According to his own account, the Man in Black was once an ordinary human being. His crazy mother shaped his negative attitude towards mankind, believing that it was perpetually doomed to corruption. I suspect he and his mother both belonged to the Island’s original population (whom Jacob would have brought for an as of yet unrevealed purpose). The Man in Black’s growing malevolence would not have been an issue if he remained simply human, as he could have been exiled or eventually would have died of old age, but he somehow became merged with the Black Smoke, resulting the modern incarnation of the Smoke Monster and the subsequent annihilation of the Islands native population.

Since that time he has been subject to both of his natures. This is evident in the fact that Ben was still able to summon the Black Smoke to ward off the mercenaries, and in the real Locke’s personality at times emerging in Fake Locke’s actions, such as his retort to the mysterious boy, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!”

Meanwhile, Jacob (whose own nature is neither merely human nor angelic/divine) had served as his jailer, hoping to correct his views on human nature at the same time. However, even with his jailer now dead, the jail remains, as it is the Island’s unique nature that was both the source of his abilities and the means of his imprisonment. It is for that reason he must work quickly to devise a means of escape, before a Candidate steps in and takes up Jacob’s mantle.

However, Jacob’s successor will not merely be another jailor. Rather, that individual (my guess is Jack) will devise a means by which to separate the Black Smoke and the Man in Black. The result will be that the Black Smoke resumes it proper functioning and in doing so judges the Man in Black for his crimes, resulting in his execution.

Miscellaneous Theories Edit

• The name "Kwon" in the cave and the lighthouse does not refer to either Jin or Sun, but to the two of them as a single unit, reflecting a Biblical view of marriage in which the two are regarded as one flesh. It is significant that Jacob touched both of them simultaneously, and only once there were wed.

• The difference in Jack's seat number (23 in the original timeline and 24 in the alternate timeline) suggest an alteration to the core values of the Valenzetti Equation in the parallel universe. Hugo used these new numbers to win the lottery, which in turn resulted in his apparent good fortune.

• Dogan and Lennon have both received the same blessing of agelessness which Jacob bestowed upon Richard Alpert.

• The volatile combination of the nuclear explosion and the electromagnetic energy already present results in a final time-flash to which only the survivors are subject. Richard, in learning about the Incident and seeing no survivors, but realizing that the timeline has not been altered, presumes that Jack's plan failed all present at the site perished.

• In attempting to alter the course of events, beginning with preventing the Dharma Initiative from drilling near the Swan, Daniel Faraday will himself have caused the Incident, just as despite his previous efforts he nevertheless gave his warning to Charlotte. Jack and Kate will detonate Jughead, per his instructions, but this will achieve precisely the opposite effect of what he intended.

• Just as the flight number of Oceanic 815 contained two of the Numbers, Ajira Airlines flight 316 signifies a change in the core values of the Valenzetti Equation. Two of these numbers are embedded in the flight number, or alternatively, 316 represent the sum of the new core values, similar to 108 before.

• The wheel chamber, along with Christian and Jacob, are moving through time along the same path as Locke and the rest of those left behind.
  • If this were not the case, as soon as the survivors moved to a time prior to Ben's removal of the wheel from its axle or after Locke's repairs, they would no longer experience time flashes.
  • Alternatively, if the wheel chamber and Christian were outside of linear time entirely, Christian would possess foreknowledge of Locke's success in returning the Oceanic Six, instead of merely displaying faith in John.

• While the Island does natural move to different points in space without the need for an individual to turn the wheel, it also has a tendency to remain in one spot for several weeks at at time, and in a general vicinity for even longer than that.
  • The Island's tendency to drift through space near to its previous location explains how the Island remained close to Fiji at multiple times throughout the 108 between the crash and its disappearance.
  • In order to move the Island a sufficient distance from its then current location, Jacob could not rely on its natural drift but rather needed the wheel to be turned, thereby hindering Charles Widmore's efforts to relocate it again.

Partially Correct Past Theories Edit

• The flash occurring after Locke's fixing and subsequent use of the Frozen Wheel is the final random flash those left behind will experience. They are temporarily stuck in the late 1970s or early 1980s. This estimate is based off of Pierre Chang's statement "roughly thirty years" in the DHARMA Booth Video (received in July of 2008), and the alleged date of Charlotte's birth (July 2nd 1979). It is possible that either Pierre's calculation had a factor of error of several years or that Charlotte was born early than her records state. The events which those left behind will experience at this time are:
  • Daniel's warning to the young Charlotte
  • Daniel's infiltration of the Orchid in an attempt to return him and his friends to the present
  • The production of the DHARMA Booth Video
    • During this time the adult Miles will encounter his father, Pierre Chang, and his infant self. When Pierre learns from those left behind of the coming Purge, he decides to send his son away to escape death, knowing already that he will be successful by the fact that Miles is indeed still alive, and thus creating a paradox.

• The time flash seen in 316 affected only those aboard the plane and not those left behind on the Island. It has brought the Oceanic Six to a time period very shortly after the final flash which result from Locke's turn of the wheel. Whereas that flash placed Faraday and company in the DHARMA era, by this point several days or weeks have past, with Daniel, Jin, and perhaps other having successfully infiltrated the Initiative, as indicated by Jin's uniform.
  • This time is after Faraday's warning to the young Charlotte.
  • This time is immediately following (and caused by) Faraday's infiltration of the Orchid as seen in Because You Left.
  • This time is shortly prior to the taping of the DHARMA Booth Video.
  • This time is still prior to the Incident, which will be caused by, or result from, the survivors returning to the present.

Disproved Theories Edit

• The season six premier will be Esau centric. The opening scene will be of the Black Rock caught in a tempest, resulting in it crashing on the Island. Right before cutting to the “Lost” title frames, the shipwreck survivors will wake up on the hull and see Esau watching them from the jungle. Flashbacks will include his first interactions with the crew (deliberately attempting to set them on a path towards corruption in order to prove Jacob wrong), the cause of his imprisonment in Goodspeed's cabin, and his release from the cabin concurrent to the crash of Ajira 316.

• By leaving the Island in defiance of their destiny the Oceanic Six accomplished what the DHARMA Initiative was never able to do: alter the core values of the Valenzetti Equation, the mathematical formula which predicts the date of mankind's inevitable destruction. However, by leaving they have served to accelerate this disaster, not postpone or circumvent it. Thus their presence has had a strongly negative ripple effect on world events, albeit so subtly that few individuals (such as Eloise Hawking) have been able to rightfully observe this effect and discern its source. Their overall objective in returning to the Island will be not only to undue the damage which they have done, but to end the threat of Armageddon once and for all.

• Annie is Jeanette Lewis, the mother of Charlotte (whose father is Ben). She left the Island to escape from Ben, changing both her and her daughter's names so that Ben could not track them down.

• Those left behind have experienced the twin paradox when compared to the Oceanic Six. Jin was 30 years old and Sun was 26 when the Island was moved. When they are reunited in DHARMA's time, Jin will still have only been alive for 30 years while his wife Sun will almost have caught up with him at 29. The presumption that the survivors on the Island have experienced the same amount of time lapse as those off the Island is unfounded.

• Having moved the Island, Locke will now find himself one the eastern coast of Brazil, at approximately the other side of the globe from Guam's location, in the same way that Tunisia was the approximate opposite side of the globe from Fiji, the location of the Island when Ben turned the wheel. Evidence that Guam is an indicator for the location of the Island now is the boarding pass for Ajira Airlines flight 316, which is flying from LAX to Guam.
  • The largest event window indicated on Eloise Hawking's computer screen is just slightly southwest of Guam.

• Charles Widmore defied Jacob's orders and betrayed the Others as part of a power play for control of the Island and by doing so brokered a deal with DHARMA, allowing it to gain its initial foothold on the Island.

• Claire reclaimed Aaron, knowing that the Kate needed to return, but also that Aaron was somehow exempt from any such obligation. After this Kate felt alone, causing her to turn back to Jack.

A Previous Theory on the Monster Edit

Many numerous theories for the nature of the Monster have been proposed, most offering either a materialistic explanation for it as a purely natural phenomenon, while others have offer primarily supernatural speculations. My central premise is that, just as with humans, the Monster possesses a body/soul dichotomy. Thus, both scientific and spiritual explanations contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the creature.

For clarity’s sake, I will hereafter refer to the spirit/soul of the Monster as “Cerberus,” and the body of the Monster as the “Black Smoke.”

Cerberus is most clearly understood when viewed in similar light to that of the Angel of Death who carried out the slaughter of the firstborn as the final plague against Egypt in the book of Exodus, with Jacob serving a similar role to that of God (though this is not to say Jacob is omnipotent or omniscient, though he is the most powerful entity on the Island, and acts in its best interest). Thus, while Cerberus is a malevolent spirit (though not outright demonic), it is nevertheless subject to Jacob’s authority, and made to carry out his judgments. It is also at times subject to Jacob’s servants, such as Ben, and required to protect them. At other times Jacob holds its chain, denying it victims, as with God and the Accuser in the book of Job.

The Black Smoke itself is more than merely a body for Cerberus. Similar to the Wheel, it derives several of its properties from some element of “fringe” science, (such as exotic matter). Furthermore, the analogy of a body may not be fully accurate, as Cerberus and the Black Smoke were at one time independent entities. Only Cerberus was sentient, and only the Black Smoke was intended as part of the Temple’s security system (confusing the two natures of the Monster, Radzinsky dubbed the underground tunnels “Cerberus Vents”). It was Jacob who imprisoned Cerberus within the Black Smoke, unnaturally bonding it to the material world to limit it freedom of movement as a form of punishment on the spirit for a yet unspecified transgression.

In their final confrontation with the Monster at the end of the series, the survivors will manage to render the Black Smoke inert, unintentionally releasing Cerberus before defeating it once and for all.

Recommended Viewing Edit