I apologize if this has been brought up in someone else's theory, or if it turns out to be completely obvious. I believe that after the bomb went off, we have evidence that at least Hurley - if not all the other '77 Losties - will remain on the island in some form in an alternate timeline.
In S1 "Numbers" we're told that Hurley learned of the Numbers' origin when he visited Sam's wife in Sydney. She told him that Sam repeatedly heard them through a looping radio broadcast while they were stationed at a listening post to monitor the Pacific 16 years ago (that was in 2004, so about 1988). Later, Rousseau tells Hurley that she heard the same transmission of the Numbers when she and her team landed on the island and followed the signal to the radio tower. That was also in 1988, and the same year that Rousseau appearently replaced the signal with her distress call. This is the storyline that sprung the remainder of the series to this point.
In "316" we hear Hurley's voice (at least it really sounds like Hurley) broadcasting the numbers as the Ajira flight is going down.
Now, as of yet, there is no way of knowing who's voice was actually broadcasting the numbers prior to 1988, but since the only time we've actually heard the boradcast it was by Hurley (again, I watched again last night and I believe it is him), you can make at least an argument that it was Hurley all along.
My point is that this is an indication that the Incident probably caused an alternate timeline in which the '77 Losties remained on the Island, Hurley records and broadcasts the numbers (the reason for which we may or may not find out), the broadcast is never replaced by Rousseau's distress call, and the Ajira flight landed on the Island in that alternate timeline, only 30 years later.
In S1 "Numbers" we're told that Hurley learned of the Numbers' origin when he visited Sam's wife in Sydney. She told him that Sam repeatedly heard them through a looping radio broadcast while they were stationed at a listening post to monitor the Pacific 16 years ago (that was in 2004, so about 1988). Later, Rousseau tells Hurley that she heard the same transmission of the Numbers when she and her team landed on the island and followed the signal to the radio tower. That was also in 1988, and the same year that Rousseau appearently replaced the signal with her distress call. This is the storyline that sprung the remainder of the series to this point.
In "316" we hear Hurley's voice (at least it really sounds like Hurley) broadcasting the numbers as the Ajira flight is going down.
Now, as of yet, there is no way of knowing who's voice was actually broadcasting the numbers prior to 1988, but since the only time we've actually heard the boradcast it was by Hurley (again, I watched again last night and I believe it is him), you can make at least an argument that it was Hurley all along.
My point is that this is an indication that the Incident probably caused an alternate timeline in which the '77 Losties remained on the Island, Hurley records and broadcasts the numbers (the reason for which we may or may not find out), the broadcast is never replaced by Rousseau's distress call, and the Ajira flight landed on the Island in that alternate timeline, only 30 years later.
