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The factions separate. ("The Beginning of the End")

Survivor factions refers to the groups of people, mostly survivors, who split into two factions, each led by Jack Shephard and John Locke, as the crew from Naomi's freighter began coming to the Island. The split was based on a difference of opinion on whether the freighter crew were coming to rescue them (as Jack believed), or for more nefarious unknown reasons (as Locke believed). ("The Beginning of the End")

Although these factions framed the major storyline points of Season 4, after the events at the conclusion of the season, the distinction of these factions became meaningless, as Jack had left the Island, as had some members of both factions. Also, many members of both factions were deceased, and the only unambiguously remaining main member of Locke's group was Sawyer, who was last seen near a member of Jack's group (Juliet)-- whereas Locke had rejoined the Others alone. Although the factions themselves have thus dissolved, they may be interpreted as the most prominent manifestation in Season 4 of the ongoing leadership and personal rivalry between Jack and Locke.

The split

Tensions between Jack and Locke reached a breaking point at the end of Season 3. Locke threw a knife in Naomi's back to stop her from contacting the freighter and also threatened to shoot Jack. Shortly after, Jack told Kate he'll kill Locke if he comes back. When the group from the radio tower met up with the group from the beach, Jack crept up on Locke, got him down, put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. When the gun proved to be empty, he started beating Locke and had to be pulled off by Sayid and Sawyer.

Jack was angry and called Locke insane. Locke made his case with a moderate tone and appealed for anyone who "wanted to live" to come with him. Jack then responded by saying that nobody would go with him because nobody was crazy. In response to the "crazy" remark, Hurley spoke up for Locke and specifically talked about Charlie's warning. Jack said nothing in response and did not attempt to answer the point about the warning. He stood by at that point and let whoever wanted to go with Locke go without any attempt to convince them otherwise.

Jack believed that the people on the freighter were coming to the Island to rescue them and that Locke was a dangerously insane person who would do anything to stop them from leaving. He offered no views on Charlie's warning. Those who followed Jack had a variety of reasons and motives for doing so. Many hoped for rescue, many were loyal to Jack, while others followed jack out of distrust toward Locke.

Locke was motivated by his vision of Walt to believe that the people on the freighter were a threat to the lives of everyone. Many of those who followed him were motivated by Charlie's warning and a sense of loyalty to Charlie given the circumstances of his death.

The two factions, led by Jack and Locke, parted ways. Jack's group returned to the beach camp while Locke's group took over the abandoned Barracks.

Locke's group is later attacked by the freighter's mercenaries, and those who survive the attack rejoined Jack's group, rendering the distinction of survivor factions largely meaningless by the events at the end of Season 4. The exceptions are Ben, who left the Island, Locke, who joined the Others, and Claire, who was last seen in Jacob's cabin.

Jack's group

This table lists main characters visible in "The Beginning of the End" at the time of the split of the two factions.

Jack's group "No one's going anywhere with you, John. Because they're not crazy." - Jack
Picture	Name	Status	Motivations for joining
	Jack	Alive, Rescued	Wanted rescue at any cost; believed Locke was unstable and not to be trusted. Rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
	Kate	Alive, Rescued	Promise of rescue. When given a choice between rescue and following Sawyer, she chose the hope of rescue. Stayed behind at the Barracks with Sawyer in "The Economist" but did not change groups. Banished from Locke's group as of "Eggtown", reunited with Jack's group in "The Other Woman". Rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
	Sayid	Alive, Rescued	Didn't trust Locke because Locke had physically attacked him, lied to him and acted irrationally, but is very wary of Naomi and everyone associated with the the freighter. Left the Island by helicopter in "The Economist". Rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
	Sun	Alive, Rescued	Always followed Jack. She wanted to have her baby off the Island so that she would not die during childbirth. Rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
	Desmond	Alive, Rescued	Concerned about Charlie's message relayed from Penny. He was torn, however, by the prospect of finally seeing her again, and when the split transpired in the jungle he went with Jack. Leaves the Island by helicopter in "The Economist". Rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
	Jin	Unknown	Will do what's best for Sun--ensure she makes it off the Island.
	Rose	Alive	Doesn't trust Locke after witnessing him throw a knife in Naomi's back, mortally wounding her; stays with Jack's group despite previously noting she didn't plan to leave the Island, due to her belief that it had healed her cancer.
	Bernard	Alive	Faithfully intends to stay by his wife's side, whatever she may decide. In Ji Yeon, he tells Jin that he and Rose decided to stay with Jack because it is "the right thing to do," as he considers Locke a murderer.
	Juliet	Alive	Will follow Jack because she desperately wants to leave the Island to see her sister.

Miscellaneous and Background cast

1	1	1	1
1	1	1	1
1	1	1	1
1	1	1	2
3	3	3	3

1. Background cast that were actually visible in "The Beginning of the End" as part of Jack's group, since they were not among the four extras to depart with Locke:
2. Neil "Frogurt" was confirmed in 4/19/08 podcast to have gone with Jack's group out of dislike for Hurley. This character was not visible in "The Beginning of the End" and in fact has only been visible in a single mobisode ("The Adventures of Hurley and Frogurt"), but in no episodes. Because this information is based on a podcast, the inclusion of Neil "Frogurt" is considered to be semi-canonical.
3. Not visible in "The Beginning of the End" however seen on the beach in later episodes.

Daniel Faraday, Frank Lapidus, and Miles Straume encountered this group in "Confirmed Dead". Miles was traded to Locke's group for Charlotte Lewis in "The Economist".

As of "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" Frank has left the island along with the Oceanic 6 and Desmond, and Charlotte and Miles remain on the island. Daniel Faraday's fate is unknown, as he was driving the Zodiac raft at the time that the freighter exploded and the Island disappeared.

Locke's group

This table lists main characters visible in "The Beginning of the End" at the time of the split of the two factions.

Locke's group "If you want to live, you need to come with me." - Locke
Picture	Name	Status	Motivations for joining
	Locke	Alive, with Others	Was told by an image of Walt that the freighter people were a dangerous threat. His plan was to take the group to the Barracks for shelter with a stop along the way at Jacob's cabin. Joined the Others in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
	Benjamin Linus	Alive, off Island	Asked specifically to go with Locke. Knew that the Freighter people are on a mission to find him, and therefore wanted do anything avoid them, knowing that Locke "needs" him alive in order to better understand the mysteries of the Island. As of "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3", he has left the Island
	Hurley	Alive, Rescued	Followed Locke because of Charlie's warning message and the belief that if they ignored Charlie's warning, his death would be meaningless. Stayed with Locke after Sawyer and Claire's departure to help find Jacob's cabin. Leaves the group after he, Ben and Locke reach The Orchid. Rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3".
	Aaron	Alive, Rescued	Claire's son. Goes where Claire carries him. Left the group with Claire in "The Shape of Things to Come", only to be left by her with Sawyer and Miles in "Something Nice Back Home". Given to Sun in "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1", and rescued in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3".
	Claire	Alive (left the group)	Follows Locke because of Charlie's warning message, moved by Hurley's emotional speech on the subject. Questioned Locke's decision to kill Ben without consulting the rest of the group. As of "The Shape of Things to Come", Claire has left Locke's group.
	Sawyer	Alive (left the group)	By the end of season 3 and into season 4, Sawyer has had more meaningful interactions with Locke. Locke told him about Juliet, and is now the only survivor besides Rose who knows of Locke's pre-crash paralysis. He was not present on the trip to the radio tower to witness Naomi's death at his hands. He questioned Locke's story about his conversation with "Taller Ghost Walt", until Locke showed him his gunshot wound from Ben. He later tells Kate that he has nothing to go back to off-Island and that life at the Barracks looks comparatively good to him. As of "The Shape of Things to Come", Sawyer has left Locke's group.
	Danielle Rousseau	Deceased	Had no intention of ever leaving the Island. Generally regarded anyone unfamiliar as a threat, and thus naturally suspected the freighter group of ill intent. Left the Barracks and was killed in "Meet Kevin Johnson".
	Alexandra	Deceased	Alex follows both Danielle and Ben under Locke's wing. Resists Locke's (aborted) decision to kill Ben. Left the Barracks in ("Meet Kevin Johnson"). Captured by the Freighter mercenaries and killed in "The Shape of Things to Come"
	Karl	Deceased	Karl follows Alex. Left the Barracks and was killed in "Meet Kevin Johnson".

Miscellaneous and Background cast

1,4	1,2,3	1,2	1,2,5
6

1. One of four members of the survivor background cast who were actually visible in "The Beginning of the End" aligning with Locke's group.
2. Depicted shot and killed by Keamy's attack team ("The Shape of Things to Come")
3. Doug, credited by ABC Medianet in "The Shape of Things to Come".
4. Not depicted in "The Shape of Things to Come" in the aftermath of Keamy's attack, and not seen since. Fate unknown, although some fans presume this character dead.
5. Identified as Jerome from dialog in a previous episode
6. Steve - background cast member, although not seen in "The Beginning of the End" or an episode of season 4 including Keamy's attack ("The Shape of Things to Come"), but named by the 4/19/08 podcast to have aligned with Locke out of dislike for Jack and to get away from the beach. Fate unknown. Because this information is based on a podcast, the inclusion of Steve is considered to be semi-canonical.

Also, Hurley and Claire seemed to be taking care of Vincent at the time of the split. In "Confirmed Dead", the GPS transponder of Charlotte Lewis was attached to Vincent and he was allowed to run free to mislead anyone looking for her. He encountered Jack's group in "Confirmed Dead" and was seen at the beach with Jack's group in "The Other Woman".

Charlotte Lewis was taken captive by this group in "Confirmed Dead". Miles was traded for Charlotte in "The Economist".

Kate Austen stayed behind at the Barracks in "The Economist", and reunited with Jack's group in "The Other Woman".

Unidentified

The following characters should by logic be remaining as living survivors of the crash of Flight 815, and therefore part of either Jack's or Locke's groups after the split in "The Beginning of the End", but have not been explicitly depicted or clearly visible in episodes of Season 4 after the split. These consist largely of unseen characters, expanded universe characters (see explanation below), stunt actors, past background cast, and one-time guest (speaking) characters.

1. Chris Dobson*
2. Lisa Gellhorn*
3. George*
4. Janelle Granger*
5. Jeff Hadley*
6. Faith Harrington*
7. Bob "BJ" Jones*
8. Lance²
9. Larry*
10. Elliot Maslow*
11. Sally Rafflethorpe*
12. Richard³
13. Jake Smith*
14. Dexter Stubbs*
15. Sullivan⁴
16. Tracy²
17. Robert D. West*

The six following unnamed survivors should also still be alive on the island; it is possible that some of these may be the same characters as some of those named above.

1. Beady Eyes*
2. Gas Man¹
3. N.D. Survivor³
4. SBSSG³
5. Tourniquet Man¹
6. Woman (Pilot, Part 1)³

Furthermore the phenomenon of unnamed Flight 815 survivor extras who do not appear in these post-split episodes is merely an artifact from vagaries of the irregular hiring of such non-salaried extras, mirroring the same phenomenon at the beach camp. The number of individuals in the pool of every extra who has ever appeared on the beach dating back to Season 1 exceeds the "official" number of survivors. Therefore it is likely that in future post-split episodes, some extras will suddenly appear in Jack's or Locke's group, while others disappear.

* denotes characters from the "expanded universe" of novelizations, ARGs, the Diary, and Lost: Via Domus, characters who have thus far not appeared in the actual episodes of Lost.
¹ stunt actor
² unseen character
³ former background cast ("N.D. Survivor" and "Woman" were credited by ABC Medianet on one episode
⁴ single-appearance guest character

Trivia

• These factions have been called "Team Jack" and "Team Locke" in fan forums and blogs.[1]