Time-Line/Possible Paradox?

dudeitshurley

I've never been hardcore in terms of following the Time-Line of everything happening but i have a decent grasp of it. Something that's been troubling me since the Finale is this: (i really could be just mistaken or picking it up wrongly)

The Oceanic 6 were rescued January 7th, 2005, 108 days after the crash. In the flash-forwards, Jack met Ben 3 years later at the Funeral Parlour following the death of Jeremy Benthem (aka John Locke). That would put it at 2008. Question is the following: how is Jack alive in the flashforward in 2008 but in the Finale is shown ultimately to have died on the Island in 2007?

I'm not good with the whole time-travel stuff. Is it to be explained by this and, if so, how? Once they go back to the Island, they are transported through time primarily to '77 and back again to 2007 when the Jughead explodes. Is it a sensical "paradox" for Jack to die on the Island in 2007? i.e. did his life chronologically always reach 2008 despite him subsequently dying in 2007?

Mitch Connor

dudeitshurley wrote: »

I've never been hardcore in terms of following the Time-Line of everything happening but i have a decent grasp of it. Something that's been troubling me since the Finale is this: (i really could be just mistaken or picking it up wrongly)

The Oceanic 6 were rescued January 7th, 2005, 108 days after the crash. In the flash-forwards, Jack met Ben 3 years later at the Funeral Parlour following the death of Jeremy Benthem (aka John Locke). That would put it at 2008. Question is the following: how is Jack alive in the flashforward in 2008 but in the Finale is shown ultimately to have died on the Island in 2007?

I'm not good with the whole time-travel stuff. Is it to be explained by this and, if so, how? Once they go back to the Island, they are transported through time primarily to '77 and back again to 2007 when the Jughead explodes. Is it a sensical "paradox" for Jack to die on the Island in 2007? i.e. did his life chronologically always reach 2008 despite him subsequently dying in 2007?

calendar date is irrelevant.

Jack was older when he died then he was in 2008, that is the easiest way of looking at it.

How was the finale dated as 2007 by the way?

dudeitshurley

and as a follow-up question: Kate, Sawyer etc make it off the Island, presumably forever, in The End. The flashforwards show Kate raising Aaron for 3 years yet when she returns to the world it will be in 2007 not 2008. Allowing for this, how will this work in practise? Will there be 2 versions of Kate?

dudeitshurley

Mitch Connor wrote: »

calendar date is irrelevant.

Jack was older when he died then he was in 2008, that is the easiest way of looking at it.

How was the finale dated as 2007 by the way?

Lostpedia dates season 6 in its entirety as 2007. Pointing to the Swan crater, Claire saying she lived on the Island for 3 years etc. I'm not sure if there is an exact date referenced at any point in particular but i'll have to trawl through it to assess it.

opinion guy

dudeitshurley.
you are still clinging to the idea that the had it planned out and thought through. They didnt'.

You need to 'let go' and accept the reality that it was all meaningless

Sad Professor

There was no exact dates given in the show for the O6's return to the island or any of the period after. "3 years" later, yeah, but roughly 3 years later, like maybe 2 years and 10 months or 3 years and 2 months.

There's been a great deal of nitpicking about this on Lostpedia. But in real life when people say how long it has been since something happened they don't pull out a calendar and start calculating - they round off.

Lostpedia eventually settled on late 2007 for one reason or another. Locke's Bentham passport said it was issued in December 2007.

dudeitshurley

opinion guy wrote: »

dudeitshurley.
you are still clinging to the idea that the had it planned out and thought through. They didnt'.

You need to 'let go' and accept the reality that it was all meaningless

lol no if you read all my posts nobody can accuse me of saying they had it all planned. i'm just pointing out flaws, plotholes and nonsensical mystery stuff in what they actually executed on the screen.

dudeitshurley

Sad Professor wrote: »

There was no exact dates given in the show for the O6's return to the island or any of the period after. "3 years" later, yeah, but roughly 3 years later, like maybe 2 years and 10 months or 3 years and 2 months.

There's been a great deal of nitpicking about this on Lostpedia. But in real life when people say how long it has been since something happened they don't pull out a calendar and start calculating - they round off.

Lostpedia eventually settled on late 2007 for one reason or another. Locke's Bentham passport said it was issued in December 2007.

ok well if we assume it was a mistake or a continuity error or intentional, what would happen if Kate returned to the world before she left it in first place?

Even assume for a second, it was after, how does that work? Let's say for example Oceanic 6 returned to the island in Feb 2008, flashed through time etc etc, Kate makes it back on Ajiira flight in April 2008, how does that work? She's just been missing for a few months and is older now? Meh time travel!

Marcaiocht_Tonn

As I understand it, when the Oceanic 6 returned to the island, travelled back in time to 1977, then came forward in time again, they returned to the "2007" timestream they had originally occupied. I don't think there was meant to be any point where two Kates were walking around etc. Sounds like you may have found a flaw in the way they dated things perhaps - if that is the case, then well spotted. Until you mentioned it, I assumed that there are three key timeline nodes that the Losties have been jumping between:

1977: the point at which Sawyer (AKA LaFleur) had been living in Dharmaville 3 years.

2004: Island timeline pre- Oceanic 6 departure (the 108 days, if I'm right here?)

2007: Island timeline post - Oceanic 6 return, after they've spent 3 years on the mainland.
I think of it as they flew back on Ajira, went back to 1977 for a few weeks, then came back to 2007, with them having been missing for those few weeks from the perspective of Lapidus & co., who had landed on the 2007 island as planned.

And from that 2007 island point of view, I consider the funeral parlour meet to be in its past (perhaps just a month previously for example).

In short, I consider the full Oceanic 6 "mainland 3 years events" to be sandwiched between the "2004 108 days stranding" and the "2007 island/MIB/Jacob death/Finale" events.

... if that makes any sense?

the_barfly1

Ajira landed in present day- post bentham death, characters split into 2 time periods- kate, jack, hurley, sayid in 1977 and the rest in 2008
Jughead explodes and *boom* the Delorean hits 88mph and everybody goes back to the future.
Hence the losties being in the time period that contained the plane (and the other characters) this season

opinion guy

Cue Hewy Lewis and the News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMkU-Qf_3N0