Dharma Facilities: The Sonar Fence
+13 29 Votes
Rate it:
By AngeloComet
- Dharma Facilities: The Sonar Fence
- Created: Apr 16, 2008
- Last updated: Nov 1, 2008
- After episode: 4.2: Confirmed Dead
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
Typical of Dharma to keep things on a need-to-know basis.
— AngeloComet
Which came first? The Black Smoke or The Sonar Fence? Perhaps at first it appears there is a simple, straightforward answer to this conundrum. However, digging into the matter throws up some intriguing elements - but first some groundwork.
The Sonar Fence is impressive. It surrounds The Barracks in a wide perimeter. The pylons were constructed and spaced evenly apart with absolute precision. Weak links, after all, would counter the whole purpose of the fence. Construction was no mean feat and that’s without taking into the account the technology developed for it; a continuous stream of high-frequency soundwaves channelled through each pylon to produce a seamless barrier between them. The Sonar Fence was not something quickly whipped up; it took a lot of planning, development and effort. I don’t believe that is insignificant.
The purpose of The Sonar Fence is twofold. The obvious purpose is to keep things on the outside from getting in. This makes The Barracks a protected environment in which to teach schoolchildren and allow the Dharma Initative people to sleep soundly in their beds. The alternate purpose of The Sonar Fence, however, is that it also keeps people in. There is an ever-changing access code requirement and such information can easily be limited or repressed dependent on how much freedom people were granted.
To put it bluntly, people Dharma didn’t want wandering the Island could be contained. To put it bluntly, The Sonar Fences’ protection also served as a prison. Typical of Dharma to keep things on a need-to-know, privileged basis.
The Barracks Orientation Video (as Narrated by Marvin Candle) - “For your own comfort and safety, we ask that you stay within the confines of your new living quarters. Our barracks are surrounded by a high frequency sonar fence to protect us from the island’s abundant and diverse wildlife. You are now a member of the DHARMA initiative. Every morning you will be given a new code that will allow you to cross outside the fences if you so desire. There are properties on this island that exist nowhere else on earth.”
So let’s get to the meat of the matter. What was The Sonar Fence for? If it was just to keep out “wildlife” then a high electric fence would have done the trick. As it stands, The Sonar Fence is actually hazardous. Given there were children in the Dharma Initiative the invisible barrier is very dangerous. Too easily could some errant child have unsuspectingly wandered through the barrier (they can’t see it, and it makes no sound) to their frothing-mouthed death (provided it was set to a lethal level, which it presumably wasn’t on a regular basis but that doesn’t discount the harm caused by non-lethal settings - just ask Mikhail!). Evidently, the Dharma Initiative considered such ricks acceptable.
Let’s consider the ‘happy coincidence’ idea. Basically, that the Dharma Initiative constructed The Sonar Fence for one purpose - to keep out “wildlife” - only for it just so happening to be ideally suited to preventing the Black Smoke from getting through. The Dharma Initiative were involved in all kinds of zoological research, who knows what weird and wonderful developments were running wild in the jungle? (I’m thinking Hurleybird.) But what kind of “wildlife”, no matter how unnaturally developed, could possibly require a Sonar Fence to keep them out rather than a regular, electric fence? It all seems strikingly unlikely, and so having considered the ‘happy coincidence’ idea I have to dismiss it.
The Sonar Fence must have been purpose built to keep the Black Smoke out. This is a point that leads to two possibilities. The first possibility is that the Dharma Initiative arrived on the Island, started conducting scientific studies, and encountered the Black Smoke. What I mean is, the Black Smoke was on the Island before they were. Thus the Dharma Initiative somehow discovered enough about the Black Smoke to understand that a Sonar Fence would be adequate defence against it and so built one to protect themselves.
Problematically, as already established, The Sonar Fence was no mean feat to construct. It was a heck of an undertaking! Couple in the matter of ‘investigating’ the Black Smoke to work out the precise nature of what type of fence would be required and that seems like a roundabout, elaborate explanation. Not unfeasible, mind, just less likely than the alternate rationale.
The alternate idea is that the Dharma Initiative knew they needed a Sonar Fence precisely as they constructed it because they knew all about the Black Smoke. What I am suggesting is the Dharma Initiative (either deliberately, or as a nasty side-effect of a different study) were responsible for the creation of the Black Smoke. (There is some evidence to suggest as much, which I have elaborated upon here: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/17/dharma-stations-part-3-staff/) This makes the most sense to me. Before you do an experiment with dangerous chemicals you put goggles over your eyes because you’re aware of what happens if you don’t. Precaution fitting the risk. The Sonar Fence just seems too perfectly well-designed to repel the Black Smoke for Dharma to have not known a lot about it. That’s my gut feeling.
Of course, when Ben was asked by Locke during Confirmed Dead about what ‘the monster’ was he earnestly replied, “I don’t know.” And don’t forget Juliet’s remark to Kate during Left Behind: “We don’t know what it is but we know it doesn’t like our fences.” Only when Juliet says “we” she means The Others. And when Ben says he doesn’t know he might be lying, or he simply may have been a member of the Dharma Initiative that was not privileged to know about the Black Smoke. Certain select member of the Dharma Initative knew of the Black Smoke and where it had come from, and they’ve either left the Island and kept their mouths shut or, more likely, they were killed in The Purge and the secret died with them. Typical of Dharma to keep things on a need-to-know basis. . .
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.20 | The Man Behind The Curtain | 5-9-2007 | Ben | 427 |
| 3.15 | Left Behind | 4-4-2007 | Kate | 200 |
I like it!
Sweet Theory +1
I think the DA knew about the black smoke before employing people (were they selected specifically) it sounds the most likely, however, why didnt the black smoke interfere with the construction of this sonar fence?? Some Dharma guy is up on a ladder hooking up the conductor on one of the pylons and smokey picks him up and slams him to the ground?? If the smoke doesnt want to get in then what would?? Maybe it only realised it couldnt get through when chasing Juliet and Kate??
A good one for debate.
+1 Well written.
The black smoke would have killed them during construction, to prevent the fence from being completed, so yes, it had to have been built BEFORE smokey was.
i really feel enlightened! I never even give the fence any thought what so ever- I must rewatch everything all over again!!! I will think of a theory,I will think of a theory,I will think of a theory is to be my mantra! Well done Angelo +1
Jackofalltrades
Sorry to repeat your thought, . Your post wasn’t up yet. oops :-)
Good analysis. My 2 cents worth: I doubt if Smokey’s current physical form existed at the time of the fence construction, but came later. Maybe it was limited to paranormal phenomena such as visions of Dave and Ben’s mother, able to influence people ( even in deadly ways) but without the ability to physically do anything. That alone would be reason for the fence, to prevent interaction of people with a dangerous “something”. I would assume qualified Dharma personnel would have continued to study the phenomena. On a separate issue, per an excellent theory by Fivestades, a security system and /or further Utopian experimentation, could have resulted in an accident (the incident) that enables whatever “it” is to combine with the security system , giving it physical form.
+1 seems to make sense to me
When I first came across the fence, this thought process instantly entered my head. I came to same conclusion as you - that it must have been a preventative measure once they researched some of the properties of the island. I think its no coincidence that all other stations are outside the barracks, especially those significant ones like the Staff - where old Smokey may have come from.
No other explanation really makes sense. Unless of course its a double bluff, and the Dharma Initiative and now the Others can control Smokey. And it was created to (amongst other things) reaffirm the “danger” element of the island and to keep people in the Barracks. And thus Ben and Juliette were both lying. I wouldn’t put it past them! +1
Good read, AC. I don’t think it really matters whether or not Smokey existed before the DI, or if the DI created it but I see your point. I’m with you in that I believe the objective of the sonar fence was specifically constructed to keep Smokey out. I also agree that the DI kept the existence of Smokey to a limited few.
I do, however, believe that Smokey was man-made.
+1
Brilliant as usual AC… :-)
AC, you are an amazing writer, so please go to this link! If ever someone should have a theory read by the writers of Lost, it is you! http://darkufo.blogspot.com/ + 3.2million
“There is an ever-changing access code requirement and such information can easily be limited or repressed dependent on how much freedom people were granted”
If smokey can scan minds then they would have to keep changing the code and limiting its knowledge or it would soon find it out from a weak minded individual. The changing code may not necessarily be to keep people in.
Question: do we know if smokie can “scan” across the fence ie get close enough to someone on the other side and learn the code ? +1
KSJ - Thanks. I had a look at the link. Troubling the submissions are for 200 words only (I can barely say hello to my theories in less than two hundred words!), and it also appears to be a USA-only thing. Still, I’ll look forward to seeing the winning submissions!
Oh, and Jackofalltrades - the idea of Dharma workers up ladders, building a Sonar Fence whilst keeping one eye on rampaging Black Smoke makes me grin…! That’s one job you don’t offer to do overtime for.
I agree 99.9999% (nothing is certain in Lost, we all know this)
+1
That is a major bummer about the theory submissions AC…it would have been perfect for you. :-)
For sure, id be asking for more than double time :-)
I like the way you say keeping one eye on smoky, as if it was Mikael up the ladder haha
For a start how would they get that much material to the island?? I think the slaves were used to build the Initiative bunkers, hatches, dirt road and the supplies were delivered on ships similar to the black rock.
Maybe Mr Paik Heavy has bigger plans and future resources not 1980 technologies.
very well written plus uno!
WHat a bunch of brainless idiots starting with a submitter.
Smokey can bypass the sonar barrier easily. He can go as high as the “pilot on the tree”, or “beat Eco endlessly to the ground”.
Sonar fence is easily bypassable over it, as Kate, Lock and Sayyid proved when they first visited barracks.
“So, how stupid are you, Miles?”
Wow- you just opened a can of worms with that first statement. Not quite sure you understand he repercussions of that.
AC is one of the most talented and intelligent writers on this site. I don’t know if you have read any of his other stuff- but what he comes up with is amazing. Where is it your place to call anyone “brainless idiots” on their thoughts and ideas?
While it is an open forum for people to post, it does not mean you get to freely belittle someone for something you don’t agree with. There is a way for you to present your rebuttal with tact and not resorting to childish name calling.
RealSayyid - a giraffe can reach up to the top of a tree and eat the highest leaves. It doesn’t mean it can get past a twelve-foot high fence. You appear to be confusing the ‘reach’ of the Black Smoke and the notion that it can actually fly.
I agree with your reasoning, AC, which has led me to think that the smoke monster is something like the “thought form” often talked about in relation to the “Montauk Experiment”. I mention it in some of my theories, but a quick Google search will probably take you right to it.
realsayyid / dmon/ jorge/ thelamb is not very smart.
AC I just read through all your Dharma station posts, and I loved them all +9. Are you working on a Tempest Station post (especially since it changes your theory that the Flame was the island’s power station)? Will there be a Temple post? I wonder, are you excited each time they introduce a new Dharma station?
AC, I feel the same way about the use of the word “sonar” as you do “hatch”.
Wiki: “Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater) to navigate, communicate or to detect other vessels.”
I think “sonic” would be more appropriate. It’s even used by our intrepid Losties:
S3E12 - Locke: “Pardon me for not knowing that they had uh…uh…uh…uh…sonic weapon fence. I didn’t know he was gonna die. How would I know that?”
S3E12 - Sayid: [Breathing heavy] “The system appears to fire a sonic pulse…when an object breaks the plane between 2 pylons. So, as long as we don’t break the plane…we should remain unharmed.”
Just have to live with it I guess..
I like it. Seems to me they built the fence and then let Smokie loose as a experiment of some type. As well I agree that Smokie would have no doubt mowed through a lot of the construction crew of the fence as they were building it. I never understood why Smokie couldn’t go over the fence like Kate, Locke, Danielle and Sayid did when they tried to rescue Jack [that fence was 30ft. tall tops and I think more like 20ft.] Good thoughts +1.
RealSayyid - I’ve been called many things in my time,but one thing I can assure you I am not is a brainless idiot.
I’m convinced that Smokey CANNOT go over the fence because I believe at least part of it needs to stay near the ground.
I remember listening to a podcast about the episode where we see Smokey tackle the fence and fail. And a fan asks the question about going over it - like our Losties did. And the guys basically said something along the lines of “wouldn’t it be cool if it had to stay near the ground for some reason” or something like that.
I’ll research the podcast and get back to you guys.
I read/heard the same thing StayPuft.
RealSayyid, I seem to remember the sonic fence stopping Smokey when it was going after Juliet and Kate.
Why didn’t it just jump over it and kill them?
2 things to say:
RealSayyid - you suck. Stop ragging on everyone else, and come up with a solid theory yourself, until then, keep your teenage mouth shut and go ask your mom to take you to the mall.
ProfOzone - nice to see you again. I originally joined this site because of writers like you, Dab, Kat, AComet, ozzig, and a few others. Please keep writing GREAT theories to all I have mentioned.
Did I mention that realsayyid is a tool?
A very well thought out and quite feasible theory. I think that once we know what the original intent or purpose of the ‘smoke monster’ was, then we can understand why the DI viewed it as being something worth building but at the same time a threat to their own existence.
+1
RealSayid, this theory is one that you should like. You said that you were interested in theories that could be proven or disproven in the remaining episodes. The question of the ‘black monster’ is one that is a certainty of being resolved. So the show will tell us if the ‘monster’ was constructed by the DI and we will be able to say whether this theory is correct. So please reread the original theory and think about it. You might notice something you missed on your first reading.
Stitch
Firstly let me agree with you going against therealsayid. I’ve never seen him give a positive comment. It always looked like the smoke monster needed an anchor on the ground. Perhaps Dharma made it that way in order to keep it from jumping the fence.
But let me say that I think this theory here is an idea 99% of us have taken as almost certain before you wrote it. It seems to me that people on here are writing very obvious theories with no innovative investigation. You are a good theorist because you are clear, but I think we need to get back on the investigative bandwagon and away from the safe territory of “duh” theories.
I’m sorry if that sounded harsh, but I want to hear more of the creative side of this site.
DCLostie - I have planned to continue the ‘Dharma Station series’ in the break between Season 4 and Season 5. (The existing stuff might need a little tailoring, also - especially if this Orchid Station reveal speculated about bears out.) Do I look forward to more Dharma Stations? As a fan, yes. As a writer on here… yes and no!
Sham - Heh! What comes around goes around, I guess. You’re absolutely right. It should be Sonic Fence. I guess it’s because ‘lostpedia’ has it as Sonar Fence I went along with the appropriation.
StayPuft - I’ve read similar, too. We know that the small ‘wispy’ Black Smoke can fly, but it never appears to go over tree top height, so I like the phrasing that it appears to need to stay close to the ground. As for the big Black Smoke - I’m drawing no conclusions until I see its tail!
Ravenloft - You’re entitled to your opinion. I thought the theory here that Dharma created the Black Smoke (rather than it being present before they arrived despite evidence suggesting as much) and being backed up by other logistical evidence (namely: the sonic fence) was thrust enough for a theory. I guess we could always discuss who’s in the coffin/ the clue in the Pilot episode / who everyone’s Constant is! :o)
(Honestly, no offence taken. Not even from RealSayid (he should have used the small Black Smoke wisp to back up his argument!). And good comments from those I’ve not addressed directly. I do read. I do pay attention.)
niiiiice.
sorta like the ‘what came first the chicken or the egg’ question. Never really thought about the fence, but you are right, the fence is perfectly built to repel the black smoke, so they must have had a good knowledge of what it is. Most likely being that they created it, also the producers have stated a few times, everything on the show will have a scientific explanaition.
i reckon it was some sort of experiment that went wrong, but i really want to know what they were trying to do there, or if it was created on purpose, what was it originally for. +1
I like.
With regards to your last point about the secret dying with the purge. Could it be that Ben was asked by Richard to be “very very patient” because Ben’s mission was to find out all the information Dharma had to offer before the hostiles moved in (including info on the possibly Dharma created smoke)?
I tend to believe that Juilet doesn’t know what the smoke is, but I don’t think for a second Ben is in the dark.
I disagree with ravenontheleft (and therealsayyid). I didn’t already know this, and I am not brainless…it never really occurred to me to consider which came first, but I am glad you brought it up. I can just imagine what it would’ve been like for construction workers to try to build that huge, elaborate and dangerous fence while fending off the smoke. No way. The fence had to come first, which then tells me that the smoke is manmade, which is a big ol’ answer to an old question. Thanks for your well-written and thought-provoking post. While I am not brainless, I am lazy and strapped for time, and if a super long post doesn’t hold my attention, I won’t read it to the end. Yours did!
Have I not read on here somewhere that Lindelof has confirmed that Ben was lying about not knowing about Smokey ?
Sorry if I’m wrong.
Re: Construction of Fence. They could have built all the pylons a safe distance from the smoke monster or somewhere else they could not be attacked, connected them, tested them, and then quickly placed them where they are, no? This would have avoided any on-site problems with the smoke monster interfering.