I have been reading the theories regarding time moving slower on the island than in the real world. Then in this episode we have the rocket time difference which appears to support it.

My problem is Desmond. We know Desmond and Jack met in the real world (before the crash), and they both arrived at on the island at different times. If the "time is slower on the island" theory was to hold true, would'nt Jack be much older than Desmond since Desmond has been on the island longer?? To me they look about the same age difference as when they met off the island.

Also, Penny looked to be about the same age as when Desmond left her. Shouldn't she be much older now?

Can someone help me out with this?:huh:

Well the time span hasn't been that much for them to look that much older, I mean even look at the actors we've been watching them for 4 years and they still all pretty much look the same, except maybe Sawyer looked younger in the beginning of the first season and of course, Walt.

It's possible time passes more slowly on the island now, but yet it has not always been so. For example, it's possible that the purpose of the Swan was to lessen or eliminate the time dilation issue, which caused time to pass on and off the island at the same rate during its existence.

Maybe time isn't consistent. Just because it is currently slower on the island, perhaps at other times, it's faster than "real world" time.

It's possible time passes more slowly on the island now, but yet it has not always been so. For example, it's possible that the purpose of the Swan was to lessen or eliminate the time dilation issue, which caused time to pass on and off the island at the same rate during its existence.

I really like this idea. But one thing that always irked me about The Swan station is this... if it was really serving a purpose of such great importance (which I believe it was), why would Ben leave Desmond in there pushing the button? I'm sure Ben knows exatly what the purpose of the station was, so why trust it to someone who washed up on the shore?!

The rocket scene throws things outta wack (31 mins, over how long??), but the real facts still remains.. Des spent three years in the swan (which imo, kills all extreme time dilation theories), but doesnt rule out the more manigable ones.
Time is always relative to Joe Blow and his watch and/or clock.

I think the time anomaly is recent. I'm thinking after the Swan implosion the Island's properties have changed.

Don't know man. Maybe he was sent through time by Widmore to meet Jack at the stadium. : )

Well the time span hasn't been that much for them to look that much older, I mean even look at the actors we've been watching them for 4 years and they still all pretty much look the same, except maybe Sawyer looked younger in the beginning of the first season and of course, Walt.

Josh Holloway (Sawyer) looks more like he's approaching his 50th birthday, than in his late 30s.Maybe too many parties. ;)

I don't think it matters whether Jack looked older or not, or how anybody appeared to age. Desmond knew he had been there for three years, and he knew it was September 22, 2004 when he caused the plane to crash, and the 815 survivors agreed on what date it was. Now, after the failsafe key is another matter...

It may be that the time alteration only happens within the barrier or shield that hides the island from the outside world. perhaps just a side effect of the field. If entry and/or exit from the island is made through a gap in the barrier, no effect is felt. If entry, say by a rocket, is made through the barrier then a short delay in transit occurs. Thus no real time difference between the island and the rest of the world even for our plane crash survivors who possibly experienced a 31 minute delay in touch down.

Edited to add this thought. An argument against a different time rate on the island is the fact that Charley and Penny carried on an island to outside phone conversation without being bothered by a difference in speech due to time dilation.

I thought Werthead already debunked all time-difference theories. ;)

I think the time anomaly is recent. I'm thinking after the Swan implosion the Island's properties have changed.

I thought Swan station electro magnet was the gate for the Island, creating a wormhole or something like that that drew things into the island. When it was shut down why would time be impacted??

My interpretation of the rocket test was that there is a consistent 31 minute gap between island and real world, not that one of them is moving at a slower rate. Therefore no one wold notice a difference in age.

I really like this idea. But one thing that always irked me about The Swan station is this... if it was really serving a purpose of such great importance (which I believe it was), why would Ben leave Desmond in there pushing the button? I'm sure Ben knows exatly what the purpose of the station was, so why trust it to someone who washed up on the shore?!I also love this theory about the purpose of the Swan. However again, if it served such a monumental purpose the Others would certainly have some of their numbers down their pushing the dang button. After all, Ben has Greta and Bonnie just hanging out in the Looking Glass hatch doing literally nothing for months on end. Certainly he could send someone reliable to punch the button.

I also love this theory about the purpose of the Swan. However again, if it served such a monumental purpose the Others would certainly have some of their numbers down their pushing the dang button. After all, Ben has Greta and Bonnie just hanging out in the Looking Glass hatch doing literally nothing for months on end. Certainly he could send someone reliable to punch the button.

This is an awesome point and one that I had not thought of until you metioned it. Ben is obsessed with not being found by the people on the freighter and will do anything to stop them from coming to the island. yet the one place that controls the "door" to the island and powers its "cloak of invisibilty" he leaves unguarded. Then he lets the 815ers set up camp there. Doesn't make much sense with what we now know.

This is the one thing about this season that annoys me. It is like Swan station and some other things from the first few season's never existed. Hey writers, throw us loyal Lost viewers a bone and do some old school Lost references (besides having Vincent show up in a shot or 2).

Do we know Desmond was their for 3 years+? Or is it that he perceives 3 years of elapsed time?

It may be that the time alteration only happens within the barrier or shield that hides the island from the outside world. perhaps just a side effect of the field. If entry and/or exit from the island is made through a gap in the barrier, no effect is felt. If entry, say by a rocket, is made through the barrier then a short delay in transit occurs. Thus no real time difference between the island and the rest of the world even for our plane crash survivors who possibly experienced a 31 minute delay in touch down.

Edited to add this thought. An argument against a different time rate on the island is the fact that Charley and Penny carried on an island to outside phone conversation without being bothered by a difference in speech due to time dilation.

What the characters witnessed is a TIME DELAY. Daniel and Regina spoke in real time without any delay at all.

Daniel most likely told Frank to fly on the same heading back to the boat because Daniel knew there could be a hole in the barrier that does not cause trouble for humans. Makes sense. But then again, all this is pseudo-science.

As for now, the TIME DELAY is just another mysterious background aspect of the Island.

What the characters witnessed is a TIME DELAY. Daniel and Regina spoke in real time without any delay at all.

Daniel most likely told Frank to fly on the same heading back to the boat because Daniel knew there could be a hole in the barrier that does not cause trouble for humans. Makes sense. But then again, all this is pseudo-science.

As for now, the TIME DELAY is just another mysterious background aspect of the Island.


I have been thinking about this. What if they need to back on the same bearing to reverse the effects of the time delay. Meaning that if you come in to the iisland one way the only way to get off is the exect same way so that time is not messed up. This could explain why radio communications work. The signal would come in and go back out the exact same way- thereby negating the time delay impact.

But here my problem is what will happen to the Oceanic 6 who obviously wll not be eaving the island on the exact same path as they came in.

It's possible time passes more slowly on the island now, but yet it has not always been so. For example, it's possible that the purpose of the Swan was to lessen or eliminate the time dilation issue, which caused time to pass on and off the island at the same rate during its existence.

I think this idea is spot on. Both Desmond and Juliet provide references to the real world timeline, and have defined stays on the island. Since they've both spoken at length with the Losties...the issue would have come up by now.

I also think there is support for the idea that the Swan's destruction will introduce lasting changes to the Island, such as the time issues that are being introduced. It seems silly that the Swan could have been shut down at any time by use of the failsafe without lasting impact. If Desmond had turned the failsafe at some safe mid-timer moment, wouldn't we still expect a change to the island, since the Swan isn't there to do...whatever it did.

Failsafe is, after all, still a failure of something. Since the Swan was a continuous effort for many years, we should expect its destruction to have lasting and significant effects.

The rocket scene throws things outta wack (31 mins, over how long??), but the real facts still remains.. Des spent three years in the swan (which imo, kills all extreme time dilation theories), but doesnt rule out the more manigable ones.
Time is always relative to Joe Blow and his watch and/or clock.

Not to mention Danielle, which is supposed to have been living on the island for 16 years!

I also love this theory about the purpose of the Swan. However again, if it served such a monumental purpose the Others would certainly have some of their numbers down their pushing the dang button. After all, Ben has Greta and Bonnie just hanging out in the Looking Glass hatch doing literally nothing for months on end. Certainly he could send someone reliable to punch the button.

Unless of course Ben wanted the button to NOT be pushed. He planted the seeds of doubt in Locke's mind during 'Lockdown' when he told Locke that he hadn't entered the numbers and nothing had happened (almost certainly a lie).

He obviously wouldn't want to be around himself at the point when everything started imploding so why not get a dupe to do it?

My interpretation of the rocket test was that there is a consistent 31 minute gap between island and real world, not that one of them is moving at a slower rate. Therefore no one wold notice a difference in age.

Yes, but the matter is that I at least notice the difference in age.
Consider this: each season of the episode lasts one year but it's only one month on the island (more or less). My doubt (and I've been thinking a lot about it lately) is if that happens on purpose or if it is only a consequence of the TV schedule time getting the actors older one year each season instead of one month. I don't know if it is clear what I mean. Take as an example Claire and Sawyer which, IMO, are the two actors showing most the difference in age from the beginning of the show: will we find out that we presume 3 months have passed and it is 3 years instead?

My interpretation of the rocket test was that there is a consistent 31 minute gap between island and real world, not that one of them is moving at a slower rate. Therefore no one wold notice a difference in age.

A simple discontinuity is one theory. Another is differential rates of passage of time.

A lot depends on whether it was a clock or a timer on the rocket. And if it was a timer, was it zeroed prior to the freighties setting off from their boat?

A clock or a pre-zeroed timer would tend to imply differential rates of time, a timer zeroed at launch would lean more towards showing a discontinuity, possibly variable depending on how one passes through the EM bubble around the Island.

I initially thought it was a timer zeroed at launch time but I'm leaning now towards it being a clock (previously in sync with the one on the beacon when it was outside the Island's field of influence).

Unless of course Ben wanted the button to NOT be pushed. He planted the seeds of doubt in Locke's mind during 'Lockdown' when he told Locke that he hadn't entered the numbers and nothing had happened (almost certainly a lie).

He obviously wouldn't want to be around himself at the point when everything started imploding so why not get a dupe to do it?


but then I don't get why he is flipping out about the people from the freighter coming on to the island. The reason they found the island is because Swan shut down. If Swan stayed up then he would not have to worry about the freighter.

This doesn't make sense. Once again, a disconect from the orginal theme of the series.

The reason they found the island is because Swan shut down. If Swan stayed up then he would not have to worry about the freighter.

But did Ben know this? Maybe...

Ben lied to the Others when he said that all radio communication had been knocked out following the purple skies, when he was in fact having it blocked from the Looking Glass. Was he aware that someone was coming? What was the purpose of blocking all outside contact? I don't think the extent of Ben's plans have become fully clear yet.

but then I don't get why he is flipping out about the people from the freighter coming on to the island. The reason they found the island is because Swan shut down. If Swan stayed up then he would not have to worry about the freighter.

This doesn't make sense. Once again, a disconect from the orginal theme of the series.
It's possible he's been wanting the island to be found all along. From a certain perspective, you might surmise he tricked Locke into not turning the key. And trying to prevent the 815ers from contacting the freighter would want them to try it even more.

Not to mention Danielle, which is supposed to have been living on the island for 16 years!

Good point. Not to mention that the day of the crash 09/22/2004, was the same day on the island (09/22/2004 System Failure, logprint out), the real question is what happened AFTER Des turn the key (2 months after the crash) and 1 month since that.





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