This theory should not be read if you have not been following season 5 spoilers.
I put forth the theory that turning the donkey wheel had not one, but at least two very distinct effects.
Ever since the first indications surfaced, through spoilers, that the island moved in time as well as in space (as far as the fourth season is concerned, we can only be sure that it vanished), I wondered what would the implications be. What would the rules of the show be?
If it where only a matter of the island having been sent elsewhere in time, whatever are the contents of the island would remain intact in that new destination in time. I´ll put a very simple and accesible example: Back to the Future. When Marty goes back in time in the Delorean, the Delorean surfaces in a different point in time. But Marty, everything inside the vehicle, and indeed the vehicle itself, remain as they were before they moved in time. Only the time/space location has changed; the object which traveled is exactly as it were before.
So when spoilers started rolling in (I will not specify, but if you have been reading spoilers, you don´t need me to), clearly suggesting that the actual contents of the island had changed to reflect whatever time period they arrived to, I was really confused. Certainly the writers of Lost wouldn´t overlook something this big. Moving the entire island would entail having the EXACT same 2004 island, with all it´s 2004 contents, arriving at a diferent time period. This means: no active Dharma, no young Rousseau and her crew, no Ethan Rom still alive, no Swan Station. Basically nothing that wouldn´t be there to begin with, if the island hadn´t moved.
I´ll try to keep this short, and go straight to my point. Two different events were triggered with the movement of the donkey wheel:
a) The island moved to a different time/space location, with it´s constitution unchanged, BUT
b) The island´s conscience itself became unstuck in time... right before the eyes of all of it´s inhabitants.
Throught the series, the island has been consistently portrayed as having a consciousness. I won´t clutter this theory with evidence of this: for the sake of the theory, let´s take as a fact that the island is not necessarily is alive, is not necessarily a being or an entity, but at the very least has a consciousness. Well, why is this important to us? Take this exchange between Desmond and Faraday, regarding Eloise, from the Constant:
DESMOND: So you, you sent her to the future!
DAN: No, no, no. Her consciousness. Her mind.
On the season four DVD, Damon explains that Faraday was introduced to the series, amongst other reasons, to relay to the viewers what the time-travel rules in the show are. It has been established that, if it is through the effects of electromagnetism, it is specifically the consciousness that will travel.
Bottomline...
I cannot even begin to imagine as to how the actual, physical displacement of the island (a first for the series) would have triggered also a consciousness displacement as we as viewers are now familiar with... except now it´s not Desmond or Minkowski, but the island itself.
What is the scope of the consciousness of the island? What would it encompass? How about... pretty much anything that has happened throught it´s history? What kind of visions would the inhabitants of the island perceive if the island where to jump spontaneously through what is stored in it´s memory?
I think it would have the mysterious capacity to reenact any scenario as it happened, making it physically tangible for the duration of the jump. It would engulf the inhabitants of the island in a shifting, dreamlike, chaotic, and potentially vey dangerous landscape. Indeed a scenario for very bad things to happen...
I don´t care for being right, just wanted to share the idea. Above all, I would very much like to see your ideas on this. Now back to work...
Thank you for reading.
Theory by Arturo
Ever since the first indications surfaced, through spoilers, that the island moved in time as well as in space (as far as the fourth season is concerned, we can only be sure that it vanished), I wondered what would the implications be. What would the rules of the show be?
If it where only a matter of the island having been sent elsewhere in time, whatever are the contents of the island would remain intact in that new destination in time. I´ll put a very simple and accesible example: Back to the Future. When Marty goes back in time in the Delorean, the Delorean surfaces in a different point in time. But Marty, everything inside the vehicle, and indeed the vehicle itself, remain as they were before they moved in time. Only the time/space location has changed; the object which traveled is exactly as it were before.
So when spoilers started rolling in (I will not specify, but if you have been reading spoilers, you don´t need me to), clearly suggesting that the actual contents of the island had changed to reflect whatever time period they arrived to, I was really confused. Certainly the writers of Lost wouldn´t overlook something this big. Moving the entire island would entail having the EXACT same 2004 island, with all it´s 2004 contents, arriving at a diferent time period. This means: no active Dharma, no young Rousseau and her crew, no Ethan Rom still alive, no Swan Station. Basically nothing that wouldn´t be there to begin with, if the island hadn´t moved.
I´ll try to keep this short, and go straight to my point. Two different events were triggered with the movement of the donkey wheel:
a) The island moved to a different time/space location, with it´s constitution unchanged, BUT
b) The island´s conscience itself became unstuck in time... right before the eyes of all of it´s inhabitants.
Throught the series, the island has been consistently portrayed as having a consciousness. I won´t clutter this theory with evidence of this: for the sake of the theory, let´s take as a fact that the island is not necessarily is alive, is not necessarily a being or an entity, but at the very least has a consciousness. Well, why is this important to us? Take this exchange between Desmond and Faraday, regarding Eloise, from the Constant:
DESMOND: So you, you sent her to the future!
DAN: No, no, no. Her consciousness. Her mind.
On the season four DVD, Damon explains that Faraday was introduced to the series, amongst other reasons, to relay to the viewers what the time-travel rules in the show are. It has been established that, if it is through the effects of electromagnetism, it is specifically the consciousness that will travel.
Bottomline...
I cannot even begin to imagine as to how the actual, physical displacement of the island (a first for the series) would have triggered also a consciousness displacement as we as viewers are now familiar with... except now it´s not Desmond or Minkowski, but the island itself.
What is the scope of the consciousness of the island? What would it encompass? How about... pretty much anything that has happened throught it´s history? What kind of visions would the inhabitants of the island perceive if the island where to jump spontaneously through what is stored in it´s memory?
I think it would have the mysterious capacity to reenact any scenario as it happened, making it physically tangible for the duration of the jump. It would engulf the inhabitants of the island in a shifting, dreamlike, chaotic, and potentially vey dangerous landscape. Indeed a scenario for very bad things to happen...
I don´t care for being right, just wanted to share the idea. Above all, I would very much like to see your ideas on this. Now back to work...
Thank you for reading.
Theory by Arturo
