Here we can place all the things we noticed about Desmond.

Why did he keep calling Jack Brother?
They seemed to make a point of this.

Not sure. Could just be a figure of speach he uses, like Clockwork Orange or something. I think the last time he said it was just to show Jack (who he most likely saw and recognized from the mirror) who he was. But I'm probably wrong.

He sounded Irish, but I'm gonna go back and rewatch the eppy!

It may have been Aussie, but there was just something there, in the accent.. gotta rewatch!

He spoke with an accent. I thought it was Australian but my husband thought maybe New Zealand.

I think he was saying brother like Autstralians say "mate."

We know he's very physically fit, and was training to run around the world. And he's keeping in shape in the shelter.

I thought he sounded either scottish or australian? and was anyone wierded out by the fact that he told Jack to believe in miracles and then Sarah could wiggle her toes...freaky to me at least

Desmond's accent is Scottish.

His accent is actually Scottish from what I can tell. It might be Irish though but he sounds like my hubby's Scottish relatives. I don't know what the brother reference is for. I would assume as in mate or dude.

and was anyone wierded out by the fact that he told Jack to believe in miracles and then Sarah could wiggle her toes...freaky to me at least

Yea. And the "see you in another life" line. So is this "another life' or somthing?

He knows how to use a pistol and a rifle (assault rifle, battle rifle, or carbine, I'm not sure). He seemed to have quite a cache of weapons to choose from.
He's keeping fit down there. :cool:
When he was talking to Jack, he sounded to me like he had a British accent (not Australian). I'm sure one of the British viewers could narrow it down to a region of England [edit - ...or Scotland].
He said he was going on a race around the world (he was training for it).


I was a little confused by the sequence of events after the explosion. It looked like he pulled something down from the ceiling and pointed it in the direction of the shaft, then aligned a bunch of mirrors. Was the thing he pointed the source of the light? :confused:

I'm pretty sure that's what they light was. It has to be.

I've posted a theory in the Speculation area that suggests Desmond knows everyone -- he is their common thread. I'm going out on a limb right now to say I think it's possible he used his primitive computer system to manipulate everyone onto flight 815 and crash the plane. I have no idea why.

On the other hand, he didn't seem to expect them breaking into the hatch. I wonder if he's been surveilling the island...?

The thing he pulled down and pointed looked like a telescope to me.

Jack saw the big light mounted on the wall when he went down in the hatch. It was wide, where the thing Desmond moved was long.

AZJeepDude

I made that same observation about Desmond a few day ago.
I got pooh poohed over it but I think there might be something to it.

i thought the thing he manipulated was a telescope in order to navigate his sight through all of those mirrors up to the hatch

I thought it was like a periscope type thing, like they have in submarines.

Hate to be redundant but the accent IS Scottish. Some of us Americans decipher accents as well. :cool: The actor who plays Desmond is Henry Ian Cusick.... who is Scottish. His name was on the opening credits.

AZJeepDudeI made that same observation about Desmond a few day ago. I got pooh poohed over it but I think there might be something to it.
Didja post it in spoilers, because I've been avoiding those like the plague. What was your theory (I'm not going in that board!). :)

I'm good with accents. lol I know my Scottish accents!

Hmm now how did Desmond get from talking to Jack on the stairs to the hatch on the island, any theories or speculation.

Go to oceanicflight815.com, type in "theislandiswaiting" in the barcode....you'll know what I'm going to say. It's a good one!

Probably not even close but putting in tags just the same

He never has left the island. It's all some sort of experiment on human behavior and all their flashback are drug induced.

Didja post it in spoilers, because I've been avoiding those like the plague. What was your theory (I'm not going in that board!). :)

More than likely it was.
I just thought that they all seem to have a link .. A common bond to each other I made the speculation that that bond just might be Desmond

i thought the thing he manipulated was a telescope in order to navigate his sight through all of those mirrors up to the hatch

You're probably right. He did seem to be looking through it, but I thought at the time that maybe he was aiming it. :undecide:

I'm sure I will look at it many more times between now and next Wed., and it'll be more clear. :)

Not sure. Could just be a figure of speach he uses, like Clockwork Orange or something. I think the last time he said it was just to show Jack (who he most likely saw and recognized from the mirror) who he was. But I'm probably wrong.

I agree.

But wouldnt rule anything out.

not sure , the last time he said it it just dripped with venom.

Are we sure Desmond's name ends with a "D"? If not and his name is Desmon, scrambled up it spells Demons.

ooh interesting on the "demons" thing

I do agree that everyone has a connection to Desmond. I bet that every single person has had an encounter with him... hmmm

It's almost as if Desmond knew about the numbers and is using them in various ways to try and bring something about ?? They're the number on the stuff he injects, apparently something he types on the computer of his, they are on the hatch, who knows how else he is using them.

ooh interesting on the "demons" thing

I do agree that everyone has a connection to Desmond. I bet that every single person has had an encounter with him... hmmm

Eww...so everyone has to encounter their demons...

Hmmmm .. Desi, Desi, Desi .... are ya good or bad, lol?

I'm guessing that calling him "brother" is, as others have mentioned, just hus version of "buddy", "pal", etc.

I also figure he hasn't recognized Jack yet ... let's face it, Jack's changed a wee bit since the stadium races, lol ...

But now, my biggest worry, is that this is what they mean when they said we wouldn't understand what's in the hatch till the 3rd episode ... gah! I can't wait two weeks for more answers! I hope to heck that they throw us some bones next week

at least the CTV promos give me hope, lol

It seems to me like he's a guard of some kind, for some sort of organization or corporation.

What got me about Desmond was his timing. In the stadium, Jack opens up and says "I couldn't fix her." Meaning Sarah. Desmond says "How do you know you didn't?" So how did he know that the situation with Sarah wasn't over? Jack could have been running because it was over. Sarah can't walk and it's all his fault. But Desmond assumes it is not over and a miricle could still happen. It does not add up.

Aloha,
Just to let you know the actor playing Desmond is Henry Ian Cusick. He was born in Peru, but raised in Scotland and England. He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. so his accent is Scottish.
He will be in at least the next 3 shows. Don't know what will happen then.
As for him calling Jack Brother, I think it's just a figure of speech like mate,bro,etc. i don't think he is kin to Jack.
The numbers were all throught the show. The numbers are cursed.

What got me about Desmond was his timing. In the stadium, Jack opens up and says "I couldn't fix her." Meaning Sarah. Desmond says "How do you know you didn't?" So how did he know that the situation with Sarah wasn't over? Jack could have been running because it was over. Sarah can't walk and it's all his fault. But Desmond assumes it is not over and a miricle could still happen. It does not add up.

It kind of reminded me of the airport scene with Ana-Lucia ... the whole asking questions that they already know the answers to thing ... like they have/had some sort of knowledge of what was going on in Jack's life ...

Oh, it's DesmonD. One of TPTB (I forget whom) told us earlier that what's in the hatch begins and ends with the same letter.

Didn't Desi ask Jack why he was running like the Devil is chasing him?

des mond means "the world" in French (although I may not have the case and gender exactly in agreement.)

Cardie

Having been to both Ireland and Scotland, I agree that Desmond is Scottish. I am not an expert, so I couldn't tell you what part of Scotland his character might come from. Granted that doesn't seem important, but you never really know with this show ;) Another thing that makes me believe that Desmond is Scottish is that the actor himself was raised in Scotland, according to his website.

http://www.henryiancusick.com/hic_bio.html

Born in Trujillo, Peru on April 17, 1969, the son of a Roman Catholic Peruvian mother and a Scottish father of Irish Catholic descent, Henry Ian was raised in Trinidad and Scotland.

On the other hand, he didn't seem to expect them breaking into the hatch. I wonder if he's been surveilling the island...?


I think he absolutely was ready in case someone broke into the hatch. Why else have the guns and the system of mirrors so that he could see the hatch from his living area? Why is he training every day?

It seems to me that we're supposed to believe he's been in there a while, given the technology he has available (very old looking computers and what I took to be some sort of monitoring equipment...what he's monitoring, who knows at this point) and the fact that he's listening to RECORDS on what looks to be a pretty old hi-fi system. The fact that his habitat area looked like it had artificial sunlight (look at the "windows"), and it looks pretty comfy to be just temporary makes me think of some sort of Biosphere experiment. Oh, and the fact that the hatch has the word quarantine stamped on the INSIDE, as if the island is what's under quarantine.

BUT. If he's been there for years, did he just happen to bring enough dishwashing liquid and mysterious injection stuff and canned fruit? (He's putting fruit into his smoothie in the opening sequence).

Also, he appears to be alone, but he's sleeping on a bunk bed. Why does he need two beds if he's the only one there? And why, if he's the only one there, does the word quarantine need to be stamped on anything? Wouldn't he sort of know what's quarantined?

MMM...

Why does he need two beds if he's the only one there?

Maybe the other one belonged to Ethan?

if desmond is running the show, then why does he have to innoculate himself?

also, it looked like he had a windown and sun was coming into the hatch (but it was night where locke and kate were).

was it some hologram of the sun, or what?

Desmond is a Scotsman, Heard it right away.

Desmond might have been in charge of interviewing people whom espoused characteristics needed to answer questions on this island of experiments, and Jack made sense for one condition. Desmond learned that he was a physically fit, intense physician and perhaps fit the professional and phychological profile needed to fit some experimental condition and sociological need on the island.

Onto the speculative theory, Desmon(d) is perhaps involved in controlling the experimental variables and tracking observations on the island. If so, I'm not sure whether he's running ths show, or probably more likely just somebody emlpoyed to observe the experiment on the island by some other entity whom is running the show..

I've heard this before, and it makes sense that they were all lead through a series of interactions to the point where they were on Oceanic 815 to be on the island by said entity, to whom Desmond is employed or connected to.

-Mang

Here is a little spoof i made:

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/8703/hatchpolice6nq.jpg

That guy in the Bobby Uniform is Henry Ian Cusick (the guy playing Desmond).

ehem.... sorry double post

I believe Jack called Desmond brother when they were at the stadium. Either way, I think he called Jack "brother" in the hatch to let him know that he remembered him.

The light was shown over Jack's shoulder when he first got into the hatch, it was a big flood light. Now, why would he turn that on when Locke was crying wanting in, when Boone died? It doesn't make sense unless someone turned it on purposefully. That light seems to serve no real purpose other than to blind any one coming into the hatch.

Now, Locke also kept telling Jack "its ok" in the hatch when Desmond had the gun on him, clearly he wasn't scared or worried. Why would that be unless a) he's in on it b) he knew Desmond as well c) Desmond explained what's going on, to some degree or d) he's just crazy. C is the only one that makes good sense to me.

I think Desmond knew Jack was there and probably knew they were trying to get into the hatch and was waiting on him. That being said, I think Desmond is part of what's ever going on (like Jack, Locke, etc), not some sort of controlling force.

The people on the Black Rock were miners, and probably mined out the shaft that is the hatch. Where Jack had the keyed pulled away, by the magnet, it looked like a hole that had been covered up.

I do like the "somebody amongst the 48 is in on it" theory personally. However, after reading the Juice theory (sorry but I forgot the name of the originator), we shouldn't forget Kate.

She did want to get to the hatch along with Locke despite (supposedly) pledging her alliance with Jack. But I just keep thinking, if Locke was in on it, wouldn't he sneak out of the caves to go to the hatch and not announce it so publically that he's tired of waiting? Of course, he could have done all that antagonism with Jack philosophically, and getting Kate to go, knowing that Jack couldn't help himself to make sure that all was well. Perhaps it was a trap.

And we haven't seen a sign of Kate, nor have we seen a sign of struggle, or evidence of blood, etc. Of course, Locke was very calm in handling the Desmon(d)'s gun at his head, whereas he was emotionally livid when giving up his kidney.

But then again, Locke was just as calm when Shannon had him lined up for some lead, and there's simply not enough evidence either way to substantiate anybody being part of the setup...yet...

It's too early to speculate so blindly. But I will say this, Kate is much, much more than people give her credit for. Her talents seem boundless, yet she reserves them, hides them and holds her cards close.

-Mang

Desmond might have been in charge of interviewing people whom espoused characteristics needed to answer questions on this island of experiments, and Jack made sense for one condition. Desmond learned that he was a physically fit, intense physician and perhaps fit the professional and phychological profile needed to fit some experimental condition and sociological need on the island.


I completely agree with this theory. Desmond does seem to be a kind of "recruiter" for the island. I immediatly thought this during the scene in the stadium with Jack -- from the moment we see Desmond run with super-human endurance up those steps, which seemed similar to Ethan and his crazy fighting skills. :) Desmond was almost psycho-analyzing Jack, kind of like he was getting a profile of him.

An interesting aside: If this sociology experiment theory is correct, wouldn't it be crushing for Locke to find out that they really weren't brought to the island by some greater, powerful force, and instead by scientists?

i found desmond very strange, kinda scary at the stadium, and he did say "see you in a next life" pretty confidently, and he seemed to know what was wrong with the girl from the accident with out even asking it.

Hate to be redundant but the accent IS Scottish. Some of us Americans decipher accents as well. :cool: The actor who plays Desmond is Henry Ian Cusick.... who is Scottish. His name was on the opening credits.

Thank you for saying this..haha. Irish and Aussies everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief that someone can tell a difference.

Desmonds Shirt when talking to Jack.

I blew this up and wassurprised to find...this.

http://sier.home.comcast.net/desmond_shirt.jpg

I am hosting this myself, so please dont hotlink.

Is that a phoenix with a pentagon around it?

I'm not sure that Desmond brought all the stuff with him ... I'm thinking that the hatch stuff "project" (or whatever) has been going on for a long time and that Desi is just the latest "guard" ... it would explain the 70's and 80's stuff ...

Hi, this is my first post...

Just wanted to share something interesting I found on a google search for "desmond"... Bio of the zoologist/anthropologist/author/artist Desmond Morris. Here's the link of the whole bio, but I'll paste some interesting facts about his life from it below. http://www.desmond-morris.com/biography.php

All of this is really interesting, considering the theories about the island being a sociological experiment. Also there are so many other touchpoints, the art, the travel around the world, time in the army, study of animals and so on. Any thoughts on this?

Desmond (John) Morris

1928 Born
1941 Goes as a boarder to Dauntsey's School, Wiltshire, where his interest in zoology is intensified and where he also develops a fascination for the modern movements in the visual arts.
1946 Conscripted into the army for two years National Service. During this period he becomes a lecturer in Fine Arts at the Chisledon Army College and begins painting seriously.
1948 Holds first one-man-show of paintings at the Swindon Arts Centre. In the autumn he enrolls as an undergraduate at the Zoology Department of Birmingham University, following his demobilization from the army.
1950 Shares his first London exhibition of surrealist paintings with Joan Miro, at the London Gallery, organized by Belgian Surrealist Edouard Mesens. Writes and directs two Surrealist films: 'Time Flower' and 'The Butterfly and the Pin'.
1951 Exhibits paintings at an International Arts Festival in Belgium. In the autumn moves to the Zoology Department at Oxford University, having obtained a First Class Honours Degree in Zoology from Birmingham University. At Oxford he begins research for his doctorate in animal behaviour, working for Dr. Niko Tinbergen. His studies are centred largely on reproductive communication systems.
1956 Moves to London to become Head of the Granada TV and Film Unit at the Zoological Society of London, making films and television programmes on animal behaviour and other zoological topics. Begins research project to study the picture-making abilities of apes. 1957 Organizes an exhibition of chimpanzee paintings and drawings at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. 1958 Co-organizes 'The Lost Image' exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall, London, comparing pictures by apes, human infants and human adults.
1967 Published: 'The Naked Ape' (Cape, London), a zoologist's study of the human animal. This is the first of a number of books he produces on the subject of human behaviour.
1968 Following the unexpected success of 'The Naked Ape', he leaves the ICA and moves with his wife to live in Malta where he can concentrate on writing a sequel and return to his own painting activities. He remains in Malta, writing and painting, for the next five years, with occasional visits to his old university at Oxford. Son Jason is born in Malta. 1969 Book published: 'The Human Zoo'(Cape, London), the sequel to 'The Naked Ape', in which he examines the behaviour of city-dwellers.1971 Book published: 'Intimate Behaviour' (Cape, London), a study of physical contact behaviour among human beings. Later editions in The United States, Japan, Sweden, Portugal, Holland, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Finland. Sets up research headquarters in Malta to undertake ambitious project to produce a comprehensive classification of all human action-patterns, with a view to producing an encyclopedia of human actions
1982 Presents the television series 'The Human Race' for Thames TV. Later shown in many other countries.1983 Novel published: 'Inrock', his first work of fiction, a science fantasy based on the surrealist world portrayed in his paintings. Intended primarily but not exclusively for children. Book published: 'The Book of Ages', a year-by-year survey of human life from birth to death.
1991 Book published: 'Babywatching'. Exhibition of paintings at the Mayor Gallery in London to coincide with the publication of Michel Remy's book 'The Surrealist World of Desmond Morris'. 1998 Makes a 37,000 mile journey around the world visiting 21 countries in three months, researching new books and TV series. 2001 Sets off on another round-the-world trip with his wife, visiting 23 different countries. 2003 Makes a three-month journey around the world, visiting the Caribbean, Central America, North America, South Pacific, Australasia, the Far East, Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

Here we can place all the things we noticed about Desmond.

Why did he keep calling Jack Brother?
They seemed to make a point of this.

If Desmond is a malevolent force (and I think he is), I think he kept calling Jack "brother" to let us all know that Jack has a fair amount of dark inside him and that he and Jack aren't so different, no matter what Jack might think.

And we haven't seen a sign of Kate, nor have we seen a sign of struggle, or evidence of blood, etc.

we did see a sign of her. weren't those her shoes jack saw when he went into the computer room?

we did see a sign of her. weren't those her shoes jack saw when he went into the computer room?

also the CTV promo for next week shows her

Desmond is a Scotsman, Heard it right away.

Irish or scottish, I didn't really hear him well enough, and it seems the Irish end a lot of their sentences in the form of a question, which Desmond seemed to do.. I usually can recognise either a mile away, but had trouble with D. Gotta go back and listen! I have always loved Billy Boyd's accent, who is a died-in- the-wool scots, this guy just sounded more like Colin Ferrel! :biggrin: On th IMDB site, it says Ian is from Peru!

The inside of the hatch looked like some kind of *beached* submarine to me!:confused:

Not brilliant theory yet, but some observations.

Desmond's chat with Jack in the stadium is eerily similar to the chat Locke had with Jack in White Rabbit. (When Locke pulled him back from the cliff and made him consider the idea that his hallucination of his father might not be a hallucination.)

There is an octagonal logo on the red cabinet with the vials, Desmond's jumpsuit, at least 2 columns or walls in the tunnels, and on the side of the computer screen. Suggests to me some sort of organization.

I don't think Desmond himself will be the common thread between all the survivors, but he's certainly a part of whatever it is. I think he recognized Jack, the smile.

Jack drank from his water bottle in the stadium.

I thought Kate was wearing hiking boots.

I thought Kate was wearing hiking boots.

the shoes jack saw were hiking boots.

Heres a thought to chew on, when Desmond wakes up and hears the beeping, this is VERY similar to the beeping heard in the radar in the ship before the strange sorts take Walt. Now heres a thought, when he presses the EXECUTE button, could that conceivably be to do with the boat people returning and taking Walt, in a more general sense Desmond obviously KNOWs that theyre all there on the island, he was not surprised to see Jack at the end. Also Locke mentions to Jack that to press the button would be unadvisable, perhaps he has learnt the connection between THE OTHERS and the button, or something like that.

Thank you for saying this..haha. Irish and Aussies everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief that someone can tell a difference.

Funny isn't it. First I had to correct my mother who thinks EVERYONE is Irish, then to come here and find such an odd mix of theories. I love deciphering accents. :toot:

A couple of observations.

There was a line Desmond said to Jack. I can't remember how the conversation transpired but I think Desmond was asking Jack something about his belief in miracles and then said he had one thing to say... or maybe one piece of advice (sorry to be vague).... then he said, "Lift it up." My thought, "how odd". Jack's reaction, "hun?". And Desmond says, "Lift up your foot."

But... it was said with some emphasis. And the move between miracles to the foot was abrupt. I think the line has significance other than the injured foot.

And, for the record. (ooh... I feel a pun coming on.) "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" was a hit in November 1969.

Not to get too "Who Shot J.R.?" on everyone, but what if Locke and Kate went out by themselves, some time elapsed, Jack slept, and dreamt the whole episode in the hatch and his subconscious (for whatever reason) placed Desmond in the hatch? We don't know the man is Desmond until we see him through Jack's perspective, anyway...

Just a thought!

I hope I'm not repeating what has already been brought up here, but, gah ... I've read sooo many threads I can't keep them all straight, lol.

Anyhoo ... some things that caught my eye when I re-watched the opening scene in "Desi's Dwelling":

There is a backgammon board on Desi's breakfast table ... with a game IN Progress

the meter on Desi's bike is at 16

he has front loading washer/dryer (when did they become available?)

he has a red shirt in the dryer

he cleans up the breakfast table and dishes before making his own meal ... cleaning up after someone else?

when he's moving the mirrors around, if you freeze the frame on each of the mirrors, you see Jack and Locke looking down the hatch .... he could see the hatch open even while still in his tropical Ikea haven ...

Further on the accent, its definately Scottish in the stadium but when the hatch Desmond is shouting at Jack at the end its changed to Irish.

Or maybe its another Desmond ....

1 - Desmond got up to start his day in teh middle of the night.
2 - He types in a code 1st thing on the old Apple - definitely engaging some kind of system.
3 - Lift it up - means to God, not Jack's ankle. "Man of science (Jack) Man of God (Desmond)
4 - He's Scottish, TV Scottish maybe, but Scottish.
5 - Seems to appear from nowhere in stadium
6 - The vial he shot up said "Multiple Vial Dose" on it. He's over using whatever the heck it is.

Go to oceanicflight815.com, type in "theislandiswaiting" in the barcode....you'll know what I'm going to say. It's a good one!

When I first saw the episode and Desmond was exercising and eating breakfast, etc., I thought it was Jack. We only saw him from behind and in shadows and I thought for sure it was Jack. Especially since Jack's hair seemed to be styled a bit differently during the flash backs in that episode.

Did anyone notice that when jack walks into the dome room and the music starts, there's a funny clinking noise.....the same noise that we hear when the monster is around!!! Do you think it's connected? Could the music be the signal for the monster to attack someone?

1 - Desmond got up to start his day in teh middle of the night.

I'm not sure we can say that. He wakes up, does his computer thing, cleans out some dishes, works out on two separate machines, takes a shower, makes a smoothie, etc. This doesn't mean that it all happened the second before they blew the hatch. He could have woken up and done his routine while people were @ the Blackrock.

There are no clocks or anything, and plus I'm sure the light is artificial, so there is really no way to say what time it is. The only possible "time" you can use is the record playing the whole time, but if we use that, that means he was only working out for about 10 seconds or so.

Know what I mean?

We really don't know how much time progresses during that entire morning routine. It could be all day, it could be an hour.

but the same song is playing this whole time...I mean, I know that doesn't really MEAN anything, it would just be weird for that whole time to be more than five hours (how long before when Locke was being pulled by monster...)

I think its just a directing trick. He puts the music on to sort of set the "mood", and establish the era of everything in the hatch, and it continues to play throughout the scene. Of course, the record also scratches when the hatch is blown. There does seem to be a continuity problem unless he played that sucker all day long, but overall I think having the music play while hes doing his "day" is just a trick of the directors, and the same with it scratching when the hatch blows...

It doesn't make sense that Desmond has been down inside the island for years and years....but that the place he has been dwelling was built years before....how long ago was that meeting with Jack at the stadium? 5-10 years max I'd say...so at most he's been there less than 10 years....The bunker has ear marks of the 70s & 80's but he's not the only to have been on "assignment" there. I do think it's a control room/survielence area for the whole Island. Wonder if by taking the assignment it meant taking the injections to stay immuned to the "sickness" on the island. What if the whole purpose of him being there is to keep the sickness from leaving the island and infecting the rest of the world? I am begining to think they will be LOST forever their.

In the stadium in Jack's flashback, Desmond said he's training FOR a race around the world. If I remember correctly, he never says he's GOING ON a race around the world. In this context, could "race" mean some sort of new human race, perhaps one that they are stealing the children to begin? Just a thought.

In the stadium in Jack's flashback, Desmond said he's training FOR a race around the world. If I remember correctly, he never says he's GOING ON a race around the world. In this context, could "race" mean some sort of new human race, perhaps one that they are stealing the children to begin? Just a thought.


That's what I was thinking! That by "race" he meant a new breed of humans. He clearly cannot be racing around the world while on an island (unless the island is moving like a vessel -- but that's pretty far fetched). It might also explain why the hatch said "Quarantine" on the inside, which would imply that the outside was under quarantine and whoever was inside the hatch should not go outside due to some risk of exposure to something that is outside. If the new race is somehow vulnerable to something that is outside, then it would make sense that the outside would be quarantined and the inside would be considered safe.

Another observation:
Desmond (the name) means "a man of the world" -- the title of the episode is "Man of Science, Man of Faith" and it seems like "Man of the World" would complete a trinity.

I also noticed that in the scene when when Sarah gets feeling back in her legs, the clock on the wall and Jack's watch are both stopped at 2: 30: 50 which means the hands of the clock face divide it up into 3 equal parts. Like a trinity.

Seems like Desmond, Jack, and Locke are supposed to end up meeting somehow and that something important will come of the meeting.

I have wondered if it all didn't involve the 'creation' of a new society or race that went wrong? Or needed isolation to incubate?

So is Desi one of the 'others' or is he hiding from the 'others'. Do the others have the sickness from which he is hiding?

I looked through the thread and there were a couple of things I didn't see to bring up:

On Desmond's injections there are "the numbers" along the top. This is the only words or lettering besides normal rx stuff that is recognizable.

The writing of 108 on the wall seemed to be done by a child. Alex??

Does anyone have the text for what was said between Ethan and Jack when they were looking for Claire? Some secrets might be there.

My Theory: Bermuda Triangle that moves around the world picking up things and experiments as they go. This explains the race around the world. Desmond uses the computer to control the monster, but to protect the lostaways from the others. The others have the sickness and Desmoond is experimenting on them. And a bunch of other crazy stuff...

I have wondered if it all didn't involve the 'creation' of a new society or race that went wrong? Or needed isolation to incubate?

So is Desi one of the 'others' or is he hiding from the 'others'. Do the others have the sickness from which he is hiding?

I think the island has some sorts of unique properties, including powerful electromagnetic emanations, that caught the interest of a private organization that sent a team of scientists to try to exploit these properties for commercial or political gain. Their teams built the system of tunnels and established the radio tower.

There were already "others" on the island, descendants of people who have been stranded there for many years. These indigenous inhabitants either already had a sickness from which the research team had to shield itself or were made sick by something the researchers did to the island ecosystem (theory I prefer.)

The research team cannot safely operate anywhere but underground, so I think the organization arranges to lure to the island people with the right sorts of equipment and/or the right genes or personal qualities so that its agents can get help in developing the desired product and curing the sickness so it can be exported and they can leave.

So there are three broad categories of people on the island: infected, indigenous Others, eager to get hold of kids; agents of the original research organization, manipulating things from the outside world or hiding in the tunnels; and survivors of groups the organization has caused to be stranded there. I imagine that the majority of those lured eventually become sick and join forces with the Others if they aren't killed by the disease.

Cardie

I no longer have theories -- just observations and possibilities. My theories are never right.

Apparently, Desmond will be gone after a few episodes -- which says to me that he's probably not at the core of what's going on on the island. So, I think the possibilities are:

1. He's one of the tail section survivors. He found another way into the underground facility and he has been hiding there from the Others. Everything that he has there, he found there. He may have figured out that in order to get everything running, he needed to reboot the computer every day. He may have a roommate -- Ana Lucia.

2. He's an experimental subject. For some reason, he's been kept underground, and to prevent him from leaving, he's been told that the island is quarantined due to some kind of radiation or illness. That's why he makes Kate and/or Locke remove their shoes -- to cut down on outside contamination. The medicine he injects is steroidal in nature and makes him stronger, but also more paranoid so that he continues to believe the lie that he can't go outside.

The whole thing calling Jack "brother" reminds me of a show I used to watch called "Highlander". One of the ongoing plots was that there were four immortals who were the original Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse. They called one another "brother". Not that I think that has anything to do with "Lost". It's just what it made me think of.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernal_sphere

A Bernal sphere is a type of space habitat intended as a long-term home for permanent residents, first proposed in 1929 by Dr. John Desmond Bernal.

Dr. Bernal's original proposal described a hollow spherical shell 16 km in diameter, with a target population of 20,000 to 30,000 people. The Bernal sphere would be filled with air.

In a series of studies held at Stanford University in 1975 and 1976 with the purpose of speculating on designs for future space colonies, Dr. Gerard Kitchen O'Neill proposed a modified Bernal sphere with a diameter of only 500 m rotating at 1.9 RPM to produce a full Earth gravity at the sphere's equator. The result would be an interior landscape that would resemble a large valley running all the way around the equator of the sphere. Sunlight was to be provided to the interior of the sphere using external mirrors to direct it in through large windows near the poles. The form of a sphere was chosen for its optimum ability to contain air pressure and its optimum mass-efficiency at providing radiation shielding.

This version of the Bernal sphere was dubbed the "Island One" design, and was sized for a population of 10,000. For comparison, Island Two would house 140,000, and Island Three (O'Neill cylinder) would support a population of 10,000,000.

What if this whole Desmond bit is a red herring? I don't know what this would be diverting our attention from and this is only the first episode of the second season. What if the situation or object that should be receiving our attention hasn't yet appeared? I've been following some threads and I haven't seen (or have overlooked) anything written about the fate of the raftaways aside from discussion about why Walt is dripping wet. Maybe we're focused on Desmond when we should be focused on the raftaways...

If Ethan was part of it, he would have access to a gun and not put himself at risk of being shot. I think it might be some experiment going on over many years, introducing different characters at different times. Maybe a period of years (4, 8, 15...etc.) Danielle has been there 16 years, maybe Ethan 8. Maybe the Nigerian drug smugglers 15.

I think Desmond is part of the crew that is monitoring the situation. Cameras, mirrors, and microphones set up everywhere. This can ensure the Lostaways get what they "want", which is a common theme in the show. An outside influence is evident considering the island is either wired or anchored. That's what Sayid found with that cable on the beach. And since the insulation was torn and the insides exposed, I would venture a guess it is an anchor. The power is coming from somewhere else.

Okay, tangent there.