What They Died For/Theories

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Theories about What They Died For

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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.

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The Surgery

• In the FST, Jack will be performing surgery on Locke at the same time as they are fighting in the OT. During the surgery, Locke will have a near-death experience. Unlike the others, his will be similar to Desmond's in that his OT counterpart will flash over briefly. Because the MiB is in possession of Locke's body, he will experience the flash. He will then realize that it is time for him to let go of as well and allow himself to be killed by Jack.
  • MIB isn't in possession of Locke's body. Locke's body is buried at the beach.
    • MIB has not got possession of it, but he has duplicated it exactly. Perhaps enough for FST Locke's spirit to affect and disrupt.
• Jack will be performing surgery on Locke and will have a flash of a battle on the island between himself and Flocke. Then he will return to the present surgery and face a similar scenario to when he was performing surgery on Ben and had to decide if he wanted to kill him or save him.
  • The battle is now between Jack and MiB. Not Locke. No one except Jack will end up on the island permanently. The island could always heal Locke again if he went back to it. The surgery is because all the FST Losties will get to go on with their live and melded memories and reward. Locke's is that he will walk again, have married his sweetheart and know his Dad was a bastard (so no guilt).

Flash Sideways is Jacobs Backup

• Jacob knew that sinking/destroying the Island was MIB's endgame. He created Desmond and the FST as his loophole. This was proven when he tried to move the pieces sideways in the Senet game. They will have to "Lift it Up" (the Island) in the FST to save the world. They will realize this once they get their 'memories' back.
• The FST are becoming more aware of the OT as what's real.
• There has been zero inference that the reverse is true.
  • Not quite - when Widmore zapped Desmond, he became aware of his FST self.
• FST Desmond said "She's not ready yet" about Ana Lucia Cortez
• Hurley seems to have the same dual awareness that Desmond has (recognising Ana Lucia Cortez)
  • Yes, but only from the FST side. His OT side is not aware of the FST.
• While the original Losties/Candidates keep ending up dead, their journey is melded with the backup Losties who all get to benefit.
• Desmond is bringing Kate to Jack's son's concert.
  • At Detective Straume's father's Museum.
    • The one that Hurley donated money to build.
  • I think it is more likely that they are going to the Widmore event...Daniel's concert.
    • Very likely, considering that Faraday's special guests were supposed to be.. Driveshaft! Maybe they will strike a magic chord that will fuse the two timelines.
      • Can't this all be the same place? A benefit at a museum featuring many musicians.
        • If the concert was going to be shortly after 815 landed, it's unlikely Daniel's concert since too much time has passed.

Intermediary

Jacob picked Richard to be an intermediary for him. Likewise, Jack will have to pick an intermediary.

• Jack knows that Kate, Sawyer and Hurley all want to go home more than anything and I don't think he would make anyone stay because he needed an intermediary. Jacob didn't have an intermediary for about a couple thousand years before Richard came to the Island, and he only needed one because of the people he was bringing to the Island to find his replacement. Jack isn't going to need an adviser, at least for a while that is.
• Jacob did not need an intermediary. He protected the island years (probably centuries before Richard arrived). So Jack is not obliged to pick someone too. Plus Richard was picked, because it was his choice. To because Jacob has to pick somebody.

Kate

• Back in The Greater Good, Jack tells Kate that she would be a good intermediary for him. She is easily trusted and is capable of many things.
  • Kate is not easily trusted. Time and time again, she does exactly what someone else tells her not to do.

Sawyer

• Sawyer wants to find purpose in the deaths that he supposedly caused on the submarine. He will become Jack's adviser because he has nothing to go back to the real world for, and he will feel the need to atone for his sins.
  • He has his daughter to go back for.
  • Sawyer's work in 'security' has prepared him for this role.

Hurley

• Hurley has previously shown the desire to be a leader, but he knows that he just isn't cut out for it. He still has a strong desire to be liked and to help. Being an adviser would allow him to be a leader of sorts, but without the huge responsibility being Jacob would be.
  • Hurley is also "special" in a way that seems important to island-related activities. His ability to commune with the dead would be a very useful skill- especially for talking to the whispers.
  • Hurley demonstrated "Richard-like" skills with Sawyer when he told him the survivors were going to vote him off the island. He got James to be nice for the first time.

Desmond

• Richard left the Island to bring Juliet and Locke there, and probably other people. Desmond is now serving a similar role in making people aware of the "original" timeline, where the Island exists.
  • Perhaps this makes Desmond a likely candidate to be the new Richard to Jack's new Jacob: his uniqueness in conjunction with the Island. Plus, like Richard, he loses a significant love in the process (Penny).
    • After losing Sun and Jin in The Candidate, the producers would not throw away the only other good couple they've got

None

• Every character listed here, especially Hurley and Sawyer, excluding Desmond expressed explicit disinterest in being part of the Island.
• Jacob didn't even need a go between. The only reason he appointed Richard with that task was because he didn't want to interfere with the people directly. As long as Jack doesn't have a personal problem talking with people directly then the position is unnecessary.
• Jacob only asked Richard to be an advisor because he had a dispute with MIB, one that MIB would interfere with. Jack has no such dispute with another character. Jack isn't a person who expressly believes that people are inherently good and that he shouldn't interfere.
• None because when balanced is restored there will be no need. Locke will become Protector and Security System

Ben

• Ben is lying to Locke. Once he is ordered to kill the other surivivors, he will refuse to do so, ruining Locke's plans. Assuming he survives, he could make for a good person to have on your side as well.
  • Another major point with this is that Locke promised that Ben could have the island when Locke was gone. Ben realizes that if he destroys the island, the island(and perhaps everyone on it) will die. He doesn't want to die, so he'll kill Locke to get even for killing Jacob.

Richard

• While we saw the smoke monster carry him off, there is no reason to expect he is dead, since we know the smoke monster has carried him off in the past. If Jacob made him immortal, MIB could have jest heaved him into the jungle so he could talk to Ben privately. Richard will probably wake up in a few hours and help with the big whatever in the finale.
  • It looked as if MiB threw Richard into the tree branches and from there he was throw off screen. Richard may be ageless, but he can certainly be killed.
    • Richard's wish was "I want to live forever; I never want to die." Jacob says he can grant it. Presumably, this isn't limited to halting the aging process. We saw Mikhail endure things that would kill a normal human, only to reappear at a later time in perfect health.
• If by some chance MIB did kill Richard. If Jack is now the same as Jacob, that means Jack now has the ability to bring people back to life by the power of touching them. So we maybe didn't get a huge Richard death scene because Jack will come across Richard, touch him and bring him back to life, and maybe even offer him his old job back.

All of the remaining candidates

• "Live together, die alone." The group will realize that they all need each other and all serve a purpose, and will choose to remain together, finally forming the idealized society that Jacob had envisioned.

Flash Sideways Creation

There have been a lot of thoughts on how the flash sideways came into existence (whether it was Jacob or the Man in Black, or someone else). Jack is now the protector of the Island, and it looks like he may have been the one to create it. This may be his way to make the lives of everyone he came to know on the Island what they should have been.

• Flashsideway is actually flashforward. When the island is destroyed (drown underwater) it will somehow lead to end of the world (Valenzetti Equation comes true) and what we see as alternative story is how the a world looks after after this "reset".
  • This is supported by dialogue from this episode. Locke promises Ben he could have the Island all to himself after Locke left it. To date, Ben is the only main character in the FST who had a pre-existing memory of being on the island. This is consistent with what we've been learning about our main characters since the beginning of the season - in the FST, they get what they wanted in the OT, only to learn that it is either not what they actually wanted (Desmond actually wanted Penny, not Widmore's approval; Ben actually wanted his daughter's love, and not the Island), or that they could not have it in the way they wanted (Ben could not BE on the Island, he could only have the memory of it to himself; Locke had a relationship with his father, only to lose it; Sayid got Nadia back only in a physical sense, not the emotional relationship he truly wanted).
• It was created by the bomb, and the presence of two outcomes that resulted in a paradox. But if you want to believe that someone did it, it seems more likely that it was Jacob- if the Flashsideways wasn't there, Desmond wouldn't be the failsafe he is now.
• Jacob knew that sinking/destroying the Island was MIB's endgame. He created Desmond and the FST as his loophole at the same time when MIB thought he had created his. This was proven when he tried to move the pieces sideways in the Senet game. They will have to "Lift it Up" (the Island) in the FST to save the world. They will realize this once they get their 'memories' back. But it will be a race against 'time' as they will have to accomplish this before the Island sinks/is destroyed by MIB in the OT

Jacob's Loophole

• Jack is Jacob's loophole. Jacob needs Jack to fix his mistake and to help MiB (FLocke) let go of his obsession with leaving the Island. This is mirrored in the FST with Jack trying to help Locke let go so he can fix his back.
  • Jacob also needs Jack to kill MiB in order to give MiB peace. Jacob regrets what he did to his twin brother but he can't kill MiB as Fake Mother made it that way. Killing MiB would involve throwing him into the Source/Light.
  • The FST is also a part of Jacob's loophole. Jacob changed the rules (i.e. his sideways move in the Senet game) so that the FST would be created after Jack kills MiB. (The FST is a flashforward. In the OT, a big showdown happens between MiB and Jack where MiB tries to slit Jack's throat creating the cut on Jack's neck in FST.) In the FST, more than one protector of the Island (at the bottom of the ocean) is allowed. Jacob created a new game with new rules as part of his loophole to find worthy people who would choose to help protect the Island in the FST instead of having one person carry the burden.
  • Desmond is also part of Jacob's loophole. Because of his abilities, Desmond's task is to make sure the FST Losties remember the OT existed and to gather them to protect the Island together.

Jacob's Role as Protector

• The protector is there to guard the source and keep men from taking it.
• To date, one special man has touched the source, Jacob's Brother (i.e. MIB). After touching it we see the "fate worse than death". He somehow merges with the smoke monster, or the smoke monster assumes his personality while in human form.
• Jacob stated his role is as a cork, where the bottle is the island. He told Richard that the smoke monster was what the bottle contained which was only partially true.
  • Actually, he said the island is a cork. The island is the cork which sits atop the Light, which is what must be protected.
  • Therefore when MiB/FLocke destroys the island the light would be released. The only way to stop MiB/Smoke Monster would be to kill him. This will be Jack's job as the new protector. Nothing says that "the protector" Cant kill MiB, Just that Jacob couldnt harm him (Across The Sea). Now Jack has adequate power to destroy him. This may fuse with FST during Locke's surgery.

So, Jacob failed in his initial role of protecting the source from men. Now, not only does he need to protect the source from men but he must also protect the source from leaving via the MIB. They can't kill each other and the MIB can't leave as long as there is a protector. MIB's loophole was getting somebody else to kill Jacob. Jacob is going to use the same loophole, though he is already dead. I don't think there is a stated rule that the protector can't kill the MIB, just that Jacob can't kill him.

There Is No Need for a Balance of Good and Evil

• Jacob revealed to the remaining Losties that the Black Smoke can and needs to be destroyed. Jacob is either unable to kill it based on his mother's rules, or unwilling to harm his brother a second time, and instead tried to keep him on the island. MiB leaving the island would violate the mother's rules, but if MiB is destroyed, no person will be required to take his place to provide balance.
  • Actually, Jacob does not seem to know whether the Smoke Monster can be killed, stating that he hopes they can kill him.

Widmore & Ben ruse

• Widmore and Ben are unable to kill each other. Their conversation in Widmore's bedroom in London tells us this. Off camera, the two agreed that if need be, shooting the other to make it appear as if they murdered him would be a clever ruse to deceive the MIB. MIB believes Widmore to be dead. The fact that he is not will pay off for team Ben/Widmore.
  • Widmore and Ben we're unable to kill each other simply because both knew the island would prevent it as they still had a role to play (Something they both know with absolute certainty). At this late stage Ben has Lost all faith in the island. He probably didn't know if he could kill Widmore but he had a shot (literally) and it appears the island is done with Widmore.
  • Yes, MIB would have certainly killed Widmore after he obtained the information he was seeking. Ben probably saved Widmore's life by inflicting wounds that he could not die from (due to the "rules").
    • Regardless, given what was at stake, Widmore probably provided misinformation to MIB.
• Widmore specifically cues Ben to leave the room to allow Ben to reposition himself to shoot Widmore; they may have simply agreed that if Widmore was compromised, and was likely to divulge the plan, he was to be sacrificed
• Regardless of whether or not Ben really wanted to kill Widmore, he does appear to have a plan against the MIB. He took the walkie talkies from Widmore, showing that he assumed they would die, and gave one to Miles. Ben appears to have put up a false front to con the MIB while he really is not on his side
• Ben planned to shoot Widmore, knowing he would not die, but he did not share the plan with Widmore. It's in his nature to manipulate, not collaborate. He assumes that Widmore will recover and put two and two together.
  • Ben knows that he can't kill someone if the Island is not done with them. He has shot someone before (i.e. Locke after visiting the Cabin) and known at the time that it was likely futile.

Widmore's backstage efforts

Widmore states that Jacob visited him after the Freighter blew up. That Jacob showed him the error of him ways and then gave him a purpose. Therefore Widmore has been assisting in the background more than expected.

• We don't know how long after the Freighter blew up that Jacob visited him, but the fact he uses that as the marker in time (rather than the rescue of the Oceanic Six) would indicate it was very soon after the explosion, making just after 30th December 2004.
• He would have been aware of and following the O6 from the moment they were rescued (Jan 7th 2005). This is why he had very detailed files on them for Locke in 2007.
  • Unknown if he knew Penny's part in the O6 rescue and fake story.
• He knows to expect John Locke to arrive at the exit in Tunisia in December 2007, and has the camera set up. He did not expect Ben to arrive, so no camera was there in October 2005.
• He doesn't put up much resistance when Desmond enters his office (also in December '07) and demands the address of Faraday's Mother. He knows that the O6 must be brought back together, and that he must follow the Ajira flight to find the Island with his Sub.
  • But he would not have given the address so readily unless he has already assisted John Locke and sent him off with Matthew Abaddon. So it is likely Desmond's visit is after John Locke's time trip.
• He was already trying to assist the O6 and prep for his own group when approached by Sun in London (possibly a day after Locke died).
• He was told of Desmond's abilities, so makes sure Desmond gets help after being shot by Ben at the Marina. Widmore is actually there at the hospital that night, yet he was in front of his own Widmore Corp building in London earlier that day when Ben calls to gloat about how he is about to kill Penny. We know that shortly after this, he takes Desmond from the hospital and brings him to the Island by Sub. Preparing a Sub and a crew with special equipment cannot be done quickly. He was prepared to jump when the time approached and events were forming up.

Desmond as the back-up plan

• Desmond, as the only person known to be able to withstand extreme electromagnetism, will be able to go into the Light.
  • He can drag Smoke Monster into the Light and that is how he could ultimately be destroyed.
  • The MiB said that he is going to use Desmond to help him destroy the Island. Jacob told Jack that the MiB was looking for the light. Clearly, the MiB is planning on taking/forcing Desmond into the Light, which will allow him to remove/touch something that can destroy the Island.

Killing Smokey

• The only way to kill him is by throwing him back into the source.
• It's possible that he could be killed (or at least indefinitely contained) by somehow trapping him within a perimiter of sonic pylons such as the ones Widmore's team brought along.
  • In retrospect, they should have thought of this years ago. Just lock him in. Sounds simple.
  • Wasn't smokey trapped in the Cabin by a circle of Ashes?
• The aim is not to kill Smokie. Its always been to keep him on the island.

"Don't tell me what I can't do"

• As a result of something that happens during FST Locke's surgery, he will be able to return to life in OST world, and therefore be instrumental in defeating MiB.

Melding of the Minds

• Each Lostie in the FST is slowly gaining a full memory of "their" actions on the island. It might be interesting to list what each character gains out of such a meld.
  • Locke's is that he will walk again (from surgery), have married his sweetheart and know his Dad was a bastard (so no guilt).
  • Ben gets his daughter back, possibly Roseau (but is probably going to have a hard time reconciling his island actions)
  • Jack reconciled with his son, but it would appear he is now burdened to leave and be on the island.
  • Hurley gets lots of money without the curse and of course the love of his life
  • Sawyer and Juliet get each other. Possibly Sawyer finds out the con man who destroyed his family is now a vegetable
  • Claire gets Charlie and her child (again) to raise.
  • Kate gets to be innocent this time around (and hopefully is proved to be so). Loses out on the love life though.
  • Desmond gets Penny (and Widmore's respect)
  • Sun and Jin get to have their child (again).

Who's the Boss?

• Even though Widmore has appeared and asserted his authority, it may be that Ben is still "Leader" of the Others, and as such. Widmore has to follow orders. When Ben asks Widmore to give him both walkie-talkies, Charles says, "Why should I?", to which Ben answers, "Because I asked you to." Widmore frowns, but hands them over.
• Ben is becoming more active rather than passive, now that he is on familiar ground.

Ben is actively planning to betray Locke

• Before letting Miles leave, he ensures he has a walkie talkie.
  • Ben can therefore set to transmit, allowing Miles to listen in on what is being planned.
    • Miles does know the Island pretty well - this episode made a point of reminding us that Miles spent 3 years in the Dharma Initiative in the '70s where he was part of Sawer's/LeFluer's security squad.
• Before Widmore can tell Locke the details of why he needs Desmond, Ben kills him.
  • Except that Widomore gave Locke enough information.
• Ben can inform Miles of the location of Widmore's body, and Miles will be able to learn from Widmore's last thoughts (as well as Zoe's) how Desmond can stop Locke.
  • Miles may also end up at the caves so may stumble upon more information by hearing the lasts thoughts of Mother and MiB's original form.
• Flocke offered Ben the Island in return for killing the candidates, then turns round and says he wants to destroy the Island. Therefore, removing Ben's motivation for actively helping him.
• Ben's desire was for power, not the Island itself. Locke's offer to give him the Island means nothing to him now, because the group he once led has been decimated.
  • No it was for the island itself. As Ben said "Imagine a big black box that will give you anything you want"

Warning to Clair was to keep her off the List

The seer did not know the details, but he could sense that being a mother would protect Clair from danger. If she had decided to keep the baby from the beginning, Clair could not have been a Candidate and thus would not have been led to the Island and the battle brewing there.

The DHARMA Initiative & The Flash-sideways Timeline

• The Dharma Initiative was part of Jacobs plan and the goal of their research was to create the "first failsafe" in the OT. (Swan Station) Pitting them against Jacob's own people was a ruse allowing them to operate without interference from "the monster". They were still run by Widmore but had the same objectives as Jacob.
  • Evidence: The password used for the button was "the numbers" of the candidates.
  • The Valenzetti Equation from the ARG is the culmination of the DHARMA research and concluded that one of the core values (i.e. one of teh candidates) would have to be "changed". (Become the new protector of the island.)
• The "incident" that necessitated the pushing of the button in the OT was not the incident at the end of season 5 but instead it was the creation of "the monster" that happened in "Across the sea". The incident at the end of Season 5 prevented the Swan from ever being built thus created the "Flash Sideways Timeline". The DHARMA initiative leaving the island by submarine at the end of Season 5 carries the knowledge of the events on the OT island to the FST world allowing Charles Widmore and Eloise to guide the events of that timeline away from the course that Jacob had originally set in motion in the OT thus creating the large timeline differences to create a happily ever after. (We know from Jacob's campfire talk that they would have all been unhappy with or without his intervention.)
  • The awakening of the OT memories is fates way of course correction ensuring that people meet their "soulmates" and that certain important things stay constant in both timelines.
• Desmond is Jacobs new "failsafe" for the island since the Swan was never built.
  • We do not yet know what is meant by the term "failsafe". Generally, it means an undesirable action to perform once all other normal choices are used up or ineffective. But the undesirable action will work. It will recover the situation, or at least, put it in a state whereby it can be recovered. It is usually irreversible once started. The key question is - will the action get triggered?
  • Desmond can enter the light seen in "across the sea" as he is immune to the EM the it emits he would therefore not become a monster but could perhaps do something there such as move the island to the bottom of the ocean. The other possible way that he is a failsafe is that he has been systematically waking up the memories from the OT in the 815 members in the FST. If he were to sink the island with "the light" still intact he could prevent anyone from ever extinguishing all life.
• But the Swan WAS built in the OT where Jacob tells Widmore that Desmond is a failsafe
  • Right and Widmore would be familiar with bot the purpose of the Swan station as he is tied to the Hanso group and by finding out Desmond can survive EM events perhaps he can be used to serve the same function as the Swan did.

Jack will fail

• Jack has succeeded Jacob as protector of the Island. However, he will sacrifice himself to stop Flocke. Instead, Sawyer will take over for Jack.
  • Evidence: Locke was shown to be the ideal 'protector' of the island. Locke was greatly implied to be the new protector but Locke died. We are anticipating Jack's change from skeptic to believer but his change was obvious from the get-go. In the final plot twist, we will see Sawyer, Jack's rival become the new protector through a change of rival to skeptic to believer.
    • This is a manner of going full circle. Locke to Jack to Sawyer. A believer, to the skeptic, to someone who didn't care. Like Jacob, Sawyer will be forced into fufilling his destiny as protector.

The concert

• The concert is an event will reunite a lot of people who was on the flight 815. It`s very logical, then, it will be a show of Driveshaft.