Jacob was instrumental in creating the Alt Universe, and for a reason… by Charlie Hume

In the last episode, “What They Died For,” Jacob explained himself to his remaining candidates. He told them, once and for all, that he was the one who brought them to the island. He interfered with their lives at some point in their lives so that they would all end up on Flight 815, and therefore on the island. And like he said, it wasn’t as if he was plucking them out of very happy lives. They all had pretty dismal existences, and virtually none of them had much to lose by coming to the island. Yet still, Jacob is not exactly patting himself on the back for bringing them all here – many of them to their deaths – to find one single candidate to replace him.

Now let us go back to the year 1977, where Jack has just set off the hydrogen bomb. Now, just as Alternate-Daniel-Faraday said, it was indeed this bomb that brought the alternative timeline into existence. But it was not only the bomb. I think the Season 5 finale was done in a specific, ingenious way: both timelines of the season ended with two major events, the setting off of the hydrogen bomb, and the murder of Jacob. I believe the writers had these events happen simultaneously not just to make a killer season finale, but to hint that the two events would have an effect on one another.

Now when Juliet finally detonated the Hydrogen bomb, two things happened: the alternate universe was born, and the Losties all time flashed to the present. I believe that when the alternate universe was created, Jacob stepped in and played a role in that creation. He changed the alternate timeline so that the island would be gone, and would have no effect on the lives of our Losties. In addition, he also gave all of the characters exactly what they’ve always wanted. Now, this doesn’t mean they are all completely happy, but they do all seem to have what they have always wanted. Desmond has Widmore’s approval; Locke is about to get his feet back and is about to marry the love of his life; Jack has a family member he can actually care about; Hurley isn’t cursed. I believe Jacob stepped in and made this happen so that all of the people who died and whose lives were ruined because of him, could end up “happily ever after,” with exactly what they wanted. This is his way of making up for taking them all out of their lives. In the alternate timeline, they all get to continue living out their lives unaffected by the island – but at least semi-happily, instead of dismally, as they were in the original timeline.

As a final point, lets return to the Losties who time-flashed after the hydrogen bomb was set off. Now, it wouldn’t make sense to blame the time-flash simply on the bomb, because then, why would it affect just them? I believe this is more of Jacob’s handiwork. I believe the reason why Jack, Hurley, Kate, and crew all ended up in the seventies was because they were the specific ones needed to set up the series of events leading to the detonation of the hydrogen bomb, so that Jacob could create his blissful alternate universe and make up for all that he has done. After the bomb was set off, the Losties’ goal was accomplished, and they were no longer needed in the seventies, so they time flashed back to the present day so that Jacob could once and for all find a replacement.