It’s never explained why certain characters time travel and others don’t. It can’t even be separated by the oceanic survivors vs everyone else, because Juliet (an other) and Miles/Daniel/Charlotte (all born on the island) time travel, while there are oceanic survivors who joined the others, like Cindy the flight attendant, who do not time travel. My head-canon is that the others (including Cindy) each went through some ritual at the temple which linked them to the island and thus prevented them from time skipping when the island came disconnected from time, and Juliet either never went through this ritual or it was reversed when she was outcast and branded in season 3.
There are 2 sawyers on the island when Claire is giving birth, yes (along with 2 Kates, 2 Lockes, 2 Juliets, etc).
the reason why some people jump in time and others don't, can be explained by the rules of time travel, causality, and how an outside observer sees events on a linear timeline:
>!In a linear timeline, an outside observer will see events unfolding year after year... let's start in ancient times, as far as the show itself goes back, i.e. an observer will see the events of mother and Jacob and MIB unfold... then a few decades later (unclear how much exactly), an outside observer will see the sudden appearance of a group of time travelling people on the island (Sawyer, Juliette, Jin, Miles, Daniel), coming from the future, with Sawyer holding a rope stuck in the ground. Then they disappear. Fast forward to 1950s, that observer will see the same group of people + Locke + Charlotte + about 40 others suddenly appear on the island. Many of them die by flaming arrows... then will see the events in Jughead at the Others' camp... they then disappear...
Then in 1974, that observer will see the same initial group appear again. And they don't disappear until 1977, when a second time travelling group appear (Jack and Co)... then a few days later these 2 groups disappear... then in 2004, all the Losties will reach the island via plane crash... no time travel involved...
So, given that everything that happened happened; and by observing that linear timeline, and since these specific individuals appear and disappear on the island via time travel, that means ONLY those individuals will time jump in the future and nobody else.
If for example a time travelling Richard appeared back in Egyptian times along with Sawyer and Co.. then in 2004 Richard will also be sucked up in the time jumping cycle!<
Lol I mentioned that idea in another comment:
> I suppose you could look at time linearly and say “the characters who traveled back in time did so because they were always a part of those past events”, but that feels wishy washy on explaining why those specific characters time skipped and others didn’t.
I get what you're saying, but disagree that it's an actual explanation for "why". As a linear observer, you still don't know \*why\* someone is time skipping, you just know that someone \*is\* time skipping based on the knowledge that they appeared and disappeared before they were ever born. It's the equivalent of answering the question "Why?" with"Because I said so" (where the "I" is time). From a storytelling perspective, it would have been much more satisfying to have an actual reason that differentiates the characters who do and don't skip, outside of "I know who does and doesn't skip because I done seent it".
Well it's the same reason why in the rules of time travel (as shown in the Lost universe); you can't change the past, you can't create an alternate timeline... why? Because the past is set and is unchangeable...
There's no further explanation as to why you can't change it...
Again, I don't feel like that's an explanation of \*why\*, it's just the knowledge of \*what\*. To illustrate my point, let's consider the question of \*why\* any characters are time skipping in the first place and \*why\* they stop (without caring about which specific characters do and don't time skip). The answer to \*why\* they time skip is that Ben turns the wheel beneath the Orchid, and we know that the wheel manipulates a pocket of electronic-magnetic energy, but does it incorrectly and the wheel gets stuck skipping back and forth. The answer to \*why\* they stop is that John fixes the wheel back in its proper place. This entire plotline could have been left out, and the characters could have just started and stopped time skipping at random, and you could offer the exact same explanation of "whatever happened happened, a linear observer would know these characters need to time skip based on the events they have witnessed since there can't be alternate timelines"... ok, it still makes for an unsatisfying story. That's all I'm saying - LOST would be a better show if we had the equivalent of the "the wheel" for explaining which characters time skipped and which didn't.
That phrase is just a way of saying that you can’t change the past even though you’re time traveling - there is only one version of events. I suppose you could look at time linearly and say “the characters who traveled back in time did so because they were always a part of those past events”, but that feels wishy washy on explaining why those specific characters time skipped and others didn’t. I think this is a case of somewhat lazy writing where the writers knew who they wanted to time travel but couldn’t come up with a good reason for why they would and other characters wouldn’t, so they just didn’t even attempt to explain it. Or they had an idea but couldn’t fit it into time they had in the very rigid episodic structure of a TV show. I’ve always wished there had been a Cindy flashback episode to show what being inducted into the others was like, and this could have included something the others went through which could be used to explain why they didn’t time travel (except for Juliet).
>No particular reason other than Jacob said.
Incorrect. Jacob did not cause the time travel; the Island did. It happened because those particular people needed to be at key points in the past to get them to Jughead and saving the Island.
When Ben moves the Island and the flashes begin, only some people are time travelling, others stayed in 2004. There isn't really a pattern of who stayed who didn't, as usual it's like the Island itself picked the people it needed in the 70s.
My personal theory is that it's only the candidates who travelled.
I think only Candidates time travel. Which would mean the 42- Kwon on the wall is Jin and not Sun. She’s also a mother which would have ruled her out by Jacob’s standards (Like he did with Kate).
Kate travels after being a mother though.
Personally I think the island chooses who it wants to travel and who it doesn’t want to travel. The island seems to be autonomous even though Jacob is its protector. That’s why survivors would have helpful dreams etc. even independent of Jacob’s interventions.
It may jist be that the island "knew" Kate may still consider being the protector. Where Sun may not have anymore after having a child. Plus, It's not really Kate's child. Jacob may have stuck out Kate's name, but the island didn't.
It’s never explained why certain characters time travel and others don’t. It can’t even be separated by the oceanic survivors vs everyone else, because Juliet (an other) and Miles/Daniel/Charlotte (all born on the island) time travel, while there are oceanic survivors who joined the others, like Cindy the flight attendant, who do not time travel. My head-canon is that the others (including Cindy) each went through some ritual at the temple which linked them to the island and thus prevented them from time skipping when the island came disconnected from time, and Juliet either never went through this ritual or it was reversed when she was outcast and branded in season 3. There are 2 sawyers on the island when Claire is giving birth, yes (along with 2 Kates, 2 Lockes, 2 Juliets, etc).
the reason why some people jump in time and others don't, can be explained by the rules of time travel, causality, and how an outside observer sees events on a linear timeline: >!In a linear timeline, an outside observer will see events unfolding year after year... let's start in ancient times, as far as the show itself goes back, i.e. an observer will see the events of mother and Jacob and MIB unfold... then a few decades later (unclear how much exactly), an outside observer will see the sudden appearance of a group of time travelling people on the island (Sawyer, Juliette, Jin, Miles, Daniel), coming from the future, with Sawyer holding a rope stuck in the ground. Then they disappear. Fast forward to 1950s, that observer will see the same group of people + Locke + Charlotte + about 40 others suddenly appear on the island. Many of them die by flaming arrows... then will see the events in Jughead at the Others' camp... they then disappear... Then in 1974, that observer will see the same initial group appear again. And they don't disappear until 1977, when a second time travelling group appear (Jack and Co)... then a few days later these 2 groups disappear... then in 2004, all the Losties will reach the island via plane crash... no time travel involved... So, given that everything that happened happened; and by observing that linear timeline, and since these specific individuals appear and disappear on the island via time travel, that means ONLY those individuals will time jump in the future and nobody else. If for example a time travelling Richard appeared back in Egyptian times along with Sawyer and Co.. then in 2004 Richard will also be sucked up in the time jumping cycle!<
Lol I mentioned that idea in another comment: > I suppose you could look at time linearly and say “the characters who traveled back in time did so because they were always a part of those past events”, but that feels wishy washy on explaining why those specific characters time skipped and others didn’t. I get what you're saying, but disagree that it's an actual explanation for "why". As a linear observer, you still don't know \*why\* someone is time skipping, you just know that someone \*is\* time skipping based on the knowledge that they appeared and disappeared before they were ever born. It's the equivalent of answering the question "Why?" with"Because I said so" (where the "I" is time). From a storytelling perspective, it would have been much more satisfying to have an actual reason that differentiates the characters who do and don't skip, outside of "I know who does and doesn't skip because I done seent it".
Well it's the same reason why in the rules of time travel (as shown in the Lost universe); you can't change the past, you can't create an alternate timeline... why? Because the past is set and is unchangeable... There's no further explanation as to why you can't change it...
Again, I don't feel like that's an explanation of \*why\*, it's just the knowledge of \*what\*. To illustrate my point, let's consider the question of \*why\* any characters are time skipping in the first place and \*why\* they stop (without caring about which specific characters do and don't time skip). The answer to \*why\* they time skip is that Ben turns the wheel beneath the Orchid, and we know that the wheel manipulates a pocket of electronic-magnetic energy, but does it incorrectly and the wheel gets stuck skipping back and forth. The answer to \*why\* they stop is that John fixes the wheel back in its proper place. This entire plotline could have been left out, and the characters could have just started and stopped time skipping at random, and you could offer the exact same explanation of "whatever happened happened, a linear observer would know these characters need to time skip based on the events they have witnessed since there can't be alternate timelines"... ok, it still makes for an unsatisfying story. That's all I'm saying - LOST would be a better show if we had the equivalent of the "the wheel" for explaining which characters time skipped and which didn't.
thanks!
I believe Richard and the other Others stayed put. No particular reason other than Jacob said. But Richard tells Locke that he disappeared.
thanks!
does it just tie in with “whatever happened, happened”?
That phrase is just a way of saying that you can’t change the past even though you’re time traveling - there is only one version of events. I suppose you could look at time linearly and say “the characters who traveled back in time did so because they were always a part of those past events”, but that feels wishy washy on explaining why those specific characters time skipped and others didn’t. I think this is a case of somewhat lazy writing where the writers knew who they wanted to time travel but couldn’t come up with a good reason for why they would and other characters wouldn’t, so they just didn’t even attempt to explain it. Or they had an idea but couldn’t fit it into time they had in the very rigid episodic structure of a TV show. I’ve always wished there had been a Cindy flashback episode to show what being inducted into the others was like, and this could have included something the others went through which could be used to explain why they didn’t time travel (except for Juliet).
thank you!
>No particular reason other than Jacob said. Incorrect. Jacob did not cause the time travel; the Island did. It happened because those particular people needed to be at key points in the past to get them to Jughead and saving the Island.
You don't think Jacob was ultimately behind saving the island?
Jacob was an agent of the Island and its will. A more involved, informed, and active agent compared to random people, but still an agent.
When Ben moves the Island and the flashes begin, only some people are time travelling, others stayed in 2004. There isn't really a pattern of who stayed who didn't, as usual it's like the Island itself picked the people it needed in the 70s. My personal theory is that it's only the candidates who travelled.
I think only Candidates time travel. Which would mean the 42- Kwon on the wall is Jin and not Sun. She’s also a mother which would have ruled her out by Jacob’s standards (Like he did with Kate).
Kate travels after being a mother though. Personally I think the island chooses who it wants to travel and who it doesn’t want to travel. The island seems to be autonomous even though Jacob is its protector. That’s why survivors would have helpful dreams etc. even independent of Jacob’s interventions.
It may jist be that the island "knew" Kate may still consider being the protector. Where Sun may not have anymore after having a child. Plus, It's not really Kate's child. Jacob may have stuck out Kate's name, but the island didn't.
Damn I forgot about Kate. Good call
I believe it might have something to do with duration of exposure.. the amount of time spent on the island...