Restoring The Timeline, or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned To Love the Bomb by Tim

This theory is based upon the assumption that an alternate time line will be created due to the explosion of the bomb during "The Incident".

There are a few things which must be first considered if we are to assume that an alternate time line has been created. To begin with, we see that Sun, Locke/Flocke, Lapidus, and Ben are all still alive and well on the island after the Ajira 316 flight landed. This is an important fact to consider. When the plane reached the island, and in a sudden flash of light Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid are all transported back to 1977. For Sun, Ben, Lapidus and (F)Locke are still existent in the plane and then land upon the island. Which means that anything changed in the past would impact the reality in which they are already existing. This means that either anything Jack and others did in the past was all originally what truly happened in the first place, somehow negated, or the plane, and all its other inhabitants were moved to the alternate time line in the same flash that transported Jack and others. So either Sun and others are in the original timeline, noth has been changed,! or it was negated, otherwise they are already in the new time line.

My argument is for the negation of Jack and company's actions in blowing up the bomb. That is to say that somehow an alternate time line is created, but then reversed or undone. This is nowhere near as far-fetched as it might seem. The incident itself occurs due to the combination of the bomb and release of the pocket of electromagnetic energy. At this point I do believe that there was a divergence and an alternate time line was created. The question is now, how does it become negated?

To answer this question, I would begin by saying that there is much conjecture that parallel dimensions do indeed exist. This test:

http://ophelia.princeton.edu/~page/single_photon.html

This test suggests a possibility that an interference exists between the firing of a photon and it reaching the intended target. During tests such as these, there is to be found no measurable possible interference. This has led some scientists to believe that the interference may actually be caused by objects in a dimension which just slightly overlaps our own. Assuming these things are true, alternate dimensions would be connected or linked.

Leaving the heady stuff alone for the moment, we now must think about the interesting forces in existence on the island. It's been shown that the Black Smoke has the ability to read the memories of others, as well as take the shape of people, places, and things from a person's past. This may be critical. Secondly there is Jacob and his connection to each of those who were part of the incident (Jack and company). This is also important to consider.

Moving back to a bit of science. We need to go back to the Season 2 Finale, in which Desmond turned the key in the hatch, thus releasing the pocket of energy within the island. Curiously enough, the sky lit up purple, the island reacted, and yet, nothing happened. I believe that in fact, something extremely important happened. It was actually the event which negated the alternate time line.

Think of the moment in time when the bomb is blown as a fork in the road. Two time lines now running side by side. When the key is turned, and the energy released again, the time lines come together once more, in fact, they merge. Desmond's act of sacrifice actually merges the split time lines back into the original. Thus negating the alternate time line.

When this happens, I believe that certain people and items were moved from the second time line, back into the original. These people and items were the original time line's Jack and company. I believe this was the reason for Jacob's meeting with each of them. Obviously the island can read the memories and connect to the past of individuals, and I believe that Jacob's involvement with each allows them to return to the original time line, with their old memories in tact.

This was done by Jacob for two reasons: 1) to safeguard and protect Jack and company from MIB. 2) Originally the wheel had not been fully turned, leading to the skipping time lines. This was not intended by Jacob, and he needed to develop a way of having those sent to 1977 brought back to the present because they are important parts of what is to come.

When Jack and the others are brought back to the real time line, they appear in 2004 just when Desmond blows the hatch. This means that there is a double of many of these people floating around on the island up until present day. These are the people Richard refers to as the others already at the temple. They have been laying in wait for the moment in which to reappear and confront MIB and Jacob.

Keep in mind Locke got touched by Jacob too. This could lead to John's return when the time lines merge.

And that's my theory.