Don't you think it is suspicious that two of Abaddon's team are closely related to the subjects Dharma was studying on the island, according to The Swan's Orientation video?
I mean Daniel Faraday is a physicist, which can be associated with Electromagnetism and the Swan.
Miles is a medium/ghostbuster/psychic, which can be associated with Parapsycology.

Charlotte could, being an anthropologist, be associated to the whole Utopian Society. She could also be interested in the Island NATIVES.

Now one thing that really puzzles me...If these guys are there for Ben, what's their mission? Kill him? Take him off the island? What are they supposed to do with him????

Like Naomi said, they don't look like the right team for the job. Except the job is not really what it seems...

Don't you think it is suspicious that two of Abaddon's team are closely related to the subjects Dharma was studying on the island, according to The Swan's Orientation video?
I mean Daniel Faraday is a physicist, which can be associated with Electromagnetism and the Swan.
Miles is a medium/ghostbuster/psychic, which can be associated with Parapsycology.

Charlotte could, being an anthropologist, be associated to the whole Utopian Society. She could also be interested in the Island NATIVES.

Now one thing that really puzzles me...If these guys are there for Ben, what's their mission? Kill him? Take him off the island? What are they supposed to do with him????

Like Naomi said, they don't look like the right team for the job. Except the job is not really what it seems...

Yes, this is very interesting and makes me think that they must be related to Dharma or aware of Dharma's studies. They must also be aware of the present situation on the island somehow because the things that are most out of control there are what they sent specialists for. The electromagnetism is no longer being controlled. The natives have killed off the Dharma group and let the relocated polar bears go free. And the place is overcrowded with souls of the dead that won't pass on. Enter the physicist, the anthropologist and the medium/ghostbuster.

They must also know that Ben is responsible for the mass murder of Dharma group and the current leader of the natives. Perhaps they think that if they kill or remove him, they can get the place back in order as it was before the purge. It's possible they had not planned on Locke now being in control of the island dwellers (The Others and those who choose to stay). Nor had they planned on finding a newly split group.

Maybe the Oceanic 6 are the people they most feel are leaders and/or "special". I say "most" because they probably only have room for a few on the helicopter. If they remove the strong and powerful ones, they have a better chance of taking back the island.

If they were aware of the goings on on the island, then we have to assume they have a mole in place or some type of island surveillance that neither the Others or the castaways have discovered.
100%
.....and maybe the reason they had a gas mask in the box was because they were expecting the possibility of being gassed like the Dharma group!

Maybe it's just me, but I can't figure out what the original Pilot's role is on this mission? I know he had to fly the chopper, but is he ex-dharma? Or was he just a pilot that went into retirement and caught the mistake with the wedding ring on t.v. so Dharma decided to use him now for this mission? He was SUPPOSE to pilot the doomed 815 flight, was he originally meant to be one of our losties??? He seems to be clued in now since he knew Juliet wasn't on the plane and told on her, but I'm just confused because he doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the "Team"? I mean they could have gotten someone else to fly the chopper, why the original pilot? Did I miss something? Is anyone else confused about this?

Maybe it's just me, but I can't figure out what the original Pilot's role is on this mission? I know he had to fly the chopper, but is he ex-dharma? Or was he just a pilot that went into retirement and caught the mistake with the wedding ring on t.v. so Dharma decided to use him now for this mission? He was SUPPOSE to pilot the doomed 815 flight, was he originally meant to be one of our losties??? He seems to be clued in now since he knew Juliet wasn't on the plane and told on her, but I'm just confused because he doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the "Team"? I mean they could have gotten someone else to fly the chopper, why the original pilot? Did I miss something? Is anyone else confused about this?

Good point Abbybaby! Since the guy is supposed to be a drunk, he is probably viewed as a loose cannon. They don't want him to go spouting off to the public that he knew the pilot and this wasn't him. It would blow whatever scam they've got going. Better to keep him occupied.

Good point Abbybaby! Since the guy is supposed to be a drunk, he is probably viewed as a loose cannon. They don't want him to go spouting off to the public that he knew the pilot and this wasn't him. It would blow whatever scam they've got going. Better to keep him occupied.

Ahhh, That would be a reasonable explaination, plus they may be paying him well!

Another thing I noticed... Did you see how Daniel, the physicist, was looking all around, like admiring the beauty of the island? Like he couldn't believe he was finally there, in that place where he was told possesses very special properties.

I did notice that Fierro. Dan seems like a guy who has spent a lot of time with his head buried in a book, or in a laboratory, and not very comfortable with people. He has probably been studying the properties of this island a lot. But to be there in person is overwhelming to him. He seems very scattered.

The pilot, as he mentioned to the supervisor on the FAA hotline, was supposed to be the original pilot on 815. He noticed the ring thing, because he switched the other guy, whose corpse was not on the plane, in plain view of the camera.

Another thing I noticed... Did you see how Daniel, the physicist, was looking all around, like admiring the beauty of the island? Like he couldn't believe he was finally there, in that place where he was told possesses very special properties.

Yes, I definitely noticed he was fascinated to be in the island, but I reckon the happiest one in the team to (finally) be there is Charlotte.

Miles + Frank look like theyre not as excited about it as their mates are, why would this be? Any thoughts?

So this Ghost Whisperer, Reaper, pilot and physicist walk into a bar........

Well:


Apparently, at least Miles is there to kill Ben, because Ben has to bribe him with three million dollars not to do so. The plan would be for Miles to take the money, and then go back to his superiors and claim Ben is dead, possibly offering up some sort of proof.


I find it interesting that Naomi herself questioned the qualifications of the team she was given (by Abaddon). It seems she was expecting some sort of military type incursion, with personnel to match. This is more like the Dream Team (Michael Keaton style). Two academics, a "ghost whisperer", and a capable, but slightly off kilter pilot. I'm sure there's more than meets they eye with these four, but whatever the case, Abaddon was clearly expecting their talents to come in handy when they arrive on the Island. Maybe Abaddon felt Ben has some sort of "supernatural" backing?

The pilot was supposed to be the pilot for 815. He was probably hired to fly 815 to the island but was probably fired for drinking. Then when he was watching TV and saw the crash knew exactly what happened.

I think this "team" was sent to island to be left there. I think they were never suppose to come back because they were making noise about the 815 cover-up.
Naomi's job was to get the 4 there and either kill or capture Ben.

I think our "ghostbuster" probably found out that the bodies in the Sunda Trench were a lie. Faraday was originally involved and has since had a breakdown because he knows the truth, Charoltte found out about a previous animal station, and the drunk pilot knows thew wreck is a lie.

Well:


Apparently, at least Miles is there to kill Ben, because Ben has to bribe him with three million dollars not to do so. The plan would be for Miles to take the money, and then go back to his superiors and claim Ben is dead, possibly offering up some sort of proof.


I find it interesting that Naomi herself questioned the qualifications of the team she was given (by Abaddon). It seems she was expecting some sort of military type incursion, with personnel to match. This is more like the Dream Team (Michael Keaton style). Two academics, a "ghost whisperer", and a capable, but slightly off kilter pilot. I'm sure there's more than meets they eye with these four, but whatever the case, Abaddon was clearly expecting their talents to come in handy when they arrive on the Island. Maybe Abaddon felt Ben has some sort of "supernatural" backing?


I beleive their mission is to remove BEN from the Island. He is no good for the island. For some reason we don't know yet, he kind of stole the island from their real 'owners'. And now they are trying to get it back.
So Abaddon might be related with the island. He might not be the supernatural being that some people believed. BUt he definetely knows WHERE to find the island and HOW. So he could still be the ticket back;)
Now the choice of that team is very intriguing. They don't have gun skills. They are not military trained, etc.
So I wonder what kind of a threat they were expecting to find on the island?
If Abaddon knew the plane had crashed there with survivors, perhaps he was aware of the whole Losties Vs Others situation, but he didn't know what side the survivors were gonna choose.
Anyways, if they were expecting like a whole lot of 'hostiles' to welcome the team, why didn't he sent a more military team???
I mean they could have still sent those 4, but perhaps another 4 as military support.
Well, they could still be on the freighter....If they need help, they just need to call....


Anyways, yesterday night I had a crazy idea about Ben that I am afraid even to suggest it here...But, knowing that my fellow fuselagees are pretty nice:biggrin:, I am just gonna throw it out:

What if...

What if...

What if...

BEN IS A GHOST?


(sorry, but I had to!!!)

[QUOTE=wanders01;1749450]I think this "team" was sent to island to be left there. I think they were never suppose to come back because they were making noise about the 815 cover-up.
Naomi's job was to get the 4 there and either kill or capture Ben.
QUOTE]

I agree. And I think most or all of them *do* get left behind on the island because of Abbadon asking Hurley in "BOTE," "Are they still alive?" Maybe "they" are also who Charlie speaks of as needing Hurley?

The name Miles Strom reminds me of Ethan Rom.

If you'll notice in the credits Jeff Fahey's name is not listed in the opening credits as a regular cast member for this season.. which means he's only guesting in specific episodes. I think he was picked to be on the team so that they could conveniently get rid of him before he started point out to anyone who would listen, that that's not the real pilot - missing wedding ring... they need to get rid of him to keep their story together..

As for the other three - I think it's relevant that Abbadon told Naomi it was important to get them all back alive. I think they know some things about the island - Miles could be there to learn about the whispers, Daniel has already made comment about how the light scatters differently - I think he's there to learn about the anomalies on the island. And Ms. C.S. Lewis just seemed a little to happy when she found that polar bear with a DHARMA collar - as though she recognized the DHARMA symbol... I think there are specific reasons for each of them to be there...

For some reason my first thought was thought was that Abaddon was part of Dharma so he selected a team that had some association with Dharma. That's why he chose a team that wasn't fit for the job according to Naomi.

What if Miles is Candle/Wickmund/Holliwax's son? Daniel Faradday, the physicist is Goodspeed's, the mathemetician's son? Not sure about Charlotte though.

That way it would tie in to the show's theme that everyone is connected to each other somehow.

For some reason my first thought was thought was that Abaddon was part of Dharma so he selected a team that had some association with Dharma. That's why he chose a team that wasn't fit for the job according to Naomi.

What if Miles is Candle/Wickmund/Holliwax's son? Daniel Faradday, the physicist is Goodspeed's, the mathemetician's son? Not sure about Charlotte though.

That way it would tie in to the show's theme that everyone is connected to each other somehow.


There are some theory's out there that Charlotte is actually Ben's childhood friend Annie, or that Annie is his contact on the boat. I'm not saying I'm on board with this theory just saying it's out there:) . The timeline may fit? Didn't Ben say Charlotte was born in 1979? Ben and Annie were friends in the 80's? Maybe that makes Charlotte too young? Well, Ben lies anyway so who knows????:confused: :)

As for the other three - I think it's relevant that Abbadon told Naomi it was important to get them all back alive. I think they know some things about the island - Miles could be there to learn about the whispers, Daniel has already made comment about how the light scatters differently - I think he's there to learn about the anomalies on the island. And Ms. C.S. Lewis just seemed a little to happy when she found that polar bear with a DHARMA collar - as though she recognized the DHARMA symbol... I think there are specific reasons for each of them to be there...

I don't think any of the team was told the truth. Remember Naomi had a picture of Des not Ben. I think the whole team is expenable and that the get them back alive was just Abbadon trying to reassure Naomi of the mission. I think it was a ploy to get this team on the island.

There are some theory's out there that Charlotte is actually Ben's childhood friend Annie, or that Annie is his contact on the boat. I'm not saying I'm on board with this theory just saying it's out there:) . The timeline may fit? Didn't Ben say Charlotte was born in 1979? Ben and Annie were friends in the 80's? Maybe that makes Charlotte too young? Well, Ben lies anyway so who knows????:confused: :)

Yeah Charlotte may be a little too young to be Annie, but maybe her daughter?:confused:

Another thing...these guys don't look like the ultra creepy guys that we were lead to believe, from Ben's comments and interviews...They have all been taken over by now....
So perhaps Ben was just trying to cover his own butt? So he was just lying, again?
What kind of a thread can they pose to the losties, now? Come on!
A ghostbuster, a physicist, an antrhopologist and a drunk!!!!!!

I tend to think the members of The Team are going to all have ties to Oceanic or flight 815. We know about Frank's story, something hit home with Daniel, and Charlotte couldn't stop reading the headlines. They could even have all been meant to be on the plane.

With the apparent cover up, these individuals probably became a thorn in the wrong people's side. We may learn they all came forward with information, much like Frank did, and that earned them a trip on a suicide mission of sorts. Who knows, Miles could have started hearing calls from those that died in the actual crash. But I got to think their actions leading up to now have more to do with them being recruited than their "skills".

As for Matthew's line about insuring they all make it back alive, I have a hard time believing that. Seems more like a way to motivate them to kill any "threats" they encounter during their mission...especially 815 survivors. Matthew almost seemed like he wanted confirmation that The Team was dead during his Santa Rosa visit. If he was behind The Team, I tend to think they were screwed from the get-go.

Miles called Juliet a "native".
Does he mean the first natives, like Alpert or the "now" natives with Ben?

Miles called Juliet a "native".
Does he mean the first natives, like Alpert or the "now" natives with Ben?

It seemed to me he meant it like Alpert. Sort of like he didn't realized about anyone being brought to island like Juliet was.:confused:

or is she one of the other others? :24:

or is she one of the other others? :24:


Yep, and that would make the freighties the other other others.:biggrin:

I agree that the pilot certainly seems out of place, but I think there is a reason for that. I believe that he knows how to get to the island and they specifically needed him to get the crew there.

Of course you could speculate further that since he was originally set to be the pilot of 815, that there had been plans for 815 to be flown to the island.

To me, the choice of the team based on what we know about them now seems to be a good one.
Assuming they're really there to get Ben, as Miles suggested, it makes sense.
Whoever sent them knows a bit more about what the island is about, and he sends the people who can deal with the phenomena that can occur on the island.

Lapidus might be a drunk, but he's obviously a good pilot. He has proven that by managing to land the helicopter safely and relatively undamaged, and that after all the instruments went out and apparently lightning hit, if I remember his words correctly.

Charlotte obviously encountered the Dharma Initiative before. She looked triumphant when she discovered the collar and the polar bear, so I think we can assume that she's familiar with DI's animal experiments. Very familiar, if she knew to find a DI polar bear in Tunisia.

Miles can talk to spirits/ghosts/whispers/whatever. A lot of that happening on this island.

Daniel is a physicist. He didn't specify, but he seems to be totally fascinated by the island.

And at least Miles seems to know how to handle a gun. So, if I wanted to get Ben for whatever reason, I'd also send a team to the island which is well equipped to handle the phenomena that might occur there.
And it was Naomi's job to get them safely in and out, because at least Daniel doesn't seem like the warrior-type who is comfortable facing up to potential dangers.
To me, it makes a lot of sense to send those guys.

I think The Team are "capable" conspiracy theorists, by capable I mean they have the education, skills and, in Miles' case, the "gift" to know what to look for and expect from the island and how to research and document it. They are conspiracy theorists because they've been following the connection between Dharma and Oceanic and they knew, when the footage of the found wreckage was released, that it was a cover-up and was the last piece they needed to make the connection.

Think about how Charlotte knew what she was looking for at the polar bear excavation (while carrying the newspaper of the plane wreckage), Frank knew that wasn't the pilot and he had memorized the entire passenger list and Dan became overwhelmed with emotion. That's an obsession that many conspiracy theorists exhibit. Not to mention how Flight815.com is being pushed as a conspiracy theory website....speaking of which...

On another note, I could swear that when Dan was watching the footage of the wreckage, his wife called him "Sam". I rewound and watched it a few times, but I can't tell if she is saying "Sam" or "Dan" (maybe I'm hearing what I want to hear). Is it possible "Dan" is really the clean-shaven "Sam" that's running Flight815.com? In addition, when Jack asked him is name, Sam/Dan seemed to pause, as if thinking of something off the top of his head. I have other theories based on that assumption, so could someone else please confirm or deny...maybe someone with closed-caption? Or side-by-side pics maybe? Thanks!

Here's my guess as to why the particular team was assembled... If they're being sent into unknown territory on a covert mission, the group might include people with specialized knowledge, matched to what _is_ known about the territory.


Naomi - the one with the military experience. Naomi is to conduct the actual surveillance-and-grab of Ben. And to get her team who represent her information-on-the-territory in and out safely.
Lapidus - both the pilot _and_ an apparent expert on Flight 815. (In spite of what Abbadon said to Naomi, he suspected that survivors might be found on the island. It would be imperative to be able to tell an 815'er -- a possible ally, from an Other -- a likely enemy.) He's already shown his expertise in this area in his spotting of Juliet.
Farraday - A scientist of unknown specialty. If Abbadon knows that the island is a place with unique scientific properties, that may interfere with their operation, someone who was able to detect and possibly counteract them might be essential to the completion of their mission. Farraday has already shown himself able to notice unusual characteristics of the island.
Miles - The Ghostbuster. Considering things like the whispers, Jacob, and some of the other odd goings-on at the island, Miles appears to have some talent that may be necessary in communicating with/counteracting them.
Charlotte - Ben said her degree was in Cultural Anthropology, which is involves the study of human cultures, both old and recent. She could easily be researching the inner workings of a rececntly-vanished cult called The Dharma Initiative. This would easily explain her satisfied reaction when she found the Dharma logo on the collar of a bear whose bones were clearly not all that old... My guess is that she's on the team because she's the closest they can find to an outside expert on the Dharma Initiative, and much of the DI's infrastructure is still marbled all through the island. Also, if any remaining DI members have survived, they may prove useful allies.

I wonder what they really want to do with Ben. I mean, if he just has to be killed, Naomi could have done that anytime. She had the military training after all. So I would say that they don't want to kill him. So what option do we have? Something that could even be worse than death, according to Ben?
Take him off the island?. But why would that be so bad for him? Prison? Torture?
If Ben has a spy on the boat, he must know exactly what they want him for. So, if he knows they don't want him dead, why is he so afraid of them????
Could it be because they want some information ONLY he has?
And they need that team to 'interpret' such information?
Also, it is good to remark that it seems that Miles is the one most interested in putting his hands on Ben, why? He is just a ghosthunter, after all.
One thing I can think of is Ben's relation to what seems to be a plain old ghost: JACOB.

I wonder if there's anything to why we were never shown the face of the woman with Farraday. Could she be someone we know or seen have before?

everytime I am more convinced that the reason why they were sent to the island was because of Ben's relationship with Jacob.
The funny part is that we still have no idea what side is Jacob on! Is he on the island's side?
It seems that even when several groups seem to be 'on the island's side', they are not entirely 'friends'.
Take a look at Ben, for instance. He says he has to keep the island safe from strangers. The whole Other community was based on that belief. 'This is OUR island'.
And what about Locke? Even when both, Ben and Locke don't want these people on the island, they don't seem to agree on anything else!!!!
But who told Locke that? WALT. What side is he on? Or better yet, was that really Walt?
I personally think that that was really Walt, a projection of his real self.

Now, if the only reason why the TEAM is on the island is Ben, what reason could Walt have not to want these guys there???? I mean Ben doesn't seem to be a very 'nice' guy. So is the island trying to protect Ben even when he is not the best for the island?????

Then on the other side, we have Jacob...who seems to be 'trapped' by Ben. So for some reason they are on different sides... Now Jacob seems to be able to make the island cancer-free. Yet Ben got a tumor. Did Jacob give him that tumor? Probably yes.

Bottom line...Is the Team there to set Jacob free? Miles could come in handy if that is the mission. But then WHO is Walt receiving orders from???? It can't be Jacob because, if this idea is right, he is counting on these guys to set him free.


When Miles learned that Juliet was not on the plane and that she was a 'native', he got really mad and when all crazy on Juliet. Then his reaction to Jack's question about what they were really doing on the island while showing him Ben's picture was like 'Don't you know WHAT this guy is responsible for????? Don 't you know WHAT he DID?
It seemed to me that Miles was convinced that Ben has done something VERY BAD.
Now this guy is fond of spirits and stuff, so maybe that's why he reacted like that. He knows that Ben might have done something really terrible to the Island's soul/spirit.
100%
I've come up with another scenario...

Think about Naomi's secret code...It seemed to me that, by using that, she was very committed to her objective of bringing these people to the island. I mean, she knew she was lying, but she didn't think selfishly. She let them know that she was being threatened by other people on the island, without alerting their capturers.
But what am I trying to say?
That they believe firmly in what they are trying to accomplish. It is not just a mission they are gonna do because they are being paid. They are NOT mercenaries.

In other words, they believe that 'getting rid of Ben' is for the greater good.

But why? What is Ben doing on the Island that needs to be stopped?

What project have we seen him very involved with? And perhaps, the ONLY ONE.

Finding a solution for the 'INFERTILITY' problem.

So what if, and I can see something like this being said on the show itself, Benjamin Linus is trying to cure something that it is NOT supposed to be cured?

I mean, what if, by trying to develop a vaccine or something able to cure the infertility, they end up creating something else? Like a virus that, eventually, might spread on a larger scale, infecting the whole world population.

Now the question is HOW Abaddon knows that might happen? Is he like Ms Hawkins?

I agree that the pilot certainly seems out of place, but I think there is a reason for that. I believe that he knows how to get to the island and they specifically needed him to get the crew there.

Of course you could speculate further that since he was originally set to be the pilot of 815, that there had been plans for 815 to be flown to the island.

Welcome reasorth! Your first post sparked a thought. Allow me to expand on your speculation.
Frank was supposed to be the pilot of 815.
IF the plane was MEANT to end up on this island, as a lot of people believe, then Frank knew the way there and how to break through whatever barrier keeps the real world out. And besides that, Frank was meant to be on the island with the rest of the Losties.
Seth the pilot WASN'T meant to be there, so Smokey removed him on day one. So now, as a course correction, Frank is sent to the island again.

Of all the members of the team Frank seems to have the most generic set of skills, available almost anywhere, a helicopter pilot , except for his link to 815. The memorizing the manifest and knowing how to spot a native seems like a skill apart from the typical pilot to put on the team but not that special. There has to be something more to Frank, all the others have something else special going for them that fits nicely with the island's unique qualities. Why was Frank living near the Bermuda triangle as other posts indicate by the location of the town in the Bahamas. And why did they give us the name of that town? Didn't have to, not in big letters on the screen. Something there. Not enough for me to speculate yet. Just something to wait on.

I have looked everywhere. Have we noticed Abaddon Is "A Badd on'" or
"A Bad Don" ?

Another thing...these guys don't look like the ultra creepy guys that we were lead to believe, from Ben's comments and interviews...They have all been taken over by now....

I think Ben was referring to the group of people trying to find the island, not the freighties. He told Jack "She's (Naomi) a representative of some people who've been trying to find this Island, Jack. She's one of the bad guys." To me that means Naomi, Abaddon, and the rest of the higher-ups who are trying to find the island. Not the pushover-freighties. :biggrin: Maybe they will send in the "real" team to "clean up" after their mission of capturing Ben is finished?

Whoever sent them knows a bit more about what the island is about, and he sends the people who can deal with the phenomena that can occur on the island.

I really like this explanation the best. Their mission is to get Ben. These people, as odd a group they are, are probably the best equipped to handle the unique properties of the island.

On a side note, did anyone think it was weird how Miles did not read Naomi correctly? After doing his thing, he concurred that Naomi died from the branch wound and not from being murdered. Was he lying? Or is this a sign that his special ability will not work correctly on the island?