John Locke – Leader??
One of the mysteries which had been nagging at me was solved, IMO in last nights episode.
John Locke was never ‘destined’ to be the leader of ‘the others’. Richard Alpert believes him to be. He believes this to be true, only because of Locke’s visit from the future back to 1954. How could anyone blame Alpert for thinking this, when Locke says, ‘If you don’t believe me, than come to the hospital in 1956, on the date I was born’. Not to mention Locke telling him that he does become the eventual leader of ‘the others’.
This is why we see throughout Locke’s childhood and adolescence, Richard show up at various times in his life. We see Richard administer a test to young Locke, and Locke fails at it, leaving Richard very frustrated. After all, a natural born leader would have demonstrated the abilities to choose accurately immediately.
Later on in Locke’s teen years, Richard shows up again. This time, he wants Locke to go to a ‘special school’. Locke, although good in science, displays rage at the thought of attending such a school. He sees himself very differently than others. He sees himself as a ‘man of faith’, and not a ‘man of science’.
I believe John Locke is afforded the opportunity to fulfill a destiny far greater than we have been led to believe. So far, we have only seen John, continually being ‘played’ by Ben. In time, I think we will view John Locke and his contributions to ‘the island’ as an integral part of ‘changing the future’.
The remaining mystery is, if not John Locke as leader of ‘the others’, which one of ‘the losties’ was/is destined to become the future leader.
So, what do you think?
Since there is no +1 or anything like that to give, I will just have to say that I completely agree. This is absolutely where I would have headed, and in fact would only add to it one thing about the runway.
I’m thinking that in one of the flashes that John and Richard get to talk, while it is in the past, that John will say something about his plane bringing him to this island as well as potentially who some of the other people on the plane are.
These conversations that will be interrupted by the time warping events will be clues to Richard that he will then pass on to Ben.
This could explain why they will be building a runway.
It could also explain the purpose of the lists of people, especially the list Michael gets to bring Hurley, Sawyer, Jack and Kate to the Others.
I think that John’s “past” conversations with Richard are directly responsible for some of the things that happen on the island between the Others and the Losties when the plane crashes instead of just lands there like Richard might think will happen.
I completely agree that this is why Richard gets frustrated at John, and potentially why he’s trying to figure him out at first since Locke refused to come at around the same time that Ben arrived when they were young boys. (Since they raise their leaders from a young age, right?)
(Tangent: That’s a theory I would really like to explore some more. Ben and John as the destined leaders…something I mentioned in my question about “Parent-Child-Island Relationships” post.)
I’m with ya on this one.
Thanks kimberly! I think your thoughts about the runway are 100% accurate. You’ve hit on something very important with that!
I also think you are correct about Locke’s past conversations with Alpert being responsible for some of the events we see happening.
It may be plausible, we could see some burning questions answered. Such as, the 346 passengers on #815.
Should that change and #815 lands safely, perhaps this is why the cover-up of the plane being found on the ocean floor was created.
What if, in the future #815 lands safely on ‘the island’. The world would believe they all died in a horrible crash. The passengers would continue to live out their lives, being ‘lost’ to the world forever!
Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
PS: Get working on that theory! I’d love to read it.
DABS..Great post with an excellent question presented. Who, but to me, finding that answer would first have to be preceded by why? Why do the others exist and for that matter, why do they need a leader? Is old man Alpert just not good enough, it has to be communication with Jacob. And who was the leader that could speak to Jacob to know he exists initially?
AES,thanks for your words and your enthusiasm.
That is an excellent question! One thing which came to light in last nights episode for me, was; Where were ‘the islands’ indigenous people???
I was surprised to learn ‘the others’ seemed to be comprised of British soldiers. We also learned US soldiers were on ‘the island’. I think therein, lies the ‘why’ of it. What were they fighting over?
Perhaps, Richard Alpert was the last one standing, from the original island inhabitants, or descendants from the Black Rock. It would appear Richard cannot communicate with Jacob for some reason, so is not leader material.
We were led to believe when we saw Ben first arrive on ‘the island’ that the ‘hostiles’ were ‘the island’s’ indigenous people.
So many things to ponder, and so many more questions. Did the island’s original inhabitants die off, or were they killed off?
Who or what is Jacob, and who was in charge of ‘the island’ during the time frame of 1954?
All of it makes my head spin! lol I do have some thoughts running through my mind. Please through out some thoughts.
i wonder if christian had a lead role with the others around that time. Think. This agin today will contradict a previous theory of mine but it makes…well some sense. If christian was telling the truth to locke about moving the island. Maybe he was their leader.
he obviously for better or worse intentions has some connection with at least the island if not jacob. And what does he have in common with the 2 supposed leaders now, Ben and John? They all at least have said that they can communicate with jacob.
and i know, here comes the ‘he never said he could communicate, he said he could speak on his behalf’. Well i think that was the point, we were supposed to get from it that he could communicate with him. This could be why he has such a role in the pilot and mobisode.
in the mobisode, which took place right before the pilot technically would have began featured Christian telling vincent to wake jack, that he had work to do. We were supposed to see it as he is helping his son. But maybe he sacrificed like locke will and died or ben and moved the island and was banished or whatever.
Okay AES, You had me really thinking about this tonight.
What you are saying makes sense to me.
I definitely think you are onto something with Christian, considering the time frame of what we saw with Jughead. We know Widmore was not their leader.
I am not sure what he has in common with Locke and Ben, but there is definitely a connection.
Think about Jacob for a moment. Jacob chose Christian to speak on his behalf to Locke when telling him he had to move ‘the island’. Why was that necessary, if Locke had heard Jacob’s voice when he was taken there by Ben??
This brings me to Alpert’s relation to ‘the island’ and to Jacob. He appears to be Jacob’s emissary. He is not a leader, but has control on behalf of Jacob.
he is power hungary just like ben and widmore and is using jack to get the island back. It seems like an honor to be leader or when the island is yours, but become a monster when you dont have it sacrificing your money, children or life in general to get that ‘power’ back.
Sorry, I was typing away when your last 2 comments came in.
Could it be then, that both Christian and Alpert have key roles as Jacob’s emissaries?
That seems logical to me. It is almost as if, like you say, ALL is sacrificed, but I am not sure why. The stakes must be awfully high!
sorry that got broke up weird. I meant that christian is power hungary not richard, i was writing that as you were posting.
Yes, I knew who you meant. I was referring to Christian, Ben, Widmore as well. Not Alpert.
I think the stakes might be the theme of the show since the constant. Think about it. If you have control of the island…you have unlimited control of time travel. You can go back and fix what you broke along the way. Every wrong turn has a u-turn back to the correct path.UNLIMITED ENERGY..as Dr Chang would say…and i say that unlimited energy..theoretically stands for unlimited power.
Wow, I love that analogy! That is ultimate power, indeed!
I also want to point out about Shepherd, that he had to be away a lot to carry on an affair with Claire’s mother. He could have been on ‘the island’. Perhaps, that is where they met……And, the plot thickens!
One more thing to think about. We know Ben and his father had no money!!! Now Ben is wealthy.
Widmore was a soldier in 1954, and no money. Now, both are wealthy individuals.
Yes, they could have benefactors of their own. But what if they struck a deal with….
Money and power seem to go together. I know that’s a bit out there, but…..
which could make sense because of the importance of Aaron. We forget how he couldnt go to the wrong hands and Claire, poor claire in the cabin with dad. Seems like the shepard family reuinion gets less chatter this year because there has been so little of them. He was born on the island, and the only one i might add that we know of.
I have always felt Aaron is of significant value. I am not sure why, but it has something to do with how Malkin handled Claire. I believe he was in cahoots with Widmore, et al.
Also, I would no longer be surprised to learn ‘who’ was born on ‘the island’, and/or related!
Yes, poor Claire, alive or dead!
as alive as christian dabs..thats the best i can do on the one :]
That’s good enough for me, AES! I can’t wait to find out what happened to her.
on to your other theory for a moment
I like the idea of Locke himself creating the idea that he is significant. That seems appropriate. However, wasn’t Ben’s interest in Locke more to do with his miraculous healing? Mind you, the same could be said of Rose. Perhaps there is nothing special about John.
I wish I could work out what’s special about Aaron; I suspect that he’s next in line to take charge of the island (perhaps after Walt?), but Lost might not last long enough what becomes of him!
Thanks for your comment, Splice.
Locke wasn’t the only person who was experiencing the effects of ‘the island’ and its special properties. We could say the same for Walt, Hurley, etc.
What I am saying is, Locke was not the ‘chosen leader’ Alpert believed him to be. Ben, knowing this, utilized Locke to proper advantage.
I also believe at some point in future, Locke will be seen as a hero for his contributions. His sacrifice, being key to saving ‘the island’, the losties’ and mankind.
Not a leader, but a hero!
martyr dabs, he will sacrifice himself for the island, i love it
lol, AES. I seriously want to feel for Locke, but he seems so easy for manipulation.
Perhaps, this is what Locke’s ‘fate’ is. He is a true believer!
he maybe wasnt supposed to be leader, but if he sacrifices himself for the island and its inhabitants, i bet he would be praised by whoever was in the time period when he did it. If someone saved my life, i would probably dedicate something to them..a statue or sculpture maybe?..ah rambling thoughts
Maybe that’s why his character was named after the great philosopher!
I still have trouble not seeing Locke as, uh, a bit unhinged. Not because of the faith element of his character, but because he’s (as you’ve said) very easily manipulated. I suspect his part in the history of the island will be much smaller than he hoped.
Hi Splice, I am inclined to agree with you. Locke really wanted to be a leader. This was his ‘big chance’. Ben completely manipulated every aspect of Locke’s weakness.
In saying that, I do think whatever John Locke is remembered for, will be far greater than his expectations.
im with you on that dabs….but will he ‘live’ long enough to be a ble to see the results of his actions. I think the real world will give him no praise, but the islanders, or hostiles…he would be…
Back to Jacob’s identity…
Can Richard communicate with Jacob in 1954? Probably not. But he knows who Jacob is, as he reacts to Locke telling him ‘Jacob sent me’.
Jacob seems to exist in the 1954 skip of the island. This is prior to Horace arriving with Dharma or Christian Sheppard arriving on 815 (dead OR alive)… So this seems to discount theories that either of these are Jacob.
I am going to a seperate post to continue this line… If you are interested please consult ‘telephone booth’ in the theories posts…
AES, One of the episodes I am most looking forward to, is ‘The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham’. I think it’s going to be a ‘killer’, pun intended! lol
Andre7, You got that right! Richard knows all about Jacob, but appears to never have been able to communicate with him.
kimberly’s post ‘Changing the Future’ hits on an interesting thought which could also apply to Jacob. Jacob says to Locke, ‘Help Me’. What if Jacob is locked into a ‘time’ frame.
I look forward to your post!
Thanks for your comment!
I had no internet for a week because I switched suppliers, I come back on here and now I can’t keep up with all this amazing theorising! I like your post very much and I actually want John Locke to be more grandiose and integral than we ever imagined so top marks for the idea.
Wigster, Glad you’re back. You were missed!
You’re right, some amazing theories have been posted.
Seems likely you’ll get your wish about John Locke, too!
Thanks for your comment.
Hey – new here and don’t know how to post new questions…any help there?
Has anyone got any theories as to why Locke can walk now? Surely that won’t have anything to do with timetravel. Unless the O6 do travel back to the time of boarding the plane where able bodied Locke was dead and then came back to life when crashing on the island? Thoughts please 🙂
Don’t know if this is new, but I think my colleague answered my Locke walking question for me.
When the plane crashed on the island, there was a giant flash (like the ones we are seeing frequently on Season 5). Maybe the flash made the plane and The “Others” jump back to the past to a time before John’s accident happened, therefore making his disability redundant and also doing the same for Rose’s cancer. I also think that’s why children cannot be born on the island, as it is not in Real Time.
Only Ben and Richard are aware of the time travelling possibilities (as the other seem puzzled by the light) and so therefore know how every event will play out, therefore giving Ben the upper hand in every situation as he has already experienced it before (maybe even several times).
I truly believe Lost will end full circle, the writers will then not have to think too hard about an ending as there won’t be one. Locke says he is a man of faith, not of science, so I think everything is destiny. It will end as it starts, with everyone crashed on the island.
I’m not sure that theory works, completely. Juliet’s personal timeline is too clear. She was a doctor in the real world, came to the island, and has had occasional opportunities to see her sister. That, among many other examples, couldn’t have happened unless the island time was roughly aligned with real-world time.
Also, Ben’s surprise when he discovers his tumour wouldn’t have made much sense if that was the case. The island is definitely thought to have healing properties, not just postponing the inevitable.
Welcome to the site, by the way; you can write new theories and ask questions using the link bar at the top. x
jenana86, To post a question, click on write a theory. Underneath the theory box, there is another box where you can check off what section you are placing it under. Hope that is helpful!
jenana86, I really like the scenario you presented on how Lost will end. It is one that would definitely be appealing depending on how it played out.
I once felt it might be possible for the healing to have occurred for the reasons you stated. It is a GOOD thought.
I think Splice’s answer covers it nicely.
Splice, I just noticed you answered Jenan’s question. Thanks.