In the episode Flashes Before Your Eyes, Desmond has a conversation with Mrs. Hawking who stresses that you cannot change the future, also in the episode The Constant when Faraday asks Desmond if his future self referenced their meeting, he does not then believe his future self would have just forgot about this past encounter, then later in the episode we see in Faraday's book that he does indeed remember the encounter with Desmond.

There is a theory that if you go back in time and kill your own grandfather thus preventing yourself from ever being born this creates a paradox that destroys time/the universe/the time line/the current dimension whatever.

Ive always preferred the theory that if you were to go back in time to kill your own grandfather somehow you would fail because you cannot change the future either the gun would jam, or by sheer fluke police would catch you in the act and you would be locked up, something would somehow prevent you from killing him.

In the most recent episode Meet Kevin Johnson we saw Micheal attempt to kill himself and fail some may say it was coincidence that he survived but i was most interested by Mr Friendly/Tom's confidence that Micheal had failed to kill himself with the gun, "did the bullet bounce off your skull, or just jam"

I'm not saying Micheal is his own grandfather people :P What im saying is perhaps Micheal is somehow predestined to do something in the future somehow and until this action is performed he cannot die

I prefer the idea that the time line wont let him kill himself, though it always in the best interests of the "others" to maintain the illusion that "the island wont let him kill himself"

Also i noticed at the beginning of the episode Meet Kevin Johnson in the "previously on Lost" when it shows us the bearded Mr Friendly capturing Micheal one of the others shoots at Micheal and Mr Friendly stops him saying "we need him", strange he would be concerned about killing him then, if the island wont let him die.

Well thats my thoughts, and also my 1st post here, please post any thoughts you have i have a few extra thoughts along these lines but would love to read some feedback first :D

Excellent post...welcome to the Lage!

This makes total sense to me. People are wondering how the island can effect lives off of the island. I think that you may have just answered the question.

It has more to do with course correction than the island itself. Which begs the question...is the island responsible in some way for correcting the course of things????

I like your point.

Essentially, Michael can't die, because he is Walt's father.

Excellent, excellent theory! This seems entirely plausible, and based on what we've seen before, I have a feeling that you're right.

I totally missed Mr. Friendly saying "we need him." Interesting that he knew that back then. That was before there was any threat from the freighter group. So were the Others aware of what the future events would be, at that point in time?

Do you know which episode that was? I am curious how that fits into the timeline.

I think that "We need him" comment had more to do with getting Ben back from his capture, but I could be wrong.

Oh - good catch on "we need him." I wonder how it works - would the gun have jammed then? I guess that would also imply that the Others are able to see the future. Perhaps they are able to see the 4th dimension like the aliens in "Slaughterhouse Five" that was mentioned last week.

I agree with elnasho ... When Tom said we need him he meant - We are kidnapping Walt and we will need Michael later so that we can manipulate him into getting Ben back for us. I don't think the freighter had anything to do with it.

I like it!

I was thinking along the same lines, that Tom knows that Michael has some part to play in the future, because either he or Ben's conciousness has travelled BACK from then to now, and has encountered Michael then - he knows that the course correction will work and prevent Michael dying.

Since Tom is now dead, it must have been Ben that knows this, and he told Tom.

excellent first post!

I agree with elnasho ... When Tom said we need him he meant - We are kidnapping Walt and we will need Michael later so that we can manipulate him into getting Ben back for us. I don't think the freighter had anything to do with it.

Whether the freighter did or didn't have anything to do with it--and I have no idea, though I'm inclined to think it didn't--I'm really struck by the way Tom and Michael's paths keep crossing. Don't know if it's meant to be significant or if it's just an example of this show's general good writing, but I love the changing dynamic between these two characters.

When Tom extended his hand to Michael in the alley I couldn't help thinking back to the first time those characters encountered each other and what the circumstances were. Season 1, Tom's kidnapping Michael's kid right in front of him. Season 4, he's trying to dissuade Michael from suicide and telling him he's "got work to do." I mean really, the Others send Tom to recruit Michael? They really thought the guy who kidnapped Michael's son is the best person to get him to agree to work for the Others? That's some heavy-duty emotional manipulation--Ben's specialty.

Great thinking! I like this theory and never even thought about what it all meant until reading your post. Very nice! Welcome to the Fuselage!

Michael doing something important in the future is probably why Ben's bomb said "NOT YET"