That would explain why everybody is so interested in "getting" him. They all want to know how he gained the ability to control his own time jumping.

I wonder if Annie is his constant?


WOOOOOO....this is getting good!!

That would explain why everybody is so interested in "getting" him. They all want to know how he gained the ability to control his own time jumping.

I wonder if Annie is his constant?


WOOOOOO....this is getting good!!

I think so.

Somehow this is going to end up tying in to his wardrobe that we saw. He obviously was prepared to "travel" at any moment, to a lot of different places - with different currency, etc.

I also think somehow, that the hatch was part of his travelling. That it was perhaps "harnessing" energy. I think that probably Ben has not been able to travel since it exploded.

I think so.

Somehow this is going to end up tying in to his wardrobe that we saw. He obviously was prepared to "travel" at any moment, to a lot of different places - with different currency, etc.

I also think somehow, that the hatch was part of his travelling. That it was perhaps "harnessing" energy. I think that probably Ben has not been able to travel since it exploded.

Only probally with that is physical items don't travel with you when you jump. When Des wrote the numbers Faraday told him they were on his hand in 2004 but not in 1996.

I, too, am intrigued by the possiblity that Ben is able to control and manipulate the pheonomenon of shifting consciousness. I don't think he would need the wardrobe, money and passports, though unless he has figured a way of shifting his physical body along with his mind. Miles obviously knows Ben can do this, too, as he seems to have no doubt that Ben will be able to get the $3.2M for him within a week. The fact that he is currently imprisoned didn't seem to faze him a bit.

The biggest problem I can see in this is that once Desmond made contact with Penny, he seemed to stop jumping back and forth. I guess we won't truly know until the next Desmond episode, which won't be this season I'm sure. That or maybe in the podcast tomorrow we'll get some sort of explanation.

That would explain why everybody is so interested in "getting" him. They all want to know how he gained the ability to control his own time jumping.

I wonder if Annie is his constant?


WOOOOOO....this is getting good!!

No, rather the wooden doll she made him would most likely be his constant if we are going down this road. This is of course if Ben needs a constant. We don't know if he is a jumper.

My understanding is that the Constant is a thing or person that helps keep you tethered in the appropriate time period. What is Ben's constant? Annie? The doll she made him for his birthday? The island itself? Perhaps "special" people like Ben, Locke, Walt and maybe Hurley, have special abilities to control their time travel, but it has to be developed or trained. Maybe that is what they were doing with Walt.

Keep in mind that NOT everyone experiences this phenomenon - Sayid didn't, none of the other Oceanic 6 we know of did - so I don't think this is going to happen to Ben either. Desmond and Minkowski (among others) seem to be the exceptions that have this.

Perhaps its the reason why Ben got his tumor..

I have a thread similar to this under the spoiler theories board. My thought is that flipping back and forth between times is how Ben gathers his vast wealth of information about the people from 815, Charlotte, etc.

I have a thread similar to this under the spoiler theories board. My thought is that flipping back and forth between times is how Ben gathers his vast wealth of information about the people from 815, Charlotte, etc.

So Jacob might be J.A.C.O.B. = Just Another Consciousness Of Ben's

So you think Ben has a machine that triggers these jumps? A machine similar to Daniel's? I don't buy it. Ben had Mikhail obtain information on the passengers of 815, and with his implied connections he could find out who was on the ship that was looking for the island.

To my understanding from the episode, a constant is something you need to have in both times, but it makes you able to decipher which time is which. I don't see how it could be Annie because we have yet to see her in the present time, the doll is a good idea, I just don't think it would be the doll if this is indeed the ability that Ben has.

What about Richard? He was in the past, and he is also in the present. There is gotta be something happening with him because he was Ben's first contact with The Others, and he is still in the present with Ben. Not to mention is ability to not age. Maybe he is the key?

Good point Goldfoot. I had forgotten about that exchange between Ben and Mikhail. I guess that blows that idea out of the water.

I still have a feeling Ben has access to something similar. It could be nothing but a hunch.

Whoa, don't get me wrong :biggrin:, but I think you guys are getting outta control after this time-jumping episode :)..While I do agree that Ben for sure has something to do with time-traveling, mind-traveling or something similar, I believe that his different currencies, suits and passports have nothing to do with any form of time travel, merely the "regular space" one :cool:...Like some of you said, we have seen the shifting of consciousness, and not the body, but that's not even my point- my point is that we have all (me too, of course :) become so intrigued by the sci-fi aspect of the show that we forgot what was rational and started "irrationalizing" it for whatever reason. I am pretty sure that the reason Ben had that money, passports and SUITS is because he was doing some confidential work in the "real world", probably something with Paik or Widmore or god-knows-whom, and he didn't want to be found by those people that wan to kill him. I think it's a simple and credible eXpalanation that doesn't require much thinking. So, my point is, while I absolutely agree that Ben is probably the key to this whole story and that he CAN shift his mind/body through time and space, I also believe that it is the simple rational aspect we should focus on. For eXample, if Ben could travel through time just for fun, why would he need the fake passports??? He would need them if he is crossing a PHYSICAL border between countries. Whoever shifts their mind doesn't do that (or at least that's what we saw in the Constant) He would need that money if he is visiting many countries (now, honestly, why would he do that, unless he's got some sketchy undercover business)...And remember the many suits= official work (godknowswhere and for/with whom, but I'm just telling)...So, no, I don't think those two have a lot to do with one another...

UNLESS...

Ben has actually gotten stuck in the time loop and knows everything that is going to happen-> and that's why he would need to be acting like a psycho getting everything his way...so that those terrible things he has seen in the future would not happen...There are a couple of threads where we have discussed this, but a lot of us believe this is fairly credible...Like the whole "if you do it, Jack, every single person on this island will be KILLED"...Season 3 finale...Now, why would he say "killed" instead of "died", for eXample??? Why would he say anything like that at all??? And, you know, that is only one of many, many we had with him so far...Any thoughts???

girlgoescrazy, I totally agree with you that the passports and money Ben has stashed are unrelated to his possible time travel. He wouldn't be able to take any of that back and forth with him, so why bother. I think that he also does real traveling for business as of yet unseen.

Or maybe he's time jumped to a future that has let him know he lives to be 150, so he wants to hoard all the money he can, knowing that SSI will fail him.

Totally kidding with that last part, don't think I've totally gone off the deep end just yet :)

Ahaha, fair enough, I'm glad someone agrees with me...I know we're all here to share what we know and write many outofthisworld theories, but I truly believe what I said was a valid statement, so thanX for the support ;)

Whoa, don't get me wrong :biggrin:, but I think you guys are getting outta control after this time-jumping episode :)..While I do agree that Ben for sure has something to do with time-traveling, mind-traveling or something similar, I believe that his different currencies, suits and passports have nothing to do with any form of time travel, merely the "regular space" one :cool:...Like some of you said, we have seen the shifting of consciousness, and not the body, but that's not even my point- my point is that we have all (me too, of course :) become so intrigued by the sci-fi aspect of the show that we forgot what was rational and started "irrationalizing" it for whatever reason. I am pretty sure that the reason Ben had that money, passports and SUITS is because he was doing some confidential work in the "real world", probably something with Paik or Widmore or god-knows-whom, and he didn't want to be found by those people that wan to kill him. I think it's a simple and credible eXpalanation that doesn't require much thinking. So, my point is, while I absolutely agree that Ben is probably the key to this whole story and that he CAN shift his mind/body through time and space, I also believe that it is the simple rational aspect we should focus on. For eXample, if Ben could travel through time just for fun, why would he need the fake passports??? He would need them if he is crossing a PHYSICAL border between countries. Whoever shifts their mind doesn't do that (or at least that's what we saw in the Constant) He would need that money if he is visiting many countries (now, honestly, why would he do that, unless he's got some sketchy undercover business)...And remember the many suits= official work (godknowswhere and for/with whom, but I'm just telling)...So, no, I don't think those two have a lot to do with one another...

UNLESS...

Ben has actually gotten stuck in the time loop and knows everything that is going to happen-> and that's why he would need to be acting like a psycho getting everything his way...so that those terrible things he has seen in the future would not happen...There are a couple of threads where we have discussed this, but a lot of us believe this is fairly credible...Like the whole "if you do it, Jack, every single person on this island will be KILLED"...Season 3 finale...Now, why would he say "killed" instead of "died", for eXample??? Why would he say anything like that at all??? And, you know, that is only one of many, many we had with him so far...Any thoughts???

Great post! I think you make some very valid points. Ben getting stuck in the time loop and knowing the future - now there's a thought! But if it's true, he can't change the outcome so what would be the point of the warning? I'm more inclined to believe he's really angered or deceived some very important people and he knows they're coming for him. Also, he tells Danielle to get Alex as far away as possible. If he knew the future you'd think he would have made sure she was safe to begin with. :shrug:

Great post! I think you make some very valid points. Ben getting stuck in the time loop and knowing the future - now there's a thought! But if it's true, he can't change the outcome so what would be the point of the warning? I'm more inclined to believe he's really angered or deceived some very important people and he knows they're coming for him. Also, he tells Danielle to get Alex as far away as possible. If he knew the future you'd think he would have made sure she was safe to begin with. :shrug:

Thanks! As for the latter part...That is part of my point, too...We really don't know if it is possible to change it or not...I mean, there is no good or valid way of eXplaining this, and I don't want to waste my time writing theories about something I am ABSOLUTELY not sure about, but Ben is not saying "all those things" for no reason...Ben is not a control freak for no reason...And the reason is certainly not because he is a malicious antagonist and an evil character in the show, if y'know what I mean...:drowsy: He DOES know stuff, stuff all others can only imagine, and I am sure he knows them because HE HAS ALREADY SEEN THEM...Whether HE knows it;s possible or impossible to change the future is a different thing...

Where is the evidence that Ben can travel in time at all?

My understanding is that the Constant is a thing or person that helps keep you tethered in the appropriate time period. What is Ben's constant? Annie? The doll she made him for his birthday? The island itself? Perhaps "special" people like Ben, Locke, Walt and maybe Hurley, have special abilities to control their time travel, but it has to be developed or trained. Maybe that is what they were doing with Walt.


I do not think that Ben is time jumping -- however he is physically able to leave the island which is why he has clothes and currency. So far the only two that seem to be doing so are Desmond and Minkowski. Note that to "jump" your physical body has to already be in the time period that you jump to.

Also, flashbacks and flashforwards are not "jumping, aka conscienceness travel" I do not believe they are necessarily happening to the character at the time we see the FB. I believe the FB and FF are plot devices, a clever way to give us background to the story.

So my big question is what is the significance of Desmond and Minkowskie's (and Eloise's) conscienciousness jumping to the rest of the characters such as our losties who do not appear too be doing so,