The ALT is the ORIGINAL and our ORIGINAL is the ALT by Tronbarn

Okay, others have touched on it, but not like how I'm about to. There are many theories on this site and agree with the idea that the flash sideways or alt universe is actually a FLASHFORWARD. My theory is a simple opposite to this idea. Here goes:

I strongly believe that the alt timeline that we are seeing is actually WHAT ORIGINALLY HAPPENED BEFORE JACOB INTERVENED. Let me make it even more clear in case it's not: the past 5 seasons of LOST have been the result of an alternate timeline of the timeline we are seeing in these supposed 'flashsideways'.

Think about it: Jack has a son to resolve his Daddy issues, Hurley is a believer in good omens, Locke has Helen to prop up his spirits, Rose is content and happy with Bernard, Sun and Jin - well, not exactly marital bliss there but their relationship is different because Jin looks to still be working for her father or whatever crooked shit he was doing. Claire will most likely keep Aaron, Kate's crime is different, and Boone decides to leave Shannon alone, and Sawyer; well he's calm, cool, and seems at peace with his life and he's certainly not hell bent on revenge.

I'll bet a million dollars that when we get more of Sawyer in this timeline that he's completely different. But Sawyer may prove my point more than any.

So, MIB told Sawyer that Jacob came to him when he was vulnerable. And we all know the scene. Then he says that Jacob has been playing them like puppets and pushing them to the island. Well, why would Jacob need to 'push' them anywhere?

We all know they needed to get there regardless, by boat, plane, train, whatever. But think about the island being sunk under water for a minute in that timeline.

What if Radzinsky and his crazy ass still messed around with the drill and hit the energy pocket and WHOOMP! Sunk the island! Is that too far fetched? I don't think so. Could it be what MIB wanted? Maybe. Probably.

So, Jacob doesn't like this. He can't stop it directly but needs people with free will making their own choices to stop this catastrophe that probably leads to the end of the whole world - as my girl Ellie so eloquently stated - 'God help us all.' Which is why she was so HELL BENT on getting them back there in the first place. So that they could ultimately drop the bomb and prevent the sinking of the island - perhaps.

So, the most important question we can ask is this: WHAT IF THE ISLAND DIDN'T SINK IN THIS ALT WORLD AND THE LOSTIES STILL CRASHED?

Hmmmmm. Would the same things still play out as they did? Maybe, but probably not. Here's why I believe it wouldn't; and it's simple. With all of our characters in this alt world being mostly happy and no major Daddy issues or revenge issues, they are essentially different people. People that would have made radically different choices had they crashed on the island. Those different choices would never had led to them doing what they did and especially COMING BACK to the island. Once they were gone, then that would have been it.

Jack said it himself in the last episode when he told Hurley - I came back here BECAUSE I WAS BROKEN AND I WAS STUPID ENOUGH TO THINK THAT THIS PLACE COULD FIX ME. Well, he's right and Jacob is even more right. Because if Jack was 'happy' and had not Daddy issues and didn't feel like had to prove himself all the time and needed a problem to 'fix', then he would have never volunteered to come back would he?

Others I've verbally told this theory to said 'oh, that makes Jacob EVIL' to go back and manipulate their lives like this for his own purposes. But remember it's not for his own gain, it's potentially for the gain of the island and possibly the whole planet. There's a bigger picture here to see. As he told Ben - 'What about you?' Or, in other words, who cares about your petty little problems with me not paying attention to you while I'm trying to save your ass and the entire worlds!

The core issue is that most of the characters were living lives as we saw in the flashbacks that were unhappy. Most of them denied it but they really had no clear and honest reason to go back to civilization. Locke asked this question many times of the others and so did Sawyer; 'What are you running back to Doc?'.

So, Jacob picks these people based on his numbers theory or whatever (which speaks to another theory I have regarding Jacob and the Island and how the power to create realities is in his hands), and he watches them through the light house, he observes, he studies, he plans. Then he goes back - via donkey wheel or Obi-Wan teleportation - to intervene in their lives. To give them a little push. He gives the Pen to James and this leads to him living an angry life hell bent on revenge. He brings Locke back to life so that at the very least he is a cripple that can get to the island. Now I can't speak for the rest of the scenes with Jacob coming back to touch our friends, but there's not much to be said for him giving Jack a candy bar in the hospital or giving Hurley the guitar AFTER THE FACT that he's already a perpetual believer in bad luck. If my theory is weak, it would be this aspect because I would want to see Jacob pushing those particular characters much earlier in their ! lives. BUT MAYBE WE ARE YET TO SEE THAT?

And, also, I know this is wild ass speculation; but for all we know Jacob could have been doing this pushing since the black rock days to many different people that would have had an impact on everyone's life on that plane, which could explain some of the other differences with the characters. We do see on his wheel in the lighthouse that there are many names, possibly hundreds of names written on there and previously scratched off.

So, in short, the Losties that originally crash on the island are unhappy campers and have enough issues to keep them from making decisions that may have gotten them off of the island a lot sooner. But I also believe that part of the game or Jacob's plan is to prove to MIB that these characters can overcome their darkness and make the right choices that will lead them off the island and back to it to ultimately save it from sinking by dropping jughead down the well.

So, then the 'ALT' timeline we are seeing is really the ORIGINAL timeline but is not a result of Juliet's bomb. I think the connection between the two timelines is evidenced by what Juliet tells Sawyer - IT WORKED. How does she know this? Well, because she was knocking on deaths door and her consciousness was 'skipping' into this Alt world where she was probably meeting Sawyer and having a coffee. Probably but not so sure.

So, this suggests that our Losties have to perish in order to see or live into this ORIGINAL TIMELINE. It's already happening to Jack. But why has it not happened to Locke yet? Well, probably another theory but ultimately I think it's because he's technically still alive somewhere in MIB. Yeah, yeah, I saw that theory earlier on the site and I totally agree, so I'm not taking credit for it at all but just referencing.


If the 'ALT' world we're seeing now is a giant flash forward then I believe that all the work of the previous seasons will be - - - ahem - - - LOST.

Why have Desmond mind skipping through time and probably dimensions if there's not going to be a bigger payoff than just hooking up with Penny on Christmas eve? I think this is precise because when we see it happen to the Losties we're going to know EXACTLY what is going on when Jack wakes up and says - 'Hey, where the f..k am I? You're my son?'

If it goes down like this or something like it then it's a better redemption for the characters because they would have been through hell and back in the island / 815 crash timeline and defeat the forces of evil or overcome their demons only to be able to live out their lives in the other time line the way they've been struggling to make it all along.

AND - add to the fact that the 'Alt sideways' we're seeing is supposed to be IN THE PAST of the 2007 island. And I know, I know, what does time really mean when it comes to LOST? Good point, but my point is just as valid.

So in the end, I can't speak on what the ultimate end game is, but I do have a better feeling about how that game has been played - at least from Jacob's POV up until now. We know that it's a game where the people are the pieces and the players are the Gods, or servants of the Gods or whatever. And the moves that these pieces make on the boards is not by direct manipulation, but by slight 'pushing' so that ultimately it's their free will that moves them.

I know there's room for improvement and it could use more evidence but I'm sticking to it because the flash forward idea again just seems so been-there-done-that and not as dramatically satisfying. And besides, doesn't ABC already have a show by that name anyway? I think it's based on a pretty good book and has been struggling in the ratings and was touted as the 'next Lost' and it's totally concept driven and lacks the depth of character and - oh, must be some other show. Sorry.

Would love to hear from you all everybody!

tronbarn