As most Lost fans understand, science versus faith is a major theme of Lost. And like many Lost fans, I hope for a possible scientific (even if only theoretical) explanation for the seemingly supernatural events we've seen in the last five seasons. However, the smoke monster concept has troubled me because its seemingly paranormal characteristics threaten the ability for Lost to accomplish the difficult task of providing a conceivable answer.
So I present what I believe to be a plausible account for Smokey, a summary that doesn't involve gods or magic or any other "explanations" that many fans have concocted which are really just more mysteries. I'm sure this theory will have many detractors that prefer to think of Smokey as an all powerful god or underworld demon. But would a mystical force like that be inhibited by a dynamite explosion or be deterred by a sonic fence? Would an instrument of universal course correction have to chase people like a B-horror movie villain? Smokey being a guardian of the underworld is NOT an explanation. Smokey being a collection of spirits is NOT an explanation. These kinds of statements just take Smokey out of the Lost mythology where it was created and substitute an alternate mystery in the context of another fictional realm. Not only do these ideas not bring us any closer to understanding Smokey, now we're not even talking about the same story. For those still not follow! ing what I mean, here's another practical example.
Q: Why does Richard Alpert appear to be ageless?
A: He's dead, but he was reanimated by the island.
If you think that is an explanation, then we are on a completely different page. It's just explaining a mystery with another mystery. Resurrection, alien technology, reincarnation, immortality, teleportation, astral projection, psychic powers: these are NOT explanations. They are just more mysteries. And from a creative standpoint, they are lazy clichés that help conveniently avoid having to come up with original ideas.
Anyway, here's my take on the smoke monster. Smokey began just like every other creature on the planet: as a single celled organism. For those not familiar with the concept of evolution, I'll try to give a futilely brief rundown. Over millions of years, single cells developed into a nearly infinite combination of cells until eventually a combination was made that had the ability to copy itself (reproduction). These combinations of cells developed into a nearly infinite variety of organisms. The organisms that possessed characteristics that allowed them to survive in their environment are the organisms that flourished while the less adaptable organisms died off.
Basically, my theory is that Smokey is a product of natural evolution on the island. This raises the obvious question of why a creature like the smoke monster evolved rather than humans like nearly everywhere else on Earth. Well, the island isn't like anywhere else on Earth. The island is home to a large pocket of electromagnetic energy that is ever present in the atmosphere affecting compass directions and even the way light scatters. Imagine a single celled organism evolving over hundreds of millions of years in an environment like that.
Though it appears to have powers beyond our understanding, its abilities are not inconceivable. For example, it can apparently read our thoughts and view our memories. That may sound paranormal to us. But for an organism that spent millions of years evolving within an electromagnetic ether, Smokey reading brain waves could be the equivalent of us reading the morning newspaper. Theory by timeisrelative
So I present what I believe to be a plausible account for Smokey, a summary that doesn't involve gods or magic or any other "explanations" that many fans have concocted which are really just more mysteries. I'm sure this theory will have many detractors that prefer to think of Smokey as an all powerful god or underworld demon. But would a mystical force like that be inhibited by a dynamite explosion or be deterred by a sonic fence? Would an instrument of universal course correction have to chase people like a B-horror movie villain? Smokey being a guardian of the underworld is NOT an explanation. Smokey being a collection of spirits is NOT an explanation. These kinds of statements just take Smokey out of the Lost mythology where it was created and substitute an alternate mystery in the context of another fictional realm. Not only do these ideas not bring us any closer to understanding Smokey, now we're not even talking about the same story. For those still not follow! ing what I mean, here's another practical example.
Q: Why does Richard Alpert appear to be ageless?
A: He's dead, but he was reanimated by the island.
If you think that is an explanation, then we are on a completely different page. It's just explaining a mystery with another mystery. Resurrection, alien technology, reincarnation, immortality, teleportation, astral projection, psychic powers: these are NOT explanations. They are just more mysteries. And from a creative standpoint, they are lazy clichés that help conveniently avoid having to come up with original ideas.
Anyway, here's my take on the smoke monster. Smokey began just like every other creature on the planet: as a single celled organism. For those not familiar with the concept of evolution, I'll try to give a futilely brief rundown. Over millions of years, single cells developed into a nearly infinite combination of cells until eventually a combination was made that had the ability to copy itself (reproduction). These combinations of cells developed into a nearly infinite variety of organisms. The organisms that possessed characteristics that allowed them to survive in their environment are the organisms that flourished while the less adaptable organisms died off.
Basically, my theory is that Smokey is a product of natural evolution on the island. This raises the obvious question of why a creature like the smoke monster evolved rather than humans like nearly everywhere else on Earth. Well, the island isn't like anywhere else on Earth. The island is home to a large pocket of electromagnetic energy that is ever present in the atmosphere affecting compass directions and even the way light scatters. Imagine a single celled organism evolving over hundreds of millions of years in an environment like that.
Though it appears to have powers beyond our understanding, its abilities are not inconceivable. For example, it can apparently read our thoughts and view our memories. That may sound paranormal to us. But for an organism that spent millions of years evolving within an electromagnetic ether, Smokey reading brain waves could be the equivalent of us reading the morning newspaper. Theory by timeisrelative
