This theory will answer the following questions: What is the goal of the Others and why is Jacob their leader? Why is Jacob trapped like a prisoner and in need of others to act on his behalf? How did Dharma find the island and why did the Others allow them to conduct experiments?
First, I should clarify that I believe Jacob is not so much a name as it is a title like John Paul or Caesar. Throughout history, numerous people have assumed the role of Jacob. Jacob is someone who has the unique ability to change the future. Desmond is either one of these people or will soon become one of these people. Richard Alpert considered Locke as a possible Jacob because as a child, Locke drew the smoke monster. This indicated that Locke had knowledge of the future and therefore could potentially have the ability to change the future. That ability threatens the universe's course of events. So in order to protect itself, Jacob is imprisoned so that he is unable to alter the future. Since Jacob is unable to personally act and change the future, he's attempting to lead people to act on his behalf. These people are known as the Others.
Jacob and the Others are active because the end is near. And when something is destined to happen, it will happen because the universe is a predetermined system. But there is no such thing as a perfect system. Even the simplest pattern over time develops anomalies that threaten to disrupt its determined course. Jacob is this anomaly.
So how does Dharma fit in to all of this? Dharma found the island because Widmore brought them there. Although they are being guided by Jacob, the purpose of the Others is to save the world. Widmore brought Dharma to the island because the methods of the Others weren't working. Widmore lost faith in Jacob's ability to succeed. So Widmore turned to science. The reason Widmore kept leaving the island was because he was busy founding the Dharma Initiative. The Others began to question Widmore's ability to lead after losing faith so he was overthrown and exiled. The final straw was when Widmore fathered a child with an outsider. This was frowned upon by the Others because it could cloud his judgment and threaten his ability to always act in the best interest of the island. Ben was exiled for the same reason. He lost faith and turned to science we he began conducting experiments to solve the fertility issue which Richard referred to as a waste of time. Couple that wit! h the fact that he was unwilling to kill baby Alex and that's grounds for new leadership.
For some reason which I may not be aware, many fans have assumed that the submarine belonged exclusively to Dharma and did not exist on the island until Dharma arrived. But the sub could've easily belonged to the US military and was confiscated by the Others when the soldiers were eliminated. Widmore used the submarine to travel to and fro as well as bring Dharma scientists to survey the island. This submarine tidbit doesn't apply directly to my theory, but I wanted to throw that in because it could correct what many have considered discrepancies when creating a timeline of events.
My theory about Jacob raises an obvious question: Why doesn't the universe just kill off Jacob? I believe it's for the same reason Michael couldn't kill himself. It would create a paradox. Jacob's premature death would contradict a future event that must take place. Another explanation could be that the very nature of an anomaly is that it is unable to be extinguished by the system of which its presence contradicts, hence it being an anomaly. Or maybe Jacob is in the cabin, not as a prisoner, but because it is the only place where he is protected from the universe eliminating him. As Ben so melodramatically stated, "God can't see this place any better than the rest of the world."
First, I should clarify that I believe Jacob is not so much a name as it is a title like John Paul or Caesar. Throughout history, numerous people have assumed the role of Jacob. Jacob is someone who has the unique ability to change the future. Desmond is either one of these people or will soon become one of these people. Richard Alpert considered Locke as a possible Jacob because as a child, Locke drew the smoke monster. This indicated that Locke had knowledge of the future and therefore could potentially have the ability to change the future. That ability threatens the universe's course of events. So in order to protect itself, Jacob is imprisoned so that he is unable to alter the future. Since Jacob is unable to personally act and change the future, he's attempting to lead people to act on his behalf. These people are known as the Others.
Jacob and the Others are active because the end is near. And when something is destined to happen, it will happen because the universe is a predetermined system. But there is no such thing as a perfect system. Even the simplest pattern over time develops anomalies that threaten to disrupt its determined course. Jacob is this anomaly.
So how does Dharma fit in to all of this? Dharma found the island because Widmore brought them there. Although they are being guided by Jacob, the purpose of the Others is to save the world. Widmore brought Dharma to the island because the methods of the Others weren't working. Widmore lost faith in Jacob's ability to succeed. So Widmore turned to science. The reason Widmore kept leaving the island was because he was busy founding the Dharma Initiative. The Others began to question Widmore's ability to lead after losing faith so he was overthrown and exiled. The final straw was when Widmore fathered a child with an outsider. This was frowned upon by the Others because it could cloud his judgment and threaten his ability to always act in the best interest of the island. Ben was exiled for the same reason. He lost faith and turned to science we he began conducting experiments to solve the fertility issue which Richard referred to as a waste of time. Couple that wit! h the fact that he was unwilling to kill baby Alex and that's grounds for new leadership.
For some reason which I may not be aware, many fans have assumed that the submarine belonged exclusively to Dharma and did not exist on the island until Dharma arrived. But the sub could've easily belonged to the US military and was confiscated by the Others when the soldiers were eliminated. Widmore used the submarine to travel to and fro as well as bring Dharma scientists to survey the island. This submarine tidbit doesn't apply directly to my theory, but I wanted to throw that in because it could correct what many have considered discrepancies when creating a timeline of events.
My theory about Jacob raises an obvious question: Why doesn't the universe just kill off Jacob? I believe it's for the same reason Michael couldn't kill himself. It would create a paradox. Jacob's premature death would contradict a future event that must take place. Another explanation could be that the very nature of an anomaly is that it is unable to be extinguished by the system of which its presence contradicts, hence it being an anomaly. Or maybe Jacob is in the cabin, not as a prisoner, but because it is the only place where he is protected from the universe eliminating him. As Ben so melodramatically stated, "God can't see this place any better than the rest of the world."
