WAS IT ALL ABOUT JACK? (Part One)

Was LOST merely the spiritual quest of Jack Shepard? Was Jack the keystone character for the series? Was LOST all about Jack?

Jack Shepard was born on December 3, 1969. The most significant historical event on that day was that John Lennon is offered role of Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Sandwiched between that trivia were too more significant events:
on December 2, 1969, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet made its maiden flight from Seattle to NYC;
on December 4, 1969, the Chicago police raided a Black Panther apartment in a hail of gunfire, killing several militants which caused an uproar in the city.

Why did the writers choose December 3, 1969 as Jack's "birth date?" What is the significance of that date in history?

The 747 jumbo jet was a major advancement in airplane technology. It was big enough to haul a great number of passengers, or more importantly, open its hull to international cargo flights. The age of globalization was just beginning with the advent of long distance air transportation.

The idea of man flying through the skies on wings is an ancient doctrine. Early man believed that their gods were winged creatures that descended from the heavens to give them life and guidance. Winged creatures came to symbolize change. Migrating birds signaled the change of seasons. Winged creatures also symbolize angels and demons of death.

The central focal point for the LOST mythology was Flight 815, a long distance, international flight. Coincidence?

Chicago was the hot bed for racial tension in 1969. The Democratic convention of 1968 turned into massive riots and confrontation between the police and protesters. Tensions were high. Within months in 1968, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated by lone gunmen. Riots burned major urban areas. Protesters wanted the end of Vietnam. Change. It was the Establishment against the Revolutionaries (which included subgroups of intellectuals, hippies, militants, communists, anarchists).

Another major plot line for LOST was the dynamic between the Survivors (middle class establishment types) and the Others. Coincidence?

Between the two news events is the John Lennon story. Lennon was the most vocal, political and boundary pushing Beatle. He was the focal point of controversy. People were drawn to him for hope and in anger. He was an international celebrity. He once said that the Beatle were bigger than Jesus Christ, which angered most Christians throughout the world. So there was some irony about Lennon being offered the role of Jesus in a rock opera.

Jesus Christ Superstar was a rock opera produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first Broadway performance in 1971. According to Wikipedia, the musical is based very loosely on the Gospels' account of the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem, and ending with the crucifixion. It highlights political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus, struggles that are not in the Bible. The resurrection is not included. It therefore largely follows the form of a traditional passion play.

The work's depiction offered a free interpretation of the psychology of Jesus and the other characters. A large part of the plot focuses on the character of Judas, who is depicted as a tragic figure who is dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus steers his disciples. Twentieth-century attitudes and sensibilities as well as contemporary slang pervade the lyrics, and ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout the depiction of political events.

The flashbacks in LOST appear to show the preparation, motivation and coincidence of the passengers on Flight 815 departure from Sydney in a similar way to the last week of Jesus' life. After the crash, the psychology and manipulation of personal beliefs was a continual struggle for Jack, his fellow survivors, and his interaction with his captors, Ben and the Others.

In The End, Jack must come to terms with his interpersonal struggles and sacrifices himself in the same way Jesus is crucified for his followers. For some, LOST could be considered a personal passion play of Jack's character in attempting to reconcile his life choices to find a personal redeeming moment of self sacrifice; instead of trying to "fix" others, he finally "fixes" himself.