I have read bits and pieces of this elsewhere but my theory is the following:
Imagine a "Battlestar Galactica" type space craft from the future with a crew that is "lost" in space. For some reason they are adrift in space with no possibility of returning to their fleet or a planet. They know they will die lost in space so to take their minds off their fate they spend their days "plugged" into an elaborate virtual reality game where they can program features such as location, characters, and general plot.
So.....LOST the tv show is one of the games. The crew has chosen an uncharted island as the locale; characters such a doctor, an unhappy wife, a "bad" boy, a soldier, a new mother, a drug addict, "the others", etc.; and the plot is they have survived a plane crash and must interact with the island and the other characters until only one character remains. It is a game and to play (and win) they must play in character, develop strategies, form alliances, etc.
In my mind, the last episode will feature Jack alone on the island (the final survivor) with someone calling out his name, over and over again, until the "real" Jack is awoken out of the game and patted on the back by Sawyer congratulating him on a good game. Imagine our "islanders" in their outerspace military garb chatting about how that was a "great" game. Maybe Shannon and Boone are disappointed they had to die so early on. Maybe Locke and Rose are in the "sick bay" of the spacecraft laughing about what an awesome adventure that game was. The final scene would be our losties planning their next virtual reality experience.
Theory by Anonymous
