Here is my theory about what is "behind" LOST.

It's all a social/psychological experiment and all the crew of flight
815 are actually volunteer subjects who submitted themselves to this new kind of psycho-therapy. They all have deep psychological issues that need healing and they came to Australia to seek help and this is what they found. Now they are each on a "dream" journey to help sort out their issues and once they are "healed" they "die" because they no longer need the "Island". My theory is that the next person(s) who die will be ones who's issues have been resolved.

Think about it, Boone was the first major character to die and his death came "after" he got over his step sister which was his major hurdle.
Next came Shannon who died after not just getting over Boone, but finding that she could actually love someone and be loved back and also that someone would "believe" her, that was her major hurdle. Those who stay on the Island the longest will be those with the deepest emotional scars.

Yes, there have been others who have died who haven't played a major role, but they are likely just characters made up in the dream state to convince everyone else that this is real, they are actually not part of the testing.

But what about the "Others" who are they are what purpose do they serve?
I have a theory on them as well, they are prior subjects who are also in a dream state but who have refused to be "healed" from their past, so they live on in this state with their issues still haunting them. Why do they kill or take some of the crash victims, because they either see them as a threat to their existence or see them as potential members of their group. But why do they focus on taking all the children? It is possible that children have more "open" minds when it comes to fantasy and reality and the children may pose the biggest threat to the "Others"
existence so they must catch them when they are young and indoctrinate them with their ways before it's too late.

Then there is the mysterious black smoke which sounds like a dinosaur tromping through the jungle. Interesting that for so long we did not see nor hear from this thing, what is it and what is it's role on the Island. Remember the French girl said that there is a "security" system on the island to protect what's on (or in) it. I think the Black smoke is the security system and it will take whoever poses a threat to the experiment (with the experiment being the psycho-analysis/healing of the subjects). In the very beginning of episode one, the black smoke (maybe, we never actually saw it) took the airline pilot who lived long enough to explain to Jack, Kate and Charlie that there would be no search or rescue because they were so far off course (the airline stewardess also explained this to the tail section group, but then disappeared as she was apparently taken by the Others before Shannon was
killed...) As far as I can remember, the Black smoke has taken no one else, though it tried to take Locke near the end of season one; however Jack saved him. Also remember that early in season one Locke faced up to the black smoke and lived (though we didn't know it was Black smoke at the time) just like Eko did last week. The smoke did not see Eko as a threat and also saw he still had issues from the past to deal with, the smoke also did not see Locke as a threat (originally) but did later on as Locke was getting close to uncovering some of the Islands secrets.

Obviously, it's just a theory but the best explanation that I've thought of to explain all the strange goings on about the Island.

Obviously, this theory would leave open for the writers to create just about any scenario on the Island. We all know that while "dreaming"
anything can seem real and the Dharma group is using this experiment to try to heal deeply emotionally wounded people. This almost seems "Matrix" like, but I think makes for an excellent plot and unending possibilities as to the future and what will happen...

So hear is my synopsis of characters and their issues -

Jack - Major issues with past, including his relationship with his father, his profession as a surgeon and the yet unknown mystery of why he is no longer married.

Kate - Major issues with past, including relationship with her birth father who apparently abused her causing her to kill him and go on a crime spree as she ran from authorities.

Sawyer - Maybe one of the most troubled of all, issues from past go back to childhood when he witnessed his mother be murdered by his father who then committed suicide. As a result of this trauma he begins his lifelong search for the man who did this to his parents and also ends up becoming like this man whom he hated from the depths of his being.

Jin - gets caught up in crime ring after falling in love and marrying Sun. He is deeply troubled by the man he has become as a sacrifice for loving the woman of his dreams.

Sun - Troubled by the man she once knew (Jin) and the man he has become since being married. She is torn between her deep love for who he once was and hopes he can still be one day, but deeply wounded by who he has become as a result of working for her father.

Michael - Major issue from past is letting his son go with his birth mother after being convinced that he could not take care of Walt.
Reuniting and bonding with his son who at first wanted nothing to do with him seems to be his major hurdle.

Locke - He has so much "stuff" buried inside he may take the longest to heal. Major issues with being "used" by his own father for his Kidney after a "pretend" relationship which seemed to turn his life upside down. There is still no explanation for how Locke became paralyzed from the waist down before the crash.

Hurley - His main issues seem to stem from his superstitious attitude toward the numbers he learned from being in a mental institution (I don't know if there is any clarity as to whether he was a patient or an employee, I'm led to believe he was an employee). Once he used the numbers to win a 100+ million lottery, he realizes that nothing but bad things begin to happen to him and is seeking to rid himself from this curse.

Sayid - Having lost the love of his life as a member of the National Guard in Iraq, Sayid has many issues to work through as he tries to make something of his life and get "over" his lost love.

Charlie - An ex rock star and current junkie who at one point overcame his addictions only to find an unending supply of heroine on the Island which he has not used (as far as we know) but keeps hidden as something that comforts him. Charlie biggest hurdle is his own self worth.

Claire - Her boyfriend abandons her after finding out she is pregnant and refuses to abort the baby. She loves her baby more than she knows but is overwhelmed at all the responsibilities and seeks a means by which to give him up for adoption. A psychic she sees finally convinces her to go to America where a family will adopt the child, though the psychic seems very disturbed by her wanting to give the baby up and tries his best to convince her to keep the baby saying the baby needs her.

Rose - So far, Rose's only issues seem to be reuniting with her husband Bernard who for the whole first season appeared to be dead, but she has recently been reunited with him. (Could this lead to her and Bernard's death or disappearance soon??? Unless they have further issues which need addressing)

Bernard - Little is known about Bernard other than the fact that he is Rose's husband and they have recently been reunited. We are waiting anxiously to learn more about he and Rose's past.

Ana-Lucia - Troubled deeply by the incident as a police officer and being shot by a man who pretended to be a student, after recovering from being shot she finds out that the baby she was pregnant with was killed as a result. She then hunts down and finds the one who killed her baby and kills him in a dark alley. She then accidentally kills Shannon out of her paranoia of the Others. This girl has major issues and I don't think we know all of them yet...

Eko - He has become my favorite character of all after only a few episodes. He at first appeared to be a "gentle giant" and we were all warmed by the scene with Ana-Lucia as she breaks down crying and he then holds her with his enormous arms wrapped around her. But with last weeks episode we have found out that there is much buried inside this mysterious hulk. As a child he desired to be a priest but was forced by a band of murderers to kill an old man from their village, he does this to save his little brother from having to live with that image and as a result is kidnapped into this band of thugs and ends up becoming one of their leaders. His younger brother ends up becoming a priest and the two are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Eko convinces his brother to sign a certificate saying they are priests but then his brother tries to stop him and convince him to stay and a resulting struggle with Nigerian military result in Eko's brother being shot and then put on the plane to leave the country, but Eko's companion kicks Eko out of the plane and takes off. We know little of Eko's life after that point but realize that he somehow must have tried to redeem himself from the "sins" of his past. He appears to be a deeply "religious" man now as he quotes scripture and writes verses down on his big stick he has used to defend himself from the Others and anyone else who poses a threat to himself and his new friends.

Libby - We know little about Libby but probably will know more soon.
She apparently has taken a liking to Hurley.
***********************
I think the ending episode will be Jack or whoever the main character is at the time finding his way into a room inside the Island only to find everyone he thought was dead all connected to computer wires on their heads and then the shocker will be when he finds himself laying there and realizes this has all been a dream... The final scene of the last episode being the entire cast welcoming the last member into a huge celebration having overcome all their issues and now being able to move on and live a normal life... who knows, but it is fun to speculate.

I would love to write for this series, the possibilities are endless...

--Bill Meyer of Colorado