We've been quick to take some things as foregone conclusions pretty early into the last season. For instance, the Smoke Monster and Jacob's enemy are one in the same. Maybe one's just using the other. Maybe Jacob's just using them both. Remember, God spent 50% of the Bible just dicking around with random innocent humans by conjuring up bad guys and tests of faith; I wouldn't put it past Jacob (read: Damon and Carlton).

However, I think there's a foregone conclusion that we need to be especially wary of -- when the hydrogen bomb detonated, it created the flash-sideways parallel timeline. What if the hydrogen bomb Incident-with-a-capital-I created the island timeline? Which is to say, this "new" parallel timeline is, in fact, the "real/correct/original" timeline, and it's the show we've been watching for the past six years that was created by the H-bomb incident, which I shall henceforth refer to as the HBI.

Think about it. Why are the Losties even on the island? Well, ostensibly because Jacob summoned them there, yes, but why are they there in a cosmic sense? To set something right. I posit a possibility for the ultimate plot of Lost -- the Lost we've known for the past five seasons is a "Mistake Universe," where statistically improbable things went wrong that shouldn't have (probably because of those damned hippie scientists), culminating in The Incident (h-bomb + magic electricity). However, this is not what it appears -- the Losties screwing with time in the ontological present to create the LA X timeline. Rather, the whole "Losties crash, time travel, blah blah, Juliet hits the bomb" thing is a self-perpetuating time loop. The LA X universe is the "Real Universe," the way that spacetime was always meant to play out and indeed always did play out, until Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse decided it'd make for an interesting story to throw a monkey wrench in the galactic cogs.

As we can tell by Flash Sideways Jack and Kate having weird moments, the mere existence of the Mistake Universe is posing a threat to the Real Universe. Potentially, reality itself is in danger of exploding in such a way that not even Daniel Faraday and Mohinder Suresh narrating in tandem could explain. So, the ultimate plot of Lost is the Losties repairing the timeline. Presumably, only they can fix the stitch in time, because ugly, uninteresting people only solve problems in the real world, not on television.

tl;dr The LA X timeline is the "real" timeline, the way things should be. The Lost we've been watching for the past five seasons was a self-perpetuating time loop "mistake universe" created by Juliette hitting the bomb at the end of Season 5. Now someone's gotta fix it. (And who loves to fix things...?)

Thoughts? Has anyone else suspected that the h-bomb didn't create the LA X timeline, it created the Lost timeline?

So the island should have sunk?

Yes, but "should" in the sense that "that's the natural course the universe was taking," not "should" in the sense of "it's good that that happened."

We've all accepted that "fate has a way of course correcting," however it may be that all this "fate" is just Jacob/MIB trying to stop the island from sinking or whatever else. It might not be fate at all.

Yes, but "should" in the sense that "that's the natural course the universe was taking," not "should" in the sense of "it's good that that happened."

We've all accepted that "fate has a way of course correcting," however it may be that all this "fate" is just Jacob/MIB trying to stop the island from sinking or whatever else. It might not be fate at all.

I also believe in this theory. It's like in Donnie Darko. He was shown what his life would be like if the turbine that fell through his room didn't kill him. The true reality was that it had already killed him, he just didn't accept dying.

Same thing applies to the Losties. They have to accept the consequences that happen in the LA X timeline and pass on in the HBI timeline, either through death (a la Julliet) or some other way (I don't know what other option there'd be besides death).

...although this theory wouldn't explain why the MiB and Jacob exist. Unless they're both evil forces trying to keep the island a reality, when it would be better if it weren't, negating their existence.

Another factor that debunks this theory is Desmond on the plane. Once we have that puzzle solved, we can move forward or scrap this theory.

I'm pretty sure this theory is negated by Juliet saying "It worked."

Then how was the Island timeline created? By Juliet blowing the bomb, yes, but how did she get into 1977 to do that?

I also believe in this theory. It's like in Donnie Darko. He was shown what his life would be like if the turbine that fell through his room didn't kill him. The true reality was that it had already killed him, he just didn't accept dying.

Same thing applies to the Losties. They have to accept the consequences that happen in the LA X timeline and pass on in the HBI timeline, either through death (a la Julliet) or some other way (I don't know what other option there'd be besides death).

...although this theory wouldn't explain why the MiB and Jacob exist. Unless they're both evil forces trying to keep the island a reality, when it would be better if it weren't, negating their existence.

Another factor that debunks this theory is Desmond on the plane. Once we have that puzzle solved, we can move forward or scrap this theory.
The theory doesn't attempt to explain the existence of anything or the reasoning behind anything, I'm just throwing out the idea that "815 crashes" is the "alternate timeline," whereas we all automatically think that "815 lands safely" is the "alternate timeline."

I'm pretty sure this theory is negated by Juliet saying "It worked."
How so? By "it worked" (presuming Miles was telling the truth) she clearly meant that "the HBI worked and now a timeline exists in which 815 didn't crash." Which is true. I'm just saying that the LA X timeline is the "right" one, not an "alternate timeline."

Then how was the Island timeline created? By Juliet blowing the bomb, yes, but how did she get into 1977 to do that?
That's what makes it a self-perpetuating time loop. If you're unfamiliar with the term, a self-perpetuating time loop is like so...
1) You create a time-machine using a magical artifact.
2) You go back in time and give yourself the artifact so you can make the time-machine in the future.

It's very difficult to wrap ones mind around this concept, because the natural question is, "Well, if I gave myself the artifact after I'd already made the time-machine, where'd I get it in the first place?" There's no answer to that question; that's just the way it always was. It's "self-perpetuating" because an event in the future was necessary for the existence of an event in the past, and that event in the past is what caused the event in the future, ad infinitum.

Edit: See also http://forum.thefuselage.com/showthread.php?t=119236
The time loop simply is and always was. No outside causal factor was involved. Again, confusing as crap, but whaddayaganado?

@Everyone: Don't think about it too much. I'm not one of those "theory nuts." I'm just saying, we're all assuming the LA X timeline is newly created; a deviation of the "original timeline" in which 815 crashed. Well, what if it's the other way around? "815 lands safely" is the original timeline and "815 crashes" is the deviant timeline, rather than the other way around.

Admittedly, I took a time-consuming and convoluted way of saying that, but that's all I'm really saying.

That's what makes it a self-perpetuating time loop. If you're unfamiliar with the term, a self-perpetuating time loop is like so...
1) You create a time-machine using a magical artifact.
2) You go back in time and give yourself the artifact so you can make the time-machine in the future.

It's very difficult to wrap ones mind around this concept, because the natural question is, "Well, if I gave myself the artifact after I'd already made the time-machine, where'd I get it in the first place?" There's no answer to that question; that's just the way it always was. It's "self-perpetuating" because an event in the future was necessary for the existence of an event in the past, and that event in the past is what caused the event in the future, ad infinitum.

Edit: See also http://forum.thefuselage.com/showthread.php?t=119236
The time loop simply is and always was. No outside causal factor was involved. Again, confusing as crap, but whaddayaganado


Totally understand the time loop clause. I remember this being part of a previous episode, I just can't put my finger on it. It had to do with Faraday, I believe. I want to say it was when he went back to warn Charlotte never to return to the island, but I know there's more episodes with the whole time loop, future events shape the past sort of thing.

Ok... Im following most of the ideas put forth.... but I keep getting stopped by a couple of things... The Black Rock negates the timelines.... Why was Jacob bringing folks to the island that long ago.... and what does his statement "Until the end, it's only progress" mean? (Not the exact quote.. but you know the one...) Also... Adam and Eve in the cave... the black and white stones.... What?

Just the points that keep me from following the current "loop" ideas...

-Chris

Ok... Im following most of the ideas put forth.... but I keep getting stopped by a couple of things... The Black Rock negates the timelines.... Why was Jacob bringing folks to the island that long ago.... and what does his statement "Until the end, it's only progress" mean? (Not the exact quote.. but you know the one...) Also... Adam and Eve in the cave... the black and white stones.... What?

Just the points that keep me from following the current "loop" ideas...

-Chris
None of that has anything to do with the time loop theory. The time loop theory isn't a theory of everything, the time loop theory merely posits that the Lost we've been watching up 'til now is part of a self-perpetuating time loop caused by the HBI. I have no idea who Adam and Eve are or what's with the black stones (though according to the latest podcast, where D&C poke fun at a fan's interest in the stones, the stones in fact have no meaning or purpose to the plot and are a throwaway herring).