About Captain Gault - a small bit of speculation on a particular character
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By Veefre
- About Captain Gault - a small bit of speculation on a particular character
- Created: Mar 18, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 1.7: The Moth
- Status: Current
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Who is Captain Gault trying to fool?
— Veefre
In the most recent episode, Ji Yeon, we are abruptly introduced to Captain Gault, who is described by other characters as someone who “tells it like it is” but isn’t one to be trifled with, especially if he is angered.
The closest literary reference is William Hodgson’s numerous Captain Gault short stories. In these, he is portrayed as a man willing to break the law for money, but who has his own moral code that he adheres to strictly. Most of the stories appear to involve Gault enabloing the smuggling of various valuable items - incredibly, including saccharine in one story (I guess it was precious when first produced). He appears to be noted for his ability to hide contraband from customs agents, often “in plain sight”.
So the question becomes, is the Captain Gault in Lost the expert smuggler, as well? If so, is he trying to smuggle something into the Island, or something off the Island? Is he hiding it in plain sight? And if so, who is Captain Gault trying to fool?
One obvious possibility is that Gault is trying to “smuggle” Ben Linus off the Island. Although this Gault seems more than willing to use force to accomplish that goal, not necessarily subterfuge or wiles. Or is the hunt for Ben just a smoke screen for a more stupendous attempt?
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | Benjamin Linus | 3.20, 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1726 |
There was a note that said not to trust the captain. That could mean that the captain is Bens man, and u are right. While others want Ben so Wildmoore can get to him, Captain Gault wants Ben for his own agenda.
Wouldint Ben know the secret to maintaining ones sanity within that zone, and if Gault was there waiting for Ben to make his move, then Ben would have advised him on how to avoid the urge to commit any harm upon himself. So far we can see that he still leads the boat crew and seems sane superficially.
Good theory, I like the idea that he is Bens man, it would work perfectly because he would be in a position to Benipulate the whole crew.
+1
i like this as well, gonna check the screen shots of the boat and see if i can find anything hiding in plain sight…also, to go along with the Ben’s man thing, when Regina jumped off the boat and he gave the order to not help, that seemed very much like something Ben would do if put in the same situation.
goodstuff +1
spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its been confirmed in wikkipedia that Micheal is Bens man. = (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MeetKevinJohnson
I’m not exactly saying that Gault is “Ben’s man”. Rather, I think that Gault is the ultimate mercenary, working for whoever pays him. If capturing Ben is what his employer wants, that’s what he will do. But if something or someone else is the goal, then capturing Ben might just be a diversion around the real goal, whatever that might be.
It’s also no spoiler to say that Michael is Ben’s man on the boat. That was clearly established in the most recently aired episode, Ji Yeon.
I like the idea of studying screen shots to see what might be “hidden in plain sight” to get a better idea of Gault’s real agenda.
In one of the Captain Gault stories, he plants contraband in order to throw customs agents off the track of the real contraband. Who the authorities might be on the Island is subject to question: right now it looks like a tossup between Locke, Jack, and the unseen Others. I think it’s possible, if not likely, that Ben is the “plant” that is meant to throw people off track. But as yet I can’t figure who might be the real goal.
Assuming the “tell it like it is” Captain Gault isn’t lying or been lied to, and Ben really is involved in the staged crash of 815, then the black box which contains flight data is a valuable bargaining chip.
It either contains false information to support the myth and thus Ben wants it found and analyzed OR it could prove that the 815 on the bottom of the ocean is fake. Not good for Ben. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out.
Good stuff Veefre.
+1 from me Vee. I’m off to look at screen shots too.
+1 I like reading your stuff veefre! I also think Ben has alot more to do with this freighter and or with the Captain.I am going to check out the Cpt. Gault short stories,sounds interesting! :)
Just to be clear - the Wikipedia article on this episode isn’t necessarily 100% gospel. Remember Wikipedia is a collaborative site to which anyone can contribute and, as such, is bound to contain the occasional nugget of misinformation.
The reference relating to the “Michael is Ben’s man on the boat” statement is attributed to the Lost episode Ji Yeon. As we all know Michael appeared in this episode as a shock returning character at a time when questions are flying about who Ben’s man is. My point is is was never made explicit in Ji Yeon that Michael is the mole, but the fact that he was presented at a time we are expecting to see Ben’s man could lead anyone to write on Wikipedia (in stone?) that this is the case.
I don’t know. Chances are it is Michael, but I don’t think anyone should bet their house on the idea.
Awesome post Veefre, and good literary links as well - I’ve never heard of Hodgeson but will (erm..) Wikipedia him.
+1 Veefre, I like it and I agree with what Sham said.
I forget: did the losties ever find the black box for the flight 815 that they were on? After all, they found the cockpit section, where the black box probably should have been, right? I don’t recall any Losties discussing the black box or flight data recorder.
Additionally, from what I gather from a quick web search, planes in 2004 generally combined the cockpit voice recorder with the flight data recorder. Moreover, such planes would have a backup black box, in the tail section, in case the cockpit was pulverized (such as from flying into a mountain) during the crash and the front black box were destroyed.
This brings up some interesting questios: did the Others recover one or both of the original black boxes? Is the one on the freighter, in Gault’s possession, one of those, planted by “Ben’s man”? Or is the one Gault has a phony black box, one that his employer wants to be planted in the wreckage on the island?
If the black box is the “real” one, what would it contain about the events leading directly to the crash? Would the information be of any value? Would it explain why the plane broke up into three pieces in the air? Would it reveal any of the Island’s secrets?
Also, where is the second copter? Did it really crash as they said? And has Lapidus taken off with a black box to fly back to the Island to plant it? Did he fetch a black box from the Island?