first time poster, long time lurker...just kicking this around...sorry if its been discussed before but i didnt see it in searches...

Why has no one attempted walking around the island to atleast establish that it is in fact an island to begin with. Or, i suppose it would have to be an island if not part of mainland asia, but atleast make certain there is no port city, haha. Anyone else troubled by this?

Sayid started walking around the island before he found Rousseau, so someone did go look to map it all out. Also, all of Rousseau's maps show that the place where they are is, indeed, an island. Not to mention the fact that I'm sure the people on the raft got a good view of the area as they left and eventually drifted back.

While our lostaways haven't been to the other side ... Danielle did map out the whole island. Having had 16 years there, I'm sure she'd know if it wasn't.

true true i suppose...i guess i wouldnt take her word for it myself i was in her situation, haha, then again with all the crazy stuff going on maybe i would

It is indeed an Island. We got a good veiw of it when they were on the raft.

The producers have said "They are all on the island....if it's an island" so I suppose ultimately it could be some sort of man made structure with a natural facade on top.

The producers have said "They are all on the island....if it's an island" so I suppose ultimately it could be some sort of man made structure with a natural facade on top.
Oh, I get it now. I thought we were trying to decide it if was just a jut of land that they thought was an island. Man-made or natural, if it's sits on the water, has vegetation and is surrounded by the sea ... I'll call it an island. ;) But curious theory ... hmmmm, that could explain the underground bunkers!

Florida from a certain point of view looks like an island as well....and we as viewers have only seen the island from one orientation. I personally do not think it is an island but rather some other form of land connected to another...whats is called? Archipeligo? Ithsmus? I dunno.

Here's some fuel for your fire,,,

Clues

From an interview Damon Lindelof had with Ain't It Cool News on 10/6/04 Quote: AICN: Will the survivors name their island? In which episode? Will it be something as entertaining as “Moga Moga”?

DL: They will NOT name their island... but that's not to say they won't discover it already HAS a name. And it can't possibly be as entertaining as "Moga Moga."


The one item that struck me, and it's not the first time we've heard "they may not be on an island".
Quote:Cuse and Lindelof - NY Times 9/18 article[

But the creators do know how the series ends. The survivors will not learn they are part of some dastardly experiment, or discover they are in purgatory, or wake up from a bad dream. "These guys get off the island," said Mr. Cuse.

Then, nearly in unison, both men add, "If it's an island."
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

In a scene in PIL1 where Rose claims the sound of the "monster" sounded familiar, Hurley is heard saying, "If it even is an island" when discussing the sounds and if it was an animal of some kind.
Quote: Redshirt - It didn't sound like an animal, not exactly.

Rose - That sound that it made, I keep thinking that there was something really familiar about it.

Redshirt #2 - Really? Where are you from?

Rose - The Bronx.

Redshirt - Might be monkeys. It's monkeys.

Hurley - Technically, you know, we don't even know if we're on an island

Let me go on record now as saying if they are not on an island, and they can just WALK back into civilization, I am going to be TRULY disappointed and will feel very betrayed.

Let me go on record now as saying if they are not on an island, and they can just WALK back into civilization, I am going to be TRULY disappointed and will feel very betrayed.
That would be "Lord of the Flies" all over again and I totally agree with you, Noeland! But I still think it's some kind of island or Danielle would have surely found her way off of it by now. I mean 16 years is a long time to not find that it's not an island!

I mean 16 years is a long time to not find that it's not an island!

I agree with this, but if she had 16 years to explore the island, I find it very difficult to believe that she didn't find either of the two hatches that both sets of survivors found...and if you go along with the theory that the rest of the hatches are on the island, then why hasn't she found those.

But back to the main topic...i think it's highly possibly that they aren't on an island at all

I agree with this, but if she had 16 years to explore the island, I find it very difficult to believe that she didn't find either of the two hatches that both sets of survivors found...and if you go along with the theory that the rest of the hatches are on the island, then why hasn't she found those.

But back to the main topic...i think it's highly possibly that they aren't on an island at all
Well, what we need to remember was what she 'actually' said when showed the hatch. She said, "I've never seen that before." She never said she hadn't seen any other hatches or any of the doors to the bunkers (and no one asked her about any others because they didn't think there were any others) ... just that she had never seen that one before. We can't take for granted that because she never saw the one, that she's never seen any of them. :rolleyes:

If the pilot said they were turning around to head back to Fiji (? I believe) to land, and that they were 1000 miles off course, that would lead me to believe they were out in the middle of the Pacific somewhere.

That said, I do find it odd that they just assumed they were on an island, and then took some crazy woman's word for it. It'd be like something from a bad sitcom, where they're stranded and then one day they venture a little further and find a five-star resort. If I were them, I would be curious to know exactly everything that's on the island. Maybe there'd be a Hilton Hawaiian Village.

I dont think it will turn out that it isnt an island...but a penisula w/ civization just past the black rock...that would just be too lame for this creative team. I think they are playing w/ us by saying...."if it even is an island".

Let me go on record now as saying if they are not on an island, and they can just WALK back into civilization, I am going to be TRULY disappointed and will feel very betrayed.

It could be like that Twilight Zone episdoe entitled "I Shot an Arrow Into the Air" where the space flight rocket disappears from radar a minute or so after takeoff. There are three survivors I think and very little water. They start exploring the asteroid they've landed on looking for water. They start fighting amongst each other over rationing water and finding water. One ends up killing another over some water, and the one who does the killing ends up dying at the hands of the leader. The leader then goes on a search for water, rounds over a hill and finds out they've only been about a mile or so away from a town.

I think they are playing w/ us by saying...."if it even is an island".

Me too. I think they are desperately trying to maintain the mystery of the show at all costs because (I think) they think if the mystery is gone, the show is over. Plus, it's gotta be difficult juggling be so popular with being creative and having certain expectations placed on you.

For me, losing the mystery does not end the show. I would hope after the mystery has been solved (like the bunker) DEALING with those answers could be so damn interesting.
Njc----------------

If they pull a "Truman Show" type of thing on us, I'll be pissed!

What if it is an island, but not in the natural sense of how we all define an island? According to Rousseau's map, it is, seemingly, surrounded on all sides by water. So in the natural sense it fits our definition of an "island." But this island is unlike any other island on the planet. Perhaps it is an entirely man-made "island," built from the hatches on up, by Hanso or whoever. They constructed it as a large, floating lab to conduct biological experiments, that have since gone terribly awry. That would explain a lot in terms of the fact that the island is uncharted and undiscovered by anyone else outside of Hanso/Dharma. Except, of course, by accident, like in the cases of Rousseau, Desmond, and the poor, unfortunate Losties!

What if it is an island, but not in the natural sense of how we all define an island? According to Rousseau's map, it is, seemingly, surrounded on all sides by water. So in the natural sense it fits our definition of an "island." But this island is unlike any other island on the planet. Perhaps it is an entirely man-made "island," built from the hatches on up, by Hanso or whoever. They constructed it as a large, floating lab to conduct biological experiments, that have since gone terribly awry. That would explain a lot in terms of the fact that the island is uncharted and undiscovered by anyone else outside of Hanso/Dharma. Except, of course, by accident, like in the cases of Rousseau, Desmond, and the poor, unfortunate Losties!
Exactly! I really think that this might be the case. Good post!:biggrin:

Buck - see post #6 in this thread. Copycat! ;) j/k

I think this is a very real option for the producers. I do have to say that if they find a direction to take the show that no one has come up with, and that is still cool, I would be very suprised. Happily so.
Njc---------

Well, on I love lucy they got shipwrecked only to find a film crew on the other side of the island.

final episode... instead of credits, everyone get a walk on!

don't know if this has already been posted here I did do a search but couldn't find anything - google have an interesting map http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4.815+162.342&spn=98.389954,150.292969&iwloc=A&hl=en

Along similar lines as what Buck Dharma mentioned, and taking the idea of an artificial environment to the extreme, perhaps the island isn't even floating (at least in water).

Im wondering, given Claire's amnesia, if everyone on the island has somehow arrived there in a completely different means from what they remember. Perhaps the island is actually within an orbital habitat, like a Bernal Sphere:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernal_sphere

Not sure if that idea has already been discussed, but Im intrigued by the possibility. Im still suspicious about how easily Michael, Sawyer, and Jin all drifted back to the island, the interior of a spherical habitat would explain that:)

There was also this post a while back concerning a 108 minute orbit:

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/archive/index.php/t-22281.html

And also, I find this note about "sun synchronous orbits" rather interesting:

"b. Sun synchronous orbit
Most earth observation satellites, such as Landsat, with lower altitudes have sun synchronous and semi-recurrent orbits. The sun synchronous orbit can be defined as the orbit in which the orbital plane rotates in a year in unison with the one revolution / year apparent motion of the sun. The model precession rate , is a function of inclination i, orbit altitude hs and orbital period T as shown in Figure 5.6.2. As seen in the figure, the sun synchronous orbit has W=1 (revolution / year). For example, in case of i = 100 degree, the altitude of the sun synchronous orbit is about 1,200 km with about 108 minutes of orbit period. The advantage of the sun synchronous orbit is that the observation conditions can be kept with a constant solar incident angle."

http://www.profc.udec.cl/~gabriel/tutoriales/rsnote/cp5/cp5-6.htm (http://www.profc.udec.cl/%7Egabriel/tutoriales/rsnote/cp5/cp5-6.htm)