The Ultimate Lost Theory (in brief-ish)
Feb. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
MALENE ARPE
Of all the hundreds of theories on the web that aim to explain the intrigues of Lost, this one caught our eye as the most complex, inventive and somehow believable.
A lengthy and illustrated explanation appears at
http://tinyurl.com/9r883.
In an email exchange, we contacted "theorist" Andrew Smith of Northhampton, England. Smith is a graphic designer who loves Lost because of "the broad and excellent cast of characters, the usual love triangles, the production values, the soundtrack that holds the drama together and the way it pretends NOT to be sci-fi — so it's okay to like it and not feel like a geek."
Smith's theory is based on actual science, primarily the works of two scientists: Nobel Prize winner Hannes Alfvén, who worked with electromagnetism and was interested in the "green flash," a phenomenon that sometimes occurs at sunset; and Hans Oersted, who discovered electromagnetism in 1820.
Alfvén plus Hans O. equals Alvar Hanso, founder of Lost's "Dharma Initiative." Voila.
Here, in Smith's own words, is his theory:
"Our heroes were brought back to the island of their birth to continue a project which began in secret back in 1968. The Dharma Initiative — a group of scientists funded by Hanso (an ex-arms-dealer-turned-pacifist) — was set up to develop a weapon that would halt the arms race and the madness of mutually assured destruction at the height of the Cold War.
"The project was sabotaged and much of it was disbanded by the U.S. Army, but not before the children were sent out into the world undetected and the weapon was sealed behind concrete in the hatch.
"The weapon that Dharma had developed — the Collective Consciousness — uses electromagnetism to control objects and to induce visions in vulnerable minds. The CC is a few scientists with wires attached to their heads. The ultimate aim of the CC was eventually realized: with the effect of a massive EMP (electromagnetic pulse) bomb, the CC destroyed electrical equipment the world over."
Are you with him thus far? "The world would assume it was a natural disaster — a polar reversal — as anticipated by the Oersted satellite in '99. The result would be to permanently set technology back a hundred years, before WMDs. The plane never actually crashed. They were given a rollercoaster ride by the CC, and then knocked out. When they came to on the island, it was some time (maybe years) later; debris had been flung around the island to make it look like a crash."
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`I imagined my brother being ... dropped into a car cruncher, which would then squash him into a cube'
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Remember the compass not working on the island? The poles have switched.
With the technology hinted at in the Orientation film (and Hurley's comic), Smith believes, the CC scientists are able to remotely control objects, such as cars, galleons, planes and lottery balls, and are also able to induce visions in weakened minds, such as those that are drunk, drugged, exhausted or sick.
Smith posits that the Orientation film and what Desmond says is false and only meant to ensure the crashies type in the numbers every 108 minutes for three purposes: to provide a focus for the community, to protect the hatch/power-supply/scientists and to download information from the Oersted satellite.
Smith does not place any large significance on the numbers themselves: "The numbers that are input are intrinsically meaningless; more telling is the fact that the numbers get larger and that they total 108. The numbers getting larger suggests units of time; 108 minutes was the time it took astronaut Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin to orbit the earth....
"The purpose of the Dharma Initiative was world peace; its means were a number of defensive weapons to protect the island including the mechanical monster, sharks, the black fog and probably more stuff to come."
"They're back on the island to continue the Dharma project: Walt will eventually become part of the CC; Hurley will input the numbers for the rest of his life. The finale will be our heroes realizing all of these secrets — that their whole lives (their foster parents, their coincidences, their good/bad luck, their jobs, their disabilities and their travel plans) were engineered around this project. Some will choose to stay. Others will leave. The End!
"To summarize further still: Science is playing God in order to bring peace. But do the ends justify the means?"
Umm, wow. And you thought of this how?
"My theory stems from the scene where Locke is being dragged along the ground towards a hole," Smith continues. "It just so happens that my poor older brother has to wear iron calipers on his legs. Years ago, when he was getting on my nerves, I imagined him being picked up by a large electromagnet — the kind you get in dumps — and dropped into a car cruncher, which would then squash him into a cube.
"When I saw Locke being dragged along by his legs, I started to think about electromagnetism, etc. I realize this must sound quite weird, but I do love my brother and I am pretty normal."