The Tempest is a DHARMA Initiative station that produces, stores, and distributes a deadly toxic gas. Its location is about a day's walk north of the survivors' beach camp on the western coast. It was used by the Hostiles during the Purge to kill the DHARMA Initiative on the Island. It has since been disabled by Daniel and Charlotte.
History
The Purge.
DHARMA Initiative
Very little is known about the history of the Tempest. It was presumably built by the DHARMA Initiative at some time during the 1970's.
Ben and the Hostiles used the Tempest during the Purge to kill over 40 members of the DHARMA Initiative. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
The Others
Juliet treating Goodwin's arm.
Goodwin worked at the Tempest after the Others took over the Island. Juliet treated him for a burn he sustained while working there. Goodwin claimed the station was a power plant, but Juliet recognized the injury as a chemical burn and not an injury from a transformer, as Goodwin claimed. While picnicking and swimming on a secluded portion of beach, Goodwin confessed that with a flip of the wrong switch at the Tempest station, Ben could have him kill every man, woman and child on the Island. ("The Other Woman")
Season Four (Days 91-100)
Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Lewis, two scientists from the Kahana, set off from the beach camp to the Tempest. Jack and Juliet, after finding them missing, followed after them. Upon reaching the station, Juliet saw Daniel standing at the computer and Charlotte standing nearby, both in HAZMAT suits. Juliet attacked Charlotte, believing the two to be releasing the toxic gas inside, however, Daniel instead was neutralizing the poison gas stored at the station. They claimed that they did this to prevent Ben from using it to kill everyone on the Island. After the misunderstanding was successfully cleared up, Daniel and Charlotte began shutting down the station, while Jack and Juliet shared their second kiss near the exit of the station. Kate appeared soon afterwards, and Juliet agreed to give Kate a tour of the station. ("The Other Woman")
The Station
Juliet approaching the Tempest's doors
The Tempest consists of two levels: the upper level, featuring an entrance and main corridor leading to a catwalk; and the lower level, which features the computer systems that control the station. Overall, the station appeared to be cleaner and in a better state of repair than other DHARMA stations.
Purpose
It is unknown if the station produced toxic gas to be used as a weapon or if this production was used for scientific research. Kate described the station to the other survivors as a "poison gas factory." ("Ji Yeon")
Juliet told Jack that the Tempest was a power station; however, Daniel, despite knowing about the station in detail, wondered aloud how the Island was powered. This implies that the Island receives its power from a source other than the Tempest. ("The Other Woman")
The Tempest's interior
Entrance and corridor
The entrance is a blast door which leads to a corridor. The Tempest DHARMA logo is visible on the door. The corridor is similar in appearance to the one in the Staff. It opens onto a catwalk that overlooks the facility's lower level. Blinking lights and speakers have been placed along the walls of the corridor.
The warning on the computer
Computer systems
There are two computer systems on the lower level of the station. One system's monitor seemed to display an interactive process flow diagram with a pressure warning, while the other appeared to control various parts of the chemical process, including commands to to change the temperature, and open or shut valves and vents.
The latter computer also displayed the names of chemicals, such as thionyl chloride, O-ethyl 2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonite and N,N-diisopropyl-2-aminoethane thiol. These are precursors to the nerve agent VX. VX was banned by the UN in 1993, but would have still been accessible to the DHARMA Initiative in the 1970's.
The computers seemed to each be different makes and models: one appeared to be a newer computer, while the other was an old Apple II similar to the computer found in the Swan.
Notable visitors
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| Picture | Name | Episode | Reason for Visit | |||||
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Goodwin | "The Other Woman" | Worked there, and at one point recieved a chemical burn while stationed there. | |||||
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Daniel | "The Other Woman" | Went to The Tempest with Charlotte. Donned hazmat suits to protect themselves from the gas, and disabled the gas when confronted by Juliet. | |||||
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Charlotte | "The Other Woman" | Went to The Tempest with Daniel. Donned hazmat suits to protect themselves from the gas, and disabled the gas when confronted by Juliet. | |||||
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Juliet | "The Other Woman" | Followed Daniel and Charlotte to stop them, under orders delivered by Harper. | |||||
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Jack | "The Other Woman" | Followed Daniel and Charlotte to stop them. | |||||
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Kate | "The Other Woman" | Followed Daniel and Charlotte to stop them. | |||||
Trivia
General
- Producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof confirmed on the March 10, 2008 Official Lost Podcast that the Tempest was on the blast door map. They also confirmed it was a chemical weapons facility and was what the Hostiles used to gas the DHARMA Initiative in the Purge.
- The computer keyboards in this station are a modern design, at the very least an IBM/PC AT Enhanced model keyboard, having both arrow keys and a number pad. This style was first released in 1987, demonstrating that the equipment in this station is newer than the other stations that have been shown.
- "TEMPEST" is a US government codename for the concealment of compromising emanations in part through the use of Faraday cages to contain the electromagnetic radiation of entire buildings.
Cultural references
- The Tempest is a play written by William Shakespeare, that tells the story of the sorcerer Prospero and his daughter Miranda, who are stranded on a mysterious desert island that has mystical properties. Prospero raises a storm, or tempest, which causes a passing ship containing his enemies to run aground. Using magic, spirits and a man-beast creature named Caliban, he separates and manipulate the survivors of the wreck for his own purposes. The play ends with Prospero restored to his former glory.
- Forbidden Planet is a classic sci-fi film based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. Its storyline features many similar themes to Lost: a mysterious location, geographic isolation, immense power sources, ancient civilizations, hidden underground facilities, an invisible monster, a stranded crew of explorers, lost scientific expeditions, and deadly psychic powers.
- David Fury mentions Forbidden Planet while discussing the Monster in an interview with Lostpedia:
| “ |
Metaphorically, the Monster was just the great unknown threat, the imminent danger around the corner that potentially haunts us all… Some thought of it as a monster of the id, much like in Forbidden Planet-- that maybe it appeared differently to everyone who saw it. The most tangible thought, as explained later by Rousseau, was that it functioned as a security system set up by the Island’s creators/early residents... For Locke, clearly, the Monster was the "soul" of the Island that was responsible for his "miracle." |
” |
- Tempest is also the name of an arcade game produced by Atari in 1981. (The producers of Lost named the submarine Galaga after an arcade game.)
- The Tempest DHARMA logo is a huge wave which is symbolic of a catastrophic event, much like the Biblical story of the great flood. (The Other Woman-Enhanced)
Production notes
- Cooper Battery, a World War II coastal defense gun battery at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu, served as the entrance to the Tempest station. [1]
- The inside of the Tempest is actually an abandoned dairy factory.
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Tempest/Theories
- What was the toxic gas developed for?
- How did Daniel know how to disable the gas?
- Where is its location on the blast door map?
- Where is the real power source/station for the DHARMA facilities?
