Ben’s Project on the Island (time dilatation)
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By lostsemiotic
- Ben’s Project on the Island (time dilatation)
- Created: May 31, 2007
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 3.22: Through The Looking Glass
- Status: Current
- Flags: Debunked
- Flag this theory:
(I am really really sorry about my english (I am french), I really hope you will understand this)
I think that the temporality is different in the island, for sure. But I don’t think it is because of a time travelling machine. I suppose that it is because of the electromagnetic force in the island, maybe because of the meteor (according to Rousseau’s map, there is a meteor crater on the island). As someone already said :
« Now if we have a very small pinpointed field of energy, or in this case naturally occuring magnitism, around this island it may effectively bend light which is nothing more than a form radiation around it. Making it invisible to the eye and to navigational instrumentation as well. »
If the force is bending light, it is also bending time and space (space contraction, time dilatation : Einstein), wich make the time run slowlier on the island. That would make the island so precious for the Others and so interesting for the Darhma initiative and explain so many strange phenomenons. Let’s say if the losties are on the island since 6 months and are finaly rescued. Back in LA it might be 2 years later (the phone Jack is using in the flashforward is a 2006 model, the losties crashed in 2004) The Losties think and feel they are still in 2004, but the fact is that they are neither in 2004 nor in 2006. When they got off the island they are in 2006, but in the island, since the time goes slowlier for a long time (since the meteor crashed), they are even more in the past. Maybe the communication house in wich Mikail use to live and the looking glass has connections with the actual time (2006) as well as in the past time. That would explain, I think, why Penny doesn’t know (yet) that she hired Naomi to find Desmond. Charlie needed to inform her (in the past) so the losties could be rescued (like in Desmond premonition). That would explain also the files on the losties that would of take a couple of years to compile and Naomie’s phone.
An evil project…
Babies that are conceived out of the island keep growing normally on the island, because the process has already been started before the mother was on the island. Aaron grows up normally (althougt Aaron is 6 months and should be 2 years old in the rest of the planet), that is not a problem, it is just a difference on time because of the space and time bending. But babies that are conceive on the island, are actually conceived in the past. They are conceived years and years ago. The problem is that the mothers who tried to conceive are not native of the island, so that’s why they died. They try to have a baby that is « older » then them, so their body aged inside very fast (as we can see on the radiography that Richard and Ethan showed to Juliet). If the Others would be able to « create » babies in the past, that would be a disaster. The island would truly be a world of its own and finaly be independant of the outside world. They could recreate the whole humanity with this population from the past. That is so evil, that is so Ben!
I think the relation Jacob/Ben is clearly a metaphor of the bible : Benjamin is Jacob’s last son, the only one who was not born in Canaan… We can see Ben, in a way, as Jacob’s son, and the problem with Ben is that he is not a native of the island. We can figure that the native are from Jacob’s other sons. Ben has to find a way to keep the island « alive » at all cost.
Here’s a clue for the funeral (the newspaper Jack read), I found it in another site:
Los Angeles Man found dead in downtown loft
“The body of Jo…[unreadable]…[a]nt ham of New York was discovered shortly after 4 a.m. in the…[unreadable]…of Grand Avenue. Ted [lastname], [a door]man at The Tower…[unreadable]. ..heard loud noises…[unreadable] …antham’s loft. [unreadable]… [sa]fety, he co[nfessed] [unreadable]…discov ered the [unreadable]…a beam in the [unreadable]…[ac]co rdin[g]…[unreadable]… ”
Maybe it is Jonathan Locke?
I would so like to have your opinions on this theory. Thanks!
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | Benjamin Linus | 3.20, 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1817 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.22 | Through The Looking Glass | 5-23-2007 | Jack | 1265 |
Similar theories
| Title | Author | Cmnts | Votes | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time, Light, the future, the past and Jacob | MrAlpert | 2 | 4 | +2 |
very good. well thought out
On a side point your post has jus got my had racing, When you said Jacob is Bens dad. I will post a theory on this as I think its worth noteing. Great thread really got me thinking.
Superb theory. Although I vigorously fight off the urge to accept time travel theories the presence of the meteor on the island could be important. Good thoughts on Panny and Naomi too.
Great theory!!!!! It is simple and it makes a lot of sense! I really think the meteor is important….
For the complete text on the newspaper, see the jeffedmis theory…
After reviewing my post about a time machine I am more convinced that it does not exist, and while I still want to find answers that do not have to rely on time variations, the idea of the meteor is seeming more and more acceptable.
Are we sure there is a meteor? some craters are related to volcanoes…
You are right, it could be a volcano, actually, just by looking at the relief of the island, there were volcanos there for sure! But even if the crater was caused by a volcano, we all know for sure that there is an extraordinary electromagnetic force on the island!!
OK - I am so with you …..excuse your FRENCH?
This is a brilliant explanation of “the time difference” which exists on “the island”. For those of you who haven’t listened to any of the podcasts by the Producers of Lost, they continually refer to time being different on “the island”. And this theory would certainly explain a lot. Makes good sense to me!
You are right, I remember the producers refer to time being different on the island!!! (and they also said there was no time travel), this theory makes more sense than any other I’ve heard before!
That is so brilliant, great theory, I am totally with you on that! That makes a lot of sense. I can’t wait for your next posting!!!!
absolutely brilliant theory. the producers always said that the ‘magical’ happenings would have some scientific basis. the theory of relativity makes so much sense. I love it.
Oui! Oui! J’adore tu! France Douze points!
The Einstein theory is probably a spoiler and absolutely right! I will post another theory which relates to mine and yours.
Magnifique lostsemiotic!
PS its slower not slowlier but thats an ace word!
I posted something today on the island moving in a different direction along a timeline, but i think your idea definitely makes more sense that they are simply moving slower. But for them to be moving slower - according to Einstein - doesnt the earth have to be litterally moving faster than the island, so that 1 earth day does not equal 1 island day? This would be plausible i believe, i only question is if then the island isn’t on Earth.
Truly awesome theory you have here.
Great biblical reference- hadn’t seen that one. Also, the pregnancy/time dialation theory makes a lot of sense.
okay, so time is different…what about everything else? There is something to the conversation before Mikhail shoots Klugh that proves they know of a way to come back again even if they die. Either the island can rejuvenate people, or there is something else going on….
Wow this is such a good theory! Don’t apologise, your English is pretty much perfect!
I think it makes loads of sense that the island moves slower than real time; it’s believable and scientific but also slightly supernatural. It would explain why Dharma were so interested in studying it and also why the Others love it and dont want ppl leaving and telling the world.
i really like it and i think it could easily come true. well done
If 4 years pass in the real world for every year on the island, only 6 years should have passed on the island between 1980 and when our plane crashed. Ben shouldn’t be a day over 20 if that’s the case, and he appears to be between 40 and 50. All of the things that we can date on the island (orientation films, computer, music, etc.) would seem to be as old as we expect them to be.
(Richard didn’t seem to age much, but it’s hard using the same actor to portray himself 25 years younger, so I don’t take this to be evidence that he hasn’t aged.)
Also, navigation instruments can be confused and an island hidden for the most part by means other than warping the space-time continuum. I don’t think it’s fair to jump to the conclusion that the same effect that’s hiding the island is also warping time. (Also, by involving general relativity, the implication is that gravity is involved, and I think we’d notice those effects if that were the case.) Our island has had plenty of people marooned on it, so it’s clearly not inaccessible to the rest of the world, just hard to locate.
I think it’s more likely (and perhaps more interesting) if the show simply jumped ahead to 2006 or later, at least one or two years after they were rescued. The flash-forward suggested Kate had all but moved on, and Jack clearly has had time to develop a history of traveling since the rescue. Maybe next season will be from the 2006+ perspective, and the “missing” year(s) will be next season’s flashbacks!
“Ben shouldn’t be a day over 20 if that’s the case” so true!
“(Richard didn’t seem to age much, but it’s hard using the same actor to portray himself 25 years younger, so I don’t take this to be evidence that he hasn’t aged.)”
i cant agree with this. richard didnt seem to have aged at all. there is no way a show would have that same actor (without serious makeup, making him look very much older in the present day), meeting young ben, who is played by a child, and then talking with old ben who is played by an adult who looks older than him or about the same age! unless he either hasnt aged or the old one was his father.
a show of this caliber is not gonna go ‘oh well we cant be bothered, we’re gonna have him look the same in both time periods, cos we never thought that we were gonna have to show him when he was younger, and we cant be bothered getting a younger actor who looks a bit like him’. if it was really THAT difficult then they just would have changed the scene to have somone else welcome him.
My point is that all we know about Richard when we see him with child-Ben is that he’s an adult. He could be 20 for all we know. (How old were the actors in 90210? Their characters were teenagers!) Later, if Ben becomes 40-50, Richard would have to be 50-60. A stretch? Debatable. All I’m saying is that there isn’t clear evidence either way, and you still have to complicate the theory even further by factoring in Ben’s apparently normal rate of aging somehow.
your english is great, and there are some interesting moments in your theory, but, i’m sorry, the baby explanation doesn’t make sense. and there are too many holes in the rest of it too: how could Mikhail’s station and the looking class be in communication with time outside of the island? why would they need to have people give birth on the island in order to populate it, when they bring in people from the outside all the time? why would they need to have babies on the island in order to maintain their hold on it? how are they being threatened from the outside? just how would they recreate the population with people from the past who are long dead (like einstein)?
In response to the last post about being in communication with the present time:
What if the Looking Glass Station is outside of the electromagnetic field - and is connected to the flame via that wire? If that is the case, the looking glass could be in communication with the present time and transmit the data to the flame station.
Also, I think that the Electromagnetic field is broken now that the Swan was destroyed. I think maybe the island is also in the present time now.
Great theory and great English! It was clear and concise and explained quite alot, although I can’t agree with the baby theory,doesn’t make sense to me. And to Smokeyrox, I agree it’s a possibility the Looking Glass station is outside of the electromagnectic field because they can connect to the outside world, but it was stated that the wire/cable was connected to the island to hold the station from floating away. All good thinkers here!!
But if the Looking Glass was outside of the electromagnetic field, Penny would know Naomi, as mentoied in the theory. The “call” could be done via the time-shifted time, via the island - but that sounds bizarre.
Btw: My first post :-) Hello
loste,
I like your theory because it explains how Ben (in my mind) knew about the crash of 815 in advance! But how could he possibly know this, unless someone from off the island (in the future) communicated the facts about the crash to him after they happened in real time, but before they happened on the island.
In your example, Ben’s connection off the island in actual time (2006) sends a message to Ben, island time (2004) and reminds him to be on the look-out for flight of 815 that crashes over his island on September 22, 2004.
Let’s just say Richard was Ben’s contact off the island:
Richard to Ben: (September 2006, actual time)
“Remember Ben, this may be the opportunity we’ve all been waiting for. Oceanic 815 left Sydeny bound for L.A. on September 22, 2004. All news reports have suggested that the flight lost radio contact about six hours after takeoff, circled back, heading south and crashed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean another two hours later. Our team has been researching the disappearance of flight 815 for the last two years, and I think its very possible that flight was not lost in the Pacific, but actually crashed OVER YOUR ISLAND. That was almost two years ago. What day is it today on the island? That’s right, September 20, 2004. That means that in two days, you’re going to look up and see that airplane break apart over your island. With any luck there will be survivors, and let me give you a list of the people who were on board that flight……..Over the last two years, we’ve managed to collect an extensive dossier on each and every person on that flight… I think you will find the information usefull when dealing with the survivors of that crash.”
Your theory may also explain Naomi’s comment to Claire about Drive Shaft’s “Greatest Hits” CD. In a different post, someone else asked this question. How was it that a CD of Drive Shaft’s “Greatest Hits” was put together so quickly (only a couple of months after the disappearance of flight 815 - island time?)
Answer: Because, according to your theory, it would have been two years later in the outside world. And two years, after Charlies death, would have been plenty of time to produce the CD and sell it to the public.
I don’t know if 2 years is the exact time difference between the two worlds, but all-in-all, I like your theory.