If Jack could travel back to the time of the crash, what would he do differently knowing now what he knows?

The following excerpt is from lost-isle.net. It raises the similarities between Ben in Tunisia and Jack's opening scene in the first episode. It raises the interesting question about Jack doing it right this time.

Remember in “The Shape of Things to Come”, when in the first scene we see Ben lying on the ground in Tunisia, appearing to have only woken up? At that point of the Season we didn’t know how, or why he ended up there. But as the Season Finale unfolded we are now set to believe that Ben ended up there as a result of moving the Island.

Now, in the very first scene of The Pilot, we see Jack Shepherd lying in the middle of the jungle when he wakes up startled. To me, this scene and the first scene of “The Shape of Things to Come” are very very similar, and I think the writers did it on purpose.

So, what does this mean?

Jack couldn’t have possibly moved the Island and then appeared in the middle of the jungle as a result, and even if he did he would’ve had some sort of recollection of what had happened.

I’m not entirely sure the why’s and what’s, but maybe the Island set Jack up in that position so that eventually Jack could return (from the past, from the future?) and repeat the events that have already occured, only this time, do them right?

Source: http://www.lost-isle.net/2008/06/09/the-hidden-clue-in-the-pilot/

Now if this was possible, and I am not saying it is, but what would Jack do (WWJD) if he could go back to the crash knowing everything he knows now?:

Some quick suggestions:

a) go to the beach and assist them, telling everyone to move away from the wreckage, that would save at least one life!
b) talk to Sun and tell her that he knows that he speaks english and is good at medicine and get her to help Claire and the other injured. Maybe he could show Claire a picture if his father?
c) maybe then he could head off with Sayid and Sawyer to the cockpit to save Seth Norris and get the transponder
d) head to the radio tower and turn off the transmission of Rousseau
e) head to othersville to take Ben captive, a surprise assault that Ben would not be expecting
f) head to where the tailies landed and unite the survivors from day one

These are just some possibilities.

What would you do if you were Jack and could go back and do things right this time?

Stitch

If everything turns out "OK" in the end, then maybe he did the right thing all along...

listen to locke

I don't like it. No offense. I did notice the similarities, and I too was suspicious, but I can't get it to work for me at all...

I don't think at this stage, or perhaps ever, will we will see Jack time travel back to the beginning, but it does raise some key issues, as to what Jack could have done differently if he knew then what he knows now.

Jack now knows the bearings and perhaps could have gotten Des and some of the others to use Desmond's yacht to find some real help.

Once they got far enough out to sea, then the transponder would have been able to be used.

If only Jack could have known then what he knows now.

THe deaths of Libby, Shannon, Boone, Charlie, Mr Eko, Nikki, Paulo and Ana-Lucia could all have been avoided.

Stitch

Thing is, if he did change stuff (and I've been a firm arguer (word?) that dispels this notion) then it only opens the door for unknown events to occur that he cannot control.

Like if he saves Seth Norris. Well, what if Seth Norris flips out and turns psycho and kills one of the Losties? There is simply no way Jack could measure the effect of saving his life.

I'd say Jack's best bet would be to get to the cockpit and get the emergency transponder. Take it back to Sayid to fix it. Hike to the radio tower to turn off the jammer and then activate the transponder.

Or, he could go straight to the Swan Station, get the jump on Desmond by telling him that the is his replacement. He could then get some guns and tell Des to keep pushing the button. He would then sneak up to the Flame Station, ambush Patchy and use the equipment there to send out a signal (I never believed it when Mikhael said that the comm gear no longer worked.)

Or he could go right to Ben and say "Jacob sent me to fix you...but there is a price..." that sure would mess with Ben's mind!

I dont think he could go back and change anything.....as we have learned in Lost, when its someones time, its just their time, so he couldnt have saved anyone. Perhaps he had to let events play out exactly as they did right up until the last minute when he would stay on the island instead of leaving.

I watched the pilot again the other day (in an attempt to convert a friend.....mission successful!) and noticed something about that first scene....when he runs out of the jungle onto the beach he doesn't look in the direction of the noise as you would expect, but he looks the other way down the beach and appears to be looking for something...then he turns and runs towards the noise. As he turns the camera pans around him, this could be the line between future Jack coming back, and then returning to the original Jack and his original time-line.

So yeah I think he has managed to get back somehow...perhaps he found the gateway in Tunisia (with Bens help) and got back that way and when he got there, he was looking for the others that had travelled with him....what he was looking for instead of looking towards the noise?

StitchExp626 wrote:what would Jack do (WWJD) if he could go back to the crash knowing everything he knows now?

It doesn't really matter, because the Universe would course-correct itself. Right?

Actually the course correction is a nonsense! If Charlie was supposed to die earlier, say struck by lighning, then course correction would have ensured that Charlie would die before he could do anything that would change the future.

However we know that he kept on living and was able to turn of the signal jammer and speak to Penny.

All these events would never have occurred if Charlie had have died in his earlier death scenarios. Desmond by keeping Charlie alive had an enormous impact on the future.

You cant change the future, absolutely not true. Desmond was told this by sources that I am sure we will see are less than truthful. You can change the future by the choices you make now!

Stitch

Yes I agree the future can be changed, what I meant was that when its some-ones time to die, that cant be changed. So Jack would be able to change the future, but he wouldn't be able to save anyone from their time....if it wasn't a lightening bolt etc etc.

StitchExp626 wrote:Actually the course correction is a nonsense!

Dude, I'll have to type I'M JOKING... or try to be really funny.

StitchExp626 wrote:If Charlie was supposed to die earlier, say struck by lighning, then course correction would have ensured that Charlie would die before he could do anything that would change the future.

However we know that he kept on living and was able to turn of the signal jammer and speak to Penny.

All these events would never have occurred if Charlie had have died in his earlier death scenarios. Desmond by keeping Charlie alive had an
enormous impact on the future.

That's a very good assumption. But... what if Charlie wasn't supposed to die earlier? My theory is this: Desmond was supposed to save Charlie to make him believe in his flashes, so he would admit he had to die on the Looking Glass... If Charlie had died struck by the lightning, the signal wouldn't have been jammed. But the Universe course-corrected itself, putting Desmond in the lightning's way...

StitchExp626 wrote:You cant change the future, absolutely not true. Desmond was told this by sources that I am sure we will see are less than truthful. You can change the future by the choices you make now!

Stitch

You can't. I'll discuss this later, but I'll give you some food for thought in the meanwhile: "The Red Queen's Race", by Isaac Asimov...

As it is nearly midnight here I will have to wait until the local library opens to check out The Red Queen's Race, and then I will get back to you!

Stitch

I don't really take too much from Ben's “landing” in Tunisa and Jacks waking up in the bamboo from the first episode. I really don't see anything similar except they are both splayed out on the ground.
I don’t want to count, but how many times have we seen somebodies closed eye suddenly open, in tight zoom in on our screen. It usually happens at the very beginning of the show.


And if at the end of the series, Jack sends himself back in time some how to save everyone…. Wouldn’t that mean that would be watching a continuous loop being played out? What we saw him do through all these episodes, would be the “correction” he should be making, but for some reason they are still the wrong choices that ultimately lead him towards going back in time somehow to save everyone….

Is that what Jack is really supposed to do, save everyone by starting a paradox time loop?
The whole time loop idea really bugs me for some reason.

How about the butterfly affect, one small change in the universe and it changes everything.

Lateralus wrote:The whole time loop idea really bugs me for some reason.

I copy that, brother.

If Jack could have gone back in time, he would get with Kate before Sawyer came along.

StitchExp626 wrote:As it is nearly midnight here I will have to wait until the local library opens to check out The Red Queen's Race, and then I will get back to you!

Stitch

OK, you didn't get back to me, right?

StitchExp626 wrote:

You cant change the future, absolutely not true. Desmond was told this by sources that I am sure we will see are less than truthful. You can change the future by the choices you make now!

Stitch

Totally agree.

Ms Hawking in fact contradicts herself, on one hand she says the universe course corrects so you can't change anything and on the other demands that Des go to the island or they will all die.

Occam

I tried to find the book at the library but it is not one they have. So I am afraid reading the Red Queen's Race may be a bit difficult.

Stitch

Lojozz that is a good point!

TheHolyStickman wrote:If Jack could have gone back in time, he would get with Kate before Sawyer came along.

Or he could have got with Sawyer before Kate came along!!!

Yeah, so then we'd be Jawyer or Kawyers.

Here's my $0.02:

Don't put all your time travel eggs into Jack's basket.

Molly, I get the felling you are not too fond of Jack. It's just a hunch. HaHa.