Lapidus' death was far more important than you think by WarningTrack

A number of people have wondered aloud about Frank Lapidus' death, or expressed skepticism that he has, in fact, died. I think he clearly has, but in the course of trying to demonstrate that Frank is still alive, they ask a perfectly good question: why would he die now? Why was he significant at all? The reason, I think, is simple: Frank was the only pilot they had. The plane's still on the island, and it's now the only means of escaping. Frank dying is, therefore, very significant.

There's a twist to this, however. Clearly, the two timelines are going to merge at some point. We've all gathered as much, even if the specifics remain cloudy. But we got a huge hint as to what the nature of this might be last night: we learned that ALT-LOCKE IS A PILOT. We learn this *five minutes* after the *only* pilot on the Island has died. Quite a coincidence.

This is Locke's destiny: the timelines will somehow merge, Alt-Locke will be, in all likelihood, the old Locke we know and love, and he'll be the one to fly the Losties off the Island (with Jack, Jacob's replacement, left behind).

This is significant for two reasons, First, if true it shows that the merger will be physical. It won't merely be a cross-pollination of memories or a sharing of information. And second, it lets us know that Locke will figure prominently in the finale. Many have felt that Locke must figure heavily into the finale, and the narrative indeed points that way (having his story end the way it did in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" is impossible if you have even the slightest bit of faith in the writers of this show).

Locke's coming back, and this is the biggest hint yet to suggest it.