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Dr. Pierre Chang

Portrayed by François Chau

Portrayed by [[{{{Actor1}}}]] and [[{{{Actor2}}}]]

First seen

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Last seen

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Appeared in

Swan orientation film
Pearl orientation video
Flame computer video
Barracks video
Orchid orientation video

Mentioned in

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Centric episode(s)

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Name

Pierre Chang

Also Known As

Marvin Candle

Status

Deceased

Age

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Date of birth

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Date of death

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Origin

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Profession

Theoretical astrophysicist

In Australia...

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On the plane...

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On the island...

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Family members

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Connection

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Season(s)

S1 - S2 - S3 - MP - S4

[[:Category:{{{Images}}}|Images]]

Dr. Pierre Chang was a DHARMA Initiative theoretical astrophysicist from Ann Arbor, Michigan who appeared in orientation films for the different stations on the Island. In the films, he used various pseudonyms, including Dr. Marvin Candle, Dr. Mark Wickmund and Dr. Edgar Halliwax.

Appearances

On Lost

General

Chang was always, with the exception of the Comic-Con 2008 video, dressed in a formal manner for his videos. He usually wore a lab coat. The lab coat featured either a Flame or Swan logo. In the Pearl video, he wore a suit.

In the Pearl video Chang appeared to have use of his left arm; however, in the Swan and Flame films, he did not, reason unknown. In the Barracks video, he did not move his left arm, suggesting it might have been a cosmetic device. In the Orchid Orientation video, he was using both his arms.

It is unknown why he used a different name in each film in which he introduced himself. His false names all relate to candles (candle, wick, wax).

Swan orientation film

Chang in the Swan Orientation film.

Chang first appeared in an orientation film bearing a 1980 copyright and found in the Swan station. He introduced himself as Dr. Marvin Candle, and gave a brief history of the DHARMA Initiative and Alvar Hanso. Chang stressed to DHARMA employees the importance of pushing the button to avoid another "incident" ("Orientation"). A part of the film was edited by Radzinsky, Kelvin Inman's partner, where Chang warns not to use the Swan computer for anything but entering the numbers.

Pearl orientation film

Chang as Dr Mark Wickmund in the Pearl Orientation Film.

Chang's next appearance was in the Pearl orientation film bearing a 1980 copyright, where he introduced himself as Dr. Mark Wickmund. The DeGroots couple was mentioned again. Chang stated that the personnel at another station were the subjects of a psychological experiment. He did not identify the other station during his presentation. Chang also explained how the pneumatic tube works, and introduced the Pala Ferry and the Barracks. Later, the Survivors came across the Capsule dump. The proliferation of apparently ignored capsules at the dump suggested that the personnel at the Pearl were the true experimental subjects.

Flame film

Chang in the Flame video.

Chang appeared in a random access video on the computer at the Flame station (accessed by beating a chess game) which allowed the manual override of various system functions ("Enter 77"). This video was not an orientation; it was a procedures explanation, including a procedure for initiating a self-destruct sequence at the Flame in the event of an incursion by the Hostiles. In this video, the DHARMA lab coat Chang was wearing featured a Flame logo. The end of the video was not seen and the copyright date is unknown. Chang did not introduce himself.

Barracks orientation film

An orientation video, apparently shown to new members of the DHARMA Initiative, starting in the 1970s, was also narrated by Chang, who cautioned the importance of remaining within the sonar fence surrounding the Barracks for protection from the "wildlife" of the island. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") Chang was wearing a lab coat, but no logo could be seen. He gestured with his right hand; the mobility of his left arm is unknown. He did not introduce himself.

Orchid orientation film

Chang as Halliwax.

At the Orchid Station, Ben shows Locke an orientation video, where Chang describes the station's purpose, having to do with the Casimir effect. He conducted an experiment involving rabbits, which was cut when the video started rewinding without any explanation. In this film, Chang introduces himself as Dr. Edgar Halliwax. Ben uses Chang's parka, with the name Halliwax on it, to go down to the frozen room beneath the vault. ("The Shape of Things to Come")  ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")

Outside of Lost episodes

DVD bonus features

Dr. Pierre Chang in Season 2 Bonus DVD.

He hosted the Lost Season 2 Bonus Features Disc, and was not shown with a prosthetic arm, although this was not necessarily canon.

Comic Con 2007

In late July 2007, a new orientation video was shown at Comic Con and released on ABC's Lost website for the Orchid, in which Chang appears, referring to himself as "Edgar Halliwax". In this deleted "blooper" from the orientation film, he is about to explain the purpose of the Orchid station when a catastrophe causes the filming to be cut short.

Comic Con 2008

Chang's message from the past.

On July 26, 2008 at Comic Con, a video shot by DHARMA recruit, Dan Bronson, was shown during the Lost panel which had a video of Chang talking to Comic Con audiences in the present from 30 years in the past, stating that he knew George W. Bush is the president, information is exchanged via the internet, and that this information came from a reliable source. During this video, Chang stated that he was recruited to the island to study the Kerr Metric solutions to Einstein's Field Equations. He also knew that the entire DHARMA Initiative— including himself —would be killed in a "purge" (which he said they were "powerless to stop"), and claimed it was imperative that the DHARMA Initiative be reconstituted to finish the important work he and his colleagues had been engaged in. The unidentified man filming him argued with Chang, saying "This is useless!" and eventually turned the camera off.

In an August 9, 2008 email, Hans Van Eeghen of DHARMA reported to DHARMA recruits that a security breach had occurred at Comic Con 2008 his message included the following statement:

Trivia

Name

• One call sheet (Image) for "Live Together, Die Alone" labeled Dr. Pierre Chang "DR. WAXMAN/CANDLE".
  • "Waxman" could allude to the use of Dr. Chang by Dharma for a multitude of purposes and roles.
  • A key anagram for the name "Pierre Chang" is "Cheap Ringer". Definition: cheap ringer (slang) - inexpensive knock-off or imitation, copy of poor quality, deficient duplicate.
• "Marvin," a variant of Mervin is of Welsh origin, meaning "sea friend". Some derive this name from Myrddin, the Welsh name of King Arthur's wizardly tutor (known in English as Merlin), a name that means "sea fortress".
• The last names "Candle," "Wickmund" and "Halliwax" are each references to candles. He has worn a Swan logo coat or a Flame logo coat in every video except one in which he wore a turtle-neck and sport-coat.
• Pierre is the French form of Peter. St Peter is one of the 12 Apostles Jesus chose. St Peter is often portrayed as the "Holding the Keys to the kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is often called "The Pearly Gates"
• Shares the surname "Chang" with one of Francois Chau's previous roles in Wing Commander 3 and 4 as "Winston 'Vagabond' Chang", who had a dark history involving assisting a scientist who had a shady conscience working on an enigmatic project.
• Pierre could be a connection to Pierre Curie, husband of Marie Curie. His famous Doctoral studies were on the subject of Magnetism. [1]

Other

• Michael Faraday (i.e., Daniel's namesake) gave famously popular lectures titled, "The Chemical History of a Candle".
• The scenes from the Swan station Orientation film were shot on the APO set from seasons 4 and 5 of Alias in Burbank, California, by the Alias crew. The Pearl film was shot in Hawaii. (Source: Francois Chau Interview, The Tailsection, Comparisons at Lost Virtual Tour]
• The word "Namasté", which is spoken at the end of each of the DHARMA Initiative videos at each station on the island, along with the action of bowing with hands pressed together, can be explained in several ways (see also the main article):
  • 1. Namasté is the formal and traditional greeting and the way of saying both "goodbye" and "hello" in Hindi.
  • 2. "Namas" means "I bow", and "té" means "you"; thus, "Namasté" literally means "I bow (to) you," or more faithfully translated means "I bow to the God within you."
  • 3. Also explained as meaning, in a broad way "you and I share an understanding" as well as wishing someone positive spiritual influences.

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Pierre Chang/Theories

• Why does he use multiple aliases?
• Why do his aliases all refer to candles (Halliwax, Wickmund, Candle)?
• Did he lose his arm or the use of his arm? If so, how?
• Who was his reliable source that gave him information from 30 years in the future?
• Who is the man filming his transmission and arguing with him?
• There is a baby heard in the background, was this baby born on the island, and if so, how?
• Why would DHARMA need an Astrophysicist to help change the "Core Values" of the Valenzetti Equation?