Separate Realities

The final season of Lost premiered last night and the main theme for this season seems to be the confluence of two different timelines: one where the show proceeded as normal and one where the plane never crashed.

Probably the biggest thing to remember about the second timeline is that the point of departure (POD) is not the plane not crashing in 2004 but the complete sealing of the EM rupture at the Swan station. As such, the Swan was never built or never built as we know it and the timeline evolved in a different way. Time has diverged drastically on the island (to the point that it is now underwater) and small butterflies have emerged in the timespace outside the island (Jack only got one extra bottle of alcohol from Cindy, Shannon stayed in Australia, Hurley not believing he is cursed, etc.).

The major fly in the ointment about the alternate timeline is Desmond. In normal timespace, Desmond would be living his life as he saw fit. We don't know the status of Charles Widmore (perhaps he went down with the island) and as such, Desmond probably never went on the sailing race. He might be living with Penny or he might have never met her. He was shown sitting next to Jack after Jack returned from the bathroom, but he subsequently disappeared during landing. It is possible that Desmond is still operating as a variable, jumping not only in time, but now in dimensions as well.

I suspect that the two timelines will fuse back into one by the end of the series; but what this will accomplish, I haven't the foggiest.

One other thing. I don't think Sayid has truly come back to life. Dead is dead. I suspect that Jacob may have used Sayid's dying body to provide a host for himself. If Smokey can use Locke to create an altered existence for himself, why can't Jacob use Sayid's body for a similar purpose.