If the freighter folk never arrive.... a question of fate

homerun_homer

I was just thinking about where the show and characters are now, how many of the original S1 cast are Candidates and have to figure out who replaces Jacob.
According to various folk in the show "they were never supposed to leave the island". If they weren't, how do you think the show would have worked it's way to this same point? Imagine Locke killed Naomi and then prevented Jack from making the call to the freighter which eventually leads to the Oceanic 6 leaving the island, only to return.

How do you think circumstances would have made Ben turn that frozen donkey wheel, and Locke subsequently turning it and getting killed as part of MIB's plan, and the eventual reveal that castaways are 'candidates'?

Penn

It would have had to have happened somehow. After all, we've seen that the Losties were destined to go back in time. I imagine things wouldn't have been so different. Charlie disabled the Looking Glass, so the freighter folk would have just as easily been able to follow Rousseau's transmission rather than Naomi's satphone. Other than that, I'm sure Faraday could have located it anyway. The only reason Naomi was on the island on the first place was because Frank flew her over the island.

I wouldn't even be surprised if Hawking had some part to play in helping them find the island. She knew Daniel had to go there, and they were already near the island before Naomi called, so they may have located it using the Lamppost station

homerun_homer

There's any point in the history where you could ask this question, but the arrival of the freighter folk and the Oceanic 6 situation arising from it seems to the biggest disruption to the island's "plans" for people which is why I throw this out there.

It's not that I'm saying it wouldn't have got to this point, but what would you imagine would have to happen to get to the same point in the revealing of the Candidates, the death of John Locke, Jacob & the rise of MIB as a bigger threat had the Losties prevented the freighter crew arriving.

I would imagine that in this alternate version of events the threat of the freighter folk might have still lead to Ben turning the donkey wheel and sending them all time travelling, but the O6 would be with them. Jack wouldn't have gone through his off island meltdown but he probably still would run with Faraday's logic that Jughead would prevent the crash of their plane.
How would MIB have managed to kill Locke in this version of events would be the big question then.

Sad Professor

It's a difficult question to answer without knowing how Widmore and Christian fit into everything.