Were Nikki and Paulo there from the beginning or not?

[Freckles_Jessica]

So, we know the plane crash scene was the most expensive pilot episode in history. First off, were Nikki and Paulo really there on the first day? Can you really see them running around in the very first episode?

I don't think that they would set up that whole scene again and refilm everything. So, did they plan Nikki and Paulo all along, keeping them aside to throw in after a while to include some fresh, new characters? Or was it all refilmed? Who has the DVDs? Just curious.

[MrSocko]

No they were not planned on from the very beginning, but yes they have "been on the Island" for the entire 80+ days. We didn't see them, because they hadnt been cast yet, but we are supposed to believe that they have been there the whole time, just as redshirts that we did not see.

I think this is the main reason why everyone hated them. If you want to give a couple redshirts a bigger role, make it people that we've seen bouncing around the beach before.

[Farmer Ted]

I think this is the main reason why everyone hated them. If you want to give a couple redshirts a bigger role, make it people that we've seen bouncing around the beach before.

Why? You really think ABC is going to give a major role on one of their top shows to some hack from Hawaii who can't act worth a lick, and who is content to stand around in the background on the beach for years on end? I can't see that happening.

[killbuckner]

Freckles- the first time you see Desmond with that picture its a different actress than the one that we know as Penny now. They hadn't decided who was going to play her at that point so they used a different actress.

And all of the redshirts that we have seen in the background are just extras taking 50 bucks a day to stand around. It would be a terrible choice to cast them in a major role on a bigtime TV show just because they were in the background of a couple scenes and some nitpickers don't like that they haven't seen much of the characters before.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

On a total aside: killbuckner, are you the guy that stated you use a "20% rule of thumb" on things that are or aren't noticed by viewers to gauge whether something was intentional by TPTB? I ask because of the Spider/Smokie debate.

[SpidermanHouston]

So, we know the plane crash scene was the most expensive pilot episode in history. First off, were Nikki and Paulo really there on the first day? Can you really see them running around in the very first episode?

I don't think that they would set up that whole scene again and refilm everything. So, did they plan Nikki and Paulo all along, keeping them aside to throw in after a while to include some fresh, new characters? Or was it all refilmed? Who has the DVDs? Just curious.

It's called "pulling a George Lucas." It's like Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker ghost now appearing on the new versions of Return of the Jedi.

[interplanetjanet]

They were edited in. They rebuilt parts of the set and cut things together, backgrounded, etc.

[killbuckner]

TCS- yeah thats me. Not quite sure what Spider/Smokey debate you are referring to but thats a rule that seems to work awfully well. People try so hard to notice something that no one else has but really I think that just leads to them getting confused.

[Xhen]

They were running low on beach hotties because of the rate they'd been killing them off in previous seasons so they cast a couple of attractive new actors and hoped that fans would just accept that they'd been on the island all along. It didn't work, thus their untimely, but very cool, demise. Nikki and Paolo we hardly knew ya.

[Freckles_Jessica]

It's called "pulling a George Lucas." It's like Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker ghost now appearing on the new versions of Return of the Jedi.

Ha, I just noticed that about a week ago when I rewatched Episode 6. And that confused the heck out of me too! I was like :eek: IS THAT ANAKIN!!! Then I went back and rewatched my old VHS and thought I was just seeing things, until someone explained to me how they added it in.

Well, thanks everyone for explaining, I am a little slow I guess. :D All along I thought that they did just add them in, but then when they went back to the plane crash scene I got confused. So didn't Boone really ask some chick for a pen... it must have just been someone else.

[yoyoj06]

i think they re-did all of it because ian somerhaulder?(boone) had to where a wig because they weren't going to make him cut his hair for 2 days work

[Enoch Root]

I guess they can start introducing new characters this way: They have a good template for the original crash scene. Now they can cut to a scene where someone is buried in the sand from the neck down, they're unconscious. Show some losties pulling them out of the sand and 80+ days later they're recovered enough to contribute.

Actually if these newbies were found with their heads buried in the sand and feet sticking up, they could substitute last minute casting changes without any continuity issues...:D

They would be kind of like variable placeholders...

Guess I've been writing a "little" too much code today.

[Hodgepodge]

Moving to the Character Interactions forum for further discussion.

[Khan]

Using editing techniques they can add many characters to the cast.
My only concern is the maybe, possible, no one knows for sure Desmond time travel plot they introduced, and the fact that Sawyer can't recognize either one. Are they trying to tell us something?