I do not have a screencap but that picture Miles showed Jack of Ben in season four looked eeriely similar to Ben the school teacher. In the picture he was definitely wearing a sweater and definitely appeared to be in some type of work place. At the time it provided evidence that Ben had left the Island at some point (which in season four was big news). But could it also be evidence that these time lines converge at some point or at least have some cross over. Since the picture most likely came from Widmore I am guessing anything is possible.

Here's the picture:
http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:4x02_benlinus_snapshot.jpg

He does look a little professor-ish, hahah.

I think someone pointed out before that the computer monitor puts him there in the early 90s. His shirt looks like late 70s.

Obviously the monitor is not concrete evidence. He is also not wearing glasses in the old picture, for what that's worth?

IMHO I don't think it is the same, but when I saw him as a teacher, I wondered this too.

The picture matched Ben's outfit & look in The Economist when Ben has to fix Sayid after he gets shot by the German girl whose boss he needed to kill. She shot him before he killed her & the. He hobbled down a corridor & entered a room with computers & Ben chided him about thinking with his heart.

I thought he woul be dressed just like the picture, Maybe some other day someone will take his picture at the copier. Or maybe not, there may be no evil Widmore to send people to look for Ben on an island that's underwater at the same time it's being occupied by people, including one from the freighter that possibly was never sent? See how not confused I am?

I think Ben in the picture looks like the evil Ben we've come to know and love/hate.

Ben the teacher looks less sinister.

I think this is a good idea... we may have already seen the alt timelines bleed through and we didn't know it at the time... knowing Darlton it's a definite possibility for this...

It's not evidence because the producers had no idea that they were going to do parallel timelines at that point.

How do you know?

I think the bigger point for me is that Ben had all different passports...and what looked like lots of money from all different eras, possibly he could have been traveling to different times or different timelines?

It's not evidence because the producers had no idea that they were going to do parallel timelines at that point.
Actually TPB plotted the end somewhere in S3.

But I think the probability of the picture being from an alt. timeline is about .00023% ;)

I think the bigger point for me is that Ben had all different passports...and what looked like lots of money from all different eras, possibly he could have been traveling to different times or different timelines?

I used to believe that.
Consider Miles' line from 2 episodes following the one with the picture,

MILES: Don't treat me like I'm one of them. Like I don't know who you are, and what you can do!

It now seems that it's lie & con and that's about it. The money was just different currencies, I'm pretty sure.
I guess Widmore could've made Ben and/or The Island out to be all powerful, to try to scare him and Miles saw it as an opportunity, Yet, I believe it was just more scarlet colored fish to fuel our pondering.

I'm still holding out hope that there is yet another "magic" door off of the Island.
The privileged information Richard spoke about in Jughead, I'll be bummed if before The Dharma Sub: Galaga, they had like Amelia Earhart flying them back and forth to Fiji or something.

This thread makes me think of Ben showing Juliet that her sister was fine with kids on those monitors on the island. Could he have been showing her an alt timeline?

RodimusBen >
It's not evidence because the producers had no idea that they were going to do parallel timelines at that point.


I think you're confusing the producers having no idea about parallel worlds back then and YOU having no idea about parallel worlds back then. ;)

Many of us on General Theories have been discussing the evidence for parallel worlds for a few years now. And if that evidence is now valid (and I know it's still an "if" - we might have predicted it but based on completely bogus evidence, by complete coincidence) then that evidence was there from Episode 1 - Apollo Bars. In Season 2 Kate and Hurley specifically say they've never heard of them, and yet we've seen them in certain flashbacks, particularly for two people who weren't on Oceanic - Juliet and Desmond. There's also all of the "Port" references - I believe the Island is the port between these worlds, and Geronimo Jackson, of course. And like I say, Boone offered Shannon an Apollo Bar in the Pilot Ep.

And yeah, Stuz, it would make a lot of sense if Miles and co. came from that alternate timeline, or at least the photo did. Maybe Widmore had to find Alt Ben in order to get a photo of him.

I think this is a good idea... we may have already seen the alt timelines bleed through and we didn't know it at the time... knowing Darlton it's a definite possibility for this...

ex Claire and Artz on a plane other than 815

I remember that remark from Miles. So did Widmore lie to them when he hired them? I think he must have, Miles acted like he had out done Hitler in someway. Widmore wanted the island, and had to get rid of Ben to get it, so he makes up this big story about these horrible things he's done. The picture though has to come from the timeline we've been seeing otherwise Widmore wouldn't have had it. So now I just confused myself because I had several theories about the picture and I just debunked my own idea. Back to the much used drawing goard.
100%
I meant drawing board, unless some has a gourd. Might work better.

I did always find it troubling that Naomi came to the island with a picture that Desmond should have carried the only copy of in his reality. And now, we see Sayid carrying a picture of Nadia that only the agents carried in our original reality.

So the idea is that some of our characters are originally from the alt. universe and have crossed over such as Miles etc.? And then some of the flashbacks we have seen in the past are actually from the alt. universe? Sneaky. And interesting.

As far as the freighter people, they come from a world where 815 was underwater not our alt. world. We could still have some crossover alt. flashbacks slipped into our regular flashbacks which won't be revealed until this season, which could be cool. Definitely right up TPTB's alley.

I am very suspicious that there is some alternate crossover here. I have even considered that Juliet is from an alternate reality to that of our original 815ers. I wondered if that's why she was branded.

If I remember correctly Ben was very clean cut looking when he was intorduced...until he got kidnapped and beaten up.

This thread makes me think of Ben showing Juliet that her sister was fine with kids on those monitors on the island. Could he have been showing her an alt timeline?

That thought totally crossed my mind too when thinking about the photos.

What alarms me more about that picture is that THE MONITOR IS NOT PLUGGED IN!

I think someone pointed out before that the computer monitor puts him there in the early 90s. His shirt looks like late 70s.

Obviously the monitor is not concrete evidence. He is also not wearing glasses in the old picture, for what that's worth?

IMHO I don't think it is the same, but when I saw him as a teacher, I wondered this too.

I don't know what they look like now, but isn't that an airport x-ray machine?

http://www.securityxraymachinerental.com/images/Xray_5000x.gif

Ha! Maybe Ben was on alt flight 815 or it's a picture of alt Ben going on Ajira 316.

Head spinning....can't think.............ahhhhh I'm getting even more confused.