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I really like previous posts by Dabiatchishere, ProfOzone, Katrina, jazprof, WhiteRbbtad, HappyAthiest and Illinidiva because individually or combined, they attempt a full view of the story all the way back to the ancient civilization and the 4 toed statue. It’s important to recognize that certain things came to the island at different times thru the years. Some of them significant, some not, but all contributing to a fantastically intricate and brilliantly constructed premise.

While I do not have an explanation for how the ancient civilization came to be, not sure we need one because I can’t see the show doing like that 60’s TV show “Time Tunnel” and sending us back to that time period for an explanation. I think the people from that time were idol worshippers who could not explain the island’s mystical power and simply attributed it to “the Gods” and built their temple and other tributes. Anyone who’s seen Jason and the Argonauts or Planet of the Apes can appreciate the eye candy value of a prop like the remains of a giant stone statue with only 4 toes. Maybe the civilization was destroyed by the meteor (reference Rousseau’s map) that also explains the source of the electromagnetic power. I read a really cool post by Gill that suggests Smokey=Cerebus who in Mythology guarded Hades (heiroglyphs in the Swan translate to “underworld”). And don’t all the Losties deserve to go to Hell for what they did in their past lives? Hades would be a superstition the ancients would believe, but maybe something else can be found in the temple….hmmm, season 4 hurry up and get here!

The next arrival to the island is the crew of the Black Rock. Possibly they crashed much in the same way Oceanic 815 did. It’s here that I diverge (respectfully) a bit from WhiteRbbtad. I can’t buy it that Magnus Hanso is Jacob. That whole Ben/Jacob/Locke scene in the cabin just smelled of Dorothy meeting the Wizard with Ben behind the curtain and all his spectacular pyrotechnic special effects. What IS significant about the BlackRock is the names of the crew. Hanso, Alpert, Widmore! NO WAY that’s a coincidence. My theory offers two paths: 1) they simply discovered the same great treasure or island properties and passed along family secrets to the Hanso’s and Widmore’s of the late 20th century where they find a way to profit from it, or 2) Richard Alpert has survived on the island “a long time” to quote Mikhail. The crew of the Black Rock were the original hostiles that Ben sided with to exterminate Dharma in the purge. How did the ship get tossed so far inland? Arzt was probably right about a Tsunami and why his character became expendable: he delivered his nugget of explanation to us.

We can’t discount the involvement of Widmore, Mittlewerk, Paik, Mittelos and Hanso/Dharma. The battle between these industrialists for control of the island is classic, totally logical, explains the advanced technology (phone, Cerebus) and, best of all, it would be easy for we, the audience, to understand.

So Hanso/Dharma enters the story with honorable intentions of solving the Valenzetti Equation. They tapped into the electromagnetic properties of the meteorite and magnified its power to generate the tremendous energy needed for their experiments as well as power the protective bubble/shield/force field (picture in Walt’s comic book) to either cloak or protect the island and/or create the labaratory conditions necessary to conduct the experiments - maybe all three. Dharma created Cerebus as a security system. A Dharma experiment gone wrong caused “the incident” described by Dr.Marvin Candle and caused Cerebus to malfunction explaining why they had to build the sonic fence to keep it out. Cerebus cannot “jump the fence” because it is composed of black volcanic ash containing magnetic properties and must remain near the ground in order to operate. You should read Dabiatchishere’s theory about Tulpas because it is so right on at explaining Cerebus. Cerebus takes pictures of people’s soul and can determine if a person is “good or evil” explaining why it killed Eko - he’d failed the test for refusing to repent for the death of Yemi.

The experiments go on for years (with no tangible results) until Ben arrives. We see his troubled childhood and begin to understand how Richard Alpert is able to plant the notion in Ben’s young mind to purge the Dharma Initiative. Why? Alpert is connected to Widemore/Mittelos&Paik. Mittlewerk (Hanso’s partner) is frustrated at the failure of Hanso’s Dharma Initiative to solve anything and conspires with Widemore (a pharmacuetical firm), Paik and Alpert. They see an opportunity to manipulate the Dharma Initiative as a way to get rich. Widmore/Mittlewerk/Alpert/Paik (WMAP) concoct a story that the DI discovered what the cataclysmic ValzEquation event was all about: a deadly virus, and they (WMAP) have developed the antidote. It will have worldwide demand - they’ll be rich.

So how does WMAP get Dharma out of the way without raising suspicion? They recruit a disgruntled man on the inside: Ben. Read Happy Athiest’s and illinidiva’s post for what I consider to be superior theories of how Ben did what Ben does best: manipulate a situation to further his agenda. Ben and Alpert execute the purge, impersonate Dharma and fabricate a quarantine “incident” as rationale for why they must stay to continue pushing the button. It is just soooo Ben. It keeps Dharma HQ thinking the experiments are continuing with no problem, therefore they continue to drop-ship supplies. The quarantine is perfectly logical motivation to keep whoever is assigned to the Swan to never venture outside.

Kelvin comes to realize he has been a pawn all this time and lies to Desmond about the quarantine so he can fix Des’ boat and escape. Ben concocted Jacob, through room 23 brainwashing treatments, to convince the remaining people on the island into following “a higher calling.” Bonnie and Greta follow Ben blindly this way.

Desmond brought down Flight 815 or it was instigated by Dharma, but either way, Ben sees the need to get control of the situation - because he does not know who they are, but they can serve a purpose: for further experimentation and possible solution to their fertility problem. I’m convinced that Jack and Kate and other survivors from Oceanic 815 are all, sadly, unaware human lab rats being experimented on. Their “selection” is any association they have with the numbers - a tangible explanation for ProfO’s theory on synchronicity. Even if they had none prior to the flight to LA, their boarding Flight 815, by default, made them prime test subjects. Maybe they are all hooked up to a mind control computer program like in The Matrix because why can’t John Locke feel a pin prick or a burning ember branding his bare foot? How does Mikhail keep coming back to life? More logically its part of the VE experiments. Serious money has been invested into the project by Dharma, so if they need to import a black stallion or a polar bear or fabricate Yemi’s plane from Nigeria, it could be done. They have superior technology (the futuristic phone.) If they can generate tremendous electromagnetic power to cloak the island and bring about these awesome improvements in science, many of the other island’s phenomenon would be a piece of cake. Stringing speakers in the forest to create the illusion of whispering would be easy. Cerebus’ inability to get through a dense bamboo cage is VERY interesting. Possibly the bamboo cages are time portals Cerebus is not allowed into. Jack lying in one in the opening scene of the Pilot and not with the rest of the passengers is suspiscious indicating it could be something we learn about later as to how he travelled back - keep reading - I’ll explain that statement.

The special powers our heroes develop must be a manifestation of the experiments or made possible by the islands unique physical properties. If they can cure Rose’s cancer, regenerate Locke’s spinal injury, heal Sawyer fast (the guys’s been stabbed, shot, beaten and he’s still standing!), increase sperm count (Jin) or in Locke’s case allow him to heal Ben or better yet, repeatedly bring Mikhail back from the dead (there’s more to his conversation with Klugh than we know). That’s why Ben can’t let word leak out about these phenominal scientific advancements because anyone in the world with enough $$ would demand to have them and infiltrate his little island haven. But as with all science experiments, they don’t all go smoothly the first time out. Women unable to conceive and give birth is a major negative side-effect with catastrophic implications for Ben’s utopian society that must be resolved. Thus the need to recruit Juliet. Alpert says “we got bigger issues to deal with.” Desmond turning the fail-safe key exposed the location of the island. Anyone ever consider Paik’s watch that Jin is supposed to deliver to LA is really a GPS tracking device?

Thus Ben’s “mess” - people (Widmore/Mittlewerk/Paik and Dharma, - how many bad guys does it take to assault an island?) are on their way to the island. Thus Ben’s alarm at anyone leaving. Naomi is NOT who she says she is - and Desmond can prove it thanks to Charlie’s “Not Penny’s Boat” message before dying.

What if Ben allowed Michael to leave in Season 2 knowing they could just kill him later so Michael couldn’t tell the world and its Michael in the coffin? (artist, from NY, survived by a teenage son) I think there is something to the theory that Jack feels responsible for Michael’s death, thus why he’s upset, but Kate is indifferent about going to Michael’s funeral in Jack’s flashforward because Michael betrayed them (ala Judas - that’s why he hung himself) and killed two innocent people: Annalucia and Libby.

I think the future episodes will be about the Losties discovering the true nature of their use as lab rats and fight back (ala Soylent Green) to win their identities back. Maybe Jack & Desmond find a way to send Walt back in time (remember Klugh asks Michael if Walt has ever appeared in strange places) to convince Locke not to kill himself because Locke has work to do? Explains Walt’s aging. But Jack’s flashforward or alternate future reveals he will have to go back to the island and set things right. When it’s all over and there’s nothing left to “fix,” Kate and Jack decide to stay on the island where they were at their best/most content and become Adam and Eve. If you review the episode, Jack puts the light/dark backgammon-like pieces in his pocket ;-) Makes for a great sappy TV ending.

Sorry for the long post. Dharma, I’m out of popcorn…

Similar theories

Title	Author	Cmnts	Votes	Rating
My Attempt to Explain Dharma, Hanso, Quarantine, Desmond, Widmore, Mikhail, and Food Drops!	HappyAtheist	34	34	+32
The History of the Island, Who Jacob Is, and The Missing Piece of The Other Puzzle	WhiteRbbtad	17	20	+10
(Group 1) - Jack not with the fuselage after the crash is the clue	Stip	16	9	+3

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