Lostpedia has arranged an interview with TLE blogger Speaker for this Friday. Submit your questions here!
Do you have an idea for a new wiki? Please share it with us here

From Lostpedia

• NOTE The term Inhabitants is from Ben Linus' description of DHARMA as a group that "came here seeking harmony, but they couldn't even coexist with the Island's original inhabitants."

Origin and identity

The first mate

Based on

• Magnus Hanso being described as a ship owner who loved to go to sea.

• The reference in the blast door map that Hanso lies buried on the Island.

• The natural assumption of command by a first mate in the event of the death of a ship's captain

• Richard Alpert's preeminence among the Island's original Inhabitants

Richard was the first mate of the Black Rock.

Seniority

Richard is a senior member, but not the leader, of the Inhabitants. When the crew of the Black Rock and others aboard found themselves, without warning, stranded well inland on the Island, a period of uncertainty that could have led to mutiny or, since the Black Rock was never going to sail again, anarchy, ensued. Richard, who demonstrates a cold-blooded calmness within the framework of Lost, was able to prevent the descent into anarchy, and possibly barbarism. One might compare his success to that of Jack Shepard, who was faced with opposition from a number of fronts but kept the Survivors focused by promising to get them off the Island. Jack assured the Survivors they would live together, but die alone. Richard could not have made the promise to his survivors to get them off the Island, but he could assure them that working together would mean living. Jack eventually had to cope with the defection of John Locke and his adherents. Richard had to to deal with his own rebellious faction or secessionists. Whether that group remains within the main body of the Inhabitants lives separately is an unanswered question. *Richard is very old in terms of the passage of time in the exterior world; Ben remarked, "You do remember birthdays?"

Richard and his band became the Island's "original" Inhabitants. The four-toed race that built the statue can not be discounted, but over the short run they are simply some other people who built a statue and some buildings, who had a hieroglyphic language, and who undcerstood the exotic matter.

The Inhabitants came to be known as The Hostiles by DHARMA and as The Others by additional arrivals.

Under normal circumstances, Richard is a deputy to the leader of the Inhabitants. He is, above all, an inveterate first mate.

Main article: The Others/Theories#Leadership

Traveling

Temporal

In the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, Richard Alpert does not travel in time. Because he lives on the Island and spends most of his time there, he ages very little. His missions off-Island are relatively brief. Because of the amount of time spent in the exterior world, he may be several months older in 2004 than he was in 1956. ("Cabin Fever")

Spatial

Those who travel require identities. Ben, possibly because he travels more often, has a selection. ("The Shape of Things to Come") Events to date indicate that Locke also used an alias, ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3") but Richard traveled under his own name. ("Cabin Fever")

Gateways

Leaving the Island in different directions, or compass headings determines the time/place that person arrives. Richard is able to leave the Island using a compass heading that would allow him to arrive on the Pacific Coast in the 1950s. He used a different heading to leave the Island to recruit Juliet in 2001.

Life status

• Richard is already dead. He is capable of at-will spatiotemporal travel in similar manner to Christian Shepard. Locke will similarly acquire the same powers once he is returned to the Island.

Influence of The Island

No one ages on the Island. A possible alternative statement would be that no one ages on the Island who has been selected by the Island for that privilege. The Others lack of aging may also be based at least in part in their diet coming from the Island. The diet of DHARMA members and the Survivors comes at least in part from food drops. Because all involved are adults, there is no immediate way of determining if the Survivors are aging; the two fetuses known to exist did mature in the womb.

The anagram for the "Mittelos" in Mittelos Bioscience is "lost time". Mittelos Bioscience is the Island's front organization in the exterior world. Although not specifically shown, Mittelos is the probable holder of the Island's, Jacob's or the Other's investments. To provide credibility, Mittelos does some research at the Portland facility. Nothing has been presented to suggest that most of the employees of Mittelos have any idea who the Inhabitants are.

Other

In "The Brig", Richard claims that he was never formally introduced to John Locke, yet we see in Locke's flashback that he was introduced to John at an early age. A listener may translate "We've never been formally introduced" into "We've never met." It is a good way for one to derail the thought processes of another who one has met when one is not yet ready to address that subject and still remain basically honest.

The items

See Richard's items Theories

Future

Richard will serve in the elder statesman role, educating and guiding John Locke. If the Island becomes unhappy with Locke's leadership, Richard will perform that same duty for the next chosen one.

Richard and the leader of the Island have a relationship resembling that of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. After Dalai Lama is reincarnated he confirms another person as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama or vice versa. This describes the professional relationship; it does not suggest reincarnation.

Age

• In "The Man Behind the Curtain" Ben says "You do remember birthdays don't you Richard?" this is a hint towards Richard's ability to live much longer than anyone else.