The reality war by Gravastars

LOST revolves around the conflict between Jacob and the MIB. But what is the nature of the war being fought?

In this theory I will make some wild conjectures, but will attempt to tie it altogether in the end. I will start with my most favourite aspect of the show-


Smoke Monster / MIB

-The smoke monster is the result of time-travel and inter-dimensional abuse (jughead detonation); an extremely intelligent creature bled from the fourth dimension.

-Its 'smoke' appearance is a representation of how its true form appears to us normal third dimensioners - an inexplicable, garbled mess.

-It makes conscious decisions. Influences people by taking the form of anything it desires.

-It reads Eko's and Ben's past lives because this is exactly what a fourth dimensioner can naturally see; the entirety of a single person's timeline.

-It can take the form of anyone or anything.

-It requires its victims to be dead so it can elude the possibility of two identical people roaming the island at once (raising suspicion). It stashes away its victims in the Cerberus vents. Notice how MIB is only outed as a fake because another group possessed the real John Locke.

-The smoke monster assumes the form of MIB to confront Jacob on the beach. MIB is just another one of its victims.

-Despite its intelligence, the monster is also naive and animalistic in many senses (tearing up trees, killing randoms). The sonic fence is not a physical barrier per se, but something which frightens the monster and causes it to flee (notice how it slows down before it 'hits' the fence)

-The monster's goal is to destroy the island. It first attempted to do this by coaxing Locke and Eko to the pearl (as yemi) so that they may stop pressing the button.

-Its second attempt is influencing the chain of events that led to its origin - jughead. (the compass being a perfect synecdoche for this "loop")

-The monster, due to its nature, can time travel at will. This explains how it can appear in periods before the jughead detonation.


Light Monster / Jacob

-Jacob is the monster's opposite and rarely assumes an ethereal form, choosing instead to settle into his role as a third dimensioner.

-Jacob's origins and capabilities are exactly the same as the monster's, but he rarely chooses to shape shift or use devious tactics to satisfy his goals. (we can debate this however)

-Jacob's ethereal form IS the white light John saw at the start of Season 1.

-Jacob's corporeal form is one of HIS victims. In this game, no one is entirely innocent.

-Whereas MIB wants to destroy the island and all its inhabitants (who "fight, destroy corrupt") Jacob wants the island to survive.

-Jacob's death by the hands of MIB (through Ben) is part of MIB's long game. Without Jacob to counter-influence the monster's actions it gains an upper-hand.



The Two Realities

-The split reality thanks to Jughead is the crux of LOST and the metaphysical battle between the two binary worlds is everything the show has alluded to towards this point.

-Both 'monsters' originate from this divide and can move freely between the two realities.

-MIB, wanting to destroy the island, fights for the alternative reality to 'course correct' over the plane crash reality. This is the reality of course, where the island is for the most part destroyed.

-Jacob wants the plane crash to always happen. In fact, his 'touching' people influencing them to come to the island is his way of ensuring that the Losties will inevitably make the flight.

-We've seen the two realities colliding in existence already - the whispers.

-With Jacob absent, MIB ensures that he can no longer influence the island's history - Jughead happens invariably and the alternative reality dominates.

-Richard's role is part of Jacob's long game in preventing the MIB from winning. His agelessness gives him a scope of the island's history and therefore a means to manipulate it.

-Richard will formulate a plan to devastate the alternative reality, perhaps by destroying it or harming its integrity.

-A third dimensioner like Richard can cross realities using the island's temporal 'bubble'. I think the temple may also be the key to this, but that's just baseless conjecture at this point.

-Richard will sacrifice his life by putting an end to the alternative universe, thus resolving his immortality.



The end of the world / Resurrection into the new world

-4 8 15 16 23 42. The velenzetti equation predicts the end of the world, but which world?

-I don't believe the significance of every digit will be explained but I do believe that the numbers will become all the more prominent in the alternative reality as the minutes count down before the world ceases to exist.

-Past occurrences of the numbers happen when the alternative reality is 'strongest'. Examples - When Hurley nearly misses boarding 815 (Exodus); when Hurley's bad luck threatens his life and the lives of those around him (TTID); when Desmond gets a chance to change his destiny with Penny (FBYE); The hatch (where jughead is detonated) is also littered with the numbers.

-The alternative reality will end, but not before some of the alternative Losties find a way into the plane crash reality; in this process I believe their memories will 'course correct' and on-island past experiences will come flooding back.

-The end of the world will also have tragic implications. Anyone who dies on-island stays dead on-island. Locke will be able to return alive, but Juliet will not.

-The island will also reject 'copies' of people. I believe all plane crash on-islanders will need convincing to sacrifice themselves off-island in order to be 'born again' from the alternative reality.

-In this fashion, the island will come symbolise a kind of 'heaven' wherein no one from the plane crash can leave at the expense of their own lives (crossing back into a blank reality). They live out the rest of their lives here. This neatly ties together past religious allusions.


Loose ends - -

The motives of the war

-The motives of the two monsters is revealed in the season 5 finale. Jacob believes that third dimensioners, with their free will, can make the right choices to satisfy a single end.

-MIB believes all humans are corrupt, and longs to stop Jacob's experiment as it always ends the 'same'. If MIB kills Jacob, he has every chance of destroying the island.


What happens to the monsters?

-When one reality wins over another, both monsters 'die' as the reality divide is sealed.

The Others

-The Others are the groups of people brought to the island by Jacob. Invariably, anyone Jacob brings is bound into this group - including our Losties.

-The ultimate purpose of the others parallel that of pawns on a chess board. Pieces which influence the chain of events leading to the crash of 815.


Dharma

-A very clever man came up with a 'series of equations' to locate the island. This man is Jacob who WANTS dharma there to build the hatches and cause the crash of 815.

-Jacob ordered for the purge of Dharma to maintain the integrity of the plane crash reality. This means that no more of their experiments can threaten to destroy the island.

-Jacob brought Desmond to the island to continue pushing the button once Kelvin had died. He also knew that Desmond's fallibility, his tendency to run away from his responsibilities, would lead him to one day fail to push that button.



The Skeletons

-Jin and Sun. It seems to make the most sense considering the amount of foreshadowing made towards their grand re-union. Their love is a 'very important thing' and they must stick together until the end.

-Alternative Jin will die off island. Alternative Sun will journey to the island to meet 'Plane crash Jin' from the seventies and the two colliding realities will unite this way in harmony. The black and the white brought together and laid to rest.

-Ben/Widmore

-Simple pawns in a war neither of them can imagine in any tangible way. Widmore pretends to understand the 'war coming' but fights unknowingly for the MIB, urging John to return to the island. Ben's story is similar unfortunately.

-Eloise Hawking

-A pawn of Jacob. Wants to maintain the integrity of the Losties universe in Flashes before your eyes.

-Her plan to recreate flight 815 should have resulted in all Losties returning to present day. This went wrong however.


What is the point of it all?

-It's about the problem of free will. Given enough power, the wrong choice is devastating. It is free will that caused the monsters to emerge; jughead literally opened 'Pandora's box'.

-Redemption. The alternative reality gives everyone a second chance at life, but true redemption lies on the island.



What is the final shot?

-It has to be something symbolic of Lost as a whole. I also believe it won't be as 'shocking' as many expect.

-What I want: a calm, relaxing montage of the community settled and living in peace. This is foreshadowed in the season 5 finale by Rose and Bernard, and I believe will be an important symbol of making the right choices with your gift of free will.




Problems - -

A lot of problems lie in the realms of "how?" of things and I just don't think any of this will be given a scientific or logical basis -


-Richard's immortality
-A justified reason for time travel mechanics
-Island's healing powers
-Origin of electromagnetic energy
-How 'touch' at all influences a person's actions