Pierre Chang

Nome	Dr. Pierre Chang
Interpretato da	François Chau

Pierre Chang era uno scienziato del progetto DHARMA proveniente da Ann Arbor, Michigan, che appare nei filmati di orientamento delle varie stazioni dell'isola. E' il marito di Lara Chang e il padre di Miles, e, nel 1977, caccia la sua famiglia dall'isola per salvarla dall'imminente pericolo dell'incidente. Nei vari filmati d'orientamento, usa vari pseudonimi, inclusi Dr. Marvin Candle, Dr. Mark Wickmund e Dr. Edgar Halliwax.

Sull'Isola

1977

Chang threatens Hurley with hard labor on the Hydra Island. ("Il padre che non c'era")

Dopo l'arrivo delle nuove reclute DHARMA, a Chang, prendendo il posto di Amy che era assente a causa della nascita del figlio, venne assegnato il compito di consegnare ai nuovi membri le tute e i loro ruoli all'interno del progetto. Uno dei nuovi arrivati era Jack Shephard, al quale era stato dato il ruolo di manodopera sulla base del suo test iniziale attitudinale. ("Namaste")

Due giorni dopo, venne chiesto a Miles adulto di consegnare un corpo morto a Chang alla stazione Orchidea. Alla stazione, Miles rivelò ad Hurley che Chang era sua padre; Miles aveva scoperto ciò quando sua madre camminava dietro di lui alla caffetteria tre giorni dopo la fine dei salti temporali. Il Dr. Chang era scontento che Miles aveva portato con se Hurley, e arrabbiato che Hurley sapesse del corpo. Egli minacciò Hurley di assegnarli il compito di spalare feci di orso polare sull'isola Idra se lui avesse parlato, ma Hurley fu d'accordo nel mantenere il segreto. Miles e Hurley quindi diedero un passaggio al Dr.Chang presso Radzinsky al cantiere del Cigno. Lungo la strada, Hurley dà alcuni indizi circa la relazione tra Miles e Pierre, con uno sconvolto Miles. ("Il padre che non c'era")

Chang reads to his son, Miles. ("Il padre che non c'era")

La notte successiva, Chang stava leggendo una storia al piccolo Miles, quando suonò il telefono e venne informato che erano arrivati gli scienziati da Ann Arbor con il sottomarino. Uscendo, egli trova Miles (che stava guardando se stesso bambino e il legame con suo padre), e gli chiede un passaggio. I due arrivano al molo, and danno il benvenuto agli scienziati, tra i quali vi è anche Daniel Faraday. ("Il padre che non c'era")

La mattina seguente, alle 8:15, Chang si svegliò nella sua casa alle Baracche vicino a sua moglie. Egli riproduce una canzone ("Shotgun Willie" by Willie Nelson) e dà al piccolo Miles il biberon prima di prepararsi per la giornata. Dentro uno degli edifici, egli inizia a girare il primo ciak del filmato di orientamento per la seconda stazione del Progetto DHARMA (La Freccia), ma viene interrotto da un tecnico che gli comunica un problema alla stazione Orchidea.

Chang explains to Tony the basics of time travel. ("L'assenza e il vuoto")

Chang si reca con un furgone DHARMA all'Orchidea, ancora in costruzione, dove sottoterra sono state distrutte 6 punte perforanti provando a bucare un muro di roccia apparentemente impenetrabile. Il capo squadra comunica a Chang che vi è una cavità dietro il muro, e gli mostra una scansione a ultrasuoni che rivela qualcosa dietro il muro. Chang rivela all'uomo che dietro il muro si trova un'incredibile fonte di energia, quasi illimitata, e sufficiente per compiere viaggi spazio-temporali. Chang dice quindi all'uomo di non fare più nulla per evitare un violento rilascio di energia. Quando Chang lascia il tunnel, si scontra con Daniel Faraday. ("L'assenza e il vuoto")

After bumping into Chang, Daniel approaches him. He asked Pierre to order the evacuation of everyone on the island, claiming that in a matter of hours, the scientists at The Swan would drill into the electromagnetic anomaly, releasing an energy 30,000 times more powerful than that found in The Orchid. When Chang refused to believe him, Faraday told him that he was from the future. He attempted to back up his claims by showing Chang equations from 20 years in the future, and tried to get Miles to admit to Chang that he was his son, and that he had traveled back in time with Faraday. Chang refused to believe Daniel, and when Miles denied being Chang's son, Chang left. ("Costanti e variabili")

File:5x15 HurleyFailedHistory.jpg

Chang tests Hurley on his knowledge of American history. ("Il nuovo leader")

Chang followed Hurley, Miles and Jin and encountered them on their way back to the beach. He asked if they're really from the future. Hurley denied it. To determine the truth, Chang quizzed Hurley with questions relevant to 1977. Hurley struggled with the answers, being unsure of his birth year, the current president of the U.S., or whether the Korean War was a real event. Flustered, Hurley finally admitted that he's from the future. He asked Miles if it is true that he is his father, and Miles reluctantly affirmed that he is. Having confirmed his suspicions Chang revealed that he now believes what Daniel told him about needing to evacuate the entire Island.

Chang returned to the Barracks to see Horace and stumbles on the bloody and bruised Sawyer. He told Horace, Radzinsky and the others to stop the drilling at The Swan and ordered to evacuate the Island.

File:5x15 Go go go.png

Chang orders Lara to leave the Island with their son. ("Il nuovo leader")

However, Radzinsky angrily insisted on continuing the drilling and when Chang appealed to Horace, Radzinsky claimed that he would be in charge now. Sawyer agreed with Chang and proposed a deal to Radzinsky: if he and Juliet could leave the Island with the submarine, he would tell Radzinsky everything he wants to know. As a result, he demanded that Sawyer draws a map of the position of the Hostiles. Sawyer and Juliet were then taken away to the sub. ("Il nuovo leader")

Chang also ordered his wife and son to leave the Island as part of DHARMA's evacuation. Miles and Lara left the Island without Pierre. Years later on her deathbed, Lara told Miles that his father kicked them out when he was a baby and that he had been dead for a long time. ("Il padre che non c'era")

Chang headed to The Swan site, to demand the shutting down of the drill because of the potential dangers of hitting the pocket of energy. Radzinsky, who had arrived there previously, refused to stop the drilling. Chang attempted to turn off the drill, telling Radzinsky that the drill was growing too hot, but Radzinsky switched it back on, saying that they had enough water to cool the drill down.

File:5x17 LikeFatherLikeSon.jpg

Miles saves an injured Chang during the incident. ("L'incidente, prima parte")

Chang was continually concerned at the readings the drill produced, showing huge spikes in power and energy. When Jack approached the Swan site, Phil and the security team began firing at him. Kate, Juliet, Miles, and Sawyer came to his aid, and Pierre assisted them by taking Radzinsky's gun and holding it to his head. Pierre again attempted to shut off the drill, but he was unable to. Eventually the drill hit the pocket of energy, and the Earth below started rumbling. Objects (seemingly all made of metal) started to be dragged into the hole. After Jack dropped the bomb, which had failed to detonate on impact, he tried again to stop the drill. However, the pocket of energy dragged the entire drill down into the hole, crushing Chang's left arm in the process. Miles helped him free his arm pinned under the beams, and Chang fled the site. ("L'incidente, seconda parte")

DHARMA Orientation Videos

DHARMA Films

Chang usually wore professional looking attire for his videos, often including a lab coat. The lab coat featured either a Flame or Swan logo.

In the Pearl video Chang appeared to have use of his left arm; however, in the Swan and Flame films, he did not, probably due to his arm being trapped during The Incident. In the Barracks video, he did not move his left arm, suggesting it might have been a cosmetic device. In the Orchid Orientation video, he was using both his arms. Since the Barracks and The Flame were already constructed at the time of The Incident, and only The Orchid and The Swan appeared to be under construction, it is possible that videos for these were re-shot at some point afterward. ("L'incidente, seconda parte")

It is unknown why he used a different name in each film in which he introduced himself. Portions of all his false names relate to candles (candle, wick, wax).

Swan orientation film

File:Chang Swan.jpg

Chang as Dr. Marvin Candle in the Swan Orientation film. ("Orientamento")

Chang first appeared in an orientation film bearing a 1980 copyright and found in the Swan station. He introduced himself as Dr. Marvin Candle, and gave a brief history of the DHARMA Initiative and Alvar Hanso. Chang stressed to DHARMA employees the importance of pushing the button to avoid another "incident" ("Orientamento"). A part of the film was edited by Radzinsky, Kelvin Inman's partner, where Chang warns not to use the Swan computer for anything but entering the numbers. ("Storia di Kate")

Pearl orientation film

File:Chang Namaste.jpg

Chang as Dr. Mark Wickmund in the Pearl Orientation film. ("?")

Chang's next appearance was in the Pearl orientation film bearing a 1980 copyright, where he introduced himself as Dr. Mark Wickmund. The DeGroots couple was mentioned again. Chang stated that the personnel at another station were the subjects of a psychological experiment. He did not identify the other station during his presentation. Chang also explained how the pneumatic tube works, and introduced the Pala Ferry and the Barracks. Later, the Survivors came across the Capsule dump. The proliferation of apparently ignored capsules at the dump suggested that the personnel at the Pearl were the true experimental subjects or that the DHARMA staff stopped collecting the capsules. ("?")

Flame film

File:3x11 ChangOrdersToEnter77.jpg

Chang in the Flame film. ("Digitare 77")

Chang appeared in a random access video on the computer at the Flame station (accessed by beating a chess game) which allowed the manual override of various system functions. This video was not an orientation; it was a procedures explanation, including a procedure for initiating a self-destruct sequence at the Flame in the event of an incursion by the Hostiles. In this video, the DHARMA lab coat Chang was wearing featured a Flame logo. The end of the video was not seen and the copyright date is unknown. Chang did not introduce himself. ("Digitare 77")

Barracks orientation film

File:3x20 ChangAtTheBarracks.jpg

Chang in the Barracks video. ("L'uomo dietro le quinte")

An orientation video, apparently shown to new members of the DHARMA Initiative starting in the 1970s, was also narrated by Chang, who cautioned the importance of remaining within the sonar fence surrounding the Barracks for protection from the "wildlife" of the island. ("L'uomo dietro le quinte") Chang was wearing a lab coat, bearing what appears to be the Swan logo. He gestured with his right hand and it is highly likely that his left arm was mobile as this video was likely one of, if not the, first orientation filmed and was filmed prior to the Incident. He did not introduce himself.

Orchid orientation film

File:4x13 ChangWithTheRabbit.jpg

Chang as Dr. Edgar Halliwax in the Orchid film. ("Casa dolce casa, terza parte")

At the Orchid Station, Ben shows Locke an orientation video, where Chang describes the station's purpose, having to do with the Casimir effect. He conducted an experiment involving rabbits, which was cut when the video started rewinding without any explanation. In this film, Chang introduces himself as Dr. Edgar Halliwax. Ben uses Chang's parka, with the name Halliwax on it, to go down to the frozen room beneath the vault. ("Cambio delle regole")  ("Casa dolce casa, terza parte")

Arrow orientation film

File:5x01 ArrowFilm.jpg

Chang during the shooting of the Arrow film. ("L'assenza e il vuoto")

Pierre Chang was seen recording this orientation film. He introduced himself as Dr. Marvin Candle, again. He wears a lab coat bearing the Swan logo. He stated that the purpose of this station was to gather intelligence and devise defensive strategies against the Island's hostiles. He was interrupted before he could finish the orientation film. ("L'assenza e il vuoto")

Trivia

• Pierre is a fan of country music.
• In "Casa dolce casa, terza parte", Ben wears a jacket with the name Halliwax, presumably Chang's, printed on it when he goes to turn the Frozen wheel.
• Out of all the main characters, he has been shown meeting Jack, Miles, Hurley, Daniel, and Jin. He has seen Kate, Juliet and Sawyer (who he knows as LaFleur) but has not been shown speaking to them.
  • He, at least, knew Charlotte when she was a child because she told Dan before his death that she knew who Dr. Chang was.
  • Dr. Chang has met two different ages of his own son, Miles when he was an infant, and the adult Miles who works for the DHARMA Initiative as a security officer.
• Several characters have been shown the orientation films, which he narrated:
  • Ben watched the Barracks orientation film on the day he arrived on the island.
  • Desmond was shown the Swan orientation film by Kelvin when brought to the Swan.
  • Jack & Locke were the first two survivors to discover & watch the Swan orientation film with Dr. Chang in it, from the Swan station.
  • Eko & Michael were the next two survivors to watch Dr. Chang on the Swan orientation film.
  • It's assumed most of the survivors that were on the roster to push the button in the Swan have also seen the Swan orientation film, to explain why they need to do so.
• Despite the character's importance to the storyline, François Chau is never credited for his portrayal.

Name

• One call sheet (Image) for "?" labeled Dr. Pierre Chang "DR. WAXMAN/CANDLE".
• He has worn a Swan logo coat or a Flame logo coat in every video except one in which he wore a turtle-neck and sport-coat.
• "Marvin," a variant of "Mervin" is of Welsh origin, meaning "sea friend". Some derive this name from Myrddin, the Welsh name of King Arthur's wizardly tutor (known in English as Merlin), a name that means "sea fortress".
• The last names "Candle," "Wickmund" and "Halliwax" are each references to candles.
  • Candles are among the most primitive time-keeping devices.
• In physics, Wick rotation is a method of finding a solution to a problem in Minkowski space.
• Pierre is the French form of "Peter".
  • "Peter" is derived, via Latin "petra", from the Greek word πετρος (petros) meaning "stone, rock". (The word for "stone" in French is also "pierre".)
  • St. Peter is one of Twelve Apostles that Jesus chose. St. Peter is often portrayed in art holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is often called "The Pearly Gates."
  • Peter was the name Jesus gave fisherman Simon, calling him the Rock of the Church, thus, the first Pope.
• He shares the surname "Chang" with one of Francois Chau's previous roles in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger and Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom as "Winston 'Vagabond' Chang", who had a dark history involving assisting Dr. Philip Severin, a scientist who had a shady conscience working on top secret government projects.
• In BABYLON 5 "Dr. Chang" was the person at Interplanetary Expeditions responsible for the ill-fated expedition examining the ancient ruins of the Shadows' planet Za'ha'dum.
• Francois is the French version of the first name of pilot Frank J. Lapidus. Lapis and petra are Latin synonyms.

Other

• Michael Faraday (i.e., Daniel's namesake) gave famously popular lectures titled, "The Chemical History of a Candle".
• In all of his real-life appearances (i.e. non-DHARMA videos), Chang appears to be very irritable: he grumbles about the disorganization of the inductions team at the Orientation office, is visibly angry when his Arrow video filming is interrupted, and in the Orchid, snaps at Daniel Faraday who accidentally bumps into him, though he has been seen as reading, playing, and laughing with Miles as an infant.
• The scenes from the Swan station Orientation film were shot on the APO set from seasons 4 and 5 of Alias in Burbank, California, by the Alias crew. The Pearl film was shot in Hawaii. (Source: Francois Chau Interview, The Tailsection, Comparisons at Lost Virtual Tour)
• The word "Namasté", which is spoken at the end of each of the DHARMA Initiative videos at each station on the island, along with the action of bowing with hands pressed together, can be explained in several ways (see also the main article):
  • 1. Namasté is the formal and traditional greeting and the way of saying both "goodbye" and "hello" in Hindi.
  • 2. "Namas" means "I bow", and "té" means "you"; thus, "Namasté" literally means "I bow (to) you," or more faithfully translated means "I bow to the God within you."
  • 3. Also explained as meaning, in a broad way "you and I share an understanding" as well as wishing someone positive spiritual influences.

Domande senza risposta

Domande senza risposta
Non rispondere alla domande in questa pagina. Mantieni le domande aperte e neutrali: non suggerire già nelle tue parole la risposta.

Per le teorie su queste domande, vedi: Pierre Chang/Theories

• Cosa è successo a Chang dopo la detonazione della Jughead?
• Perché usa molti soprannomi?
  • Perché si riferiscono a candele (Halliwax (cera), Wickmund (lume), Candle)?
• Why would the DHARMA Initiative need an astrophysicist to help change the "core values" of the Valenzetti equation?