Push the button
Pushing the button refers to the act of entering the numbers into The Swan station's computer and pressing execute. This has to be done every 108 minutes, presumably to ensure the discharge of the electromagnetic energy, stored within the sealed portion of The Swan. Failing to push the button may have disastrous consequences, although the concequences have never been fully shown or explained on the show. According to Kelvin, the button was installed after The Incident, which may have been an unspecified "leak" of electromagnetic energy.
It is important to note that while the island and the sealed portion of The Swan clearly have some electromagnetic properties, the effects of these properties and the results of not pushing the button are not clear at this point. Desmond's declaration that he brought down Flight 815 by not pushing the button on time (see below, Not Pushing the Button) is speculation at this point.
The Countdown Timer
A 108-minute countdown timer is attached to the computer. When this timer hits the 4 minute mark, an alarm is triggered. When the alarm sounds, the person manning the computer is able to input the numbers. Pushing the execute button then resets the timer back to 108 minutes.
Not Pushing the Button
Bunker Hieroglyphics
Not pushing the button and letting the countdown timer reach zero results in the timer flipping to a series of Hieroglyphics. Also, a series of loud mechanical sounds, as well as alarms and warning messages, can be heard. The words "system failure" start scrolling repeatedly across the screen of the computer, and some sort of electromagnetic event apparently occurs, as is evidenced by the moving and distorting of metal objects in the Hatch. Desmond, after reading the printed logs from The Pearl, believes that the electromagnetic event that apparently occurs when the timer counts down to zero may even be big enough to affect metal objects outside of the Hatch and off the island; He believes that by failing to push the button on time on September 22, 2004, he caused Flight 815 to crash. This has not been confirmed as fact, nor has the true use of the button been absolutely confirmed.
Note that for an unknown length of time after the countdown timer counts down to zero, the numbers can still be entered into the computer, causing the timer to return to 108 minutes. This is evidenced in the Season Two episode One of Them when Locke allows the timer to reach zero (and then four of the five Hieroglyphics are exposed) before entering the numbers.
In the event of the computer's destruction, the only apparent way to prevent whatever catastrophe is imminent when the button isn't pushed is by turning a key in a lock marked Fail Safe. When, in the Season Two episode Live Together, Die Alone, Desmond turned the key in the lock, a loud noice and light event was experienced all over the island (including the dock where the Others were holding Jack, Kate etc.) What happened to the the Hatch (and those inside) is unknown, and is eagerly anticipated to be revealed in the Season Three Premier. It is important to note that Kelvin seemed to believe that by turning the key he could put an end to his life in the the Hatch. This may represent a suicide attempt on his part. Whether this means that by turning the key the the Hatch (and its occupants) are destroyed is unclear.
A system failure (or near system failure) has occured at least three times:
- The first known event happened on September 22, 2004. When Desmond returned to the the Hatch after following and killing Kelvin, he found that he was too late to enter the numbers on time. After several tries he was able to enter the numbers before all the Hieroglyphics appeared. Apparently, however, by that time an electromagnetic event strong enough to have caused the crash of Flight 815 had already occurred.
- In the Season Two episode One of Them, Locke let the countdown timer run down to zero before entering the numbers. A series of Hieroglyphics began to appear, but Locke was able to enter the numbers before all five appeared.
- In the Season Two episode Live Together, Die Alone(65 days after the crash) Locke and Desmond forced a Lockdown Incident, preventing Eko from pushing the button. Desmond reads the printed logs that Locke obtained from The Pearl and realizes that the button may be for real after all, given that the plane crashed the same day he failed to push the button on time. He tries to enter the numbers, but Locke destroys the computer. Desmond eventually activates the Fail Safe lock using the key obtained from Kelvin.
The Logs
All the button presses are recorded in logs and printed out at The Pearl station. These logs not only record the button presses but also instances of system failure and, presumably, communication through the computer. The log that Locke prints out at The Pearl station seems to begin on or a short time before April 4th, 2002.
See Log printout for the main article on the Logs.
The survivors of Flight 815 and the button
The first two Flight 815 survivors to learn about the button were Jack and Locke. Desmond, who was left to man the station alone after accidently killing Kelvin, disclosed the bare facts and pointed them to the Orientation film. He then fled The Swan, leaving Jack and Locke to decide what to do with the console and the button pushing.
The Survivors made an effort to take shifts so that there were always two people in the Swan to operate the computer; however, Locke seemed to spend more time in the hatch than any of the others.
In the episode "Man of Science, Man of Faith", Walt, appearing in a hallucination to Shannon, spoke backwards "... push the button ... don’t push the button ... bad". Perhaps he was aware of catastrophic consequences of failing to push the button.
In "One of Them", Locke witnessed the timer reach 0 and flip to Hieroglyphics. Locke discovered that it was still possible to finish typing in the numbers and press execute during the flipping into these glyphs, at which time the counter returned to 108 minutes. It is conceivable that this event happened again (off-camera) during "Lockdown" while the blast doors trapped Locke in the other room. "Henry Gale" alleged that he did not press the button, however it is most likely he was lying as not pushing the button leads to the grave consequences described above.
Eventually though, after the lies of "Henry Gale" and the visit to The Pearl station Locke began to lose faith in the process, seemingly considering it all a meaningless experiment. Mr. Eko took over the duty of pushing the button.
Determined pushing the button was just a psychological experiment, Locke and Desmond decided to let the timer reach 0. However after reading the computer logs Desmond discovered that his failure to push the button on-time caused Flight 815 to crash. In a subsequent struggle Locke destroyed the computer, making the pressing of the button impossible. The timer once again expired and the magnetic buildup started. Further damage however was prevented by Desmond's use of the fail-safe key, the resulting "event" from the use of the key was felt by the entire island, and potentially resulted in the destruction of the Swan station. The "event" was also large enough to be detected at the Listening Station.
Other Observations
- 108 corresponds to the sum of the numbers. 4+8+15+16+23+42=108
- There is a short story by Richard Matheson (later turned into a 1980's Twilight Zone episode) called "Button, Button." It deals with a couple that is given the option of pushing a button or not.
- We do not know why the values are not or cannot be automatically entered by a mechanical device or computer program, rather than by human beings.
Theories
- The button is a Dead man's switch, designed to ensure that, if the island is ever compromised, all evidence of wrongdoing is erased (as it almost certainly would be in such a large electromagnetic event).
- This may be why the pressing of the button isn't automated ( Desmond asks Kelvin this question in Live Together, Die Alone, but Kelvin dodges the answer).
- The Others do not seem to be aware of the button as Henry Gale doesn't seem to know about it, nor do The Others seem to be concerned with making sure it is pushed. Also in Live Together, Die Alone, The Others seem either ignorant or ambivilant to the sounds/lights which happen due to the button not being pushed.