I think that this current season has been leading up to the "war" that Charles Widmore mentioned to John in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham", and will be the focal point of the final season.
First off, Illana, Bram, and company represent one side of the coming war. Obviously they're very important to the coming episodes; let's look at the clues: they manage to get on the one plane that is destined to crash land on the island, they intervene in the acquiring of Miles by Widmore, and clearly have a prior knowledge of the island what with the question of "what lies in the shadow of the statue?"
So this poses the question: who do they work for? Clearly its not Widmore due to what they told Miles, and it certainly seems to not be Ben due to the fact that he killed Cesare.
So I present this theory: they are the new Dharma. One huge mystery we haven't learned a great deal about is the Hanso Family, and we have no reason to assume that they aren't still alive and well, trying to find the island again. We now know fully that the Dharma Initiative was sent to the island to experiment with and manipulate the island's properties, and since they're first endeavor was cut short (purge, anyone?), so why wouldn't they try again?
Throughout the history of Lost, the Others (who we've established now as the true keeper's, original inhabitants of the island) have always opposed any group that wants to "exploit" the island's wonderful properties: In the 50s it was U.S. soldiers, in the 70s-90s it was DHARMA, now Ben claims its Widmore, but as we've come to realize through flashbacks, this is more of a personal vendetta for Ben, and not so much an idealistic war with the Others in general. The real threat to the Others and the Island in general at this point is a revival of Dharma, just as it was in the past.
I believe that by season 6, this war will be clear and present and lines will have to be drawn. Once everyone has been realigned to the present time, Jack's gang will once again come face to face with Locke and the present-day Others, who will be on the brink of war with new Dharma. Jack and the gang will of course align themselves with the Others due to the fact that they've come to realize the Island is where they belong, and in turn will ironically become Others.
As time progresses and the war escalates, new leaders will emerge as Locke comes to accept he was never meant to lead the Others at all (keep in mind that his leadership is all a paradox of sorts; the only reason Richard Alpert ever came to visit John as a child was because John himself told him to). Indeed, Ben was never meant to be a leader for the Others either, as we've somewhat begun to realize.
Jack, the "leader" from the get-go, will come to realize that it was indeed his destiny to return to the island, as he will rise to the occasion as the new leader of the island. Although this might sound like a stretch, consider these facts: Jacob uses Christian, Jack's father, as medium to communicate to people on the island (after all, Christian himself said he could "speak on behalf" of Jacob), and the only other person to apparently be welcome in his cabin is Claire, Jack's half-sister. This, on top of the fact that in Biblical terms, Jacob is described as the "patriarch", and conveniently, the great-grandfather of Aaron, suggests a deep connection to Jack with the island.
So with both Ben and Locke relinquishing control to Jack, Richard Alpert will relinquish his power to John, who will become the new "middle-man" to the others and the island itself. If we look back on the show, its clear that the only one grooming John for any sort of future on the island is Richard, never Ben. This is because Richard knows quite well that Locke has the power to one day take over his role on the island, so that Richard, this mysterious ageless being, can finally die, having no more service to the island.
Jack and Locke will assume their roles as the new Ben and Richard, respectively, and lead the Others (which at this point seems like a completely incorrect name for them) to victory over the new Dharma initiative.
And while this last part is purely speculative (and kind of just a "wouldn't-that-be-cool?" moment), I like to think that the final scene could be Jack and company living comfortably on the island in the barracks when a plane comes crashing down on the island above them. As they run out to survey the scene, Jack looks to his right and says "Sawyer, go to the tail-end, you're a survivor, if you run you can get to the shore in 2 hours", then looking to his left, "Locke, get to the beach, stay quiet, we need a list of names in 2 days."
First off, Illana, Bram, and company represent one side of the coming war. Obviously they're very important to the coming episodes; let's look at the clues: they manage to get on the one plane that is destined to crash land on the island, they intervene in the acquiring of Miles by Widmore, and clearly have a prior knowledge of the island what with the question of "what lies in the shadow of the statue?"
So this poses the question: who do they work for? Clearly its not Widmore due to what they told Miles, and it certainly seems to not be Ben due to the fact that he killed Cesare.
So I present this theory: they are the new Dharma. One huge mystery we haven't learned a great deal about is the Hanso Family, and we have no reason to assume that they aren't still alive and well, trying to find the island again. We now know fully that the Dharma Initiative was sent to the island to experiment with and manipulate the island's properties, and since they're first endeavor was cut short (purge, anyone?), so why wouldn't they try again?
Throughout the history of Lost, the Others (who we've established now as the true keeper's, original inhabitants of the island) have always opposed any group that wants to "exploit" the island's wonderful properties: In the 50s it was U.S. soldiers, in the 70s-90s it was DHARMA, now Ben claims its Widmore, but as we've come to realize through flashbacks, this is more of a personal vendetta for Ben, and not so much an idealistic war with the Others in general. The real threat to the Others and the Island in general at this point is a revival of Dharma, just as it was in the past.
I believe that by season 6, this war will be clear and present and lines will have to be drawn. Once everyone has been realigned to the present time, Jack's gang will once again come face to face with Locke and the present-day Others, who will be on the brink of war with new Dharma. Jack and the gang will of course align themselves with the Others due to the fact that they've come to realize the Island is where they belong, and in turn will ironically become Others.
As time progresses and the war escalates, new leaders will emerge as Locke comes to accept he was never meant to lead the Others at all (keep in mind that his leadership is all a paradox of sorts; the only reason Richard Alpert ever came to visit John as a child was because John himself told him to). Indeed, Ben was never meant to be a leader for the Others either, as we've somewhat begun to realize.
Jack, the "leader" from the get-go, will come to realize that it was indeed his destiny to return to the island, as he will rise to the occasion as the new leader of the island. Although this might sound like a stretch, consider these facts: Jacob uses Christian, Jack's father, as medium to communicate to people on the island (after all, Christian himself said he could "speak on behalf" of Jacob), and the only other person to apparently be welcome in his cabin is Claire, Jack's half-sister. This, on top of the fact that in Biblical terms, Jacob is described as the "patriarch", and conveniently, the great-grandfather of Aaron, suggests a deep connection to Jack with the island.
So with both Ben and Locke relinquishing control to Jack, Richard Alpert will relinquish his power to John, who will become the new "middle-man" to the others and the island itself. If we look back on the show, its clear that the only one grooming John for any sort of future on the island is Richard, never Ben. This is because Richard knows quite well that Locke has the power to one day take over his role on the island, so that Richard, this mysterious ageless being, can finally die, having no more service to the island.
Jack and Locke will assume their roles as the new Ben and Richard, respectively, and lead the Others (which at this point seems like a completely incorrect name for them) to victory over the new Dharma initiative.
And while this last part is purely speculative (and kind of just a "wouldn't-that-be-cool?" moment), I like to think that the final scene could be Jack and company living comfortably on the island in the barracks when a plane comes crashing down on the island above them. As they run out to survey the scene, Jack looks to his right and says "Sawyer, go to the tail-end, you're a survivor, if you run you can get to the shore in 2 hours", then looking to his left, "Locke, get to the beach, stay quiet, we need a list of names in 2 days."
