Christian Shephard

Dr. Christian Shephard
Actor	John Terry
First	"Walkabout"
Place	Los Angeles, California, USA
Profession	Former Chief of Surgery at St. Sebastian Hospital
Reason in Australia	...to see his daughter a final time
Reason For Trip	...presumably deceased, in a coffin
Family	Unnamed Father Margo Shephard - Wife Jack Shephard - Son Carole Littleton - Ex-Lover Claire Littleton - Daughter Aaron Littleton - Grandson

Dr. Christian Shephard is the father of Jack Shephard and Claire Littleton, the husband of Margo Shephard, and the grandfather of Aaron Littleton. Prior to having his license stripped for performing surgery under the influence of alcohol, he was the Chief of Surgery at St. Sebastian Hospital. After being fired, Christian left for Australia where he apparently died as a result of a alcohol-induced heart attack.("White Rabbit")  ("Do No Harm")  ("Par Avion") However, following the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, on which his son Jack was transporting his body back to Los Angeles, he began appearing, seemingly alive and well, to Vincent, Jack, Hurley, Claire, Locke, Miles and Michael. Moreover, his coffin was found unlocked and empty, raising questions about the nature of his death and whether or not he is possibly still alive.

Before the crash

Christian discusses with his son, Jack, what it takes to be a hero. ("White Rabbit")

Sometime in his young life, Christian began dating a woman named Margo. He eventually proposed to her, but Christian's father told him on his wedding day that he disapproved of their union. Nevertheless, he gave him a watch as a family heirloom on that same day. Christian accepted it, but never wore it. ("The Watch")

Christian's early relationship with his son, Jack, was distant and authoritative. One such occasion demonstrated the tension between them when a young Jack attempted to defend his friend, Marc Silverman, against a pair of older boys. Christian took this fight as a chance to dispel his son's heroic nature. Christian explained that Jack should not try to be a hero, because he "didn't have what it takes". Christian stated many years later that he was like Jack during his childhood ("White Rabbit"), and Jack himself noted after being rescued from the island that his father had been a good storyteller. ("Something Nice Back Home") He also taught Jack how to play chess at a young age. ("King of the Castle")

As time passed, Christian developed a drinking problem, became disconnected with many of his friends, and began to distance himself from his family, even to the point of taking sporadic, private trips for periods of time. ("White Rabbit") During one of those periods of absence, Christian developed an extramarital relationship with an Australian woman named Carole Littleton. Carole became pregnant by him, and she gave birth to Claire, their daughter. Christian saw Claire regularly when she was very young, but stopped visiting because Carole disliked sharing Christian with the Shephard family back in America. Christian's decision to stop visiting was further solidified when Lindsey, Carole's sister, became hateful and aggressive. Claire's mother later told her that her father was dead. ("Par Avion")

Christian reunites with his estranged daughter, Claire.

Years later, however, Christian received a phone call from a doctor he knew in Sydney. Through this conversation, Christian learned that Carole was in a coma as a result of a car accident. He decided to return to Australia. He intended to pay for her medical expenses anonymously, but Lindsey and a teenage Claire returned to the hospital and found him in Carole's room. At first, Christian attempted to leave without causing any trouble, but hostility between him and Lindsey led Claire to ask questions. Christian revealed his identity as her father. After this event, Claire, too, became hostile toward him.("Par Avion")

Christan attempts to persaude Jack. ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")

Nevertheless, Christian later convinced Claire to grab some coffee with him so they could discuss his affair and Carole's vegetative condition. Christian said that Carole wasn't really living and needed to be let go. Claire became angry at this suggestion and began to leave their meeting, but Christian urged Claire not to keep her mother alive with machines "for the wrong reasons." After pleading with Claire, he returned to America, presumably never seeing her again, and things returned more or less to normal for Christian and his main family. ("Par Avion")

In the meantime, Jack graduated medical school and began working alongside Christian at St. Sebastian Hospital in Los Angeles. In Jack's adult years, Christian took a more encouraging approach to Jack. For instance, when Jack was working on a patient named Sarah. Jack's no-nonsense diagnosis left little hope, but Christian reminded Jack that even people need hope. Jack disagreed, but eventually managed to "fix" Sarah despite impossible odds, and the two later became a couple. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")

Some time later, Jack proposed to Sarah. Prior to the wedding, Christian shared a profound discussion with Jack on a nearby beach. Christian gave Jack the family watch, expressing the approval he had never received from his own father. He hinted that his own decision to marry Margo had been the wrong choice, but that Jack was doing the right thing. Before leaving, Christian asked Jack to be a better father than he, Christian, had been. ("The Watch")

Christian continued to encourage Jack as time passed. While Jack was having trouble writing his vows, Christian asked Jack if he loved Sarah. Jack responded, saying "absolutely", but expressed a worry that he might not be a good husband or father. Christian tried to dispel these fears, telling Jack that commitment was what made him tick. ("Do No Harm")

One difficult case at the hospital was a man named Angelo Busoni, who was accompanied by his daughter and de facto translator, Gabriela. Christian and Jack explained that Angelo's condition was inoperable, and Christian refused to perform surgery. But Gabriela said that she had heard of Jack's miraculous surgery on Sarah and had come for him, not Christian. Jack sympathized and agreed to attempt the difficult surgery. ("The Hunting Party")

As the weeks of preparation for surgery went by, Christian began noticing his son's attachment to Gabriela. One night, he took him aside to discourage Jack from getting too personally involved, reminding him that ignoring the line of professionalism would be a mistake for his career and his marriage. Jack was offended and ignored his father's advice. After Angelo died in surgery, Christian tried to comfort his son, but Jack was enraged by the fact that Christian had already told Gabriela about the outcome of the surgery. ("The Hunting Party")

Christian later joined Alcoholics Anonymous, hoping to put an end to his drinking problem. Around this time, Jack's marriage had begun falling apart. Sarah was having an affair, and her divorce with Jack led him to become obsessed with stalking her, trying to determine the identity of the other man. Jack eventually accused his father of being the other man, and during one of his AA meetings, he physically assaulted his father. After this hurtful incident, Christian returned to drinking. ("A Tale of Two Cities")

Christian's drinking problem eventually crossed over into his professional life, with profound ramifications. He operated on a woman named Beth while impaired, inadvertently causing her death. Christian's surgery team all signed off on the fact that there was nothing Christian could do to save the patient's life, except for Jack. Jack insisted that the whole truth should be told, but Christian pleaded that he not mention alcohol because it would cause him to lose his medical license. Jack wasn't persuaded until Christian tried to reconnect with his son. Christian apologized for being so hard during Jack's childhood and explained that medicine was his life. Jack agreed to sign, but later, when he learned that the patient was pregnant, he revised his statement, saying that his father was responsible for the death of the woman and her unborn child. After this, Christian lost his medical license and became estranged from Jack. ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")

Christian and Ana Lucia's first meeting in an airport bar ("Two for the Road")

Christian began taking extended trips again. At a bar in LAX, where Ana Lucia worked as a security guard, the two shared a conversation. He told her about the rift between him and Jack and asked her to come to Australia with him as a bodyguard. He didn't tell her what he was going to do there, but explained it might be "a little dangerous," and he needed someone to protect him. He then explained that fate had brought them together in order to help one another out. Ana Lucia agreed. Christian suggested not using real names and that the two go by aliases. He decided to call Ana Lucia "Sarah", his daughter-in-law's name, and she decided to call him "Tom". ("Two for the Road")

While in Australia, Christian went on a severe drinking binge for four days. He then told Ana Lucia it was time to protect him. In the middle of the night, Christian drove to Lindsey's house, hoping to regain contact with Claire. Lindsey refused to let him in, and when he became violent, Ana Lucia grabbed Christian and forced him back to the car. When Ana Lucia asked Christian why he had been arguing, he nonchalantly explained that he was just having a conversation. ("Two for the Road")

Christian meets Sawyer in a Sydney bar. ("Outlaws")

Jack sees his father's lifeless body.("White Rabbit")

The next day, Christian and Ana Lucia were parked near a wharf. Ana Lucia began questioning Christian about the woman from the night before, but he refused to give a straight answer. She told him her real name, but Christian didn't reciprocate. She remarked on how pathetic a life Christian was living and asked why he was even in Australia to begin with. Christian admitted to her that his son was trying to help him, but he felt so hurt that he had to run away. He suggested they enter the bar on the wharf and drink together, but she refused.

After the argument, Christian left Ana Lucia and stumbled into the bar, where he met a man named Sawyer. Christian had forgotten his wallet, so Sawyer bought the drinks. Christian told Sawyer about the falling-out with his son, Jack and in turn, Sawyer told him he was there on business of his own, but wasn't able to do what he came to do. Christian admitted that he was weak and didn't have what it took to call his son and tell him how he really felt. He nonetheless encouraged Sawyer to go through with whatever business would ease his pain. ("Outlaws")

During this time, Jack flew to Australia to find Christian, upon his mother's urging. He was told that Christian had been found dead in a Sydney alley, with his blood alcohol concentration so high that it was probably responsible for the massive heart attack that ostensibly led to his death. Jack was brought in to identify his father's corpse. Afterwards, Jack made the preparations to fly his body back to Los Angeles, though he ran into some trouble with regulations at the airport. ("White Rabbit")

On the Island

Season 1 (Days 1-44)

Jack's vision of Christian ("White Rabbit")

Just after the crash, Vincent found a "living" Christian Shephard (wearing white tennis shoes) in the jungle. Christian told the dog that his son, Jack, was in a nearby clearing. He asked Vincent to go wake Jack up. As Vincent obeyed, Christian said that Jack had "work to do." ("So It Begins")

He was later seen on the Island, still wearing the white tennis shoes, several times by Jack. Jack was convinced that these appearances were hallucinations brought on by lack of sleep and post-traumatic stress disorder. Locke encouraged Jack to suspend his skeptic nature and follow the apparitions. Jack did so and ended up discovering the caves, which contained a source of water and some debris from the plane. He found Christian's coffin intact among the wreckage, but the body was not inside. ("White Rabbit")

Hurley sees Christian in Jacob's cabin ("The Beginning of the End")

Jack didn't mention his father's appearance on the island to anyone aside from Locke, but Sawyer later became unusually interested in Jack's father when he came to suspect that he was the same man he'd met in the Sydney bar. Jack told Sawyer his feeling about his father, claiming that "he didn't want to take responsibility for his actions, so he blamed it on fate." When Jack asked why Sawyer was interested, he simply claimed it was out of curiosity. ("Outlaws").

However, Sawyer later revealed to Jack that he had indeed seen his father a week before the crash. Sawyer repeated Christian's words about Jack being the better man and about how Christian's self-confessed inability to call Jack up and tell him that he loved him. Sawyer remarked, "something tells me he never got around to making that call. Small world, huh?" Jack was visibly moved by this. ("Exodus, Part 1")

Season 3 (Day 68)

Christian made no further appearances for a while, although on one occasion, Jack heard his voice through the intercom in his cell in the Hydra, saying "let it go." ("A Tale of Two Cities")

Season 4 (Days 91-100)

Christian holding Aaron ("Something Nice Back Home") (Promotional still)

Christian in the cabin ("Cabin Fever")

Later, when Hurley got separated from the group leaving the beach, he stumbled upon Jacob's cabin. When Hurley looked into the window, he saw Christian Shephard sitting in Jacob's rocking chair, wearing the same suit, tie, and shoes from prior appearances before. Hurley was startled by the sudden appearance of another man inside and ran away from the cabin. ("The Beginning of the End")

He later suddenly appeared outside Sawyer, Miles, and Claire's camp, holding Aaron. Claire awakened to see him, recognizing him. This was the first time that Christian was seen on the island without his blue suit—instead, he appeared to be wearing a dress shirt. Claire walked away with him at some point in the night, and Aaron was later found, crying but unharmed, at the base of a tree. Miles seems to have seen Christian as well, as he told Sawyer (who was asleep at the time) that Claire walked with someone she called "Dad." ("Something Nice Back Home")

After Locke, Ben, and Hurley found Jacob's cabin again, Locke entered alone. There he met Christian, who claimed to be speaking on Jacob's behalf. Claire was present in the cabin as well, pleasantly and nonchalantly describing her self as "with him." Christian told Locke that the people who intended to do harm to the island and its inhabitants were en route, making questions about Claire's disappearance unimportant. He suggested Locke should ask the sole important question, prompting him to ask, "How do I save the island?" Afterwards, Locke exited Jacob's cabin and told Ben and Hurley that Jacob told him to "move the island." ("Cabin Fever") Christian was also seen appearing to Michael right before the explosion of the Kahana, letting Michael know that he "can go now." ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

After the Island

Ten months after the crash, and some time after the rescue of the Oceanic Six, Jack could finally give Christian Shephard his funeral, although he claims he is unable to properly bury his father, presumably because the body went missing on the island. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")

Christian appears to Jack

Christian has thus far appeared to Jack twice after the departure from the island. First, Jack caught a glimpse of Christian as he walked by in the hospital (although this might just be someone who looked like his dad). The second time also occurred at the hospital, while Jack was working late hours. Christian said Jack's name from a nearby sofa, but one of Jack's co-workers appeared and Christian vanished. Believing this to be a hallucination, Jack requested a prescription for clonazepam. ("Something Nice Back Home")

Sometime later, Jack repeatedly referred to him as if he were still alive. Jack presented a pharmacist with a prescription for oxycodone, claiming it was written by Christian Shephard. When the pharmacist said she'd need to call his office, Jack stumbled away, telling her not to bother. Later, a drunk and distraught Jack told Dr. Hamill to bring his father in and fire him, Jack, if he were drunker. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 2")

Death and reappearance

Christian's death, though not shown on-screen, has been confirmed in a Official LOST podcast (April 20, 2007 Edition). Even further clarification was received in "Access: Granted", when Carlton Cuse stated "In terms of actually physically corporally in existence... he's dead".

He is, along with Yemi, one of two previously deceased bodies that have gone missing and then later appeared to be living people. Yemi's appearance was confirmed to be influenced by the Monster in the Official LOST Podcast (March 21, 2008 Edition), while Christian was confirmed as being one of three characters (Yemi and Kate's horse) to be classified as "undead".

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Christian Shephard/Theories

• What happened to Christian's body?
• How did Jack, Hurley, Vincent, Claire, Locke, and Miles see Christian on the Island?
• Why did he need Ana Lucia for protection in Sydney?
• Why does Jack see Christian off the Island in the future?
• What are Christian and Claire doing in Jacob's cabin?
• How did he come to be able to speak on Jacob's behalf?
• Why does he appear in different clothes than before?