Cabin Fever/Theories

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Theories about Cabin Fever

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Theories may be removed if ...

Stated as questions or possibilities (avoid question marks, "Maybe", "I think", etc). More appropriate for another article. Illogical or previously disproven. Proven by canon source, and moved to main article. Speculative and lacking any evidence to support arguments. Responding to another theory (use discussion page instead). This does not include responses that can stand alone as its own theory. Usage of an indented bullet does not imply the statement is a response. See the Lostpedia theory policy for more details.

General

• Did anybody notice that Locke was born 3 months early and all the pregnant women on the island seem to be dying with 3 months left in their pregnancy.
  • This is wrong, and is also wrong in the Trivia section. Pregnant women die during their second trimester. i.e before reaching the last 3 months, according to Juliet, Sun only has 1 more month if she stays on the island, which would be 3 months of pregnancy, not 3 months left.
    • Emily says that she's almost 6 months pregnant, which would put her in the second trimester
• Notice that Anthony Cooper was not referred to even once in this episode - the only thing mentioned was that Emily's lover is "twice her age". Could this mean that Cooper is not in fact Locke's father?
  • It's possible that he was actually twice her age.
    • Emily was about 16 or 17 when she had John, making the father 32-34 in 1961. That would mean that forty years later, 2001, the father would be 72-74. I don't know, it's up to you if you think Anthony Cooper is that old when we've seen him.
      • "twice her age" is a turn of phrase, it's not an exact measure and can be prone to exaggeration (especially if the mother doesn't approve of the relationship). If Emily is 16 or 17 then the father could be late 20's. Anthony Cooper could easily be mid to late 60's.
        • The person that is "twice her age" could be Richard Alpert. Maybe that's how the Island inhabitants procreate; since pregnant women die if they conceive on the Island.
          • Richard Alpert is not the father. When Emily's mother refers to the father as "Him", and describes him as "twice her age" the implication is she knows who her daughter is seeing. When the nurse asks if she knows the man in the window, she claims she does not. Unless she is lying to the nurse, Alpert is an unlikely candidate to be the father of the child.
    • Locke was able to donate a kidney to Cooper. While it is not impossible for him to do this if Cooper is not his biological father, the odds of success go down.--Jim 13:03, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
      • • • Also note Richard Alpert has been tracking Locke's life, appearing when he's a kid with the object(s) test, later contacting his High School science teacher under the cover of Mittelos and suggesting Locke attend the "Summer Camp" ie. The Island.
        • Or maybe Cooper was from an adopted family?
• Sayid is already on the island. He left before the doc's throat was slit, assuming he can follow the compass heading a boat with a motor should be there before a drifting body.
  • Sayid is already on the island because he followed the same bearing as the doctor's body (possibly finding the body in the water and taking it to shore himself). Alternatively, Sayid followed a different bearing and came out in a different time from the body (possibly afterwards). This assumption is based on a theory that the bearing itself can affect the time change experience for the traveler.
  • Ray's body left before Sayid, but because it didn't take the proper bearing in, it was sent forward in time, relative to when it left on the island. this is why it's so dangerous to try and travel to the island without a proper bearing; it's not just that you might travel in time, it's that you have no idea which way you'll travel, how far you go, or what will be there at your destination.
    • Sayid left in the middle of the day, Desmond said he wanted to wait for penny, then we watched durning a night time scene when the docs throat was slit and Desmond was sitting on the stairs.
  • No, No, No... The previous two statements are completely incorrect. Let's say they both left at the exact same time. When they enter the cloud in-between the two time spaces, depending on the angle, they would arrive at different times on the island. Both times are traveling parallel but the island is in the future. Now, if the doctor arrived first, he got sent into the past, or directly across. The island is 1.5 days ahead of the freighter. Now Sayid, obviously shot through to the future, he then arrived a half a day or so later. Sayid did not bring the doctor to the island. They show him arriving soon after the helicopter shot overhead of the Losties.
• The title might refer to a couple of things. It might refer to Jacob's cabin, as Locke, Hurley, and Ben are most likely going to be visiting Jacob in this episode. It might also refer to the "heightened case of cabin fever" some members of the Freighter crew have been getting (including Regina who supposedly committed suicide because of it.)
• Ray was killed in the future according to the Islanders, and the future from the perspective on the ship was before the event happened. The Island is in a Schrödinger's time warp.
  • Did you completely make up the phrase Schrödinger's time warp. It appears that you took the name of a somewhat well-known physicist and attached it to the phrase "time warp." Time travel is impossible by the known laws of physics, and Schrödinger's research had nothing to do with it. If you are using it in analogy with the phrase "Schrödinger's cat," it would be meaningless in this context, as there is no uncertainty.
    • I agree it's meaningless in this context, but I assure you, there is quite a bit of uncertainty in this show.
  • I Googled the exact phrase "Schrödinger's time warp." The only result was this page of Lostpedia!--Jim 15:45, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
• The Kahana will be destroyed and everyone on it will be killed. None of the Oceanic Six will be on it when that happens.
  • Where will the helicopter rescuing the Oceanic 6 land if not on the Kahana?
    • It is not a known fact that the 6 are rescued by helicopter. One possible theory could be that they board the Zodiac raft, which is then discovered by another ship, perhaps one sent by Penny.
      • This is likely, considering Sayid leaving the freighter and the limited number of six survivors.
      • If the forward perspective of Desmond is correct in that Claire boards a helicopter, Claire might have been taken by a non-Oceanic Six party, explaining why Claire is not one of the O6.
        • Why do we trust Desmond so much? We never actually got to see his flash of Claire getting on a helicopter. Maybe his flash really involved Charlie pressing the button, and then Desmond being reunited with Penny. Perhaps he had finally snapped, and decided it was time to take matters into his own hands - even if it meant sacrificing Charlie for his own personal gain. Of course, chances are that if Desmond was reunited with Penny, then everyone else was rescued too, just playing the odds...but even so, perhaps his motives truly were self serving and misleading.
• Buddy Holly - Every Day, this could be reference to Buddy Holly having died in a plane crash.
  • I don't think this track should be ruled out so quickly as being a blooper, it's entirely possible that it's in fact another clue - although when it's this obscure it's very hard to tell the difference unless officially confirmed.
• The couple in Los Angeles that are supposed to raise Aaron are Kate and Sawyer. In Something Nice Back Home Hurley tells Jack that Jack is not supposed to raise Aaron. Hurley does not say that Kate is not supposed to raise Aaron. In this episode when Locke asks Claire where Aaron is, Christian answers that Aaron is where he's supposed to be. Sawyer currently has Aaron, thus, Sawyer is supposed to take care of Aaron. Kate and Sawyer are the couple.
  • There is no couple in Los Angeles. That was Malkin's lie to get Claire into the plane. Claire is the one supposed to raise Aaron and influence him with her 'goodness', according to Malkin.
  • Jack implied in Something Nice Back Home that Sawyer stayed on the island. Therefore, he and Kate cannot be the "couple in Los Angeles".
    • There should be emphasis on implied. The implication is weak, Jack only says that Sawyer made his choice. Sawyer very well could have died because of his decision that differed from theirs. The only thing confirmed is that Jack and Sawyer did not end up doing the same thing.
  • Hurley and Locke were raised off the island by a woman, Ben was raised on the island by a man.Walt was raised just by his mother too. If Aaron is supposed to be the next "chosen one" then I'd think that the reason Jack isn't supposed to raise Aaron is because only Kate is supposed to, alone.
  • The psychic tells Claire that SHE is the only one supposed to raise Aaron and that if she doesn't terrible things would happen. We have no guarantee that he was telling the truth or was a fraud other then what he later said to Eko. Either way, we can believe that if he really was psychic he told Claire about a fake family in L.A. so she would board a plane he knew would crash, thereby forcing her to raise Aaron. There is no way Sawyer and Kate supposed to raise Aaron, that is Claire's job and I think that Christian is a malevolent force that did something to Jacob way back when Hurley found the cabin and then separated Aaron and Claire because he WANTS something bad to happen.
    • According to the previous theory, the rule would be to be raisen by a woman off the island and a man in the island. That's why it's ok to be with sawyer in the island.
• Desmond's "great thing" was bringing Locke to the island. Abbadon got him on the plane, but Desmond crashed the plane.

Richard Alpert

• Richard Alpert was, and most likely continues to be, a high-ranking member of the Hostiles, a group of people present on the island since before Dharma or anyone. Their decisions are made based on what they think serves the best interests of the island, likely led by some spiritual figure (ie Jacob), and they operate off-island through a front organization know as Mittilos Labs. They opposed Dharma, which was originally led by Charles Widmore (this is why Widmore referred to the island once belonging to him, and is further evidenced by Keamy's secondary protocol bearing a Dharma logo- it's likely Widmore still has some of the same scientists on the mainland working for him as part of a Dharma operation separate from the one previously on the island). Ben was recruited by Richard from Dharma to be part of their extermination, because he believed Ben was their 'chosen one.' Richard apparently harbored doubts as to Ben's legitimacy, however, and for this reason tracked the young John Locke, to see if he was the real chosen one. Richard perhaps hoped he was, perhaps because he sensed a deficiency in Ben, and this is why he is so frustrated when Locke fails his test. At present, Richard's hostiles await him in the Temple, which was most likely their central base of operations before the purge wiped out the Dharma Initiative, and the hostiles moved into the barracks (this is why Ben called the Temple 'the safest place').
• Richard visits Locke routinely because Locke is his 'constant'.--Luckyjake73 06:44, 12 May 2008 (PDT)
• When Locke was a teenager it was roughly late 70s early 80s, right? If thats so, how did Richard's front of "Mitellos Labs" take people to and from the Island. DHARMA had not been there long enough yet for them to have killed them and taken their sub. Also, on that same note we have never seen the sub move before it was blown up. We saw Ben and his Dad get off it, docked, and Juliet wake up on it after being knocked out, but again it was docked. Any ideas?
  • If Locke was born in 1956, he would be a teenager in the early 70s.
• What did he mean when he asked Locke as a child "Which of these items belong to you?" Was he referring to adult Locke in correlation with child Locke?
  • It is most probably a way to find out who a person's personality. Like Inkblot tests.
  • Richard was testing Locke to see if he was ready to accept his destiny. Due to choosing the knife instead of the Book of Laws (or whatever Richard had hoped he would choose), Alpert knew that John was still resisting his destiny in favor of sports, boxing and hunting and not yet prepared to the island's will. This is supported by Alpert's presence at the hospital when John was a baby and later efforts on behalf of Mittelos Laboratories to recruit Locke for science camp. Throughout Locke's life Alpert reappears to coax John into accepting his destiny. This fails, and the island draws him to itself by force (plane crash).
  • Richard was possibly asking Locke for guidance. He wanted to know what the "hostiles" should do to solve their current situation. Locke chose the knife, which represented the violent solution.
  • Richard Alpert's test of Locke as a child is very similar to how the new Dalai Lama is selected. Locke is possibly a reincarnate of someone Richard once knew, or he is in a similar loop as a reincarnation.
  • Richards apparent lack of aging could be due to time travel and not immortality. Last time we saw Richard on island he was talking to Locke about getting Sawyer to kill Cooper. He seemed very excited about Locke being "special" even more special then Ben. Richard could be time traveling after meeting present day Locke to find out if Locke was really born to be the islands "savior" or if the islands mystery (and regaining his ability to walk) are what drives his interests. In other words Richard is getting a candid view of Locke before he knew of the island and its powers.
  • Richard Alpert is a reincarnation of himself, and each time he is reborn he is able to accept his destiny and continue his role, hence the impression that he is ageless.
  • Perhaps this is an example of why someone should not be "raised by another." His adoptive parents confused Locke's ability to in tune his destiny.
  • Each of the six objects represents one of the Oceanic Six.
    • Hmmm. Not bad, but does it matter which object represents which person? If so, what are the match-ups?
  • This is not only the Dalai Lama test, but also Richard Alpert is a time paradox himself. Maybe the island needs a constant "Dalai Lama" equivalent, and either Locke or Hurley are the Dalai Lama. Also, Matthew Abaddon seemed to steer Locke toward the island much like Claire's psychic did. Perhaps Richard's method at tracking down the island's version of the Dalai Lama isn't that reliable so he uses more of a shotgun approach.
  • Locke is possibly the reincarnation of Magnus Hanso.
    • This is possibly why Richard got irritated when he chose the knife due to it belonging to Magnus Hanso, Hanso being the man who was the potential bringer of the DHARMA initiative.
    • Locke is possibly the present day reincarnation of Jacob. Which is why the compass and sand / ash in the bottle looked really old. They possibly might have belonged to Jacob once upon a time.
  • Locke was supposed to pick the Mystery Tales comic book instead of the knife. Hurley (also a chosen one) was the one who brought the intriguing comic book (in Spanish, with the Polar Bears - he's the only one who speaks Spanish that we know of) to the flight - the same magazine Walt was seen reading during season 1.
    • The comic book never belonged to Locke.
  • Each of the items has a significance and, depending on what is chosen, determines if someone is "special" (Like Walt or Young Ben) or if they are "not ready" as Locke was as a child.
    • Perhaps Locke (and Ben, and perhaps others like Walt) have always been "special" but the item they pick indicates the time or situation for when they are needed.
  • Is Locke choosing the items, in any way, similar to Daniel and Charlotte conducting a memory experiment with DHARMA playing cards? Daniel only gets 2 of the 3 cards correct. Locke also chooses only 2 of the 3 items correctly.--Mrcircle 09:56, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
    • Right. I think Richard is travelling back to Locke, knowing what he will pick in the future. Locke's inability to get it right may mean he lacks the prescience or that he cannot remember that he has already done this.
  • Locke is Richard's son. If so, perhaps being born to someone who was once on the island means he can't die... he fell from a skyscraper off the island and he was shot on the island, surviving both times. In asking Locke to choose an item that belongs to him, he was testing his son's readiness to be "the one" - similar to NEO in the Matrix? Alternatively, perhaps Locke is a reincarnation of a previous island inhabitant (perhaps a member of the Black Rock).
• The drawing that Richard Alpert observes on Locke's wall before testing him, a figure with black scribbles over it, depicts the smoke monster. This, along with Alpert's test, give credence to the theory that Locke journeys back and forth through time, an effect of the island.
  • • But Michael can't die either. Is he someone's son?
      • Yes. I'm willing to bet that Michael is indeed someone's son. Possibly the son of two people, but that's just a gut feeling.
  • Locke doesn't necessarily journey through time. He may merely have presentiments about his own destiny, which he chooses to resist.
  • This could be a premonition of the scene in the last episode of season 1, where Locke is grabbed by Smokey, & almost pulled down one of the Cerberus Vents ("Exodus, Part 1").
  • Going with the reincarnation theory, Locke's previous incarnation may have been killed by Cerberus. The drawing is of his own death in his past life. There has been some discussion in earlier seasons that Alvar Hanso may been killed by Cerberus gone haywire. The drawing could point to the notion that Locke is the reincarnation of Alvar Hanso.
    • But Alvar Hanso is not dead.
    • Original author of this theory might've meant "Magnus Hanso". The knife could be a sailor's knife. A knife is a common tool of a sailor (The Blackrock) because it is used for many tasks including cutting sail rigging or self-protection. Image
    • The image may also signify that cerberus projects from a person.--Jim 07:00, 10 May 2008 (PDT)
• Richard Alpert (and perhaps the group referred to as "The Hostiles") have the ability to travel to and from the Island which is unrelated to the DHARMA stations. The fact that Richard was in the US when Locke was born in 1950 and the DHARMA initiative began later (Alvar Hanso's film indicates that only after the Cuban Missile Crisis the Valenzetti Equation was formulated, and DHARMA followed that in the 70s/80s) supports that.
  • Richard may also have four toes.
  • But if you can travel throughout time and the Dharma Initiative discovered time travel in the 70's/80's, Richard could easily travel back to 1950.
    • This could also be related to the time issues surrounding the Island.
      • I don't advocate the time travel theories at all, but, it's a common belief among physicists that if time travel were 'invented', it would be impossible to travel back to a time before the equipment were created. Hence, to the above statement, if the DHARMA Initiative 'discovered' time travel in the 70s/80s, travel to the 1950s would be impossible.
        • Maybe the island itself provides a time travel type ability, regardless of DHARMA's work on the island. Assuming the island has been around far longer than the 1950's couldn't Richard travel from the 2000's to whenever. Perhaps the Temple station from DHARMA harnesses this natural ability of the island.
        • Can we expound on this? I have read many time travel theories and never come across this one. Can we add a link or at least the name of a scientist who believes this?
          • I heard about this once - as far as I remember, they don't believe that that's a universal rule, it's something that would only apply to the type of time travel they're attempting to create. Something to do with lasers. The island's temporal anomalies are indicated to be something to do with the (electromagnetic?) barrier around the island, so, nothing to do with lasers. There's no reason that we know of why a person who understood that barrier and how to traverse it couldn't go back in time to any point they wished. And if it is impossible to change the past in the Lost universe, there's no reason that such a person shouldn't go back in time. After all, what'd be the harm?
          • This is indeed confirmed by a book I've read a few years ago. It's called How to Build a Time Machine by Peter Davies. (excerpts can be seen from amazon.com - [1]) The question that is often asked, is "if time travel HAS been invented, why aren't we seeing time travelers come to us, and tell us about it?" If the time travel works via a wormhole, the "portal" that opens in time only allows space/time jumps through such portals. This is purely theoretical, however, but based on the idea of acceleration - a loop with entry points: take an O and add two parallel lines for entry/exit points (to make it resemble letter C). Now, I can't say that I'm convinced this is the direction that the show is going, as the writers have practically sworn that "time travel" won't be a part of the show, but in light of the last sentence spoken in this episode, I'm ready to be yanked around by both of my legs. MarioColbert 15:40, 9 May 2008 (PDT)
          • I wish I could tell you more, but I watched a show a few months ago on the Science Channel that discussed this. There's a scientist that's currently working on a time travel device that has to do with a magnetic effect on light. This machine would only be good for sending information. But that it could only send information back to the machine itself. So, obviously, it could only go back to a time when the machine existed. I'm sure if you google a bit you can find such a theory and information about this project.
          • As to the time-travel theory, try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipler_cylinder - this was a 'feasible' time-machine that had the property of not allowing travel out with its own existence. Specifically, whilst it is spinning, it 'twists' space-time, allowing you to travel in time by traveling in space; so you can only reach a time in which it was (or will be) spinning. Hawking pretty much disproved it. And by 'feasible', I mean that at the time of it's proposal, it didn't violate theory. It would still have been a heck of a civil engineering project...
• Is it possible that Richard was trying to test Locke's spirit/resiliency? first he offers him a 'test' to see if he's 'special' and makes it look as though he's failed, so he's not special; next he tries to push Locke into more mundane, science-oriented hobbies instead of physical, challenging things. Instead of giving in, Locke continues to be the master of his own fate and believe what he wishes to. Maybe Richard was testing Locke's spirit, and he actually passed.
  • Keep in mind that Mittleos Bioscience was a front to recruit Juliet for the Others. Mittelos Laboratories' "Science Camp" is likewise a front to draw John to the island.
    • He'd have been told the camp was not quite in Portland.
      • Yes, if Richard Alpert were talking to teenage Lock he might have said that the science camp was not quite in Portland, but since it was his science teacher talking we cannot assume that he would use the same description.
  • Richard was actually testing Locke's willingness to accept his destiny, rather than being the master of his own fate. Locke failed the first test when he was a child. He failed the second test when he chose typical teenager activities--sports, etc.--over the science camp, demonstrating that he still wasn't ready to accept his destiny. At Jacob's cabin, Locke was issued a final test by Christian. When asked why he was there, Locke said "because I was chosen," indicating he was finally ready to accept his destiny, whatever it might be.
    • Or, more in line with one of the show's stated themes, Locke has been lost his entire life until that moment. Previous flashbacks have shown that he has been looking for meaning in his life, some of his efforts less ignominious than others, but when the Island reached out to him he refused to grab hold & find his way.
• It may have some significance that Locke was almost a 'man of science' like Jack, rather than a 'man of faith'.
• Richard was trying to "recruit" Locke as a prodigy/future leader for his group - at that time, "the hostiles," later to become "the others." Locke has always been predestined as their leader; Ben was merely selected by default once he arrived on the island.
• Ben clearly stated in this episode that he did not cause the purge, implying that he was only directly responsible for his own father's death. Obviously, Ben frequently lies, but he was far away when all the other people were killed. It seems more likely that Richard was behind the deaths and recruited Ben early on to help with the 'dark' side of the island's force, if you will. Richard's test was to see if Locke could be brought over to the side that Ben succumbed to. He was aggravated that Locke did not pick the item that would indicate he was able to be brought over to the dark side.
  • Ben had to kill his father to prove that he could lead them, in much the same way that Locke had to kill Anthony Cooper.
• Richard was the "chosen one" on the island before Ben, just as Locke is now the chosen one after Ben.
• Following the purge, Richard asked Ben if Ben wanted his father's body moved. That was a gracious offer from the former leader to the new leader. "I acknowledge your ascension and will do as you command." Richard, of course, is a bit of a subversive. He is not happy with Ben's leadership and facilitates Locke's rise to power by telling him how to get Sawyer to do the dirty work of killing Cooper.--Jim 07:00, 10 May 2008 (PDT)
• Once you are on the island, you must die on the island. Also with this, you don't age when you are off the island (ex: Ben's hair color in Iraq, Charles Widmore, and now Richard Alpert.)
  • Ben has already aged quite a bit, and Charles is an old man; they age. Whatever the deal is with Richard it's special and can't be compared to Ben or Charles.
• I think that this is way off course when we are suggesting Dalai Lama theories. This is just a simple test. Think about it all of the items on the table represented things that has to do with the island, the glass tube which contained sand is sand from the island, which now belongs to john, he´s the chosen one, therefore the island "belongs" to him. The compass as well, it belonged to him on the island. He had it on the island, but he gave it away to Sayid in season 1 or 2. The thing is, Richard didn't say HOW many objects he was supposed to chose. Unfortunately he took 3, it could just have been 1 or 2?
• What if Richard doesn't age because he's dead like Christian Shephard? They're both appear on and off the Island, everyone can see them, they serve the general interests of the Island, and so on.

And I believe that Richard is a time traveler, and if he is we don't know from which time in the future he was coming from. Could be the day after the crash, a month or 2? So if (lets pretend) Richard traveled back a few days after the crash to the time when Locke was about 5 (right?) he perhaps didn't know that Locke had a lot of knives with him. And it is most likely that Richard is a timetraveler when we saw the last episode with Ben´s flashbacks when he is "timetraveling" (we don't know for sure) and wakes up in the middle of the Sahara desert. And most likely there is a timetraveling machine on the island that the others uses to get what they want to happen in the future or past, like the Orchid? or the Temple? This would most certainly explain why Richard doesn't age at all. When we see him in all of the episodes he looks the same no matter what time. Because he is timetraveling a lot. Though heres a thing I don't get, Why would Abbadon want Locke to go to Australia when he (probably) know whats about to happen even though he is employed by Charles Widmore, is he an undercover for Ben of some sort?

• Why has nobody mentioned WALT!!! Remember, "your boy Walt is very special". Is it possible that maybe WALT was given the SAME test as Locke as a child, but passed? Maybe that's why he was kidnapped and called "very special"
• Locke was not supposed to choose the knife. But since he did, the time-loop will happen again, instead of changing and/or breaking the predetermined timeline which was what Richard hoped. He thought he had changed one of the key parameters which always leads to a loop jumping back in time.

I think people are confusing Richard as being involved with Dharma. As far as we know he hasn't had anything to do with Dharma he was first considered as a Hostile, then as part of the Others. --Messeis 08:52, 12 May 2008 (PDT)

There are different terms for the same group of folks. The population of the Island was known as the "Hostiles" by DHARMA, the "Others" by the Losties, and the "Good Guys" by themselves (in public). In many cases, the name of a Native American tribe is the word "people" in each tribe's language. We do not yet know the real name of the people of the Island.--Jim 11:16, 12 May 2008 (PDT)

Moving Island

How

• Maybe the island is not actually an island, but some kind of a (floating) device (time-machine?). This was hinted by the writers when they referred to it: "If an Island is defined by land mass surrounded by water they are on an Island."
• Since we know that the island is ancient (the 4-toed statue), then perhaps it is the lost continent of Atlantis. Maybe the Atlantian people (which were known to have advanced technology) found a way to make their island both portable and hidden. This would explain why Atlantis became "lost" (did you spot the reference to the show's name here?)
• The Orchid will play a role in moving the island.
• The volcano is somehow involved in moving the island.
• The creators said that there will be a great seismic event this season and that the sky will turn purple again. They use the island's magnetic properties to move.
  • Perhaps the last "purple sky" event explains the difference between the 325 bearing that Michael was given, and the 305 bearing the freighter people are using. In other words, we've seen the island move once before. Admittedly, the discharge did occur just before Michael left, but maybe that explains why he's suicidal back in New York (using the wrong bearing exposed him to the sickness).
    • The Swan was releasing that energy at regular intervals. Might it be that this was the Dharma Initiative's way of keeping the island in one spot so that they could continue to locate it? Maybe the island moves on it's own at random?
    • The only problem with the Purple sky is that that alerted people (Like Penny's scientists) where the island is. So does the purple sky help or hurt?
    • There could be more than one bearing?
      • Maybe its like trying to orbit a planet, you have to hit it at the right angle.
• The volcano, being the source of the island's power, will coincidentally be detonated while the Orchid is operating to move the island. The sudden surge and uncertainty will somehow affect the operation of the Orchid, causing the teleportation of the island to be unpredictable. We've already seen it is somewhat unpredictable with Ben being unsure of what year it is in Tunisia.
• The bearing 305 of the compass is the only way in and out of the Island. The Chopper went outside bearing 305, and Sayid will reach it in the same way. 305 is a sort of a gateway to the Island, and changing this gateway is "moving the Island". John will have to change the bearing from 305 to any other number, by that, eliminating the chance of anyone finding that Island again.

Moving the Island in Space and/or Time

• When Jacob tells Locke to "Move the Island", he doesn't want him to move it to a different place, but rather to a different time.
  • This is why the Black Rock ended up being shipwrecked in the middle of the island; the island blinked into existence at the exact time the black rock was at the middle of the island coordinates. This also accounts for the the test rocket that's fired being late, and the doctor's corpse showing up early; the island itself floats in time like a pendulum, swinging back and forth naturally. The ability to move the island to a drastically different time is what Christian was referring to, and why young Locke would have already owned certain items later on. Since the island can be moved backwards drastically, old Locke would have ownership of the particles and compass and these would be able to be taken off of the island and showed to his young self. Since there seems to be a connection between people's consciousness (as demonstrated by Desmond's flash back and forward), young Locke may have an inkling of what is his. This is also how they would have known to look for Locke earlier and possibly to deliver something to him (message, item?) to change history.
  • Time must not be moving uniformly or even in the same direction. Otherwise the payload would have showed up before Daniel ever asked for it.
  • We do not see Jacob tell Locke to move the Island. All we know is that Locke said he was told to move the Island. If he was told to move the Island, he was presumedly told by Christian.
    • Christian said that he speaks for Jacob, however, so it's entirely plausible and even likely that moving the island was ultimately Jacob's command.
  • If the Island moved back in time and blinked into existence then chances are it would have covered and obliterated anything already there, e.g., The Black Rock. The Island is *always* there; it cannot move in time, unlike Brigadoon. Perhaps the people ON the Island can move in time.
    • They would have the exact same problem unless you mean their concience only.
    • There are a possibility of space-correcting, in the same manner as time-course-correcting.
• The Island will be moved back in time when the Dharma Initiative was still functioning. This is why the producers said that we will get to much more about the DI in the fifth season.
• The island will move approx, 3-4 years into the future, while the oceanic 6 are in the dingy. This is why they can't rescue anyone else. Once the island moves into the future, post looking glass jack will show up on the island, full beard and all. Eventually all characters will have to return, including Walt, played by a now aged Malcolm David Kelly.

Spoiler removed--Jim 11:06, 10 May 2008 (PDT)

• • The timeline for the show and the day count on Lostpedia is going to become almost useless at a point...
• If the island moves in Time, this answer why nobody can find their way back easily and can also speak to Matthew Abbadon asking Hurley "Are they still alive?" in The Beginning of the End
• I think the island is only moved in space, not time, which is what makes it even more difficult to find. There are obvious time differences on and off island, but I doubt the time travel thing goes so far that Richard can "go back in time" to see John as a baby or that they go so far in the future. Adding that kind of time travel would just make things difficult in the storytelling (you have to be responsible with serious time travel). Desmond didn't necessarily travel in time, his consciousness did. There weren't two different Desmond's in that one time.
  • According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity (as I understand it), there is no movement in space without movement in time, and vice-versa (hence, the "relativity").MWood919 03:38, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
    • That's not really how the theory works. Both of those are possible, thought the former can only happen in black holes or other extreme situations.
  • And yet, the Doctor did appear in two different places at the same time, one when he is murdered, and the other walking normally on the freighter. Time traveling is all what LOST is about at this point.
    • That's complete nonsense. The only time travel we really saw happened to Desmond, first when the hatch imploded and next when he was flying to the freighter. Everything else are mere assumptions, supported by hundreds of "theories" fans daily come up with (which usually involve *lots* of imagination). And no, time passing differently on the island is not the same thing as time traveling.
      • The producers stated in an interview the day after 'Cabin Fever' aired that (Quote from DL&CC) Time travel is definitely happening on this show.
• The Orchid will be used to move the island, either in time and/or space or even location.
  • the manual locked away on the freighter has the logo that is beleived to be the Orchid logo.

Consequences of moving the island

• The Island is moved in time and space. The compass bearing of 305 and 325 will no longer lead to or from the Island.
  • Note that Gault sent Sayid on a bearing of 305 from the boat. This is either a script error, or a major clue. If the chopper flew on 305 to get to the boat, normal navigational techniques would tell you the return trip should be on bearing 125 (i.e. 305 - 180). Perhaps the boat and the island are actually in the same location, but 305 leads to some sort of gateway that lets you pass from the one reality to the other.
    • I've literally jumped when he said that, so yes, totally with you.
    • Or that the island has reversed polarity where north=south and vice versa.
      • I was thinking that the island has a magnetic field of its own, so for instance if you orbit around the island a compass will always point towards it.
        • That's not how magnetic fields work, unless there are magnetic monopoles, which seems unlikely based on what we've seen of the swan. Try moving a compass in a circle around a bar magnet - it will only point towards it in one location.
      • The Island's electromagnetic properties interfere with compasses in a way that the same compass heading will take you to and from the island.
        • This explains the logo on Ben's jacket/Orchid Station: imagine that your target is the drain of a sink, and the water is full to the brim. When the water starts draining, it forms a spiral into the drain. If 360˚ is right into the drain, you will overshoot the trajectory. That is why you need to go in at a slightly off angle, so that you can match the proper spiral trajectory and make it into the hole. Moving the station means that you alter the strength of the magnetic field, which would likewise alter the sprial's angles. 305 versus 4325 represents this, AND THE SPIRAL SHAPE OF THE ORCHID LOGO PROVES THIS.
  • The Island itself won't move. They will change the bearing of 305 and 325, [The gateway], making it impossible to reach the Island again.
• When the Island is moved Keamy's team will be trapped by the snow-globe effect that imprisoned Desmond.
  • If Keamy's team is on the island when the island is moved, then Keamy's team will move with the island.
• This is why only the Oceanic 6 were rescued; they happened to be on the Zodiac before the island shifted.
• This is why the Oceanic 6 would have trouble getting back to the island.
• Sayid will not be able to land on the island if it gets "moved" while he is still travelling to it in the inflatable boat.

Saving the World

• Kelvin and his predecessors said they were 'just saving the world.' Although Desmond or Locke may not have understood how they were doing that, they were 'saving the world' by protecting the island. Keeping the Swan's energy from erupting kept the island inconspicuous and thus harder to find.
  • Damon and Carlton have said the world would've been destroyed if Desmond hadn't turned the failsafe key.

Dreams

• Horace appeared to John in a dream, possible influenced by Jacob or Island.
  • ...And appears to be in a literal "time loop," busy knocking the same tree over and over again. Time travel, plot point, and Greek mythology parallels rolled into one visual burrito! (At this point, there's not enough information to form a theory, as our equation is covered with way too many variables (especially this being a dreamlike vision and all), but the show has proven time and time again that no element is too small.)
  • Horace was time traveling FROM the time of the Dharma Initiative - hence his bloody nose (can't believe nobody has mentioned the bloody nose!)
    • Actually people have mentioned the bloody nose, but people bloody edit the bloody page so some people don't bloody see other's posts, because people bloody delete them.
      • The producers have stated clearly in an interview the day after Cabin Fever Aired that Time travel is definitely happening on this show so any time travel theories are indeed plausable.
      • It may have been a dream, but Locke has never met Horace so there is something else to it.
  • If he also died from a gas attack, the bloody nose could be representative of how he looked at the end of his life.
• People, including the dead, appear to "the chosen one" in dreams and give them the direction they need to lead their people and to protect the Island. This is why Ben said, "I used to have dreams, too." Ben used to be lead by his dreams the way Locke is now experiencing it. Either Jacob or "The Island" are controlling these images that "the chosen one" sees.
  • But what about all the other people that have had dreams/visions; Kate's horse for example.
  • Rather, the people who have dreams of this nature are "chosen" for some purpose by Jacob or the island.
• There is a theory concerning ghosts, which suggests that under certain environmental conditions (perhaps strong electromagnetic forces?) a setting can be "recorded" and looped like a video clip when those conditions reoccur. It is suggested that this is the reason ghosts are always seen carrying out a specific activity again and again. Could Horace and his endless logging be such a projection caused by the island? It is far-fetched suggesting Horace acted out the warning for the future benefit of Locke, but people and/or animals could be "recorded" and then used as manifestations of the island. This then could explain Christian, Kate's horse, etc.
  • Actually what you must do is to film you TV screen and imput the TV with the camcorder. While doing this you must record with the cam corder. After this replay the record frame by frame and you may see some spirits.
  • No, you see random shapes. The human brain look for pattens and will always see 'ghosts' when presented with enough random shapes. This show that people evolved to look for human shapes, not that the dead can project themselves into camcorders.

Keamy and the Secondary Protocol

• The secondary protocol was not printed/produced by Widmore. Neither is it a NEW document. It is a Hanso/Dharma "failsafe" document that explains to Dharma personal what do to in case of a situation such as we see happening now. It was developed by Dharma. Widmore has a copy of this document, which is what Keamy removed from the safe. It tells the Dharma personal to go to the Orchid (or tells the Dharma personal who is manning the Orchid) the necessary steps to "move the Island." The dialog from the shows transcript is - GAULT: What does it say? KEAMY: Says where Linus is going. - The protocol gives Keamy the clues he needs to find where Ben will head for in the case of an emergency of this nature and what Ben will attempt to do next. And since (at this point) Locke doesn't even understand what "move the Island" means, it would be reasonable that Ben does know, and will head for the Orchid. And Keamy will be there waiting for him, thanks to the little helicopter trip he is now on.
• The secondary protocol Keamy got from the safe had the DHARMA logo. That would imply Charles Widmore is now behind the DHARMA initiative. Following the theory that Jacob is Alvar Hanso, something happened in the past that put Hanso and the DHARMA initiative on opposite sides.
  • In The Lost Experience, we are made aware that Widmore's company was part of the project from the beginning. Since the Purge the Islands location changed. But now that he is has relocated where the Island is, he is trying to reclaim what he believes rightfully belongs to him.
• The secondary protocol is a description of present events on the island from a future point of view. This protocol was transported back through time and is now used by Widmore to gain tactical advance.
• Keamy is going to drop explosives into the volcano, causing it to erupt and thus "torch the island".
  • I know the general reader here may study 'casual' science, but surely you must know that dropping a bomb into a volcano cannot trigger an eruption.
• Keamy knows about the cabin. He's carrying a bomb (not shown yet) that will destroy the cabin. He indicates that he knows where Linus would be (which is the cabin). Alternatively he might be heading to the "temple." Sayid mentions that Keamy wont make the same mistake again, perhaps referring to Keamy's use of the tuner to ward off the black smoke (which was the only real miscalculation he made last time).
  • Look close at the screen shot, see the rings? It's obvious Ben is going to the Orchid because of the parka he was wearing, with the logo on it in episode The Shape of Things To Come.

    

    • I think you mean it's obvious that Keamy is going to the Orchid. The secondary protocol is for Keamy to destroy the Orchid station and thus stop Ben from leaving the island. Then they are free to "torch" the island with Ben on it.
      • No, he said he knows where Ben is going - The Orchid
    • They will try to move the island, but in the process, Ben might get captured by Keamy's team and his only choice of surviving will be to escape (or time-travel) using the Orchid. Ben will get shot while running from Keamy's team, that's why his arm was bleeding when he found himself in the middle of Sahara Desert at Episode The Shape of Things to Come.
• This is the station that allows time/space travel as referenced in The Orchid Orientation film
• When Keamy takes the book from the box it has the same logo as the one on Ben's jacket when he is in the Sahara. Keamy says the book will tell him where Ben is going. When we see Ben in the Sahara he has a deep wound on his arm which suggests that Keamy does manage to locate Ben but only just before Ben is able to use whatever device is located at this station to transport himself off the island and into the future.
  • The book will tell Keamy where Ben is going because it contains information from the future. Because the future is always in motion and can be written at any time, the information would be based on different scenarios that may have played out on the island.
• The book has the Orchid logo. Keamy says the book will tell him where Ben is going to in case the whole island gets Torched. There's only one place Ben can go to if the Island is obliterated - OUTSIDE THE ISLAND. The only way to achieve that is to teleport in time/space. And the only way to achieve that is by using the Orchid. Now: The device that Keamy uses is an atomic clock, that allows him to tell the time/date of where he is should he teleport in space/time and go after Ben.
  • That's not how atomic clocks work. Their timekeeping is based on certain properties of atoms, hence the name. If such a clock was to be transported in time it would no longer show the correct time, but would continue in the time reference of where it came from.
• They are going to the Temple. The secondary protocol says to go there because Widmore knows that it is a safe place. (Like Ben said.) Notice that Ben has not gone to the temple, yet, maybe he knows that this is where Keamy's men will go and would rather be out in the jungle with Locke.
• Secondary Protocal is a proceedure for dealing with the smoke monster if Dharma control goes wrong
• The Secondary Protocol is Lost's version of Biff's Sports Alamanac. The island's powers can be used for good or for evil (much like time traveling in a Delorean). Widmore is using it for evil. He is using knowledge of the future for his advantage and is able to provide those working for him knowledge of what will happen for a tactical advantage. Because of the sensitive nature of knowing the future, the protocol is kept locked under 2 keys.

Device on Keamy's arm

• The thing on Keamy's arm is a tactical nuclear weapon.
  • If it was a nuclear weapon, it would be too small to incinerate the island. Tactical nukes have a destruction radius of hundreds of yards (definitely not miles), which is why they are tactical (battlefield).
  • Sorry, but tactical nuclear weapons are NOT that small.
• The thing on Keamy's arm is a bomb set to go off if his heart stops beating. The device that Keamy is wearing around his midsection is most definitely a heart rate monitor and the device on his arm is likely a transmitter. Keamy and friends have probably setup a bomb on the boat that will be trigger if Keamy is dead. He is using this as a deterrent measure: that is, to prevent other people from killing him. Thus, Keamy tells the captain that he (the captain) doesn't want to kill him (Keamy) and makes a point of showing him the device on his arm.
  • Related theory: it is also likely that if Keamy and the secondary protocol fail, Keamy has instructions to scuttle the boat and its crew.
  • As a deterrent measure, it will only deter others from killing him insofar as they know that killing Keamy will cause the bomb to explode. For it to work, he has to let others know about it.
    • It might just be a con: all he needs to do to prevent others from killing him is to make them believe that the bomb will explode when his heart stops. Since he looks like he is very capable of doing this, the con might just work.
• The thing on Keamy's arm is a tuner that musicians use. Sometimes, the tuners can emit a pitch, usually an A or a B flat. Keamy is using the tuner to broadcast a pitch that stops the smoke monster. Remember how the gates surrounding the camp used some sort of frequency to keep the monster away; Keamy is using the same idea with the arm tuner, to keep away the smoke monster.
  • The thing on his arm isn't a tuner, it's a metronome. Which means it's likely just a clever prop that's meant to just show a pulse, i.e. his heart beat. Most people don't own a metronome, so they can take this risk of using it as a prop.
    • The purpose of a metronome is to keep musicians playing at a constant speed. If time differences between the ship and the island is a known problem, it's possible that a metronome (a time-keeping device) could be useful for maintaining a fix on "time".
  • When Gault is holding Keamy at gunpoint Keamy points to his arm and says "I wouldn't do that". It's obviously more than a tuner.
  • Even if the item is a tuner, Keamy would not know the exact pitch required to repel the Monster. He didn't even know the combination to switch off the fence and had to make Alex do it.
    • The frequency was laid out in the secondary protocol.
    • We already saw that the sonar fence is extremely powerful and that's probably needed to repel the Monster. Therefore, if Keamy had any shield around him, it would probably affect the people around them (the same thing that happened to Mikhail).
  • Keamy is more into guns and bombs and brute force, less into the finer points of science such as sonar frequencies that repel mysterious monsters. Moreover, he plainly does not understand the nature of the smoke that ripped his comrade's guts out, so it is unlikely he has developed the means to repel it.
  • Just because the prop that is used is a tuner does not mean that that is what it is intended to represent. Unless we see a close up with the same settings as a tuner, it doesn't really mean anything. The "Hatch" that was found at the end of the first season turned out to be much more than what the prop they used was, etc.
  • If Keamy dies the device will trigger a fire bombing of the island. It doesn't make sense that if he dies the boat blows up because it belongs to Widmore. Keamy is the first option to take control of the island, if he dies the device will act as a GPS locator for a bomber and it will tell Widmore's people that Keamy failed. Its possible the device is from the DI because he put it on after he opened the safe and read the Dharma book.
• The device injects a drug or syrum into Keamy, allowing him to stay focused and calm. Could also inject some sort of amphetamine to give him increased energy/stamina to complete his mission. The heart monitor is tied to the device to ensure that it injects the set amount and doesn't cause an accidental overdose.

Richard and Locke

• The episode made a good use of a new variation of the flashback narrative device and the events actually took place in a (different set of/imaginary) time and space. This is why younger Locke could pick exactly those items, he has a recollection of events that have happened before but they actually have not yet happened to him, similar to the imaginary time and space that Daniel describes in his journal (http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:Dan_journal_6.jpg) and experienced with Desmond in Oxford, i.e. time-transported consciousness.
  • Also, notice Richard's haircut at the time of Locke's birth and when he met Ben: the latter happens later in the conventional meaning of time but Richard still looks pretty much old-fashioned, so to say.
    • Perhaps Alpert's old fashioned appearance when he first met Ben was a trick, similar to Tom's fake beard. Maybe he knew he was going to meet Ben there in the Jungle and dressed in that way to fit the image of what the young Ben probably thought the hostiles would be like (savages).
  • This would support and be supported by the theory that Daniel was crying when he saw the Oceanic 815 crash on TV because he had subconscious memories of the events that took place afterwards since he was actually there.
• In the style of the Terminator, the prophecy dictates that the savior of the island will be the premature son of a woman named Emily L. Alpert is from the far distant future, coming back to check whether this son is Ben or Locke. Once giving up on Locke, he chooses Ben. When the island no longer favors Ben, the others look to Locke as the next-best bet. Locke, however, shuns his destiny much like Charlie shunned his destiny to die, but will ultimately become the savior of the island (until the writers decide to throw another premature child of a woman named Emily L. into the show)

Locke is now "the Chosen One"

• Locke has always been the "Chosen One". Ben was spawned because Locke failed the object test. His supposed date of birth would have been right around the time that Locke messed up Richard's evaluation. Had he passed, Ben would not have been needed by the island as Locke would already have taken his position. As soon as Locke came to be "ready", the Island had no further use for Ben, since he was second choice anyway, so he has been superseded by the man who was meant to be there to begin with.
• Ben's role is far from the end (as we see in the flash-forwards). He and Locke will share the leadership of those who want to "defend the island" (labeled "hostiles" by DHARMA).
• The island, for some reason, needs Locke, Rose, and everyone else who has inexplicably been healed and allowed to survive until they fulfill what the island needs. The island is not an all-knowing, benevolent entity, but instead is an extremely influential entity that uses that power to ensure its own needs are fulfilled. It's a manipulative parasite with whom The DHARMA Initiative believed they could reach harmony and try to control, which is why it had them killed off. Once Locke is done helping the island, his legs will start to go again. Rose, if she doesn't die during her attempt to help The Island, will get cancer again. Jack was needed to ensure the sanity and health of the survivors, and once his need was no longer required, The Island stopped keeping him healthy. Once each person has fulfilled the needs of The Island, they will no longer stay healthy and safe and will die off naturally.
  • If the Island was capable of healing everyone, why would it need a doctor?
• Locke was (unbeknownst to him) born on the Island. Two other unfamiliar characters (Juliet and Desmond) both started episodes by playing music like Emily Locke, on the Island. Emily wasn't killed in childbirth like everyone else who conceives on the Island because the birth was 3 months premature. This is why John shares a stronger connection with the Island than Ben, who wasn't really born on the Island, and why Richard keeps close tabs on him.
  • But we saw he was born in the U.S., after Emily was run over by that car.
  • Ben and John are children born prematurely of mothers who are both having the name "Emily". Read the page about Emily Linus[2] where you will also find a link to Horace Goodspeed.
  • Far-fetched as it seems, this theory cannot yet be disproved. We don't know for sure that there weren't poodle skirts, Buddy Holly music, heartless mothers and automobiles on The Island in the 1950s.
    • This is patently ridiculous. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest Locke was born on the island, and a great deal of evidence to suggest he wasn't. For one thing, there were no roads on the island at that time. Her mother would have had to have been on the island also, along with the child's father. At some point Locke was adopted by a new family, and then went to a conventional high school, where he was invited to a science camp at Portland. Finally, and most importantly, Richard would not have been pursuing Ben from birth to school age to high school and attempting to draw him to the island if he had already been there originally. Locke was drawn to the island in much the same way as Ben and Juliet, and in fact the narrative style of this episode follows almost exactly the style of Ben's story and establishes a parallel between the two as men drawn to the island by Jacob to assume their destinies.
  • Although I am not a fan of this theory. It's NOT ridiculous. Remember what Anthony Cooper said? He was in a carcrash and the next thing he knew, he was on the island!
  • Along these same lines, remember that Anthony Cooper (when he was tied up and among the Others) asked John, "Don't you know where you are?" That question has always haunted me....
• Locke becoming the leader/caretaker of the Island was foreshadowed with Eko's last words to him, "You're next." At the time this seemed to mean Locke was the next to die but obviously that's not what happened. Eko was a potential leader/caretaker but when he failed to recognize Yemi as being a conduit for Jacob ("You speak to me as if I were your brother.") then Jacob had no use for Eko and thus killed him and Locke was picked as the next one Jacob would try to contact.
• The chosen one becomes immortal. Former chosen ones remain immortal (and unaging?). Widmore was once the Chosen One. So was Alpert. That is why Ben can't kill Widmore (("The Shape of Things to Come")).
  • That's why Ben has given up on getting rid of Locke, because he has realized and accepted that his time is now over: Locke is the chosen one, and Ben couldn't kill John if he wanted to.
• Chosen ones: Jacob, Alvar Hanso, Widmore, Richard Alpert, Ben, Locke
• Charles Widmore was the 'chosen one' before Ben, and The Purge either killed him (but like Locke, he didn't die, because he 'has work to do') or he was off the island at that time. Ben then took over and 'moved' the island so Widmore could not find his way back, but, as Ben stated when he visited him, he cannot be killed because he still has work to do on the island. So, not only does he want the island for the money of the power, but because he has work to do still. Richard possibly never was the chosen one, as he was a hostile and didn't penetrate the DI camp until after the Purge. When Ben arrived as a child, we were never told who was the 'chosen one' so it could already have been Widmore. Alvar Hanso could have been the chosen one even before Widmore. When Widmore states that Ben 'took everything from me(Widmore)', this could mean Widmore was the one who discovered much of the islands secrets and with all the money he has, funded the DI or the harnessing of the islands magnetic properties.
  • If this was so, Ben used Widmore's own technology against him.

Matthew Abbadon's allegiance

• Matthew Abaddon is not an enemy as we are led to believe. He was creepy in Hurley's flash, and suspicious in the Freighters', but he is actually working against Widmore by infiltrating his boat. That is why he selected a specific crew for Naomi. He knew, for example, that Lapidus would work against Keamy. Notice that Abaddon only goes over the names of the scientists and none of the other crew. He has helped Locke in the past, and he will help him again.
  • Or Abaddon is attempting to lead Locke down the wrong path. When young Locke picked up the knife, Alpert told him that it was the wrong answer, that it did not represent who he is. By planting the seeds of the walkabout in Locke's head, he was re-enforcing the part of John that Alpert was hoping he would deny, as embodied in the knife. Locke would have wound up on the island anyway as that was his destiny, but to do so in the context of a walkabout leads Locke to think of himself as the hunter, the man who can survive with nothing but a knife and his wits - something Alpert clearly thinks is wrong for someone destined to be the islands protector.
    • That does make more sense than what I said.
    • That does make sense. If Locke had selected the comic book, he might have become the stereotype nerdy teenager. Alpert also tried to get Locke to move down the professional path of a scientist rather than someone of physical action like someone who "likes cars" or hunting knives by inviting him to that science camp when he was in high school. When that didn't work, Alpert somehow influenced events through Cooper so that Locke lost a kidney. Perhaps with one kidney, Locke would be less capable physically. When that didn't work (Locke has a talent for overcoming adversity), Cooper pushed him out of a window and crushed his spine. To Alpert, a paralyzed person cant become a hunter, thus achieving his original aim.
    • Excellent theory: To support it further, Abaddon had no way of knowing that Locke would be turned away from the walkabout and that his plane would crash on the island on the way home, ultimately fulfilling the destiny Abaddon was trying to divert him from.
    • But Richard would have known that Locke would be healed by the island...
    • I wonder what would happen if everything that's happened between Cooper and John were analyzed from the point of view of Cooper working for Alpert.
• Abbadon is helping save the island, or more or less help Jacob save it. Jacob wants the island pure(no technology), so he wants Locke to be the protector not by science. Considering at how old Locke was when he meets Abbadon, being a man of science was pretty much over with. Abbadon was forcing Locke to believe in fate, to go on a walkabout, which in turn lands Locke on the island where he can walk again. You have to presume that Abbadon steered Locke in the right direction, as to his reference of him telling Locke that next time they meet Locke will say he owes him (Abbadon) one.
  • This could be supported by Richard and Ben trying to protect the island through Science (it would seem Ben was trying to hold Jacob captive) and Abbadon recruiting John to protect it (and work with Jacob) through a more spiritual approach.
• Perhaps Abbadon fills a role similar to Mrs. Hawking. While she does the course correcting, perhaps Abbadon arranges the pieces on the chessboard, if you will, the way they are supposed to be.
  • Quite possibly, just noted from the fact when Hurley saw Abbadon in the clinic, Abbadon was sitting right in front of a chess board(which its also hinted as him being good because he was in on the white pieces side). Everyone else in Locke's life always told him the things he couldn't do, and his first meeting with Abbadon was at a time when Locke was starting to believe he couldn't do anything anymore. Abbadon has been the one person to tell Locke he can do something, a walkabout tour, when Locke cant clearly walk? But now we can clearly see, Abbadon succeeded in what Richard failed to do...get Locke on a course in life that would lead him to the island.
  • Excellent theory, though I'm wondering if maybe Abaddon is the anti-Hawking, an entity from an opposing side who manipulates time for a different end. Perhaps Mrs. Hawking's fatalism is a lie after all, and there are many different factions of people traveling through time, trying to convince the people they manipulate into thinking that their version of history is the inevitable one.
    • I like the idea that Abaddon is the anti-Hawking. What's a better polar opposite for an old, friendly-looking white woman than a tall, creepy-looking black man?
• Matthew Abbadon does work for Charles Widmore. Charles Widmore is part of "the bad guys", since he instructed Keamy to kill everyone on the island. Under his command, Keamy killed Alex in cold blood.
  • On the other hand, we only saw Abbadon recruiting "innocent people", the scientists (Miles, Frank, Daniel, Naomi, Charlotte).
    • Perhaps he learned of The Others interest in Locke or his connection to the Island and set things in motion for the Island to seize Locke, as a sort of human tracking device.
    • There are clearly three separate groups on the Freighter, the Militia, and the Scientists, and the crew (who has no role in this other than to pilot the boat). Abaddon (or the people he works for) hired the Scientists to work help the Island defeat the Militia. This is why Naomi thinks that these people are “the wrong people for a mission like this” and why Abaddon tells her “every member of this team was selected for a specific purpose.”
      • Abaddon tells Naomi that there were no survivors of Oceanic 815 because other than Locke, they are superflous to saving the island, and therefore their lives are “expendable”
      • The Militia must be defeated on the island, with the help of the Scientists, in order to avoid drawing attention to “the Others” activities off the island.
  • If Abaddon is one of the "bad guys", this would tie into a theme introduced in the first season: Black (Abadon) vs. White (Alpert)
    • It's rediculous to even suggest that the writers of this show would use skin color to determine the contents of someone's character....What is Rose one of the "bad guys" as well?
      • Or it's used to portray opposing sides. No one thought it was a racist remark when Locke played Backgammon against Walt.
  • Where did we see Abbadon say anything to Keamy, let alone give him an order?--Jim 17:12, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
• Abaddon told Locke about the Walkabout, planting the seeds in his head, knowing that Locke would go, and be refused to partake in it, and have to come home, on flight 815. Most members of flight 815 have some sort of 'connection' with the island, perhaps it was not just The Swan system failure that caused those to come to the island, it was because they were all meant to be on the plane also. It's been hinted that they were all meant to arrive on the island, each in their own way, perhaps Abaddon working with others managed to get all they wanted where they wanted.
• Abaddon is working for Widmore to try and find the island; Widmore is aware of the fact that Locke has a strong connection to the island and somehow wants to use him to find the island again. Widmore knows all about the island and what it's capable of because he was a big time investor and was fundamental in the development of the Dharma Project and Ben and The Others stole it away from him (which is what he means when he tells Ben "you took something from me" or whatever he says).
• Abaddon is Walt. This explains his apparent knowledge of Locke's future, his talk of a "miracle" happening to Locke (Locke told Walt the same thing), why he continually refers to Locke as "Mr. Locke," and the line "when you and me run into each other again... you'll owe me one." His allegiance lies with Locke and the island.
  • I really like that. Walt doesn't really look much like Abaddon, but I'd buy it if that's what they're selling. That would fully support the producers "time travel is happening" comment. Plus, the only things about Walt that we know for sure make him special are his abilities to appear where he's not supposed to be, to know things he shouldn't know, and he makes birds divebomb windows (either to get to him or to kill themselves.). I'm certain that there are other factors that make him special. Perhaps, as was previously stated, Walt is the future chosen one to precede Aaron's time. Time travel may be a skill that Walt grows into.

Aaron is "where he should be"

• Christian says that Aaron is exactly where he should be. However, Charlie tells Jack (in the future) that Jack and Kate shouldn't be raising Aaron. The people who have Aaron during Cabin Fever are: Sawyer and Miles. Are they who should be raising Aaron? I smell a sitcom
  • Charlie telling Hurley that Jack shouldn’t raise Aaron was a personal refute. He was in love with Clair and even told Aaron he loved him when he gave him his ring. We have no evidence Charlie is speaking on behalf of the island, Id be upset too if I sacrificed myself for the girl I loved and her baby only to have the baby "put up for adoption" while the mother kicks it in some cabin
  • Charlie only tells Jack that he shouldn't be raising Aaron. As far as we know, Kate hasn't been told she shouldn't be, which until that happens, we should assume she is the one who should raise him. Aaron is "exactly where he should be" which is on the beach where he'll be able to be taken as one of the Oceanic 6. If Aaron stayed with Claire he'd be in the cabin, or somewhere that would keep him from being rescued.
    • Christian's statement only applies to the current time.--Jim 16:18, 10 May 2008 (PDT)
      • There's absolutely nothing that indicates that Christian's statement applies to the current time. If Claire is in fact dead, there's not much that she can do to take care of Aaron (logically), and we know that the Oceanic 6 are going to be picked up soon, so we can't really have Aaron be someplace that he can't be rescued.
      • Sorry, but I stand by my opinion on this one. Christian does not say, "Aaron was," "Aaron is and will be," or "Aaron will be." He says, "Aaron is." The things that follow from your argument only work if Aaron is safe "where he should be."--Jim 17:07, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
  • At this particular moment, Aaron is with Sawyer. If this means that Aaron is supposed to be with Sawyer, then it doesn't seem unreasonable that the couple in Los Angeles supposed to raise Aaron is Kate and Sawyer. This could explain why Hurley told Jack "he" wasn't supposed to raise Aaron (while neglecting to mention Kate's name). This could also have more importance once we find out what Kate was doing for Sawyer in the "Something Nice Back Home."
    • Aaron is supposed to be raised by a single parent, as Hurly, Locke and Ben were all raised by single parents. If off the island, one could jump to the conclusion that Aaron will need to be raised by his mother (in this case Kate), as Locke and Hurly were both raised by their mothers. If on the island, by a male, as Ben was raised by his father.
  • It may have been hinted at earlier in the series that Sawyer was supposed to raise Aaron. In the episode "The Greater Good", Claire and Charlie couldn't get Aaron to stop crying until Sawyer said something. The baby stopped crying whenever it was near Sawyer, in particular when he spoke, implying that for some reason or another Sawyer should be the one to raise him on the island.
    • Jack implied in Something Nice Back Home that Sawyer had chosen to stay on the island. Therefore Sawyer cannot be the one to raise Aaron with Kate in LA. What Kate was doing, was visiting Cassidy and Clementine, possibly to pass an item or a message. Kate had previously spent time with Cassidy, making the 'favor' easier.
      • I think it is quite likely that Sawyer and Kate are supposed to be raising Aaron. Christian left Aaron to be found by Sawyer, and probably assumed that Sawyer having the infant would ensure him getting off the island.
        • This piece of the theory doesn't really work as the baby could have just as easily been found by Miles, in which case one would have to say the baby was to be raised by Miles if they went along with this thought.
  • He may not necessarily mean with whom but simply on the Island in general. Or he may mean he was supposed to go back to the beach, get taken off the Island and raised by Kate.
    • Desmond said he saw Claire getting into a helicopter. The helicopter is potentially heading towards the cabin at the end of the episode. Perhaps Christian/Jacob/The Island is trying to protect Aaron from being taken by Keamy? Not a well-developed theory, just an idea.
      • Desmond said this to persuade Charlie to use his life to save her. Charlie did what he did in an effort to save Claire, not knowing that Claire has a different destiny.
    • The island wants Aaron to remain there, because Aaron will be Locke or Hurley's replacement in the future.
      • The island is certainly powerful enough to ensure that Aaron will be back when he's ready to assume control. Him leaving doesn't compromise his destiny.
  • What I gathered from the conversation is rather that Aaron isn't where he shouldn't be: in the cabin with them.
  • Aaron is safe, away from the cabin which is in danger from Keamy's upcoming attack. Instead, he's on his way back to the beach where he will likely be rescued.
  • The psychic told Claire that it was very important that she raised this child herself.
    • The psychic could have used anything as a means to an end.
    • The island made the psychic say that so Claire wouldn't put it up for adoption, Claire had to bring Aaron to the island.
• Hurley never tells Jack you shouldn't be raising "Aaron." He says you shouldn't be raising "him." Which could mean Jack shouldn't be raising the dead or the ghost of his father.
• If you remember back in Season One, during the episode of "Raised by Another" (1, #10), Claire goes to the psychic. He says that it is crucial that Claire raises the child herself, and that her goodness must influence her baby’s development. But Kate ends up raising it. Which totally messes up everything. Nice going, Kate.
  • Jacob has used Aaron as a vessel to become a physical being similar to Ghostbusters 2 Which may explain why Jacob was not in the cabin. This may also explain why the others were so interested in babies and pregnant women.

The Items

• The items appear as though they belong to a person, these people are DHARMA or Island inhabitants, these people have died and have been reincarnated, Richard is possibly an Island inhabitant granted with eternal life and searching for these fellow inhabitants.
  • Remember that the scene where Richard shows John the items happened quite a while before DHARMA even began.
    • How can items appear as though they "belong to a person" and what does that exactly mean? Where does the storyline thus far suggest that Richard is searching for reincarnated inhabitants? Who "granted" Richard eternal life and why wasn't he reincarnated with his buddies? What is the purpose of Richard's mission to find them, and what does this have to do with Jacob and the island?
      • What they are saying is, John may be one of these past inhabitants reincarnated.

• It also appears that John chooses several items, The Bottle of sand (which represents this island), The compass (which possibly represents the search for the island or something along those lines) and the final item, the knife, it appears this is a defining item which Richard uses to discover who they are, possibly as stated above something to do with reincarnation.

• The dirt that Locke picks up that is in the bottle is foreshadowed in "The Economist" when Locke, Claire, Ben, Hurley. etc are looking for Jacob's cabin. Locke believed they were close to finding it, but realizes he is once again lost... he looks down at the ground and kneels to pick up some dirt/fine rocks. This is what is in the bottle.
  • The dirt in the bottle looks nothing like the one surrounding the cabin.

• The items represent various destinies in the same way that the sweat lodge at the commune determines whether you are a "hunter" or a "farmer". Locke determined that he was a hunter, though Eddie later asserted that Locke was a farmer. Likewise, in this instance he chooses the knife, again resisting his true destiny in favor of hunting. In high school, he resists an invitation by Mittelos to pursue science, claiming to prefer sports and boxing.
  • To add to this, I think that Locke's whole life has been a struggle to "prove" that he is a hunter, when he should really be a farmer.
    • I think the struggle has been to be a "hunter", not a scientist. As suggested by the teacher.

• Perhaps the items are meant to symbolize characters on the show in some fashion, perhaps those that have some importance to the Island/Jacob.
  • The six items represent the Oceanic Six.
    • The glove is Jack, the comic is Hurley, the Book of Laws is Kate, the compass is Sayid, the knife is Sun (severed from her husband), and the mysterious substance is Aaron.
      • Aaron cannot be classed as one of the Oceanic Six - Kate cannot pretend to have given birth on the island. They must be lying about his age off the island - or she "adopted" him.
      • Kate must be passing Aaron off as her own; otherwise her mother would not be so invested in meeting him.
        • Aaron was officially told to be one of the Oceanic Six.

• One problem about pre-island Locke was his anger, a theme which reoccurred several times and was also mentioned by Mikhail. Maybe the knife represents this "anger", which is part of Locke's personality - but as a leader of the Others Utopian society, Locke has to be rather lawful and calm than sultry, therefore Richard looked pleased when Locke first tried to grab the Book of Laws. At the same time, these items seem to be belongings of someone else from the past - maybe Locke is in fact the reincarnation of Jacob/ Tovard Hanso etc., but he is not ready to accept his destiny, because he is still too angry and frustrated (which doesn't change until the end of season 3, I guess).

• The flask of grey material contained cremated human remains.
  • Sounds extremely unlikely due to it having the texture and colour of sand, not the texture and colour of ash.

• The Compass resembles the compass from Via Domus that Elliot Maslow finds in the caves and Locke inspects at the conclusion of the mission.
  • I agree, I made this point last night while watching.

• All of the items belong to John at different points in his life and represent his different roles (i.e. compass - pathfinder; knife - fighter; book of laws - ruler) - but the one that he picks at that moment indicates whether or not he is ready to assume a certain role. By picking the knife, Richard is disappointed that John is not yet ready for something.
  • So what role does the comic book represent? The nerd Locke, who plays a military board game in the episode "Walkabout"?

• The knife belonged to Richard, which was why he seemed rather agitated when Locke chose it; Richard was not ready to give up his role.
  • Richard was the chosen one on the island and by Locke picking the knife it meant that he was chosen also.

• The knife belonged to someone on the black rock or is an artifact from the ancient inhabitants of the island.

• The flask of rocks/dirt was an earth sample from the island.
  • Since Locke chose this item this indicated to Richard that he was on the island.
  • Alternately, it was from the ash/powder moat around Jacob's cabin, embodying the ability to communicate with Jacob/the island.
  • The rocks/dirt for the island theory is the best, but it is not dirt, it is sand which also refers to the island which is surrounded by sand.

• The flask contained sal ammoniacus (“salt of Amun”, ammonium chloride) so called because of deposits near the Temple of Jupiter Amun in Ancient Libya. These are resultant near volcanic regions, and the alchemical symbol for this salt was on the tree where Juliet got the "vaccine." Alchemical symbols go along with the theme of Richard's timelessness.
  • There was a pile of something on the chair when Locke first saw Jacob's cabin. Could this pile have been dirt or salt? Could Jacob be a "salt of the earth"?
    • The stuff on the chair was just undisturbed dust and debris, demonstrating that a normal physical presence was not seated there.

• The bottle contains sand/dirt from the island, indicating that the island belongs to Locke. How? Who knows, but Locke was always meant to be on that island.

• I don't think the items personally belonged to anyone. I think that they symbolize the choices he made in life and how they pertain to his destiny. John considers the compass/vial then chooses the knife like he chooses sports and cars after considering science. His specialty, his abilities already belonged to him, they come naturally to him. His father teaches him later to use the knives, but his talent for games comes naturally to him.

• The reason why Richard was angry or disturbed when Locke picked the knife was because some how that showed that Locke is a chosen one for the island and is now competition for Richard.

• Locke chose correctly. Knives are very much associated with Locke (the hunter). It's significant that the walkabout was mentioned in this episode. The first time we see Locke with knives was in the first season episode Walkabout when he opens his metal suitcase filled with hunting knives. The knife can also symbolize Locke as a protector. In order to protect the island, he kills Naomi with a knife. By choosing the knife, Locke is aware of his destiny and is therefore the chosen one. Richard is upset that Locke chose correctly because he was hoping to be proven wrong. Richard suspected that Locke was the chosen one but the Others/Natives/Jacob have chosen to focus on Ben first. It's 1961 when Richard meets 5 year old Locke. Ben was born in the early 60's. The test proves that Locke is the chosen one but Richard must accept Ben first. However, Richard continues to keep tabs on Locke as he grows up (i.e. trying to recruit him into Mittelos Science camp) as his time will come.

• Three of the items "belong" to Locke, all of the others are red herrings that a normal 6 year old boy would be attracted to. He chooses two items correctly, but thought he could get away with keeping one for himself.

• The comic book represents how Locke will move the island. The cover depicts an island floating in the air above the water, and the writers chose this comic book because of this. Richard wanted him to choose the comic book to show that he was ready to save the island, but was disappointed when he actually chose the knife. After all, being the chosen one doesn't necessarily mean you fulfill your "destiny" or whatever. Just look at Star Wars. Luckily for Jacob, they did manage to win Locke round, with the help of Ben. In fact maybe Ben's destiny was to convince Locke he was the chosen one, by shooting him and letting him see that he's invincible. Either way, my original point was, everybody is seeing the comic book as meaning he'd become a nerd if he chose it, when actually what it shows on the front cover is incredibly important. The writers wouldn't throw something like an island floating in the air in the episode for no reason if they finish the episode by saying they have to move the island. It is significant.

• A true leader generally needs to be lawful. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the third right item is the "Book of Laws". Therefore, considering things in Lost are never obvious, the right item was certainly the comic. Furthermore, the knife was cleverly put above to distract Locke.

Hurley & Ben Discuss The Purge

Transcript:

  Hugo: So, this is where you shot Locke and left him for dead huh?
  Ben: Yes Hugo, I was standing right where you are now when I pulled the trigger.
  Ben: Should of realized at the time that it was pointless, but...I really 
  wasn't thinking clearly.     
  Hugo: Is that why you killed all these people too? 
  Ben: I didn't kill them..
  Hugo: Well if the others didn't wipe out the DI?
  Ben: They did wipe them out Hugo, but it wasn't my decision
  Hugo: Who's was it?
  Ben: Their leader's.
  Hugo: But I thought you were their leader?
  Ben: Not always. 

• Charles Widmore was the other leader/Caretaker of The Island; but Ben somehow removed him and either promoted Richard as his secondary, or Richard was a secondary already and they plotted together to remove Widmore from the Island.
  • This decision could have been the primary reason Ben wanted to remove Charles Widmore. Not for killing his father but maybe for Annie's family, and of course you see his reaction when he sees Horace dead in episode 3x20.
    • Ben would need at least Jacob's and Richard's approval to remove Widmore. They wouldn't base their decision solely on Ben's personal grudge, a deeper motive would be required. They had to disagree with his general way of running things, punish him for some kind of fault, or they just considered that his time was "over" (just like Ben's today).
• He was referring to Richard.
  • Richard was the leader of the Hostiles and eventually got Ben to kill all of Dharma according to earlier seasons.
• He was referring to Locke's supplanting him as leader.
  • So far Locke was never truly their leader.
    • If it was Locke he probably would have replied something along the lines of "Not anymore".
• He was referring to Jacob.
  • This is very likely and supports the theory of Ben initially being Jacob's messenger, but abused the position to become an actual leader and make decisions, but present them as Jacob's orders.
  • However, Ben acknowledged Jacob as his superior even during his leadership, Jacob has always been referred to as much more than a leader. This person is more likely the brilliant/magnificent man that has been referred to by Ben and Mikhail.
    • I think the "brilliant/magnificent man" was always supposed to be Jacob, though if it isn't, that's quite an interesting possibility!

Claire

• Claire did not look like herself at all in this episode. This is because she is not alive any more, and what we saw in the episode was not her, but an apparition.
  • Very likely, we have seen apparitions of dead people before on the Island with different personalities and agendas than their living selfs seemed to possess. She seemed very much like she slyly knew how Locke was being manipulated, which is more along the lines of Ben or someone very close to the Island and nothing like her character's past. Not being upset about missing her own child states this very clearly.
• Claire has actually been dead since her house blew up. That is why she is in Jacob's cabin and that is why Miles was looking at her with such interest.
  • Claire died from head trauma, resulting from the explosion, during the night. This is in line with her complaints about headaches during the day and 'seeing things'. Her body disappears after her death, much the same way as Christian Shephard's. It also explains why Aaron was abandoned during the night, and Claire's sudden change in personality when we see her next in the Cabin.
  • Since the writers said Claire would have a much more important storyline in the future, Miles was looking at her with interested because he could hear the whispers discussing her importance. Remember, the whispers were often entirely inaudible to us without special sound equipment at times. It would be reasonable to assume that Miles not only has become accustomed to ignoring whispers when he wants to, but is constantly hearing whispers the entire time he's there. This time they caught his attention.
    • The whispers that Miles hears are not the whispers we came to be familiar with in the first few seasons. Miles can hear dead people
      • This means that if Claire was dead only Miles would be able to communicate with her, but we saw Sawyer, Ben, Hurley and Locke talking to Claire.
        • Miles can hear the whispers of the dead, maybe the dead talk about the dying. Claire might have not known she was dying. If she died of head trauma out in the jungle it would be a way to kill off a major character without showing blood, nobody wants to actually see Claire die
        • Several of the survivors have communicated or seen dead people--Locke did this earlier in the same episode. Horace was bleeding from his nose when speaking to Locke, the same as he was when the Purge happened. Maybe Claire's head wound she had in the cabin is what killed her during the explosion.
          • In the cabin she does not appear to have a head wound.
          • Yes she does, with a band aid over it
      • The whispers may be people who have died on the Island.
  • So who exactly was holding Aaron when Keamy almost found them in the Bushes? Sawyer, who was holding a gun? Or did Sawyer let Miles hold Aaron? When Sawyer was talking about Miles having a "restraining order" was he psychobabbling, because Claire really wasn't there?
    • She was dead, but somehow the island manipulated her into a physical form. Christian Shepherd held the baby too and he's dead. He can rock in a chair too. There's a cabin on the show that actually moves around. It shouldn't be too hard to believe that ghost Claire can hold her baby.
• Claire was in the cabin because she just made a deal with Jacob: Give up Aaron and/or remain on the island in exchange for curing her comatose mother.
  • Doubtful that Claire would choose her mother over her son. She already knows Aaron's destiny, which is why she looks relaxed and has a smile. She's seen the end and it happy with it, perhaps she knows that Aaron will be back, but the only way for them to be reunited is for them to part.
• Claire, the single mother of Aaron, has been bodily assumed into the afterlife without really dying-- compare the Assumption of Mary
  • Recall Charlie's dream that mirrors The Baptism of Christ where Claire appears looking very Mary-like. If Claire is Mary, Aaron is Christ... the savior of the Island?
• Eventually there will be an episode where this all knowing teenage boy will appear all mysterious and help Jack or Kate or Hurley in some way and then will identify himself as Aaron. It has to happen.
  • Season six, my friend. :)
  • Yeah maybe grown up Aaron is the one who gets the Oceanic 6 back onto the Island somehow, which as far as we can tell is a good thing.
• The Island/Jacob has chosen Claire to replace Jack as a leader. Recall Hurley stating that Claire is very influential among the survivors. ("Left Behind") Jack's role is up (for now) and we know he leaves the Island. Jack wasn't on Jacob's list to being with. Jack got sick the same day Claire met Christian and was taken away. This mirrors how Ben discovered the tumor the day before Locke arrived. The Island/Jacob has chosen Locke to replace Ben.
• Claire has been told by Christian or whoever is taking the form of Christian that if she doesn't come with him, Aaron will die, but if she does she wont see him for a very long time but he will live and get off the island.

Biblical References

The scene where Locke entered the Cabin seemed to be deliberately crafted so as to be analogous to the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies in the Ancient Israelite Tabernacle or Temple. Locke only could enter, like Aaron the High Priest (unusual that it is deliberately pointed out that Aaron is missing!), who was miraculously chosen out of the twelve representatives of the sons of Israel (Jacob.) He grabbed the lantern and lit it, like the Priest taking the special Golden Censer and filling it with burning coals before entering. He went in with the intention of speaking to God (or Jacob in this case). Everyone else stood back at a distance and watched onward and awaited his return. Some people believe that the Lord did not come personally but rather sent an angel, glory, or presence (shekhinah or bath kol) of some sort to speak to Aaron from between the wings of the Cherubim upon the Ark of the Covenant, and Christian was a spokesman for Jacob in like manner. The mystery of the cabin is similar to the mystery of the Holy of Holies, but in a very dark almost creepy way. The fact that details surrounding Jacob are connected to the Bible, "God loves you as he loved Jacob." Mr. Eko's stick also comes to mind.

• Claire being in the cabin with Christian/Jacob doesn't quite fit this scenario.

Drawing

• Locke has had dreams as a child about the Smoke Monster (hence the drawing that Richard sees). This is why Locke is so curious the first time he sees the Monster, and when he finally has custody of Ben in Confirmed Dead, it's the first thing he asks him: "What is the Smoke Monster??"
  • Why he painted the picture is the same reason he choose the knife. He is in a time-loop and have some semi-knowledge of previous rounds.
    • That's why Richard was disappointed when Locke choose the knife, because he wants to end the loop.
      • Being special is being able to recieve information from previous loops.