Alright, so one of the big questions everyone who faithfully watches "Lost" asks is about the seemingly ageless Richard Alpert. How is it every time we see him (1950's, 1970's, 1990's and 2000's) he never seems to age a day? Though I could never plausibly explain how it is Alpert never seems to age, there have been plenty of theories about the subject. Everything ranging from a ghost to an immortal seems to be what some think.
As I was pondering Alpert, a few things came into my mind. 1. On Lost, everything revolves around either certain people or certain ideas. The idea of fate and course correction, for example, have become central themes in the later seasons. So the idea that the writers of Lost would merely explain Alpert as a ghost would be (all due respect) pretty lame. 2. Time travel is seemingly taking on a huge role in Season 5, and it looks like a lot of what is happening now is heading towards the ultimate end of the series. So with all of the ideas of time travel being introduced and elaborated upon, it is my belief that Richard Alpert can be summed up with one word: Time Travler. When it comes to explaining Alpert, I would have to look to time travel playing an intricate role in who or what Richard Alpert is.
A few days ago, I rewatched "Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" and saw something that gave me a very interesting perspective on possible explained Richard Alpert. I'm referring to the scene in the Tunisian hospital tent where Charles Widmore is speaking to John Locke after he reappears in the Tunisian desert. When Widmore was speaking to Locke, he asked him how long it had been since he and Locke had last met to which Locke replies about 3 or 4 days ago. Widmore seems amazed by this because in real time, it had been over 50 years. It was what Widmore said next which got me thinking: "You haven't seemed to age a day in that time." At that point it got me thinking. If Locke was traveling time on the island and flashing to different points in history (like the 1950's where he meets Widmore), is it possible this is what is happening to Richard? Is it possible he (maybe after some kind of contact with the Orchid) is now perpetually suspended in the past? Heres a scenario I think ! is reasonable (but then again what theories are reasonable on Lost?):
Richard Alpert was around 40-43 years old in present on/off island time (between 2004-2007). He was still on the island at that time with the Others. At some point, Richard perhaps tries to test the Orchid station and its time traveling wheel. Something goes wrong and Richard is shot into the past by at least half a century (which would explain why he was around so long in the past i.e. 1954). At this point Richard realizes that he is no longer in his own time or among any of his own people. So, Richard (in a way like Sawyer did in LaFleur) lies his way back into the Others (maybe uses an alias; is it possible Richard Alpert isn't his real name? Probably not but who knows) and eventually takes over some position of command after earning their trust. This explains everything as to why he was with the Others in 1954, was a witness to Locke's birth (although we know Locke told him he would be born in 1956 in "Jughead") and why he never seems to age.
Another interesting thing I'm remembering is the scene in "Because You Left" where Alpert emerges from the jungle to help Locke after he had been shot by Ethan. How is it Richard knew where to find Locke? And how did Richard know so much about what was happening in relation to the time travel? Its because he has already been through all of these points in time and is merely reliving his past up to the point where he traveled back in time. Richard doesn't have to worry about experiencing paradox because he is far enough back in time that his present self wont meet his past self. All Richard is doing is living a life on the island long before his present self lives on the island. And because he is permanently stuck at his current age in the past (in relation to what was HIS present time), he cannot age in a time before he was even in existence on the island, which is why he never seems to age when we see him.
To sum up Richard Alpert: Time Traveler. Theory by OSU93
As I was pondering Alpert, a few things came into my mind. 1. On Lost, everything revolves around either certain people or certain ideas. The idea of fate and course correction, for example, have become central themes in the later seasons. So the idea that the writers of Lost would merely explain Alpert as a ghost would be (all due respect) pretty lame. 2. Time travel is seemingly taking on a huge role in Season 5, and it looks like a lot of what is happening now is heading towards the ultimate end of the series. So with all of the ideas of time travel being introduced and elaborated upon, it is my belief that Richard Alpert can be summed up with one word: Time Travler. When it comes to explaining Alpert, I would have to look to time travel playing an intricate role in who or what Richard Alpert is.
A few days ago, I rewatched "Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" and saw something that gave me a very interesting perspective on possible explained Richard Alpert. I'm referring to the scene in the Tunisian hospital tent where Charles Widmore is speaking to John Locke after he reappears in the Tunisian desert. When Widmore was speaking to Locke, he asked him how long it had been since he and Locke had last met to which Locke replies about 3 or 4 days ago. Widmore seems amazed by this because in real time, it had been over 50 years. It was what Widmore said next which got me thinking: "You haven't seemed to age a day in that time." At that point it got me thinking. If Locke was traveling time on the island and flashing to different points in history (like the 1950's where he meets Widmore), is it possible this is what is happening to Richard? Is it possible he (maybe after some kind of contact with the Orchid) is now perpetually suspended in the past? Heres a scenario I think ! is reasonable (but then again what theories are reasonable on Lost?):
Richard Alpert was around 40-43 years old in present on/off island time (between 2004-2007). He was still on the island at that time with the Others. At some point, Richard perhaps tries to test the Orchid station and its time traveling wheel. Something goes wrong and Richard is shot into the past by at least half a century (which would explain why he was around so long in the past i.e. 1954). At this point Richard realizes that he is no longer in his own time or among any of his own people. So, Richard (in a way like Sawyer did in LaFleur) lies his way back into the Others (maybe uses an alias; is it possible Richard Alpert isn't his real name? Probably not but who knows) and eventually takes over some position of command after earning their trust. This explains everything as to why he was with the Others in 1954, was a witness to Locke's birth (although we know Locke told him he would be born in 1956 in "Jughead") and why he never seems to age.
Another interesting thing I'm remembering is the scene in "Because You Left" where Alpert emerges from the jungle to help Locke after he had been shot by Ethan. How is it Richard knew where to find Locke? And how did Richard know so much about what was happening in relation to the time travel? Its because he has already been through all of these points in time and is merely reliving his past up to the point where he traveled back in time. Richard doesn't have to worry about experiencing paradox because he is far enough back in time that his present self wont meet his past self. All Richard is doing is living a life on the island long before his present self lives on the island. And because he is permanently stuck at his current age in the past (in relation to what was HIS present time), he cannot age in a time before he was even in existence on the island, which is why he never seems to age when we see him.
To sum up Richard Alpert: Time Traveler. Theory by OSU93
