Dharma food drop

[Tekkaman]

Hi everybody,

I have been struggling with this ever since season 2 I believe. At a certain point there is large dharma crate with food dropped right in front of the losties. But as we all know Dharma was at that point no longer active on the island.
I visit this site frequent, but never saw an explanation or reference to this.
I know this is not directly related to season 5 but it keeps hurting my head.
So if anybody knows something that i missed....

[Jas0n]

Very good question.  I completely forgot about the food drops. Now that we are learning so much about the history of the island... its even more puzzling.  My theory is that the Swan station is the only station that received food drops, because the people inside didn't have time to pick up supplies. I am however confused as to where the food drops were coming from after the DHARMA Initiative was purged by "The Others". Maybe the food drops were coming from somewhere off the island? We know the Lamp Post has the ability to find the Island.  Someone was constantly pushing that button for a longtime, maybe the mystery food droppers didn't know that the DHARMA Initiative is gone until the Swan imploded. I could go on forever about that theory... but I'll spare you.

[Tekkaman]

The fact that there was a Dharma food drop means that at that point someone did the drop at the exact location. It could be Dharma thinking that station was still active, but that confuses me even more. But we know Dharma can find the Island through Miss Hawking'  dharma toys. So is it safe to conclude Dharma is still active but not willing to come back to the Island, but they do feel responsibable for any Dharma leftovers. They don't dare to come back to rescue any survivors, and dropping food packs is the least they can do?

[grizn0]

I have a theory on the food drop we saw land on front of the losties but a lot of people will disagree with me. But I think it makes sense. Basically, the whole pushing of the button I think was done to hide the island from Widmore or anyone trying to find it. This is not the absurd part... this is. I feel the only way to really hide the island from someone who has access to the Lamp Post would be to hide it in time. I think the pushing of the button every 108 minutes reset the island to a certain point in time and would go through the same 108 minutes repeating istelf until the failsafe was turned. This could explain why the drops kept comming. How? Because the drop was the same drop over and over. The island was repeating a time when the drops still happened and one of those drops was during the time the island was repeating in.

Before you say anything, I am skeptical of this myself. So please feel free to dispute. 

[tonysee200x]

I always wondered if the drops were done long ago, but utilize the way time changes when the island is approached. So even though the drops were done in the past, they arrive at regular intervals in the future. -- So changes on the island like who is in charge and who actually gets the drops does not effect the delivery, it is already done.

(boy it is hard to pick what tense to write something like that, I hope it makes sense, I know what I mean and am not sure it makes sense to me)

[BobBX542]

I have a theory on the food drop we saw land on front of the losties but a lot of people will disagree with me. But I think it makes sense. Basically, the whole pushing of the button I think was done to hide the island from Widmore or anyone trying to find it. This is not the absurd part... this is. I feel the only way to really hide the island from someone who has access to the Lamp Post would be to hide it in time. I think the pushing of the button every 108 minutes reset the island to a certain point in time and would go through the same 108 minutes repeating istelf until the failsafe was turned. This could explain why the drops kept comming. How? Because the drop was the same drop over and over. The island was repeating a time when the drops still happened and one of those drops was during the time the island was repeating in.

Before you say anything, I am skeptical of this myself. So please feel free to dispute. 

I always wondered if the drops were done long ago, but utilize the way time changes when the island is approached. So even though the drops were done in the past, they arrive at regular intervals in the future. -- So changes on the island like who is in charge and who actually gets the drops does not effect the delivery, it is already done.

(boy it is hard to pick what tense to write something like that, I hope it makes sense, I know what I mean and am not sure it makes sense to me)

It seems like you two are saying something similar, and griz that does make sense in a way, as does what you're saying tony. My thought on it is this, when Sawyer and crew were traveling through time with the flashes, it seemed as if no one but them could notice them, so maybe the drop happened at a time when the island was flashing, and it just got sent to 2004. I mean, if we're going to accept time travel on the show, these explanations make just as much sense.

The thing that has me thinking though is that in the episode where we see Ben kill his dad, doesn't he mention that they have to drop some supplies off at the Swan?? So my question is this then, if in order to get supplies to the Swan, all they had to do was drive there, at what point were the deliveries taken over by an air drop?? Must have been something they felt was strong or lethal enough to keep them away from the area, if not the whole island, and paint the "quarantine" on the inside of the hatch. Are we thinking post purge or no??

[grizn0]

Good point Bob; it could have been post purge. Dharma most likely continued to operate for a period of time afterwards. The "hostiles" didn't know anything about The Swan last time I heard so, it is possible that Dharma had to change the delivery method after the purge. I also like the idea that a drop was made during the flashes and took it to 2004. Good thinking.

[BobBX542]

Good point Bob; it could have been post purge. Dharma most likely continued to operate for a period of time afterwards. The "hostiles" didn't know anything about The Swan last time I heard so, it is possible that Dharma had to change the delivery method after the purge. I also like the idea that a drop was made during the flashes and took it to 2004. Good thinking.

Everynow and then I churn out a good one. And let me clarify what I was saying before people start picking me apart. Since the only people that notice the flashes were the people going through them, if the food drop fell during a flash and was sent to the future, the survivors wouldn't have noticed the flash.

[grizn0]

Good point Bob; it could have been post purge. Dharma most likely continued to operate for a period of time afterwards. The "hostiles" didn't know anything about The Swan last time I heard so, it is possible that Dharma had to change the delivery method after the purge. I also like the idea that a drop was made during the flashes and took it to 2004. Good thinking.

Everynow and then I churn out a good one. And let me clarify what I was saying before people start picking me apart. Since the only people that notice the flashes were the people going through them, if the food drop fell during a flash and was sent to the future, the survivors wouldn't have noticed the flash.

That makes total sense. But they did see/hear the crate falling in the jungle right?

[golfstrom]

II think the pushing of the button every 108 minutes reset the island to a certain point in time and would go through the same 108 minutes repeating istelf until the failsafe was turned. This could explain why the drops kept comming. How? Because the drop was the same drop over and over. The island was repeating a time when the drops still happened and one of those drops was during the time the island was repeating in.

But wouldn't that mean that the food drops would happen once in every 108 minutes?

[grizn0]

II think the pushing of the button every 108 minutes reset the island to a certain point in time and would go through the same 108 minutes repeating istelf until the failsafe was turned. This could explain why the drops kept comming. How? Because the drop was the same drop over and over. The island was repeating a time when the drops still happened and one of those drops was during the time the island was repeating in.

But wouldn't that mean that the food drops would happen once in every 108 minutes?

IF my theory was right then, yes. But I really don't think its exactly as I explain it. I did say I was skeptical of my own theory haha. But yeah, thats what I'm saying up there I guess.

[MangoBingo]

Here's my theory from nearly a year ago...

http://lost.cubit.net/forum/index.php?topic=8046.msg405131#msg405131

It's a bit different to everybody else's theories.

I've snuck on the net at work! Yay!

[BobBX542]

Good point Bob; it could have been post purge. Dharma most likely continued to operate for a period of time afterwards. The "hostiles" didn't know anything about The Swan last time I heard so, it is possible that Dharma had to change the delivery method after the purge. I also like the idea that a drop was made during the flashes and took it to 2004. Good thinking.

Everynow and then I churn out a good one. And let me clarify what I was saying before people start picking me apart. Since the only people that notice the flashes were the people going through them, if the food drop fell during a flash and was sent to the future, the survivors wouldn't have noticed the flash.

That makes total sense. But they did see/hear the crate falling in the jungle right?

Right, because the crate was forced into the time (if that's what happened) so it was actually there. But remember when they were asking how it got there, and that they didn't hear a plane or chopper or anything?? That would explain it...kinda.

[grizn0]

Good point Bob; it could have been post purge. Dharma most likely continued to operate for a period of time afterwards. The "hostiles" didn't know anything about The Swan last time I heard so, it is possible that Dharma had to change the delivery method after the purge. I also like the idea that a drop was made during the flashes and took it to 2004. Good thinking.

Everynow and then I churn out a good one. And let me clarify what I was saying before people start picking me apart. Since the only people that notice the flashes were the people going through them, if the food drop fell during a flash and was sent to the future, the survivors wouldn't have noticed the flash.

That makes total sense. But they did see/hear the crate falling in the jungle right?

Right, because the crate was forced into the time (if that's what happened) so it was actually there. But remember when they were asking how it got there, and that they didn't hear a plane or chopper or anything?? That would explain it...kinda.

I do remember that.

And Mango, while I don't disagree with your theory, I don't know if I can agree either. Ben being behind the food getting to the losties is possible. But if I remember correctly, the crate of food made a noise that drew the attention of the losties which brought them to find it. Thats why I'm thinking Bob's way in the sense that it fell "out of nowhere"... sucked through time.

[golfstrom]

Here's my theory from nearly a year ago...

An interesting one, Mango. I just don't see how "preposterously long shelf-life" could possibly provide "the women of child-bearing age to remain healthy"

  

I've snuck on the net at work! Yay!

>>whisper<<
I've done the same thing earlier today