(( Sorry to start a new thread if this has been done already! ))

What do you speculate the 'incident' was?

What I'm thinking: there are 2 or possibly several hatches on this island. The experiments sound like they are psychological, except for the one hatch says QUARANTINE on it. And we know from Danielle that there were a bunch of sick people, and everyone with her died.

I'm thinking that the 'experiments' are some different types, but in the end, all the same, finding out just how much people need human contact.

Anyway, could the incident be that they contacted another hatch and the people being tested with an illness wiped everyone out because they all got together and all got sick?

The hatch on the other side of the island also said quarantine on the inside.

removed

its a long shot but maybe the incident happened at the other hatch. The blast doors dropped down and you can only get to the front portion before the blast doors. its possible...
but i am more likely to think that the incident has soemthing to do with that cemented up doorway.

well time will tell. but lets remember the tailes hatch looked abandoned and ruined. i think that perhaps whatever the incident was it had something to do with that hatch which, at the time, did not have blast doors. i think architect michael is on the job. he seems to be a lot more aware of the hatch surroundings than even locke.

Whatever the Incident is, I am sure it has to do with the pre-existing conditions on the island that Dr. Candle was referring to in the film (the island's unique electromagnetic properties). Whatever caused that incident, also was responsible for the Black Rock. So some aspect of the island's inherent properties led to an incident the Dharma group didn't foresee, one that caused them to cement up the station, and one that now causes them to have to type the Numbers into the computer. And it's an incident they feel can happen again, so it's obviously something they don't have any control over (besides typing the Numbers in).

After watching last night's episode, I get the feeling that the "incident" is a lot less sinister than we had originally thought...

Dr. Candle tells us in the new part of the film that previously, someone used the computer to contact the outside world and that contact put the whole project in jeopardy. then he says that if the computer is used to contact the outside world again, then it is possible that another "incident" will occur.

I think the incident was simply the project being invalidated by someone contacting the outside world. Dr. Candle makes the "incident" seem sinister and bad because he is part of the project, and being part of the project, anything that would put the project in jeopardy would a bad incident.

So, the question is, if the "incident" is merely someone contacting the outside world and this resulted in ruining the project/experiment previously, and the reason they created the 108 minute countdown was in response to the "incident", then what does the button really do? Prevent contact with the outside world? Let someone else who is monitoring the station know that the experiment is still ongoing and not ruined by someone contacting the outside world?

And....as an aside....the first thing Eko and Locke should do is run over to that computer and try to contact the outside world. That's the first thing I would do if I heard that the computer could contact the mainland. Seriously, project is terminated - get me off this island!

And....as an aside....the first thing Eko and Locke should do is run over to that computer and try to contact the outside world. That's the first thing I would do if I heard that the computer could contact the mainland. Seriously, project is terminated - get me off this island!

I would never expect Locke or Eko to run over and do anything without thinking it through first. Remember that in Locke's experience the terminal only works during the last 4 minutes of the count down. he doesn't realize that it also works when missing boys contact their fathers. :biggrin:

Perhaps Michael has already caused another incident?

What do you speculate the 'incident' was?


Releasing the "Monster" that is running amok on the island?!?!?!

Perhaps Michael has already caused another incident?
That's exactly what I was thinking.

(( Sorry to start a new thread if this has been done already! ))

What do you speculate the 'incident' was?

What I'm thinking: there are 2 or possibly several hatches on this island. The experiments sound like they are psychological, except for the one hatch says QUARANTINE on it. And we know from Danielle that there were a bunch of sick people, and everyone with her died.

I'm thinking that the 'experiments' are some different types, but in the end, all the same, finding out just how much people need human contact.

Anyway, could the incident be that they contacted another hatch and the people being tested with an illness wiped everyone out because they all got together and all got sick?

Do we actually "know" that there were sick people? Only Danielle (who doesn't seem to be quite all there, herself) has reported of there being a "sickness."

As for the incident...got me.

I think a lot of people are sick. Sure logical explanations can be found for most everyone whose experienced something strange on the island. But I think a logical assumption would be that people are starting to get sick. Unless the sickness is another form of manipulation like the button may be?

I think that the "Incident" happened at another station. I think that since desmonds station is so furnished and nice it doesnt make sense that it would have happened there. I do hope before the end of this season they find another station. Maybe they should start looking over by Danielles old place where the cable from the ocean goes into the ground.

Also, the sickness.. too much or strong of electromagnetic fields can lead to physicial sickness, and also mental sickness (halloucinations etc.)

I think when the clock hit 00:00:00, something happened to alert "someone" to the existence of the computer in the hatch. The episode glossed over the fact the counter timed out, but I think it will hold some major significance concerning Michael and whoever he is communicating with on the computer. I think the incident has to do with these communications between subjects on the island and how it might compromise the integrity of the experiments being run by Dharma.

After watching last night's episode, I get the feeling that the "incident" is a lot less sinister than we had originally thought...

Dr. Candle tells us in the new part of the film that previously, someone used the computer to contact the outside world and that contact put the whole project in jeopardy. then he says that if the computer is used to contact the outside world again, then it is possible that another "incident" will occur.

And....as an aside....the first thing Eko and Locke should do is run over to that computer and try to contact the outside world. That's the first thing I would do if I heard that the computer could contact the mainland. Seriously, project is terminated - get me off this island!

That's hilarious, but way too logical.

After watching the complete film, it no longer should seem to them that NOT pushing the button will not result in the end of the world. It will just lead to another "incident". And apparently the first "incident" didn't result in global destruction, so I doubt a second incident would either.

But like you said, I'd be all over contacting the outside world at this point.

I was discussing this with my husband last night and we collectivally think that the incident was more of a chain reaction causing several smaller incidences with each experiment going on on that island.

We know from the web site that there were several experiments going on. Parapsychology, Zoology, Electromagnetism etc. What if the electromagnet experiment was the catalist? Maybe the electromagnet caused part of the psychology experment to get kind of crossed with other experiments?

Don't modern day "Ghost Hunters" measure different magnetic and engergy fields when they're investigating ghost sitings?

What if the computer, being so close to the source of the electromagnetic field is actually able to pull in thoughts from other people on the island? When they say don't use the computer to contact anybody, I don't think they meant that it can be used like an internet to connected to anybody, but can be used as a physical interface with somebody's thoughts.

This could also explain how there seem to be manifistations of people's thoughts appearing on the island... Jack's father, Kate's horse, Sawyers quote from Frank, Walt's polar bear, etc.

Locke seems to have been able to subconciously tap into this force, but maybe the computer is a physical link to it.

Wow, what a bunch of ramblings on my part! :smile:

Releasing the "Monster" that is running amok on the island?!?!?!

I have to speculate that maybe the Dharma Initiative Higher-ups released the "monster" to prevent outside interference with the project (remember - the monster was referred to as a "security system" by Rousseau, and she said that it was obviously put in place to protect something. I think it was put in place to maintain the integrity of the project by eliminating outside threats or interferences. And remember, it probably isn't a monster at all. When it grabbed Locke by the legs and tried to drag him into the hole, there was a distinct mechanical sound that was reminescent of a chain being cranked on a winch.

I thought the "sickness" was some sort of evil sickness or mental illness. You'll remember, Danielle's crew died...because she killed them. I always thought she killed them to protect herself.
and ana lusica might be infected.

crazy bitch.

I was discussing this with my husband last night and we collectivally think that the incident was more of a chain reaction causing several smaller incidences with each experiment going on on that island.

We know from the web site that there were several experiments going on. Parapsychology, Zoology, Electromagnetism etc. What if the electromagnet experiment was the catalist? Maybe the electromagnet caused part of the psychology experment to get kind of crossed with other experiments?

Don't modern day "Ghost Hunters" measure different magnetic and engergy fields when they're investigating ghost sitings?

What if the computer, being so close to the source of the electromagnetic field is actually able to pull in thoughts from other people on the island? When they say don't use the computer to contact anybody, I don't think they meant that it can be used like an internet to connected to anybody, but can be used as a physical interface with somebody's thoughts.

This could also explain how there seem to be manifistations of people's thoughts appearing on the island... Jack's father, Kate's horse, Sawyers quote from Frank, Walt's polar bear, etc.

Locke seems to have been able to subconciously tap into this force, but maybe the computer is a physical link to it.

Wow, what a bunch of ramblings on my part! :smile:

I like the idea of the computer being able to tap into peoples thoughts or emotions. Thats a good one, I hadn't thought of it before. It would make sense considering that Candle said in the film that using it to contact the outside world could result in another "incident". It also makes me wonder what is going to happen now that Michael has apparently used the computer to (apparently) contact Walt. Especially considering that Walt is already responsible for several incidents himself. Could there be unforseen repercussions from using the computer to (ostensibly) tap into Walt's mind, which is already obviously somehow special or different?

Concerning the animals, I have another theory. We know that Dharma (and also Karma) are terms that are related to Hindu philosophy, and that the Hindi belive in reincarnation. I think that possibly figures from the castaways pasts, people from their pasts who have unresolved issues with the castaways, are being reincarnated as animals on the island. This would explain the Sawyers Boar (representing the man he killed in austraila), Kates Horse (wayne), and possibly even Walt's Polar Bears, and maybe the dissapearance of Jack's dad's body from the coffin. I suspect we may see an animal analogue of Jack's dad on the island, an that he may have to resolve his underlying issues with his father in the same way that sawyer and kate had to get past their unresolved issues with the people they killed. In a way, Jack was partially responsible for his dad's death.

Relatedly, there obviously must be another hatch or hatches on the island, because Walt is obviously using a computer terminal to talk with Michael (or is he?). Perhaps the monster / security system is there to guard the hatches against intruders. I think the castaways were able to get into desmond's hatch because the electromagnetic properties of that part of the island prohibit the monster from guarding that area. And the Tailies were able to enter their hatch because it had been abandoned and no longer needed to be protected.

Okay that is enough speculative rambling for me.

That's hilarious, but way too logical.

After watching the complete film, it no longer should seem to them that NOT pushing the button will not result in the end of the world. It will just lead to another "incident". And apparently the first "incident" didn't result in global destruction, so I doubt a second incident would either.

But like you said, I'd be all over contacting the outside world at this point.

Exactly! They should know now that since there has already been an incident, and the planet is still here, and the ISLAND is still there, complete with all kinds of living creatures, that not pressing the button isn't catastrophic!

Suppose that there was no "incident" and Dr. Candle only says that to deterr anyone from trying to make contact outside the station - i.e. finding out too much about what they are really doing in their experiments.

Or....maybe the "incident" was actually an attempt by the government or GHO to terminate their projects and the scientists because of what they were doing...

At first I was thinking the sickness was causing hallucinations, but after last night's episode ... everyone's hallucinations appear to be real (the horse, Walt).

Maybe Jack really did see his father, maybe Boone really did "see" Shanoon die, maybe ...

Suppose that there was no "incident" and Dr. Candle only says that to deterr anyone from trying to make contact outside the station - i.e. finding out too much about what they are really doing in their experiments.

Or....maybe the "incident" was actually an attempt by the government or GHO to terminate their projects and the scientists because of what they were doing...

Both excellent ideas! I think that the "incident" is going to be something like you suggest - something that is bad to the project but nothing earth-shattering like a big explosion or the end of the world. As already stated above by another poster, if there has already been one incident and the world and the island are still there in one piece, then the "incident" can't be all that devastating.

Exactly! They should know now that since there has already been an incident, and the planet is still here, and the ISLAND is still there, complete with all kinds of living creatures, that not pressing the button isn't catastrophic!

Actually, you're using false logic there. Just because an incident doesn't blow up the island, etc. - that doesn't mean that to prevent future incidents they won't have something rigged to blow the island. Such as (hypothetically) the first incident being that the outside world found out about these experiments and wanted a stop to it all - so to prevent anyone from find out in the future that the experiments have resumed, they safeguard themselves and rig the island to blow once communications are LOST.

This is something I wrote to friends at work:
What I was thinking is this: The film strip was purposely cut into two pieces and put on separate sides of the island. What would the purpose of this be? The first thought I had when I saw the strip in the Bible was that whoever had occupied the other hatch had known that someone was going to invade it and attempt to get it. That thought wasn’t really validated when we saw the contents of the strip of film. Anyone invading the hatch wouldn’t be able to glean much information from that, unless they knew what was on it, which means that they had been in the other hatch before and had seen the film in entirety. If that was the case, though, why would someone need that piece of the film…they already know what it says and there isn’t much more to get from it.
Second two things – If trying to contact the outside world led to an incident, why would they tell people not to do so…That will just make someone curious. Also, if the button and countdown were put there to abate another incident, how did someone contact the outside world initially? If there is no other use for the computer, the people would have needed another means to do so in which case the button pushing doesn’t do much to abate that – except guarantee that there will be someone in the hatch every 108 minutes. BUT if there were two people in the hatch, that would still leave Guy 1 with, who knows, 24 hours or more to go topside and try to contact the outside world while Guy 2 mans the hatch by himself. So, the only thing this would lead me to is that it was meant to be a one man project from the start, BUT – why even have that extra tidbit in the film then instead of the way that we’ve known it to be from the beginning without that extra tidbit?

Here's the breakdown when asked to say it in laymen's terms:
Film was hidden in Bible because previous Hatch #2 occupants knew someone was searching for it.
No reason for this.
They knew what was on the film and didn’t need it – OR – They shouldn’t have known it existed somewhere, just like Desmond, et al didn’t know.

If the incident was someone attempting to contact the outside world, DON’T tell someone not to do it or they will get curious and try.
There was no reason for that (outside contact) to be on the film.

If the button and countdown were in place to abate outside contact, the previous outside contact must have taken place through other means than a computer.

The button and countdown do not stop people from attempting contact, as the professor asserts – AS LONG AS there are two people in the hatch, which he also asserts.
Person A can man the hatch for many hours while Person B attempts contact (ie: an incident).
This means that the original project must have only been intended for one man (a psych project)
Which means that there was never any necessity for having the clipped piece of film in the original film.
What gives?

Didn't Desmond take a bible with him when he left the hatch? Could it be the same one that Eko found? Maybe that's where Desmond was heading when he left the hatch.

Actually, you're using false logic there. Just because an incident doesn't blow up the island, etc. - that doesn't mean that to prevent future incidents they won't have something rigged to blow the island. Such as (hypothetically) the first incident being that the outside world found out about these experiments and wanted a stop to it all - so to prevent anyone from find out in the future that the experiments have resumed, they safeguard themselves and rig the island to blow once communications are LOST.

MarineOne - you're right about that, thanks. Nowhere does it say that the previous incident and "another incident" would be the SAME kind of incident.

Good food for thought....

Didn't Desmond take a bible with him when he left the hatch? Could it be the same one that Eko found? Maybe that's where Desmond was heading when he left the hatch.

No, they found the bible long before Desmond left.

So is everyone saying that the time hit 00? if so why didnt Locke say anything?

On another note, i believe the computer may trigger the montster b/c we see the Ecko fighting the monster in the preview

I was just writing a whole big long thing on what I think the Incident was. I'll post it over in General Theories when I'm done. (THat's the right place for that, hmm?)

So is everyone saying that the time hit 00? if so why didnt Locke say anything?


I think that Locke probably doesn't know it hit 00. He was concentrating on getting the numbers correct I doubt that he would be watching the timer. The flash to 00 was really quick it could have started resetting by the time he looked up. Note this is pure speculation, just a possible explanation.

Here is my theory on the Incident....

The Incident was an uprising amongst the 2 employees in station 3, Kelvin and his partner. The partner was trying to contact the outside world using the computer and Kelvin eliminated him, which was the incident. Kelvin then spliced the film and hid it in his bible. After the incident, Kelvin was given Desmond by the Hanso Foundation because they had sponsored his race around the world. In order to keep Desmond from finding the spliced film, he hid the bible in the Arrow Station.

I'd like to know what the hatch is called on the otherside of the island. The Tailies section, we saw the symbol, maybe somebody can put a pic up of it. It seems like the door they found was the back door, like in the Swan hatch.

Here is my theory on the Incident....

The Incident was an uprising amongst the 2 employees in station 3, Kelvin and his partner. The partner was trying to contact the outside world using the computer and Kelvin eliminated him, which was the incident. Kelvin then spliced the film and hid it in his bible. After the incident, Kelvin was given Desmond by the Hanso Foundation because they had sponsored his race around the world. In order to keep Desmond from finding the spliced film, he hid the bible in the Arrow Station.

That's actually a really good idea...except I have one question....

why not just destroy that piece of film? what is the purpose of hollowing out a Bible in order to hide it on the other side of the island? if it really is that dangerous for someone to use the computer to contact the "outside world", why keep it around at all? They should have just burned it up and nobody would be the wiser.

Good point about destroying the film entirely. But you know television and movies, you can't have a story otherwise. All I know is if I was stationed in a hatch, pushing a button every 108 minutes, I would do some stupid things. Kelvin may have been directed by Hanso to just do that, splice a part of the film. He may not have been directed to destory it at all.

Exactly! but that begs the question why NOT destroy it? Why splice it and then hide it for someone to find, unless that is exactly what they wanted?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SMoK9977 Didn't Desmond take a bible with him when he left the hatch? Could it be the same one that Eko found? Maybe that's where Desmond was heading when he left the hatch.



No, they found the bible long before Desmond left.

That's probable, but are we sure about that? I can't remeber what day the Talies fround the Arrow station. :confused:

I don't think that Kelvin wanted anyone to find the spliced film. I do think he was directed to splice it by Hanso. But why not destroy? Such an excellent question. Maybe Hanso wanted to keep it around, but hidden for possible future use, like the survivors to find it and see what they would do. After all Hanso is still in business and still experimenting on the island with the crash survivors.

Didn't Desmond take a bible with him when he left the hatch? Could it be the same one that Eko found? Maybe that's where Desmond was heading when he left the hatch.
Maybe it's a different one. There could be another piece of film in it that he wanted to protect.

Relatedly, there obviously must be another hatch or hatches on the island, because Walt is obviously using a computer terminal to talk with Michael (or is he?).
Okay that is enough speculative rambling for me.[/QUOTE]


I absolutely feel that it is not WALT trying to talk to Michael! Call me overcautious, but I really feel that it is someone from the OTHERS or Dharma, or some other "being" trying to hype Michael up again! It just seems too strange that they would go through all this trouble to kidnap Walt and blow up the raft if they were just going to let Walt contact his father- unless it is part of a trap!

Here is my theory on the Incident....

The Incident was an uprising amongst the 2 employees in station 3, Kelvin and his partner. The partner was trying to contact the outside world using the computer and Kelvin eliminated him, which was the incident. Kelvin then spliced the film and hid it in his bible. After the incident, Kelvin was given Desmond by the Hanso Foundation because they had sponsored his race around the world. In order to keep Desmond from finding the spliced film, he hid the bible in the Arrow Station.

I don’t think Kelvin would have had the time to go all the way to the arrow station and back, if he only had 108 minutes. Therefore, I have doubt. (My doubt is based on the assumption that he hid the bible at the arrow station before Desmond arrived and that the two clips of film were from the same video, which I am doubting).

I absolutely feel that it is not WALT trying to talk to Michael! Call me overcautious, but I really feel that it is someone from the OTHERS or Dharma, or some other "being" trying to hype Michael up again! It just seems too strange that they would go through all this trouble to kidnap Walt and blow up the raft if they were just going to let Walt contact his father- unless it is part of a trap!

Who says that “they” (whoever Walt is with) is letting him do anything? He could be acting against there will. I assume that he is capable of this, since he has appeared to Shannon and Sayid with good advice (if Shannon had listened to Walt and stayed quiet, she may have lived). Also, regardless of whether Walt has permission to contact people via the computer, it could simply be coincidence that Michael was the one there when Walt called. “Don’t confuse coincidence with fate.”

Concerning the animals, I have another theory. We know that Dharma (and also Karma) are terms that are related to Hindu philosophy, and that the Hindi belive in reincarnation. I think that possibly figures from the castaways pasts, people from their pasts who have unresolved issues with the castaways, are being reincarnated as animals on the island. This would explain the Sawyers Boar (representing the man he killed in austraila), Kates Horse (wayne), and possibly even Walt's Polar Bears, and maybe the dissapearance of Jack's dad's body from the coffin. I suspect we may see an animal analogue of Jack's dad on the island, an that he may have to resolve his underlying issues with his father in the same way that sawyer and kate had to get past their unresolved issues with the people they killed. In a way, Jack was partially responsible for his dad's death.
.

I’ve never thought about this. Kudos to you. I like this theory a lot. J

Okay, now I shall speculate. I think that the original incident created the monster, or unleashed it. I have a feeling that when the monster came, it killed a lot of people, resulted in a lot of bad things. Therefore, it must be contained. I think that it is possible that by pushing the button every 108 minutes, this is achieved. I speculate that it is possible that the times when the pilot was attacked and Locke was attacked the 108 minutes had passed and the monster had 4 minutes (or whatever, depending on how long it took Desmond to get to the computer and enter the numbers) to roam. When the numbers are pressed, it is contained.

I agree with the people who think that the piece of spliced film Eko found was from the arrow hatch’s orientation video. I suspect it was at the arrow hatch that no one was supposed to use the computer to contact anyone. I think this created the monster, and possibly also the sickness, which is not being contained. I’m not certain that using the computer to communicate at the Swan Station will cause another incident.

I know, a very loose theory, but I am making it up on the fly to a point. I have always throught the monster had something to do with the incident, but I have never considered the video, especially the new splice much, and I am chronically guilty of forgetting about Danielle's illness...

Relatedly, there obviously must be another hatch or hatches on the island, because Walt is obviously using a computer terminal to talk with Michael (or is he?).
Okay that is enough speculative rambling for me.


I absolutely feel that it is not WALT trying to talk to Michael! Call me overcautious, but I really feel that it is someone from the OTHERS or Dharma, or some other "being" trying to hype Michael up again! It just seems too strange that they would go through all this trouble to kidnap Walt and blow up the raft if they were just going to let Walt contact his father- unless it is part of a trap![/quote]

I totally agree with your thinking.

[quote]Okay, now I shall speculate. I think that the original incident created the monster, or unleashed it. I have a feeling that when the monster came, it killed a lot of people, resulted in a lot of bad things. Therefore, it must be contained. I think that it is possible that by pushing the button every 108 minutes, this is achieved. I speculate that it is possible that the times when the pilot was attacked and Locke was attacked the 108 minutes had passed and the monster had 4 minutes (or whatever, depending on how long it took Desmond to get to the computer and enter the numbers) to roam. When the numbers are pressed, it is contained.[quote]


Alright. So, the monster is the incident. I'm thinking that pushing the button in the electromagtic station keeps the monster drawn to the "magnet"and keeps it away from parts of the island (the beach, the camp, the tail side, the hatch). So its basically like those invisible fence things you use for pets. Hitting the button every 108 minutes keeps it from getting to far.

The plane crash is the incident.

Reasoning:

Desmond's reaction to Locke showed that he recognized the timeframe that Locke mentioned, i.e. he was talking to someone on the computer ("Him" of the "Are you Him?") which allowed the magnet to get out of control, causing the plane to crash. If the code is not entered, the magnet would run amok and everything would be attracted to the island causing Desmond's "end of the world," or whatever he said, exactly.

Realistically, I have no proof and only shaky logic to back this up, but it is my gut intuition that the plane crash was an incident.

The plane crash is the incident.

Reasoning:

Desmond's reaction to Locke showed that he recognized the timeframe that Locke mentioned, i.e. he was talking to someone on the computer ("Him" of the "Are you Him?") which allowed the magnet to get out of control, causing the plane to crash. If the code is not entered, the magnet would run amok and everything would be attracted to the island causing Desmond's "end of the world," or whatever he said, exactly.

Realistically, I have no proof and only shaky logic to back this up, but it is my gut intuition that the plane crash was an incident.

Nonsense. If the plane crash was "the incident", how could the warning have been 1) recorded by Candle, 2) watched to pieces (by Desmond and Kelvin and....) and 3) spliced (by some unknown party) with the missing piece hidden in an abandoned/looted Dharma station on the other side of the island. ALL in the 48 days since the plane crashed on the island?

Impossible.

Actually, now that I think about it (and I'm sure it has been brought up elsewhere), I think the button pushing is a sort of degaussing, similar to what needs to be done with computer monitors every once in a while.

more comprehensive definition here:
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/degauss.html

But since they are on a strong electromagnetic anomoly of some kind, I think it's a buildup of to much electromagnetic energy that needs to be released.

However, while that may be the basic scientific explanation for it, I'm sure there is a more mysterious deeper reason why it needs to be done.


About the orientation film, it has to be remembered that the film was probably created for people that were actively involved in the project and knew what the overall purpose of the Swan station was for. It was something volunteered for, so they didn't need to have every last part of the plan spelled out for them. Whatever the big danger was, I'm sure they were aware of it.

It wasn't until everything fell apart and (supposedly) Desmond later crashed on the island that the chain of information was broken. Now, we have someone with limited info (along with an incomplete film) being the entire source of info about the station and the computer.

Perhaps the incident was the Others attacking the hatch - someone tried to communicate with another computer in a hatch, except the hatch had been taken over by the Others and the Others pretended to be from the Dharma to gather information about who was in the Swan station, and then attack/kidnap from it once they knew enough. After this "incident", blast doors and guns were provided to the swan station for protection, the residents were warned, banned from communicating on the computer. Typing in the numbers every 108 minutes could be to stop the blast doors from shutting. Just think - the others would not know the code, so if they took over the station, and the code was not entered, the doors shut them in, preventing them from jeopardizing the rest of the dharma team/project. This is also why the computer can not be used for communication - incase a scientist reveals to the others the 4,8,15,16,23,42 code and they could have free roam of the hatches on the island without being stopped.

At the moment, i think the others could be planning another go at taking over the hatch. They know new people are on the island, they kidnapped a child, and are using the facade of walt to gain information of the hatch from Michael to take it over. Since they know the new people are on the island, they are initiating communication again, in the chance that someone who has not seen the video will reply and fall for their trap, in this case Michael.

First post on the boards folks, my apologies if its in the wrong section of wateva, but let me know your thoughts?

P.S. Who else got shivers when the computer replied "Dad?"

I tossed my theory over in the spoilers section, just cause I went off in a spoilery direction.

Alright. So, the monster is the incident. I'm thinking that pushing the button in the electromagtic station keeps the monster drawn to the "magnet"and keeps it away from parts of the island (the beach, the camp, the tail side, the hatch). So its basically like those invisible fence things you use for pets. Hitting the button every 108 minutes keeps it from getting to far.

That's a great theory... We know the 'monster' went down in some kind of hole - maybe that hole was leading down into the cemented area. I'm not quite sure what makes the monster operate, but it's a great idea that pushing the button does something to recharge the magnetic draw of the hole and, in essense, keep the monster contained.

(( Sorry to start a new thread if this has been done already! ))

What do you speculate the 'incident' was?

What I'm thinking: there are 2 or possibly several hatches on this island. The experiments sound like they are psychological, except for the one hatch says QUARANTINE on it. And we know from Danielle that there were a bunch of sick people, and everyone with her died.

I'm thinking that the 'experiments' are some different types, but in the end, all the same, finding out just how much people need human contact.

Anyway, could the incident be that they contacted another hatch and the people being tested with an illness wiped everyone out because they all got together and all got sick?

This theory is not a bad one...there is just one thing that we need to keep in mind. The hatch doors at both Arrow and Swan stations said "QUARANTINE" on the <b>inside</b> of the doors. This implies that it isn't the hatches themselves that are quarantined, but everything <b>outside</b> of the hatches. As in, the <b>entire island</b> is the quarantine zone. I think that the Dharma initiative started their experiments on the island with no intention of anyone else ever coming upon the island. This controlled environment was completely shattered with the arrival of Desmond, Danielles team and the plane crash. so, I don't think the sickness is the incident. I think the sickness was inherent to the island originally, and they were there to study it, at least in part.

OMG Lost_Addiction_UK - I think this is the end all to end all theories. This makes so much sense, I think that you just seriously PO'd TPTB. Wow - I'm impressed.

The two Quarantine signs in the inside of the stations almost implies that there is indeed a system of underground tunnels linking the various stations. That's what the cement is covering (some of it anyway) in the Swan hatch.

Perhaps the incident was the Others attacking the hatch - someone tried to communicate with another computer in a hatch, except the hatch had been taken over by the Others and the Others pretended to be from the Dharma to gather information about who was in the Swan station, and then attack/kidnap from it once they knew enough. After this "incident", blast doors and guns were provided to the swan station for protection, the residents were warned, banned from communicating on the computer. Typing in the numbers every 108 minutes could be to stop the blast doors from shutting. Just think - the others would not know the code, so if they took over the station, and the code was not entered, the doors shut them in, preventing them from jeopardizing the rest of the dharma team/project. This is also why the computer can not be used for communication - incase a scientist reveals to the others the 4,8,15,16,23,42 code and they could have free roam of the hatches on the island without being stopped.

At the moment, i think the others could be planning another go at taking over the hatch. They know new people are on the island, they kidnapped a child, and are using the facade of walt to gain information of the hatch from Michael to take it over. Since they know the new people are on the island, they are initiating communication again, in the chance that someone who has not seen the video will reply and fall for their trap, in this case Michael.

First post on the boards folks, my apologies if its in the wrong section of wateva, but let me know your thoughts?

P.S. Who else got shivers when the computer replied "Dad?"

I totally agree AND... I believe the monster is an additional security system to keep the others away from the hatch. The Others are "sick" as well, I believe.

What a lot of great ideas on this thread. I'd like your thoughts on Desmond not keying in the numbers around 45 days ago. I know this doesn't seem logical, as he thinks the world would end if he did, but on the other hand it does make sense because he asks if the world is still out there.

Going with the idea that the incident equals the releasing of the monster/security system. What if Desmond missed the numbers, causing the monsters release, when the lostaways first landed? It's been pretty quiet lately. I always thought Desmond's look when he was told how long they have been on the island seemed significant. At the time we thought it was all about the sickness, but after reading this thread, I'm wondering if it's monster related.

OK it looks like the “Incident” occurred in the 1980’s so I did some historical research.
Note: The following summary is from my private unauthorized copy of the "Dharma work station diaries".

Air date - Sunday January 27, 1980
Thirty years after its voyage began, Galactica finally nears Earth. But to their utter disappointment, Earth's technology is no match for the Cylons. Adama sends representatives ahead to Earth to secretly speed up the planet's technological development.

I believe "The Incident" happened when the Dharmans contacted the Galactica.
Due to the magnetic anomaly, the Galactica’s representatives must have crashed on the island. Thus the feared "Incident"
The "Others" are obviously Cylons. :mad:

Yup great idea i had totally forgotten about the "Monster" You're right i dont think we have seen it since the losties have been in the hatch....

It almost seems great that the numbers are being typed to keep the metallic-nano-monster down in the hole. Especially since it looks like there is a good chance that they dont enter them next time since Michael is on there and we do know that the monster shows up in the next new episode. But then you look back and realize the monster has rumbled quite a few times during the course of the show which would mean that Desmond has missed hitting the numbers that same amount of times. He acts as if he has missed hitting them at least once, but not the five or six times that the monster has shown up. After missing them 5 times, anyone would probably just give up on it. I just can't picture Desmond down in the hatch after the fourth time of missing them and being like "Awww crap, brutha, I forgot it again, this is the fourth time I've destroyed the world. I can't let it happen again."

Haha, I like you're impersonation! Hmm now why would the monster appear all those times.........Maybe he wasnt there to press the numbers for some reason.. i dunno i need more episodes for more theorising juice!

OMG Lost_Addiction_UK - I think this is the end all to end all theories. This makes so much sense, I think that you just seriously PO'd TPTB. Wow - I'm impressed.

Could anyone explain PO'd TPTB to me?:undecide:

Could anyone explain PO'd TPTB to me?:undecide:

Pissed Off The Powers That Be (the writer's of Lost)

Perhaps the incident was the Others attacking the hatch - someone tried to communicate with another computer in a hatch, except the hatch had been taken over by the Others and the Others pretended to be from the Dharma to gather information about who was in the Swan station, and then attack/kidnap from it once they knew enough. After this "incident", blast doors and guns were provided to the swan station for protection, the residents were warned, banned from communicating on the computer. Typing in the numbers every 108 minutes could be to stop the blast doors from shutting. Just think - the others would not know the code, so if they took over the station, and the code was not entered, the doors shut them in, preventing them from jeopardizing the rest of the dharma team/project. This is also why the computer can not be used for communication - incase a scientist reveals to the others the 4,8,15,16,23,42 code and they could have free roam of the hatches on the island without being stopped.



I think it's an interesting theory, except for one big problem, which I highlighted:

The Others would know the code because a) it was playing over the radio transmitter for who knows how long before Danielle changed it, and b) they are etched into the outside of the hatch.

I speculate that it is possible that the times when the pilot was attacked and Locke was attacked the 108 minutes had passed and the monster had 4 minutes (or whatever, depending on how long it took Desmond to get to the computer and enter the numbers) to roam. When the numbers are pressed, it is contained.

Arcadia, that sounds about right time wise - the 4 minute thing makes a lot of sense. The only time I remember the monster being around for a long while was when it was chasing Shannon and Boone, but that was an hallucination anyway. Locke knew that if he waited, the 'monster' had a tendency to go away, so 4 minutes sounds quite plausible.

Nonsense. If the plane crash was "the incident", how could the warning have been 1) recorded by Candle, 2) watched to pieces (by Desmond and Kelvin and....) and 3) spliced (by some unknown party) with the missing piece hidden in an abandoned/looted Dharma station on the other side of the island. ALL in the 48 days since the plane crashed on the island?

Impossible.

Pookabilly could be on to something. There's nothing to say that another incident hasn't happened since 1980 when the orientation film was supposedly made.

The plane crash could be another incident, as Candle's words are a recording, and so are not necessarily aware of current events.

The plane crash obviously couldn't be the incident Candle was referring to, but it could be a subsequent incident.

The plane crash is the incident.

Reasoning:

Desmond's reaction to Locke showed that he recognized the timeframe that Locke mentioned, i.e. he was talking to someone on the computer ("Him" of the "Are you Him?") which allowed the magnet to get out of control, causing the plane to crash. If the code is not entered, the magnet would run amok and everything would be attracted to the island causing Desmond's "end of the world," or whatever he said, exactly.

Realistically, I have no proof and only shaky logic to back this up, but it is my gut intuition that the plane crash was an incident.

I agree that the time of the crash is significant to Desmond. If he was communicating with someone on the computer when the plane crashed (or at some other time beforehand), maybe the snowman question wasn't an official Dharma password, but was Desmond's way of verifying that Locke was the person he had been communicating with through the computer, as perhaps this snowman thing was something they discussed 'online'. It was just his personal way of verifying that Locke was 'him'.

Pookabilly could be on to something. There's nothing to say that another incident hasn't happened since 1980 when the orientation film was supposedly made.

The plane crash could be another incident, as Candle's words are a recording, and so are not necessarily aware of current events.

The plane crash obviously couldn't be the incident Candle was referring to, but it could be a subsequent incident.
I'm thinking that it's Desmond's fault that the Losties are on the island. Desmond is in the Swan Station which was used for electromagnetic experiments...If Desmond did not get the code entered in the 4 minutes, could there possibly be an electromagnetic explosion? It would be harmless to people, the hatch/bunker is protected, and that would cause a plane to break apart mid-air IMO...That's an incident...

Sorry to tie up a whole page of this board, I just love this mystery!

On the new spliced part of the film, Candle says 'the duties associated with station 3'. If the duties are plural, it can't just be pushing the button. They may have something to do with Desmond's injections, or another task on the computer. (They're probably not to do with studying electromagnetism as Candles says this was the bunker's original function, thus implying that it is not its function now.)

Maybe there is another duty to do with the computer and its other functions? (perhaps hidden in one of the other missing segments of the film).

I agree that the button pushing could lock the computer against all other uses, and that by entering the code as they have been instructed, the losties are ironically preventing themselves from communicating with the outside world and getting rescued.

Someone on another board said that a computer like that would only be able to perform one function at a time, so being tied up in the countdown program would prevent it from performing anything else.

When Kate left Sawyer on the floor, the counter reached zero, and it seemed ambiguous as to whether or not Locke's attempt to enter the code on time was successful. If it wasn't, it might explain Michael's little conversation. I'm not sure, but I think the scene where Locke pushed the buttons to show Michael they didn't work happened after Kate ran away, and this could negate this theory. But it could be argued that failing to push the button leaves the computer free to receive messages, and that it will continue to be inactive until it is contacted by another terminal.

Or perhaps the timing of the crash is relevant to Desmond b/c that is when Kelvin left. Or maybe that is when Desmond got there. I dont think the countdown controls the monster. i think they are separate. I dont think this scientific group from the university would plant a device that triggers a monster. Perhaps they did do the chain or rope from the ground but not a monster.

I think there's still footage missing. After they showed the new part, then I think it kind of skipped a bit again. But that's just me. *skips off to see the eppie again*

I think there's still footage missing. After they showed the new part, then I think it kind of skipped a bit again. But that's just me. *skips off to see the eppie again*

I most definitely agree. I think there are loads of important bits missing, including possibly an alternative to the splice Eko found.

I think there is more about the DeGroots' inspirational visionaries, more about the utopian social... [engineering?], perhaps a little more about Hanso and a few more jumps that need to be filled in. Don't forget - when the picture changes, or when Dr Candle is standing still, there is an opportunity to add a large section of film without too much trouble.

Arcadia, that sounds about right time wise - the 4 minute thing makes a lot of sense. The only time I remember the monster being around for a long while was when it was chasing Shannon and Boone, but that was an hallucination anyway. Locke knew that if he waited, the 'monster' had a tendency to go away, so 4 minutes sounds quite plausible.

Well, the pilot had a brief, but memorable encounter with the "monster."

Well, the pilot had a brief, but memorable encounter with the "monster."

Actually, now that you mention it, that whole Kate, Jack and Charlie scene running away from the monster after the pilot gets snatched seemed like a lot longer than 4 minutes. And I think so did the scene where Arzt runs out of the jungle and they all hide with Danielle.

Unless there are two 'monsters':

1) the mechanical island security system which protects the area around the swan bunker (and keeps the swan inhabitants safe by ensuring they can't go further than 54 minutes away - the radius of protection from the security system). I think this was put in place after the incident to protect the swan-dwellers.

2) something more organic deeper in the jungle, possibly related to the zoology project. This might have been what snatched the pilot, as Locke was (nearly) dragged underground, like someone wanted him rather than just wanted to kill him (I'm sure there are far more efficient ways of killing someone than dragging them underground).
The pilot was just mauled and left for dead in a tree, indicating that whatever snatched him had a different motive (and was taller!), more akin to a cat playing with a mouse.

Perhaps that's why the 'monster' sometimes sounds more organic and sometimes more mechanical.

It might also explain why Locke was so confident after he saw the 'monster' the first time (when he looked into the 'eye' of the island, as he put it), and then why he was so scared and shocked when he saw his pursuer the time it grabbed him. The look of shock and fear suggested it could have been something entirely different.