The Others are a group of fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

s who inhabit the mysterious island in the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 television series Lost

Lost (TV series)

Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

. Most serve as antagonist

Antagonist

An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...

s to the series' main characters, although more recently they seem less hostile to the survivors of Flight 815 and have become their allies to overcome greater threats. According to the character Sayid Jarrah

Sayid Jarrah

Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...

, at least 50 Others were living on the north side of the Island at one point. Wizard

Wizard (magazine)

Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...

 magazine rated them the 98th greatest villains of all time.

In the storyline, the term "The Others" is coined by the character Danielle Rousseau

Danielle Rousseau

Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...

 and adopted by the survivors of Flight 815 to describe the secretive group of island dwellers whom they regard as "the enemy." The Others have evidently been living on the island for many years—long before the crash of Flight 815 in 2004 or even the arrival of the Dharma Initiative

DHARMA Initiative

The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA , was a fictional research project featured in the television series Lost. It was introduced in the second season episode "Orientation". In 2008, the Dharma Initiative website was launched. Dharma's interests were directly connected with fringe science...

 on the island in the 1970s. The Others do not appear to have a name for themselves, though Benjamin Linus has described them as "the good guys." Members of the Dharma Initiative refer to the group as "Hostiles" or "Natives".

Outline

The Others are mysterious and secretive, refusing to explain themselves to outsiders. They will kill anyone whom they perceive as a threat to themselves or the island, if provoked. The Others are led by one person at a time, a "leader" (Benjamin Linus at the start of the show) who, in turn, takes orders from Jacob, a seemingly ageless man with mysterious abilities that include conferring agelessness, and directing/bringing people towards the island. Richard Alpert

Richard Alpert (Lost)

Ricardo "Richard" Alpert is a fictional character played by Nestor Carbonell in the American ABC television series Lost. Alpert is introduced in a flashback of the character Juliet Burke , where he claims to be a doctor for a bioscience company called Mittelos Bioscience; he is later revealed to...

 was granted agelessness by Jacob, in return for acting as a go-between for him and the Others via their current leader, delivering Jacob's orders when necessary and advising the leader. When the series begins, most Others seem to have been recruited from the outside world. One reason for this is that those pregnant women that specifically conceived on the island and stay there to bear out their full term die before they can give birth. The cause of this mortality is unknown, but it did not occur in earlier decades, since such characters as Ethan Rom, Miles Straume

Miles Straume

Miles Straume is a fictional character played by Ken Leung on the ABC television series Lost. Miles is introduced early in the fourth season as a hotheaded and sarcastic medium as a crew member aboard the freighter called the Kahana that is offshore the island where most of Lost takes place...

, and Charlotte Lewis were born on the island.

In their early dealings with the Flight 815 survivors, the Others take on the guise of primitive but cunning jungle-dwellers. Their disguise includes wearing primitive flax-sewn clothes and going about barefoot, which seems their trademark for a while. Richard Alpert has been able to travel to the United States since the 1950s, and seems to have formed Mittelos Laboratories by no later than the early 1970s, when he attempts to recruit John Locke

John Locke (Lost)

John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...

 while he was in high school. Former leader Charles Widmore is also cited as having left the island on occasion, and this is the stated reason for his removal from leadership of the Others. Since their victory over the Dharma Initiative

DHARMA Initiative

The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA , was a fictional research project featured in the television series Lost. It was introduced in the second season episode "Orientation". In 2008, the Dharma Initiative website was launched. Dharma's interests were directly connected with fringe science...

, the group has become comparatively technologically advanced, and for a time acquires means of regular contact with the outside world by submarine and live televisual link.

The Others are experts in stealth. They are difficult to track, leaving virtually no trail to follow. They are also able to conceal themselves quite effectively, moving within striking distance of their victims without making a sound, as epitomized in season 5 when a group led by Erik (Sebastian Siegel) accosts Sawyer and Kate with young Ben. In the season 5 episode "LaFleur

LaFleur (Lost)

"LaFleur" is the eighth television episode of the fifth season of ABC's Lost. The 94th episode of the show overall, "LaFleur" aired on March 4, 2009 on ABC in the United States, being simulcast on A in Canada...

", Richard Alpert is somehow able to penetrate the Dharma Initiative sonic fence before being detected, claiming that the fence "may keep other things out, but not us." Mysterious whispers sometimes herald the appearance of the Others. It has been confirmed that the whispering is not necessarily something that is connected to the Others, though they are aware of it. In the season 5 episode "Jughead

Jughead (Lost)

"Jughead" is the third television episode of the fifth season of ABC's Lost. The 89th episode of the show overall, "Jughead" aired on January 28, 2009 on ABC in the United States, being simulcast on A in Canada...

", it is revealed that the Others can speak Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 and use it to communicate in the presence of outsiders. The later episode "Across the Sea

Across the Sea (Lost)

"Across the Sea" is the 15th episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 118th episode overall. The episode aired on May 11, 2010 on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof and directed by...

" hinted at one possible reason for this use of Latin, when it revealed that Jacob and his brother

Man in Black (Lost)

The entity referred to most frequently as the Man in Black is a fictional character on the American ABC television series Lost, and is the main antagonist of the...

 were born to a woman named Claudia whose crew were shipwrecked on the island and spoke Latin (this also indicates that the episode was set many centuries ago, when this language was still in common usage).

Motives

The exact motives of the Others remain unclear, save that they are fanatically dedicated to protecting the island at all costs. From the point of view of the Flight 815 survivors, their interactions have regularly appeared malevolent and manipulative. They have kidnapped children, including Alex Rousseau (as a baby), Walt Lloyd

Walt Lloyd

Walter "Walt" Lloyd is a fictional character portrayed by Malcolm David Kelley in the American ABC television series Lost. The series follows the lives of over forty survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. Walt is introduced in the pilot episode as one of the survivors aboard the plane, which...

, and tail section survivors Zach and Emma. Their motives in this case seem connected to the fact that the Others have not been able to successfully give birth on the island. This impossibility of birth is also one of the studies they are conducting, and it explains, in part, why Ben Linus does not allow Juliet Burke to leave the island (also, he is in love with her), as seen in the episodes "One of Us

One of Us (Lost)

"One of Us" is the 16th episode of the third season of Lost. It aired on April 11, 2007, making it the 65th episode of the series. The episode was written by Carlton Cuse and Drew Goddard and directed by Jack Bender...

" and "The Other Woman

The Other Woman (Lost)

"The Other Woman" is the 78th episode of the serial drama television series Lost and the sixth episode of the show's fourth season. It aired on March 6, 2008 on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States and on CTV in Canada. The episode was written by co-executive producer Drew...

". Some of the Others also visit other parts of the world and experience outside lifestyles, cultures, and belief systems yet choose to remain on the island. At times, some Others appear willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause, such as when Bea Klugh encourages Mikhail Bakunin to kill her rather than be taken captive.

The group is interested in those who are regarded as "special" on the island: Walt, for example, who sometimes appeared in places he couldn't have been; and John Locke, who regained the use of his legs despite being paralyzed from the waist down. Both via mobisode and in his appearance in the episode "Three Minutes

Three Minutes

"Three Minutes" is the 47th episode of Lost. It is the 22nd episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired May 17, 2006 on ABC. The character of Michael Dawson is featured in the episode's...

", Walt claims to have been subjected to some manner of testing by the Others and its implied that this was not pleasant for him. On several occasions, the Others claim that Walt is "very special," and Ben Linus claims during his captivity at the Swan Station that "they would never give back Walt." This position is reversed by the end of the second season, when Ben claims that they have "gotten a lot more than they bargained for" in Walt, and allow him to leave the island.

Recruiting

Members of the Others have either been recruited from the outside world, as in the case of Juliet Burke

Juliet Burke

Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her character was introduced in the third season premiere.- Prior to arrival on the island :...

, or joined the group after arriving on the island (by choice or by kidnapping). A number of adult survivors from both the tail section and fuselage of Flight 815 were kidnapped. In the season 3 episode "The Man from Tallahassee

The Man from Tallahassee

"The Man from Tallahassee" is the 13th episode of the 3rd season of Lost, and the 62nd episode overall. It was aired on March 21, 2007 on ABC. The episode was written by Drew Goddard and Jeff Pinkner and directed by Jack Bender...

", Ben tells Locke that he brought most of the Others to the island. The indigenous Others appear to be part of the mysterious forces on the island, whereas those who have been recruited do not. During their encounters with the crash survivors, the Others have killed or attempted to kill several of them. Frequently, the crash survivors and the Others call members of the opposing group "one of them."

A major part of the Others' modus operandi is the use of lists. When Flight 815 crashed, Ben Linus immediately ordered Goodwin and Ethan to infiltrate the survivors and prepare lists within three days. By the first night, the Others apparently were able to kidnap at least three people, and they made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Mr. Eko. During these first few days, Ben orders Mikhail Bakunin to conduct full background checks on everyone on Flight 815, using the Flame Station's computers, claiming "he wanted to know everything about them." Over a week later, the Others return to the tail section survivors, this time with a list written by Goodwin including nine specific people to kidnap. It is later revealed that Jacob had a hand in this final list, and that Goodwin was lobbying "almost too hard" to have Ana-Lucia Cortez included. Notably, in the season 3 episode "I Do

I Do (Lost)

"I Do" is the sixth episode of the third season of Lost, and the 55th episode overall. It aired on November 8, 2006 on ABC. The episode was written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by Tucker Gates...

", Pickett claims that Jack "was not on Jacob's list anyway."

Since that time, several Flight 815 survivors have been seen among the Others. They do not appear to have been harmed, they seem to have complete freedom to move around, they never ask for help from the other survivors, and they never attempt to escape. It remains unknown whom Ethan was planning to put on his own list before his exposure as an Other. The question of why some members of Flight 815 have been taken and not others has generally been answered cryptically, usually with the claim that they simply weren't "meant" to join them.

Residence

At the start of the series, the Others live in yellow-painted barracks built by the Dharma Initiative to house their employees, which they appropriate after the massacre of the Dharma members in an event known as the Purge. It is a rather pleasant suburban-like neighborhood of houses, complete with furniture, indoor plumbing, and electricity. The barracks include many conveniences of modern living, such as ovens, relatively new books, and CD players. The settlement even has a book club. The barracks are surrounded by a defense perimeter capable of generating a sonic pulse to ward away any intruders, including the Monster. The Others have also occupied or utilized many of the Dharma Initiative's research stations. It seems that moving into the barracks was Ben's idea, something that Locke opposes. After Ben leaves the Island, the Others do not appear to have returned to the barracks, since the buildings remain in a ruined state. In addition, the Others have branched all over the world recruiting members, including Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Miami, and Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. Eloise Hawking operates the Lamp Post Dharma Station in Los Angeles, and Ben Linus is aided by a woman named Jill who runs a butcher shop in Los Angeles yet also knows about the island, Locke, and Jack. However, it is unclear if either woman is still regarded as an Other.

When not living in the barracks, the Others appear to be nomads, making camp in the jungle and moving as necessary. In the second season, they use a primitive fishing camp on the island's north coast, which includes a pair of Dharma Initiative blast doors built into the side of a rock face to deceive outsiders. They appear to have a secondary residence known as the Temple, which serves as a safe haven. At the end of Season 3, Ben Linus orders Richard to take the Others there. The Temple is about a day and a half journey by forced march from the barracks, as implied by Ben's statements. The Temple is apparently not often used; despite living her entire life among the Others, Alex never knew about the Temple until she was a teenager. The Smoke Monster's lair is evidently located in a series of underground tunnels beneath it. Mysterious hieroglyphs are inscribed on its rock surfaces, both in the tunnels and on the outside wall. Several large holes allow the Monster to exit and enter freely. In "Whatever Happened, Happened

Whatever Happened, Happened

"Whatever Happened, Happened" is the 11th television episode of the fifth season of ABC's Lost. The 97th episode of the show overall, "Whatever Happened, Happened" aired April 1, 2009, on ABC in the United States...

", Richard Alpert takes a mortally injured 12-year-old Ben Linus into the Temple to heal him, at "the cost of his innocence" and with the promise that Ben will always belong to the Others.

Character history

While people have come and lived on the Island before the Others, they all died mostly due to the Man In Black

Man in Black (Lost)

The entity referred to most frequently as the Man in Black is a fictional character on the American ABC television series Lost, and is the main antagonist of the...

 killing them and Jacob not guiding them. When Richard Alpert

Richard Alpert (Lost)

Ricardo "Richard" Alpert is a fictional character played by Nestor Carbonell in the American ABC television series Lost. Alpert is introduced in a flashback of the character Juliet Burke , where he claims to be a doctor for a bioscience company called Mittelos Bioscience; he is later revealed to...

 arrived on the Island in 1867, Richard insisted that Jacob do something about this since if he didn't the Man in Black would. Jacob then appoints Richard as his representative to the people that Jacob brings to the Island and to step in for Jacob when he needed him to. In exchange Jacob grants Richard immortality. From that point forward Richard assisted Jacob in bringing people to the Island and guiding them through Jacob's will.

During the 1950s the US Army arrived on the island, bringing with them a hydrogen bomb codenamed 'Jughead'. Richard Alpert claims he attempted a peaceful solution, but in the end the Others wiped out the Army personnel. In the 1970s, the Dharma Initiative came to the island. After initial conflict, a truce was struck between the two groups. These included very strict regulations about which part of the island belonged to each group. The truce ended when Benjamin Linus helped to kill all the Dharma Initiative members, returning total control of the island to the Others.

Not long after Flight 815 crashes on the Island, the survivors come into conflict with the Others. Hostilities mounted between the two groups, eventually resulting in armed conflict. During the course of the show, over a dozen survivors of Flight 815 have been taken by the Others. Most of these came from the tail section of the plane, where Goodwin was able to complete his 'list', whereas Ethan was discovered before he could do the same. The hostility between the two groups has continued, leading to a battle at the survivors' beach camp which saw many Others killed and injured by the survivors. Since the end of Season 4, however, they have been portrayed as less antagonistic, since both sides want to defend themselves from a band of mercenaries who arrive by freighter, sent there by a previous leader of the Others, Charles Widmore. John Locke

John Locke (Lost)

John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...

 is appointed the new leader of the Others after Ben is banished from the Island.

However, with the death of Jacob at the hands of his nemesis, a second group of Others at the Temple protected some of the survivors and showed great concern at Jacob's demise. Some of this group has since been killed by the nemesis, while others have followed him into the jungle.