Just perusing youtube and found this. I think it's pretty old, from a few seasons ago probably, but check out Carlton Cuse's explanation about time travel in Lost.
transcript
Fan: This question is about time travel. Time travel is obviously a big part of Terminator, a big part of Lost and then we could mention Heroes, and tons of Hollywood films that are using time travel as a big component. The question is: any concern that that device might be coughed up or used or people might get tired of time travel popping up everywhere?
Cuse: We'll tell you yesterday. *Laughter*
Lindelof: That's always gold.
Someone: I told you tomorrow.
Cuse: Seriously... we'll here all weekend. You know, we hope that we are putting our own spin on time travel and uh, as Dan mentioned earlier for us, the kind of the key to time travel in Lost is that there is no paradox. So we aren't postulating alternate futures, we're not postulating a scenario where characters can alter their future. If you've seen a flash forward that event is immutable; it is not changeable. So you know as we sort of use that as a guiding criteria that we hope is going to define time travel in our show in a way that isn't an exact copy of the movies that you've seen.
*stands. applauds. louder and louder* woot!!! so glad you found this. this is excellent news and gets me even more excited for season 6! they have something totally original and fantastic and probably utterly simple up their sleeves. I have faith!
for those who are about to write that darlton has lied before. stop. re-research your information. they never lied. that sci fi magazine article wherein they said "no aliens and no time travel" was, in context, about season 1 and season 2 only and involved one big qualifying important word. YET. they said YET. the point of that article was how lost was a sci fi show in the closet. they were still trying to keep the sci fi element close to their vest. hence YET. they have never lied or mislead if you listened closely.
yeah i think this was a pretty famous quote as far as lost goes. So was Lindelof's comments after I think about not minding if shows were as creative and thought provoking as Lost. That was a pretty good defense of Lost.
most of Cuse's comments have already been contradicted. there's been tons of paradoxes and they even said they put in Locke's compass intentionally which is a paradox. Also the comments about characters not postulating scenarios where someone can change the future is also broken because Faraday did just that.
But this comment still holds true so far: "If you've seen a flash forward that event is immutable; it is not changeable." I think. The bottom line is if there is some alternate universe where seasons 1-5 did not happen then we have essentially been lied to.
Nice find and unless we are being lied to by the "Dynamic Duo", this show is not about alternate realities or futures or anything of the sort. As I felt all along the explanation for things going on in this show will be much more comprendable than what is being passed around in some of the theories in this forum.
Good reading but as a story would be too in-depth to maintain a broad audience.
I have pointed out this video on many time travel (and WHH) debates. Unfortunately, it would seem that the producers are full of crap and lie about everything - even when it comes to the most devoted fans.
yeah i think this was a pretty famous quote as far as lost goes. So was Lindelof's comments after I think about not minding if shows were as creative and thought provoking as Lost. That was a pretty good defense of Lost.
most of Cuse's comments have already been contradicted. there's been tons of paradoxes and they even said they put in Locke's compass intentionally which is a paradox. Also the comments about characters not postulating scenarios where someone can change the future is also broken because Faraday did just that.
But this comment still holds true so far: "If you've seen a flash forward that event is immutable; it is not changeable." I think. The bottom line is if there is some alternate universe where seasons 1-5 did not happen then we have essentially been lied to.
i need a little more explanation pls. what paradoxes? i am under the impression that we are not done with the compass yet. that it was in there intentionally because it will be resolved. its a clue. it appears to be a paradox and will not turn out to be one.
to which comments about postulating do you refer? i have never heard this.
i really do not understand why people say they lie? i wish someone would point out a definitive lie to me just once so i can get on board or something???!!!
They can't create any paradoxes because one philosopher believes in WHH and one believes in TCC. So, everything that said is true.
It has to be that way or one of the philosophers would be proven wrong and thats just not going to happen. As MiB said, we have tried this over and over again and get the same result....no reason to suspect differently this time.
And the end of the series, you will be able to argue either WHH or TCC, whatever you prefer to smoke.
__________________ "We set up this thematic debate between faith and empiricism, basically, in many different iterations of the show, that is what our story has been about"Carlton Cuse (1:00)
Carlton says no alternate futures
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