The fail-safe was a mechanism in the Swan which, when triggered by the turn of a key, would terminate the electromagnetic buildup which the button was meant to discharge. The switch was located in a large crawlspace beneath the station accessible by one of a number of grates in the floor. Kelvin Inman, drunk and looking for an escape from pushing the button, revealed the fail-safe to Desmond, saying that it was the only other way out, and that turning the key would make it "all go away". ("Live Together, Die Alone")
Key
Desmond retrieves the fail-safe key from Kelvin's neck. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
On the day of the system failure coinciding with the crash of Flight 815, Desmond acquired the fail-safe key by ripping it off of Kelvin's neck, after having accidentally killed him. The key was imprinted with the Swan's logo, and Desmond kept it inside his copy of Our Mutual Friend. It is unknown how many DHARMA Initiative personnel were aware of the fail-safe, although it is highly likely at least Radzinsky, as the station architect, was aware of its existence. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
Desmond turns the fail-safe key under the Swan station. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
Activation
After Locke caused another system failure by destroying the computer, Desmond retrieved the key and triggered the fail-safe mechanism, finally terminating the electromagnetic anomaly. This action resulted in the events of the discharge, the complete destruction of the station, and Desmond becoming unstuck in time. ("Live Together, Die Alone") ("Further Instructions") ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
An unofficial, common fan-made fail-safe key replica, a large number of which were once sold on eBay
The producers later clarified that the turning of the key by Desmond prevented a potential "global catastrophe". (Access: Granted) ("Lost: The Answers")
Desmond as fail-safe himself
According to Charles Widmore, Desmond was a fail-safe himself, because of his unique resistance to electromagnetism. Jacob's last resort in case The Man in Black managed to kill all of the candidates, one final way to make sure that his brother would never leave the Island. ("What They Died For")
Jughead
When Desmond turns the key, a white flash of light shines and the hatch implodes. After the revelation that the bomb did not cause the Flash Sideways Timeline after all, because it is the afterlife, it is very possible that the bomb never went off. The flash seen in the final moments of season 5 were one final time jump, explaining why the characters ended up back in 2007, and the bomb was instead used as the failsafe. Faraday's plan worked, but it wasn't properly executed until 30 years later.
Cultural references
Fail-Safe is a 1964 film directed by Sidney Lumet about a fictional Cold War nuclear crisis, and the US President's attempt to end it. The catch line on the original movie poster reads, "'Fail Safe' will have you standing on the brink of eternity!"
See also
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Fail-safe/Theories
- Why didn't Desmond use the fail-safe when the computer was damaged in "Orientation"?
- What exactly took place when the fail-safe was activated?
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