What do you think "the creature" is?

[breatheAbreath]

I didn't know about this aspect of the show beforehand and I'm loving it. I brought this topic up on IMDb and someone mentioned the little-known chupacabra (http://paranormal.about.com/cs/chupacabra/?once=true&), which is kind of like bigfoot in that there's a lot of reports of people seeing it, but it's not "confirmed" to be real.

However, I'd be surprised to see that used on a major network's [new] show. I was first leaning towards a dinosaur under the assumption this is actually taking place in another world or dimension which will eventually be revealed.

Thoughts?

[Barbara1969]

As long as it's not the spinosaurus from "Jurassic Park III" I don't care. :lol

And I thought chupacabras were not quite as large as this creature is assumed to be. I'm not sure. I'm thinking its reptilian for some reason, but it could be mammalian.

I want it to be a dragon, because I sort of have a thing for dragons. It comes from too much fantasy reading, especially Anne McCaffrey.

[breatheAbreath]

That's a good point about chupacabras being smaller. I think you're right.

And I agree, a dragon would be cool, but I think the show would lose a lot of viewers if it went down that route.

[once alone]

Well they've said it's not a dino, so I'm set, lol

I'm not really focused on the creature that much (i wanna know what it is though lol) It's very mysterious though. And it seems so big, yet not...

[ReyvnDarKnight]

Consider this, remember the Prisoner? If anyone tried to escape from the Village, that person was returned by a mysterious device.

Maybe this creature is the same but far more destructive in nature. Maybe whoever or whatever brought the plane down uses the creature to keep survivors in line.

[Latuki Max]

I'm thinking its something more mechanical...

Someone else brought up that it might just be whatever they fear most, much like in the movie Sphere.

I'm not sure at this point.

[MsAllegro]

Speaking of "Village" it could be mechanical-- maybe bulldozers, like in that movie.

[Jettison99]

I think it might be their imagination. Like the island responds to their fears etc.

I have a feeling they won't show the truth until the season finale -_- (JJ Abrams style)

[chaos28]

If they do even show it by then.

At two different points tonight, I was sure the creature sounded like an elephant, but that would just be retarded. It also had a distinct mechanical kind of noise to it.

[AceOfDiamonds]

At this juncture, my guess would be that the "beast" is a mechanical monstrousity. The noise emanted by the "beast" is not one you'd hear from any lifeform, and I don't think it's possible for any lifeform to create it -- unless they were absolutely huge in size -- but if it were that massive to make such sound, it would have to be several times bigger than the surrounding flora, and you'd easily see it coming. No T-Rex or King Kong is likely to "howl" quite like that. I'm thinking one of the following:

A: That it's a MechWarrior-style giant "mech", similar to the types you'd see in Japanese sci-fi, being controlled by someone who has something to hide. This would be the most "traditional" answer, so I doubt it's true, just like I doubt it's a dinosaur or a giant ape.

B: It looks like a carbon-based lifeform, but the insides are actually mechanical. Think the "Scooby-Doo" monsters, and how they're always "unmasked" to be man-made at the end.

C: It's some remnant of an advanced alien race, which would support an "out of this world" kind of theory as to the island's very existence. If it were a higher-dimensional lifeform, that would explain why no one can see the monster, even though it's really there. Also, if it had a drastically different structure than humans, it could reflect wavelengths unable to be seen by the human eye -- which would explain why they can "hear" the "monster", but not "see" it.

D: They're already dead, and they're experiencing something equivalent to the Afterworld. It's either the traditionalist view of religion (in which case the island itself would best represent Purgatory, with those who are "dead" reaching heaven or hell) or it's a non-traditionalist view, in which case the island could represent any barrier to enlightenment. Or, following the reincarnation train of thought, if you wanted to think of it from a slightly Buddhist perspective, this is a waypoint before reincarnation, in which one is able to reflect and bring in closure to their previous lives before "trying again." In these cases, the ultimate irony would be that the monster could very well be seen as a good thing, as "death" actually means a return to the world of the living, or enlightenment/heaven.

:hat

[railwaymadness]

I like C, particularly in an "Elder Gods" way.

Perhaps they were brought there, but not by this creature. They could have been sent to torment it. It seems tormented.

[Suil Liath]

Damon in a recent interview said everything is based in reality. And they hint we're gonna be blown away.

I thought it made a rather metalic sound last night. As opposed to whatever sound it was making on the pirated version on the 'net. but then that was a DL and sound wasn't that good.

Of course it being an afterlife is very existential. did not Sartre say in "No Exit"

"Hell is other people."


-Kit-

[yawndave]

At one point, I think it was Jack who said something about a "gargantuan" problem. I had to smile, because there's a 1966 Japanese flick called "War of the Gargantuas". In it, one of the monsters grabs a hapless victim, chews her up, and spits out her clothes.

[Gluemeat]

Mark my words: the dog is the creature. He shapeshifts when there is no sunlight into el beasto gigantico.

[Master Xander]

Well, I wouldn't be surprised if JJ Abrams were aware of that film, honestly. :p

[klemrick]

Hmmm maybe its Godzilla:rollin

seriouslly though...isn't it strange that whatever it is seems so BIG and yet they haven't seen it? Don't you think if it was that big you couldn't help but see at least an arm, leg...something?

[boobtuber]

see I think because it's so big, but they can't see it, that either it's just a fast animal but they're freaking out because of their general fear of the unknown on the island, or else it's maybe psychological? I"m sure there is a very logical explanation. ...and I am on the edge of my seat til next time...

scenes for next week...the handcuffs? whose do you think those are?

[klemrick]

um...the handcuffs...maybe they were in someone's luggage as a party gift? ;)

[Master Xander]

Idea stolen from TWoP, but someone mentioned that tornadoes make odd mechanical sounds and can suck people out of plane cockpits.

So, weather distrubance is another possibility.

Just throwing it out.

[Jettison99]

I just hope it isn't something lame like a bulldozer from some development construction crew on the Island or a figment of their imaginations or something stupid like that.

[LordFlies]

Maybe a creature that was born during the USA testing of the atomic and nuclear bomb.A radiation creature gone evil.I think one of the survivors knows something about it. The creature may have recognized the pilot uniform to be military and that is why it attacked only him. There are some wild cats that keep their fresh kills in trees so others can't find them, the creature may have the same type of instincts.But the sound they make sounds mechanical.
Also remember the book "Lord of the Flies" was'nt the leader type was a guy named Jack and it takes place after a plane crash and survivors are stranded on a deserted island?

[ReyvnDarKnight]

Yeah, Im beginning to think the same thing. Revealing the "creature/monster" might be a "jumping the shark" situation.

[Arunno]

Maybe this creature is an intellgent lifeform and it's just out to terrorize for fun. Or probably something mechanical (guessing from the sounds it was emanating). Anyways, I like how this show is making me think for once. Unlike those crap reality shows.

eh..edited for too much spoiling. :)

[DamnedBee]

A government experiment gone horribly wrong (or horribly right).

Judging from JJ's fondness for gov't conspiracies and from the fact that there's a possibly domesticated dog running around, my guess is that there's some secret government facility nearby.

[m3 mys3lf and 1]

If it were a large meat eater, it would have no problem following the smell of blood and dead bodies or walking right out onto the beach for a snack.

-m3

[klemrick]

I thought about that too...it is strange that it doesn't come down to the beach and go for the dead. And also, the pilot was bloody but he wasn't devoured.

[Memoh]

Didn't one of the characters say it sounded familiar? I thought it sounded like the hunting horns. Or what would come out of roughly made hunting horns. Could the "creature" be a band of lost humans?

where is Fiji? If it's close to Australia, it might be a lost band of penal colonists headed for Australia.

[jazoof]

Well, considering that it could likely be mechanical, the idea of the dog belonging to a military base starts to make some sense to me. Perhaps the reason the pilot was killed right after the others discovered him was that he is linked to the government and may know something or figure out something that no one (nor us) can find out. And when some other survivor(s) start to catch on to something or get near some military base or similar area they would get killed to, if this is the case. I think that would possibly be a reason the wings emblem was shown aside from giving Kate and Charlie the clue that the pilot was around that spot. Or not.

[JacksGirlfriend]

Hi - As you can see I've already claimed Jack, so hands off, ladies (or gentlemen as the case may be). I didn't get that metallic sound everyone is talking about. It was other-worldly but I thought of it as natural. I'll have to listen better next week as I was kind of busy just experiencing it all. My theory is they punched a hole in reality. The turbulence wasn't really turbulence but a consequence of a some kind of rip in time and space. I'm thinking the monster is some kind of "predator" like form - perhaps able to morph and disguise according to his environment and if they're in another reality, literally anything can happen. I'm also not sure the creature is entirely "evil". It seems to be cleaning up the environment. It grabbed the pilot and "put him away" but it didn't really eat him. The mauling seemed a consequence of the grabbing. I also think the dog is exactly what he appears - a dog belonging to the little boy. He's shell-shocked like everyone else.

[toonaspie]

I'm kinda dissappointed with the possibility that this might be a scifi deal. The idea has been done to bits.

What I was thinking was that it is something very realistic but clevery portrayed through camera techniques as something supernatural. Ever seen The Village?

[breatheAbreath]

theory is they punched a hole in reality. The turbulence wasn't really turbulence but a consequence of a some kind of rip in time and space. This is what I'm starting to think, much like in "The Langoliers". They've stumbled into another reality where many more things are possible there than they are here.

However, the government conspiracy thing is also a huge possibility in my mind. I think someone said something about the island being a place for the government to breed mutant creatures. That's an interesting thought.

[SpringleRing DragonLady]

It was difficult to pinpoint ANY sound. I wasn't even sure I was actually hearing anything at first. And then when the rainstorm was raging and the group was on the beach and they heard the monster again I didn't hear anything then either... Hmmmm...

[EDogStorm]

Well, I think it sounds mechanical and one of the women said it reminded her of Brooklyn, which makes me think of the sound of the elevated trains. I’m going with a machine built by some inhabitants of the island. It could be people that were shipwrecked there a long time ago or an unknown civilization.

[Latuki Max]

There's a Zoo in the Bronx. And I'd like to point out that we'll know what the creature is soon enough. The creature isn't the point of the show- the characters are.

I can only hope this show doesn't suffer from the Laura Palmer effect. Back on Twin Peaks, everyone became obessesed with knowing who Laura's killer was... and halfway through the series when it was revealed, people lost interest. The show remained clever and even got BETTER, but it still couldn't avoid cancellation. From ABC, no less.

[ReyvnDarKnight]

toonaspie:
--I'm kinda dissappointed with the possibility that this might be a scifi deal. The idea has been done to bits.

What I was thinking was that it is something very realistic but clevery portrayed through camera techniques as something supernatural. Ever seen The Village? --

Actually, I think you are refering to the show "The Prisoner" which was located in a mysterious place called The Village.

Yeah in an earlier post I drew a parallel between this show and The Prisoner. I think the creature in Lost fills the same niche that "Rover", a mysterious mechanical device in The Prisoner, served which was to returned escaping Villagers to the Village. However, I think the creature on the island serves a far more sinister purpose.

[JacksGirlfriend]

Although it's fun to speculate, I don't think it really matters what the creature is except from a story arc perspective. As much as I like horror in general, the "monster" means little if there's no connection with the characters and their lives (the most important part of any story). I've watched lots of people get eaten and never even cared. I do think I'll care about these people and I happen to like survival and "end of the world" scenarios because they separate the sheep from the shepherds. I like to see the hero emerge from the common man and see what it takes. I would prefer though that the creature not be mechanical or some kind of government experiment. That's a flashback to too many bad movies. I'm still voting for the hole in reality, but how about an alien abduction gone horribly wrong?

[dirtyK]

The monster's not eating the pilot and then displaying the dead body in the tree indicates that it's not a meat-eater and shows some intelligence or something else behind (controlling) it.
Whatever it is, right now it doesn't make sense. If it is some sort of scare device to keep the survivors on shore, why is it coming so close to shore where i could be revealed. And someone has to check on it's damage / footprints to get some indication of what's out there.

[Suil Liath]

Damon Lindelof in one of his interviews witih lost-tv said to us that very thing -- the Laura Palmer effect. They definiately want to avoid that!!!

-Kit-

[CosmoZero]

I obviously don't know...but a few guesses. Could be as someone mentioned already that the trees are alive somehow.

This would explain why when running from the broken front part of the plane after the pilot was snatched from the cockpit that Charlie tripped (or was he grabbed ??) and thus he could not get up and keep running.

Instead, Jack had to come back and free Charlie from the root. No way could a root you trip on keep you down. It must have grabbed on ?? Aaahh yes, becoming more clear.

The trees are perhaps are put into motion by a sound (a mechanical sound). Maybe.

Charlie may have brought some tree walker type guys from Lord of the Rings with him. Meaning some trees, but not all are alive and can move (big thund sounds as they walk) and groan.

Tree limbs snag pilot up from cockpit and kill him in the process and then hang him out to dry on their limbs??

[pinnerman]

Do I get a prize if I guess the creature correctly?




p073.ezboard.com/flostthe...seriesfrm2 (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm2)

[Barbara1969]

The trees are alive? Am I the only one having flashbacks to Fangorn Forest? :lol

I do like the idea of the turbulence actually being a rift in time and space. A bit like a wormhole, maybe?

[knelly86]

When I'd first seen the first episode, I thought the "gargantuan thing's" (sp?) noise was quite natural, but in retrospect (and aided by the fact I recorded it) I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a somewhat mechanical sound. It almost sounded like a construction site.

As for the trees moving, and no one being able to see something that would (most would thing) have to be quite tall to do that, it could perhaps be smaller, and be jumping from tree to tree. It has already been shown that it can get up high (i mean it was on top of the plane, and that wasn't even sitting level on the ground. Jack, Kate and Charlie had to climb upwards to get to the cockpit), and the fact that the pilot's body was in a hight tree.

Of course, I would lean towards the government conspiracy assumption. I mean, if you really look at Jack's actions, the way he reacts to things, how he speaks, and the types of things that he knows, there is more than meets the eye. If you take into account the way he answered Kate when asked how he knew what he knew about the tranceiver (sp?) he kind of stalled his reply. And then after he'd gone back to help Charlie and they couldn't find him, how he acted when he came out again was sort of odd. Almost too calm, like he knows more that he's willing to reveal. If it is a conspiracy, then it could be possible that he's in on it.

Of course, there were moments when I first watched it that it felt like I was watching something out of a Jurassic Park movie, I don't think it could be a dinosaur, at least in the sense that we know them as. (Though I'm not completely disreguarding the notion.) And I found the idea that they're all already dead quite an intriguing (sp?) one.

And has anyone else wondered where the hell the gun came from, and who brought it? and, more importantly, who gave it to the jerky-wannabe-bad-boy? (of course, that's just my opinion on him.) Also, the handcuffs could also point towards conspiracy.

Any more thoughts?

[jazoof]

This is what I'm starting to think, much like in "The Langoliers". They've stumbled into another reality where many more things are possible there than they are here.

I agree...the first time I viewed the show I thought of the Langoliers...I wasn't sure of the title of the book/movie but I felt it had a Steven King-esque creepiness and terror of unseen things making loud possibly mechanical or living noises lurking in the depths and scaring people trapped around them to death. Although I wouldn't be satisfied if the things in this series turned out to be little black chomping ball things that eat all of reality. Although something involving a hole in reality would be interesting.

And the idea about Charlie bringing the living trees back from LOTR sounds quite interesting also...hmm.

[Number9]

Another of the theories...about the island manifesting their fears, or the actions being controlled by someone/thing else is also very reminiscent of Desperation or the Regulator both by King, the latter being under a pseudonym.

In Desperation, people are being held captive in a seemingly deserted town off of a little used highway by a psycho cop who turns out being possessed by something that had been disturbed from its slumber by an autistic boy...

In the regulators, the autistic boy's subconscious is manifesting itself in reality in a sleepy town...the books aren't a series...but the odd thing is that they contain the exact same characters except the situations aren't the same and the personalities vary. Its almost like alternate universes connected by the child.

Now don't strangle me if these descriptions of these books is off i read them years ago and am only reciting what i can remember...its even possible i have meshed concepts of the books together, regardless there is, as it has been mentioned before uncanny parallel.

[TechnoChickenBone]

I've read both before as well, and as far as I can remember, you have it about right.

[roar822]

I think the survivors have been set up and little, if any, of what they are experiencing is 'real', but has actually been contrived by someone behind the scenes. Kind of a sick version of The Truman Show movie. So I think the monster is a fake; not even one specific machine, but whatever 'special effects' whoever is behind this needs to make it seem there is a monster.

[Kpretzer]

When I first saw Part 1 my first thought was that the metallic roaring sound was large pieces of the jet falling from the trees. As the night fell, the wind rose or the rain fell, and perhaps large pieces were falling through the trees. That theory was shot down by the pilot getting dragged out the cockpit window.

A second possibility is automated robot sentinels patrolling the island, self-repairing but abandoned by their creators (military or aliens).

Given the recent advent of movies with a twist (Sixth Sense, The Village, The Forgotten, etc) I suspect another mindf....k and its purgatory or a virtual reality.

But then the guy getting sucked up in the jet turbine seems uncalled for.

I'll give it some more thought, and refine things as I watch each episode.

Enjoy!

Keith

[Barbara1969]

Handcuffs and a gun = federal marshal aboard the plane. To me, that is the only explanation that makes sense. Somebody aboard the plane was his prisoner.

The creature...I still don't know. Alligators have been known to kill their prey and then drag it off to be eaten later (hence the pilot's body in the tree) but then again, the pilot wasn't completely devoured. Maybe a 'bite and spit' situation? That phrase was coined by a graduate student researching great white sharks. They bite (which can be devastating to humans) but then don't necessarily consume their prey, mainly because they realize that it's (meaning a human) not their typical diet.

I still think it's some sort of animal. The way the pilot was killed makes me think that it's not a robot, although I find that possibility intriguing. What about a real life animal: a Komodo dragon?

[Chimera47]

I agree with part D -- based on the fact that they said it's grounded on reality, I rule out dinosaurs, monsters, or even anything mechanical (which would be technologically possible but cheezy). However, if the died and are in purgatory, a lot of what happened actually makes sense. And it would be incredible for a show (of any kind) to deeply explore what potentially happens in such a scenario (I like all the variations you mentioned, including the Hindu perspective).
My only concern is that JJ's shows (Alias, Felicity) tend to take off spectacularly, but take wrong turns which alienate viewers afterwards. I hope that doesn't happen here.

[Chimera47]

I just thought of another interesting part that makes me lean towards the idea of purgatory: the show's title is "Lost", and a reviewer made the point that it might as well be named "Marooned", as in "marroned on a remote island." But it must be named "Lost", instead of "Marooned" for a reason. Lost can refer to the "Lost souls", and not strictly be a geographic reference like we all assume...

[edinkc]

secret lab. genetically altered animals. dead scientists. sounding like a certain Dean Koontz book. probably i am wrong.

[Akoss]

My guess is that everyone is dead and actually trapped in someone else's Limbo (probably the french girl's).

Perhaps the girl on the radio actually died on the island long before them and now the troubled souls of the more recent crash are trapped in her "nightmare" as it were. Perhaps the french girl was some sort of biologist or explorer which is why we're seeing Polar Bears where there shouldn't be any and all the strange happenings are her doing (consciously or not).

Cheers!

[IamTheMonster]

I have no idea what it is, and I can't even guess, but I'm quite sure i'm going to be disappointed.

[tx77]

Any body see Jeepers Creepers 2... and how it snatched the pilot right out of the cockpit...

[cscallon]

If it was something being manifested in their heads wouldn't there be a bunch of crazy things all happening at the same time.
If you had just crashed on an island or anywhere for that matter, would you be thinking about a large creature in the jungle?

[SITEboy]

I think JJ Abrams is finally taking the Reality TV issue head-on.

The Creature is...Donald Trump.

[nastyned]

48 people together on a lush tropical island which is their own private purgatory because of a monster in the weeds? I don't think so.

[SITEboy]

Okay - a bit more seriously than my Donald Trump comment...

I am not one of those people who is taping the episodes and dissecting them, so I may be way off here. But am I the only one who hears a similarity between the Creature and the sound the plane made as it broke apart and started to fall?

NO clue what to make of that - and maybe it's just that they used some of the same audio elements - but I thought it worth mentioning.

[maxpublic]

I'm one of the ones who definitely thought the sound was natural and not mechanical.

The creature can't be robotic. If you know anything at all about the state of robotics in the world today, you also know that a giant mechanical creature able to yank the pilot out of the plane and make off with him is completely beyond our technology. Not by just a little bit, but a lot. And no, I *won't* be satisfied with some lame "but the government has, like, secret technology and stuff, dooood!" explanation. If the creature is something out of Robotech I can tell you I won't be watching this show again after that miserable revelation.

In any event, did anyone notice that our mystery creature leaves no tracks? There weren't any outside the plain, in the forest, or in the mud when Kate backtracked to find Jack. How does a creature that large leave no tracks? Or huge piles of @#%$, for that matter? Even if the beastie is mechanical it should've left enormous water-filled prints in the mud, but it didn't.

And to the poster who thought the creature couldn't be a meat-eater because it left the pilot in a tree: actually, that pretty much convinced me that the creature *was* a meat-eater. Why? Because a carnivore that size needs to eat a fair amount of meat and will take prey even when it's not hungry. How to keep the prey safe from scavengers so you can come back and munch on it later? By stashing it high up in a tree, of course! If you're the only thing around tall enough to reach it, then treetops are your natural larder. Leopards do this very same thing, and for exactly this reason.

Of course, the lack of tracks and six-foot-high piles of dung seem to indicate that whatever it is doesn't eat at all, or doesn't exist in any way we understand it. Something tells me that when the explanation finally comes out I'm going to very disappointed.

Max

[maxpublic]

And a p.s.

If the creature is actually a creature and not something else, then it makes sense that it didn't just rush out onto the beach and eat everyone in sight in the first two episodes. Predators tend to be cautious when confronted with new and possibly dangerous things, but they will become acclimated over time. The crashed plane and all the smells that go with it would be enough to convince it to stay away initially. Lions do this in game parks with respect to jeeps, but they'll get used to the jeeps and ignore them if exposed to them enough (they'll even use them as vantage points to scan for prey, if they aren't discouraged).

The fact that it decided to 'test' the nose of the plane first also makes sense, since it didn't have to deal with the distraction of 40+ humans wandering about the new thing in its environment. But now that it knows that plane wreckage isn't dangerous, I'd expect it to make a foray out onto the beach within the next couple of episodes.

Also, the creature can't be invisible because it cast a shadow over the nose in ep 2. It could, however, be a natural chameleon which is why no one has seen it yet (they probably have, but couldn't resolve it against the trees).

Max

[JacksGirlfriend]

We had some "Predator" theories floating around. And I do lean towards that in regards to the BLT (I think Xander called it that - Big Loud Thing). But I still don't think it's a predator as in meat-eater. If it is, the show won't last beyond a couple weeks because our survivors are a buffet on the beach. It has to be an herbivore - still dangerous but if it eats meat, we won't have a show to watch.
JacksGirlfriend

[grimlock]

Ok, in the first half of the pilot, I think you can see a part of whatever's in the trees.

On Tivo, it's in minute 20. This is when the group are sitting around campfires at night and the noises start.

Jack and Kate run up, then there's a noise off to their left.
They turn toward the camera, and the view changes so that we're looking over them at the jungle.
The first second or so of this shot, you can see something moving in the jungle in the bottom-right corner of the screen, to the right of where the trees are actually falling.

Can anybody take a good look at this shot and tell me if it's just an artifact, or if it's real?

[maxpublic]

If it is, the show won't last beyond a couple weeks because our survivors are a buffet on the beach. It has to be an herbivore - still dangerous but if it eats meat, we won't have a show to watch.

Herbivores don't go around actively hunting down creatures and killing them. They generally only respond to immediate threats. If the creature were an herbivore then the message left by the French girl, i.e., "it killed them all" doesn't make much sense. All they'd have to do is avoid the immediate vicinity of the creature and they'd be okay.

And yeah, the survivors are a buffet. In light of the looped message I think a number of them will get eaten. But remember: there are 48 survivors, yet only a small number of them are of actual importance. The rest are red-shirts and can be sacrificed at whim. I'd guess that now that the creature knows that plane wreckage isn't a threat it will come stomping down on the beach and eat a bunch of people - but they'll all be unimportant characters (perhaps one important one, to drive home the idea that the creature is a real threat). Then our intrepid heroes and their surviving spear-bearers will have to abandon the wreck and head inland or up/down the beach looking for refuge.

Which might be what the French girl was referring to when she talked about "Black Rock" - perhaps a place the creature doesn't go, or can't get to? In any event a rampaging predator would make for a good plot device to drive the story, since otherwise our crew might make a semi-permanent home out of the wreckage and not venture much of anywhere other than to hunt until enough time went by that all hope of rescue died. Now *that* would be a boring show.

Max

[JacksGirlfriend]

Herbivores don't go around actively hunting down creatures and killing them. They generally only respond to immediate threats.

Do we know for sure that the BLT is actively hunting? So far we've really only seen the pilot get "attacked". Just because the French girl said "it" doesn't necessarily mean she was referring to the BLT. "It" could be something else entirely and even something worse. In the scheme of things, I'd take a rampaging giant monster over something smaller with intelligence and purpose. (ex: T-Rex vs Raptor? I'll take my chances with the T-Rex). I'm still thinking that this creature, though big, loud and dangerous doesn't have to be a predator. I know the pilot was hanging in the tree but it could have been an attempt to get him out of harm's way temporarily. Of course I already posted a goofy theory on that but I'll stick by it til I'm proven wrong because I'm just that kind of girl.
JacksGirlfriend

[jprez98]

Tonight my step-dad told me that he read (on MSN or something) that the creature isn't going to be a character (or at least a main one) on the show much longer, but that it will deal more with the characters and how they interact and deal with the situation.

Has anyone heard anything more definite on how long the creature (or beast, or mechanical thing, or whatever it is) is going to be on the show?

-Jen

[JacksGirlfriend]

I haven't heard anything because I try not to listen. I like to be surprised. But I imagine even if the BLT disappears, there's something worse to come. They're not exactly on the Disney Island.
Jacks

[yung23]

I saw a post that said it may be a giant sloth, then I started thinking, if it is ancient it must not be the only one.
It must have survived as the top predator/herbivore by reproducing over the thousands of years....
which means many of them...
Otherwise it may be something from our world, stranded.
Desparate, a giraffe on roids maybe.
Man, they better go SOMEWHERE with this... otherwise.
SEE YA.
This is like the matrix all over again, I loved to theorize that movie...before I saw number two and three..man did they cop out on a great philosophy there

[maxpublic]

It can't be a giant sloth, for several reasons:

- even giant sloths moved fairly slowly and were entirely incapable of chasing anything. A human being could *walk* away from a giant sloth and outrace it.

- giant sloths were plant eaters and didn't hunt. They could and would kill nosy predators, but only if the predator got close enough to annoy it.

- the largest of giant sloths grew to be about 20 feet long, and stood about 15 feet high. The nose of the plane was about 20 feet off the ground and the pilot was pulled straight up out of the cockpit, which means that whatever pulled him out had to be at least 25 feet tall. Even the largest giant sloth doesn't cut it.

- a giant sloth couldn't hide itself in the jungle, especially after the attack on the nose of the plane (and here it would have to be a GIANT giant sloth). All three of our heroes who bailed from the nose would've seen the thing standing right next to the wreckage.

Max

[RobGairey]

Just a bit of idle speculation: maybe it's a flightless bird, evolved from the prehistoric Phorusrhachos that terrorised mammals for millions of years in South America until the influx of North American carnivores wiped them out:

www.prehistorics.com/phorusrhacos.htm (http://www.prehistorics.com/phorusrhacos.htm)

[MsAllegro]

Just a reminder that whatever it is, isn't likely to be a carnivore. It didn't actually eat the pilot, it just killed him. So unless it was storing the body in a tree for a later snack (afaik, the only predators that do this are large cats) it's something that kills for reasons other than food.

[maxpublic]

All carnivores kill for reasons other than food. They just don't do it very often.

Max

[MsAllegro]

Yes, but it's almost always in response to a threat of some sort, or over territory issues. And even then, they usually will snack on what they've killed.

[wheezinggirl]

Don't you think a big plane crash would be a threat? I think a carnivore would think so. If I were a carnivore, I would think so.

[JacksGirlfriend]

If I were an herbivore I would think so too. The creature wants these people out of its nesting grounds.
JacksGirlfriend

[RedShirt]

RobGairey
Just a bit of idle speculation: maybe it's a flightless bird, evolved from the prehistoric Phorusrhachos that terrorised mammals for millions of years in South America until the influx of North American carnivores wiped them out:

Rob a had a similar line of thought, but Im really hoping its not that would just be a mystery island rip off lol.!

[yung23]

the point was that if it is ancient, such as a flightless bird, mammoth, or giant sloth, THERE MUST BE A LOT OF THEM.
otherwise it was recently deposited... like the plane crash people

[JacksGirlfriend]

Yung23 - Go to my new topic "time loops" and tell me what you think.
JacksGirl

[maxpublic]

"Yes, but it's almost always in response to a threat of some sort, or over territory issues. And even then, they usually will snack on what they've killed."

Not so. Many predators, given the opportunity, will kill for kicks. A weasel, fox, or raccoon can take out most of a hen house in a single night, then eat only one of the hens. They do it because it's fun. Trust me on this; my experience stems from a childhood growing up on farms and several years as a wildlife rehabber.

It isn't limited to just our three animals above. Predators will kill just for fun, if the mood takes them and prey is abundant. It's a game to them. They just don't do it very often (with a few exceptions, like wolverines and minks), since predators tend to be lazy when the situation allows for it.

You don't see this much on animal shows, because most animal shows have an agenda which includes trying to make a viewer sympathetic to our furry friends. Watching a tiger slowly tear apart a prey animal while it's still alive and kicking doesn't make your average viewer feel warm and fuzzy. If you want a more realistic view of our wild cousins try your hand at rehabbing large mammals for a couple of years; trust me, any misperceptions Disney fed to you will rapidly wither away in the face of the bloody reality of the situation.

Max

[yung23]

The show starts in 15 min... see ya in two hours guys...

[Abraxas]

I believe Charlie saw that whatever-it-was...but he still didn't tell anyone specifics as far as we know. And noone seems to ask him about it. Quite strange. I guess it's handled that way to keep the solution away from the audience. I can see no reasonable explanation why Charlie isn't pressed to say what that beast looks like.
Or maybe it's like he says. The polar bear was a tiny version of a much larger bear. But the sounds are not related to those of a bear at all...

Well and maybe there is nothing particular on the island, but just manifestation of several fears like some theories around here suggest.

[jprez98]

Ok. I know it's not a dinosaur, but after watching the pilot getting torn from the cockpit again, it's hard not to say that it's NOT a dinosaur. It's SOOO from Jurasic Park.

-Jen

[Abraxas]

It's just another rip-off like the intro which is taken from John Doe, who cares? :D

[JacksGirlfriend]

Jen - I hope it's a dinosaur... just for you.
JacksGirl

[Spirit Shards]

Hmm... after rewatching the pilot, I have come to another crazy theory.
Perhaps the monsters are all manifestations of their fears like in Lord of the Flies? Walt was looking at a comic book and the polar bear was in it and maybe his subconscious registered it as something scary so it appeared on the island. Also, in the preview from Wednesday, it looked like Locke was about to showdown with the monster or something and he looked really freaked out. Maybe it's whatever he's scared of?
This is supported by the fact that fear seems to be a motif or something. When Jack and Kate were first talking he was saying how fear first took over him and how he counted to 5 to make it go away. Maybe that will make the creatures go away.
But honestly I have no idea what the monster(s) could be... maybe they are giant sloths.

[railwaymadness]

After re-reading this thread, it's a big chupacabra. The size discrepancy is acceptable because everything grows bigger in the jungle.

Although I have a weak spot for the creature not actually being evil or predatory, just frightened by the plane crash and terrified of the survivors. So a large, peace-loving chupacabra. Frequently mistaken for the giant sloth?

[yung23]

Alright are you being serious ? The chupacabra is a mythical mexican animal thing... a friggin gremlin man !

very small man size right ?

[Kpretzer]

"It" killed them all, so it is a real and singular entity.

French broadcast also running 16 years, five months. What was happening back then, especially with the French? I'm lazy, someone google it and figure it out.

Keith

[yung23]

It" may simply be the islands top predator.

[bmk87ca]

Has any body esle noticed that a creature as big as the one is the show would die of starvation from lack of food.... i mean come on its a small island the only things worth eating would be the odd plane crash or ship wreck survivors which would be few and far between to support such a large creatures diet... and it didn't even eat the pilot it just mangled him and spit him out into the tree.... any ideas??

[bmk87ca]

and if it is mechanical wouldn't rust? maybe it just kills people like maybe hurly and uses their body fat as grease to losen its joints... lol i dunno wtf it is:\

[JacksGirlfriend]

BMK - Check out Pinnerman's mammoth thread. We're also discussing this lots of different places, right now in Time Loops. We can't seem to stay on one topic in one place. Random thoughts turn into new topics where they're not supposed to be.

We've got predator vs herbivore, natural vs mechanical, large creature vs. small creature. You name it, we have it. You just have to dig around.
JacksGirl

[bmk87ca]

i cant find his thread...

[Black Dahlia]

Using these criteria:

- Large - not Godzilla large but bigger than a polar bear

- Aggressive, powerful, but not necessarily a man-eater

- Moves palm trees in a swath

- Makes sounds that might be heard in the Bronx Zoo, but also makes somewhat mechanical sounds

- Is explainable by science or pseudoscience, nothing as outlandish as a robotic mech or stretching the "pseudo" as much as a dinosaur was

I will postulate that the creature is a Megatherium, a 20-foot tall prehistoric sloth (although not presumed to be a slow creature) that had not yet become extinct when humans were around. It was territorial, with strength somewhere between Mighty Joe Young and King Kong, and while a vegetarian it would sometimes supplement its diet with animal matter. It could move from tree to tree as well or better than it could move on the ground. It would make sounds that were part large mammal and part unfamiliar (just what does a sloth sound like?), and its very long, hooked claws might make a somewhat mechanical sound. The survival of a though-to-be-wxtinct large mammal on a remote desert island does not stretch credulity nearly to the extent that a dinosaur would, and food would be plentiful.


Nonetheless, after "Walkabout" and Locke's comment about looking into the eye of the island and it's magical, along with the supposition that the creature is intelligent, maybe it's Puff the Magic Dragon, because they crashed by the sea in the land of Parmilee.:hat

[Metauniverse]

Komodo dragon comes to mind.

-Metauniverse

[JacksGirlfriend]

Moving to top - a new discussion has opened in Theories and we have about 10 of them already.

JacksGirl

[JacksGirlfriend]

Let's start talking about the monster again.

JacksGirl

[gscaleta]

I'm game JG. I'm leaning toward some sort of large mammal type creature and no not rose or her husband. What confuses me is why it took the pilot and no one else.

[SecondBreakfast417]

its an elephant with a whole bunch of cats attatched to it ;)

[Chance Gardener]

It can't be a giant sloth, for several reasons:

- even giant sloths moved fairly slowly and were entirely incapable of chasing anything. A human being could *walk* away from a giant sloth and outrace it.
I assume this statement is predicated on correlating existing versions of sloths to extinct ancestors. The difficulty I have in doing so is I look at a glass of water that is half full so do I say 'someone drank half of it' or do I say 'someone filled it half full.' The sloths are a similar situation in that I do not believe their is enough info to say Ice Age sloths behaved the same way. Or to put it another way, shrews and elephants are in the same family but they behave differently. Perhaps the slowness of present day sloths is an evolutionary adaptation brought about by the Ice Age.
- the largest of giant sloths grew to be about 20 feet long, and stood about 15 feet high. The nose of the plane was about 20 feet off the ground and the pilot was pulled straight up out of the cockpit, which means that whatever pulled him out had to be at least 25 feet tall. Even the largest giant sloth doesn't cut it.
Well, being 5'8", I can still lift something up to at least 6-1/2' cause I have arms. I don't have trouble envisioning a 20' tall creature lifting something straight up off a 20' platform. Also, saying the nose was 20' off the ground is a good but also rough estimate. It could well be a few feet lower which would provide the extra differential in height required. Oh, and 20' is average, so I could see a 23-25' specimen as a possibility.
- a giant sloth couldn't hide itself in the jungle, especially after the attack on the nose of the plane (and here it would have to be a GIANT giant sloth). All three of our heroes who bailed from the nose would've seen the thing standing right next to the wreckage.
You may be right, but it could have been well camoflauged. Plus it was raining, they were emulating Sir Robin, and they weren't exactly in the mind set to dispassionately observe the scene. Consider for instance that it nearly got Jack and Charlie but as close as that must have been neither of them saw it then either.

Do I really think its a giant sloth? No, not really. But for the reasons I have for dismissing the sloth, the same reasons pretty much apply to the mammoth (time scales involved for creatures to survive through to modern time, Locke's silence on what he saw, assumption of the mindsets of the producers/writers based on previous projects leading me to believe this would not have been what they envisioned the stobor being) as well.

Besides, I am on the side of the fence that believes there IS something mechanical sounding about the stobor.

[Shadecreaper]

I think it is an Orangutang!!

[KissMESawyer]

I Still think it is some kind of mechanical thing, but then the other personalities that live inside my brain have their own ideas.

Big monkey type thing
Magical being type thing
The 50 foot woman
Some type of big bear thing
Or maybe it is a Care Bear that got sprayed with some radiation (think Godzilla)

[texacuse]

Its "Predator" making a comeback...just think mechanical noises, invisible for the most part, moves thing around in front of the survivors...I think its all in their minds