A Major Paradox?

 

    I hate to gloat, but how often did I have to say that there were loopholes in the whole "we can't change the past" thing before someone finally believed me?  As mentioned by the ill-fated Daniel Faraday in last night's LOST episode, "Variables," the past can be changed or, at least, adjusted.  The new mission on LOST: prevent the hatch from ever being built by destroying the island with a Hydrogen bomb.  If they succeed, Desmond will not have the push the button every 108 minutes, Desmond will not fail at pushing said button, Flight 315 will never crash, and the passengers arrive safely in Los Angeles.  Awesome!  Great operation for the Season Finale, but is it possible? 

    After bragging for a moment about being correct, now I'm going to contradict myself.  In this case, it is NOT possible to change the past.  Particularly, it is not possible to change your own past.  This is a mistake that Back to the Future also makes.  Marty McFly cannot be the cause of his never being born.  If he succeeds, he would never go back in time to prevent his never being born.  Confused?  Okay, let's make it easier.  Forgive the harshness of this example, but let's say you travel back in time and kill your mother when she is a child.  If you succeed, you would never be born, right?  But if you are never born, then who would go back and kill your mother as a child?  No one!  So if no one kills your mother, your birth would eventually occur.  It's a cycle which getting out of is simply impossible.   

    Let's take this theory and apply it to our passengers of Flight 815.  In September of 2004, they crashed on the island.  After traveling back to 1977, they now have the opportunity to prevent the crash from ever happening.  Let's say they succeed.  They land in Los Angeles.  Jack buries Dad, Hurley escapes his fortune, Kate goes to jail, Charlie does crack, etc.  Now that this crew is busy continuing on with their lives, who is going to travel back in time to stop the Hatch from being built in 1977?  No one!  And if no one prevents the Hatch from being built, Flight 815 still crashes on the island.  There is no way to prevent the crash.  But what if they actually succeed in their mission?  Doctor Emmett Brown would probably warn them that this even would create a major paradox - "A paradox?  You mean one of those things that can destroy the universe?"  "PRECISELY!" 

    My guess: the characters will never succeed in their mission, avoiding the paradox angle.  Locke and Ben (whom I still believe are brothers) will prevent their precious island from ever being decimated.  I would guess that some attempt at messing with the newly discovered "wheel" in 1977 may begin a new stream of time travel for the characters.  Perhaps it will send them back to 2007 to meet Locke, Ben, Sun and the "shadow of the sculpture" people.  I hope so.  I really want to see Jin meet Sun again.  What a moment that will be! 

    Again, at the risk of bragging, I must remind you that my prediction about Widmore being Faraday's father was right!  But will Penny ever find out that her half-brother (I say half-brother because I am now doubting my prediction that Eloise is Penny's mother) is the time travel genius who Desmond had to visit at Oxford?  I doubt it.  That will be left for only the audience to know!  But who knows? 

    We are getting to the end of a terrific season!  While I am sad, I can't help but fill with the excitement for the sixth and final season.  Remember, the producers told us that Season five was going to be boring compared to the final.  Is that possible?  They've set my expectations high, but this show has never failed to beat my expectations!  We shall see.  Tune in next week!