Dharma Stations Part 8: The Orchid
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By AngeloComet
- Dharma Stations Part 8: The Orchid
- Created: Jan 30, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 13, 2008
- After episode: 3.22: Through The Looking Glass
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
So let me make an assumption. The two rabbits that featured are one and the same.
— AngeloComet
I have been intrigued by what the original purpose of the Dharma Stations were. Through the design of the various Stations, and for the few that we have been able to see Orientation films for, I believe that solid foundations can be drawn to build a case for their original intentions. In this series of theories I shall examine each Station in the order their existence has been revealed. In this essay I shall try and unearth The Orchid Station.
How seriously are we to take The Orchid Station? It’s a worthwhile question. Let’s not forget this is a Dharma Station that has never been introduced or mentioned during the actual television programme. It may never be introduced. The Orchid Station, and the video that introduced it, may remain peripheral, Lost Universe material. Don’t get me wrong, I will try and tackle this Dharma Station sincerely. But don’t think it hasn’t escaped my attention that, in the grand scheme of the television series, The Orchid may never matter a damn.
As no doubt all are aware, The Orchid Station was introduced via a rough edit of an Orientation film (it doesn’t have Dharma music, or a title card); probably it was never ‘officially’ completed and used. The story goes that the film was discovered in a building in Norway and the Lost Creation team put it together (which explains the spliced inserts of Gerald DeGroot, ‘God Loves You As He Loved Jacb’ slogan, etc). The truth of the matter, of course, is that it was some spicy material to unveil at the Comic-Convention to whet appetites about all things Lost.
Ostensibly, we are shown the familiar Dharma narrator (here working under the name Edgar Halowax - continuing the Candle/Wick collectivism for all things candle-related in his naming convention) holding a rabbit with a number ‘15’ on its back. He tells the intended audience of the video that The Orchid is Station 6 of the Dharma Initiative and that they had been mislead into believing it was a biological station. Then another rabbit, with a number 15 on it, appears on a high shelf. Small-scale chaos ensues with Halowax panicking about keeping the rabbits apart. And that’s pretty much it.
So let me make an assumption. The two rabbits that featured are one and the same. Otherwise why bother having the two be number 15? So, taking that idea as a given - that a rabbit in a man’s arms could suddenly appear, duplicated, in close proximity - we then come to the pertinent question: How?
Edgar Halowax - “The unique properties of this Island created a kind of Casimir effect…”
Ah yes, the Casimir Effect. A familiar term to many Lost theorists but let me not take it for granted that you know about it (or have become misconstrued into thinking it’s something it’s not). In simple terms, the Casimir Effect is the force between one object and another object, and how that force acts on both. Seriously, that’s it. This force takes place at a particle level, so you’re forgiven for not noticing! Understanding of this Casimir Effect is important in the real world as things get smaller. Smaller circuit boards, nanotechnology - these become concerned with the interaction of objects at a particle level and how they will influence the construction and function of sophisticated technologies. This doesn’t quite explain why one rabbit turns up in the same room as itself, though, does it? But that’s all right - because in theoretical terms the Casimir Effect can produce a localised negative region of space-time which enables speeds of faster than light. Oh yeah. . .
Edgar Halowax - Don’t let them near each other! When did you set the shift?
Assistant - Negative 20!
“Negative 20”? A negative region of space-time for faster than light speed? Really? Oh hell, let’s not get too bogged down in true scientific terms. Halowax himself proffered the caveat “a kind of Casimir effect”. Note that ‘kind of’. The truth about the Casimir Effect is not necessarily being reflected here. It’s in the ballpark of science but we’re playing fast and loose with fiction, too. And playing fast and loose with the Casimir Effect and one bunny rabbit existing in practically the same piece of time and space as itself almost makes a form of logic.
Is it time travel, then? It makes sense. As all Back to the Future fans know, the space-time continuum can be torn apart if a time traveller encounters their own physical being. A paradox, they call it. Thus Halowax’s requirement in keeping the two rabbits apart works out. However, I think it’s both time travel and a little bit of teleportation. Through a wormhole in negative space-time. Obviously.
I’ll talk you through it. I imagine that the original intention in the film was for Edgar Halowax to do something with the rabbit. My guess is that he was to place the rabbit in some form of device where this Casimir Effect had been controlled to produce a negative force in space-time - where a wormhole could be created. The rabbit would then disappear. (I am thinking of rabbits down holes and Alice In Wonderland and it fits nicely.) In a perfect experiment, the rabbit would have ‘popped back’ at a point in space-time Dharma anticipated. As it turned out, it didn’t. The rabbit showed up before the experiment had happened, up on the shelf. Oops. (I guess that the experiment would have to be continued (as the re-run of a new Orientation introduction at the end of the film suggests) in order to fulfil the criteria that a rabbit has to go through the worm hole to appear where it did.)
That’s my take on it. I’ll be honest, I won’t go down fighting to defend it.
However, at the start I suggested The Orchid Station may never appear in Lost. Halowax says, “We apologize for asking you to deceive your family and colleagues,” after he has come clean - “as you have no doubt surmised” - that The Orchid is not a botanical Station. That’s because I believe it was/is part of what we know as The Swan Station. Halowax is wearing a Swan Station laboratory coat. He believes his audience will know the place is obviously not botanical (which you would, if you were in The Swan). At the moment of panic, an alarm sounds that’s very familiar in tone to the lockdown procedure countdown of The Swan. And furthermore, we know in The Swan there’s a big, old concrete wall we’ve never seen behind. My money says that The Orchid, and the experiments pertaining to it, are housed behind that concrete wall. The Swan was the cover station. And then there was ‘an incident’.
The crass and obvious idea would suggest that Halowax went and shoved his hand accidentally in a wormhole of negative space-time and lost it. (Imagine that appearing on a shelf behind you - your own hand!) Whatever happened, I think that this Orchid Orientation film was never completed and the experiment shown appeared to be not under control. Couple this with the above evidence linking The Orchid to The Swan and it’s enough to make a connection. ‘An incident’ occurred producing the requirement to ‘vent’ electromagnetism, The Orchid was sealed up, and if someone should happen to not get that button pushed they might just produce a negative space-time wormhole effect with disastrous results. It might send your consciousness back to a different time and space (Desmond and the fail safe) or, even worse, take a passenger airline from one point in space-time and rip it through a wormhole into another point in space-time (I think you know what I am alluding to here).
Or maybe not, you know. Maybe, like I said, this is the one and only time The Orchid and the Casimir Effect will ever get a serious mention. Just throw the video out there so someone like me can come along and join some dots together to make a picture that fits nicely enough to fill in a blank. “Negative shift”, anyone? Oh that’s very clever. . .
Swan Station Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/14/dharma-stations-part-1-swan/
Arrow Station Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/16/dharma-stations-part-2-arrow/
Staff Station Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/17/dharma-stations-part-3-staff/
Pearl Station Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/21/dharma-stations-part-4-pearl/
Hydra Station Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/22/dharma-stations-part-5-hydra/
Flame Station Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/24/dharma-stations-part-6-flame/
Looking Glass Post: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/28/dharma-stations-part-7-looking/
I came up with an Orchid theory not too long ago. It mentions a lot of the stuff that you’ve written down.
Link: http://www.lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/26/orchid-its-main-purpose/
Although, it looks like you took some information out of my theory and posted it up in your own. O_o
Joe - I remember your theory. I commented on it. I commented that your ultimate conclusion about zero point energy was not one that I foresaw myself replicating in my own theory (that, as can be seen, since this is Part 8, was inevitable). I do hope you’re not insinuating that I have plagiarised your ideas and passed them off as my own. That would be rather unbecoming. And untrue.
Ah, thats alright then I suppose. Although, it did look a bit sus. I apologize. :)
Fair enough.
well argued +1
+1
I’ve been waiting to read an interesting theory on The Orchid. I think I asked about it not too long ago.
HUZZAH!
This one delivers.
You may be correct about The Orchid never appearing in the show, well, at least up to this point, but I am hopeful that it will be introduced into the plot. It would certainly make sense in the grand scheme of things.
Good Work again AC+1.
I seem to remember TPTB saying that the only place we will actually see what was behind the wall would be in the game. So if it was indeed the Orchid then its very likely not going to be in the show.
That said it would be very cool to have a flashback showing the orchid as part of the Swan, my only question would be whose flashback would it be?
AC, I’ve been waiting for this Station’s right up! And you didn’t disappoint—excellent read. I think you’re bang on about not only how the station is linked to the swan and its original purpose, but also that it may not really be that important to the plot of the show. Please allow me to discuss a few things that came to mind when reading your post:
I think the Swan/Orchid connection is almost canon at this point. The concrete wall, Swan logo on Halowax, Casimir effict/EM anomaly, and the incident, which appears imminent in the Orchid video, all point to the same result: the Swan is the cover for the Orchid. I suppose what really interests me most is if they choose to introduce the Orchid into the show, how will they do it? Was the Orchid destroyed when the Swan imploded? Damon has stated that we haven’t seen the last of the Swan, and I wonder if that means that whatever was behind that wall did not get destroyed during the implosion. I sure hope not! Further, I wonder if they will find an Orchid orientation video, edited to perfection, of course. While I agree that it may never crop up in the show proper, I have a feeling that it may just become the focal point!! I think people are Dharma starved, and the writers are going to pump us full of Dharma history over the next few seasons. In particular, I bet that Rousseau will have something to do with the Orchid/Candle and his arm.
Lastly, I just wanted to say that given the mishap in the video, and keeping in mind the whole paradox thing, the experiment has to go on right? Otherwise the rabbit never would have been sent down the “whole”. So I’m confused, was this the event leading to the “incident”? The last part of the video shows them doing take two, but I don’t see a missing arm or widespread calamity. How did they resolve the problem? If this was not the incident, what was?
That’s all. Thanks AC for your wonderful summary of the Dharma Stations, which are my favourite part of the show. I think you’re a great writer…I’d hire you if ran a Lost journal!!
Oh, def +1
I have to agree that the Orchid was probably part of the Swan. Your argument for it makes sense. Just going on memeory here, but the blastdoor map seemed to show a very large structure connected to the Swan, with an X that indicated sealed off. But I do hope they (losties, hostiles, anyone) get into that section and we get some action scenes from it. Won’t hold my breath on it, just hoping.
He shoots, he scores… I’m loving this series on the stations AC. where have i heard that before?
I think you are spot on that the Orchid and Swan were linked. It’s been mentioned before of course, but then what hasn’t?
Let’s take another look at crazy Rad’s blast door map again: http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:Fullblastdoor.jpg
The Swan is unique in that it has multiple tunnels radiating from it; most of them blocked now of course…
Can you say “incident”?
AC, I don’t think it’s neccessary to reiterate that I think you are a superb writer, but I am going to just the same! I think for no more material than you had to go on,you did a magnificent job. +1
I can’t wait to see what you have to say after our first episode”The Beginning of the End”. I am so glad the day is just about here for that to air.
Slusho, I would be careful if I were you about heaping too much praise on AC. I did so here: http://www.lost-theories.com/theories/2008/jan/24/dharma-stations-part-6-flame/ on my 10:27 AM comment ,and it got me a littlle Lighthearted,ribbing by a coupleof other members here immediately after I did!! LOL
ozzig, & you too AC, I have a little bit of a wild idea what might be on the other side ot that concrete wall in “The Swan”, What if it is ,The Door” :-]]]
Angelo, I agree with ksj. I didn’t think you had enough material to work with for the Orchid Station, but you pulled it off beautifully!!! +1
What a series that was, walking away..
“I do hope you’re not insinuating that I have plagiarised your ideas and passed them off as my own. That would be rather unbecoming. And untrue. ”
lol….i foresee trouble with the union on copyright matters….STRIKE!
j/k..
ksj, thanks for the heads up! but i’m not worried. i give credit where credit is due, and the effort displayed in this series is evident.
actually, i was terribly intrigued by the whole “ninth station” idea from your comments in the flame post. was there any consensus? AC, will you be doing a special ninth edition just before the premiere??
no pressure!
i was wondering, the swan is station 3, but the orchid is station 6. why have two different station numbers if they are part of the same research? also, the station numbers just don’t add up if this is the case…i need help wrapping my mind around this…
If AC was writing about something as mundane as a swizzle stick, I have no doubt I would be enthralled.
I can just see the reviews now… “Ode to a Swizzle” by A. Comet. New York Times Best Seller’s list 8 years running. ;)
In ancient Rome a slave would hold a laurel wreath above the triumphant returning general’s head and whisper… “All glory is fleeting”.
Yeah, I am cryptic like that. :)
sham, You sure do have a way with the English vocabulary yourself. Very witty remarks, and they have a ring of truth as well. ;-)
The significance of the name of the “Swan” really fits in with your theory that the Swan is a cover up of the Orchid. Remember in Greek Mythology Zeus disguised himself as a Swan in order to impregnate Leda. So in essence Zeus disguised himself to cover up an ugly truth. It kinda fits.
AC, I certainly didn’t think you could have made a better theory than your last one, and wasn’t sure what you would do with this one, however, you really raised the bar to a new level! +1 Bravo!
I certainly don’t disagree with one statement you made. In fact, I think you got it dead on! And, for what it’s worth, I just want to add one tiny little detail for you to think about. May I remind you of “The Philadelphia Experiment” and “The Montauk Project”. The fact that Hallowax lost an arm, is very reminiscent of this.
I recall Proffie did an excellent post on the two Projects, quite some time ago. Check them out if you get the chance. Awesome reads!
Sorry, AC I got so busy here, I forgot to add the plus 1. Done now!
Alas… the dots in my head, too are beginning to form a timeless masterpiece artwork.
Nice…
Wow… genuinely… Wow. Thank you so much for the praise and commendments. I have got a lot out of putting myself through this and doing them properly - but it’s been a two-way street and the various comments along the way have invariably been smart and insightful. Keep it up. I wouldn’t want to start getting sloppy. . .
JW - special mention for ‘The Swan’/Zeus correlation; I won’t pretend I knew that!
So, until such a time that another Dharma Station shows up (the prospect fills me with equal part excitement, equal part dread) I’ve finally finished. And yes, that does mean there’s no Dharma Door post incoming any time! (Man will I be eating some major humble pie if that thing turns out to be something!).
Thanks for reading. I’ll be dropping by with my views on S4 as the episodes roll out. And I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you guys make of it as we go along, too. How exciting!
Your welcome, I am glad I could contribute something to get a mention at the end of your series! Hazaa! And yes, I probably gave you more +1s than I have ever given anyone single person. So well done!
I agree. The Orchid may never appear on the show as it is the pre-incident station associated with the Swan.
I believe that it will appear on the show. I remember seeing some spoiler pics a while back where there were these animal bones (much like mammoth bones?) with The Orchid door in a mountain. We do see these bones in the season four trailer, The Orchid must not be too far from those bones I suppose, so I definatly think it will make a show in the upcoming season.
AC, very well done. I am going through your Dharma Station cycle here. +1
Excellent post. You expressed far more clearly, and 10 days earlier, almost exactly what I was trying to express in my latest theory. link
you wrote this long ago, angelo, what do you think now? Orchid station will appear? maybe near the Temple …or somewhere behind the same door that took ben to black smoke+s control? Timespace voyages are now unveiled… Strange detail: Halliwax wearing a Swan-symboled coat and Ben wearing a new one… (forgive my english)