A DEBATE

There is a mild debate whether LOST was a science fiction or a fantasy show.

For those sci-fi fans, their fiction is rooted in science and principles of technology that can be extrapolated into future applications. For example, in the original Star Trek, a digital clipboard the crew used seemed beyond the current sciences, but today the tablet computer is mainstream.

On the fantasy side, people who like their fiction in new worlds or magical realms like Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings, find interest in the minute detail of these strange, exotic lands and environments. In the Potterverse, it was the new language of those books that captivated young readers - - - it opened a portal into a new imaginary world beyond Disney.

In some ways, sci-fi fans want some tangible base in which the story can have a foundation. In fantasy, it is a vivid intangible elements explained within their own environment that is the hook.

These types of stories run parallel tracks. They each have their good points and bad points. Each can have very good premises and story telling ideas.

LOST certainly stressed a lot of science in the series. The references to the Dharma stations invoked many classic fields of study including biology, psychology, chemistry to sonic technology.  In fact, many fans sought out scientific explanations for the island, time travel, the electromagnetic fields to even the ghost images the characters interacted with while in the jungle.

LOST also had a lot of mythical, supernatural elements. The large portion of the later set designs with Egyptian hieroglyphs seeded the viewer with ancient cultural beliefs in the after life. The supernatural elements included the unexplained smoke monster - - was it nanotechnology or an evil spirit? Some find a basic hero story of Jack slaying the dragon (Flocke). And then there was the sideways world in which everyone was dead but living complex human lives.

Part of the problem is that both sides are right. LOST shifted between the various story genres at will, which causes some form of confusion, inconsistency and practical errors. As the series went on, the continuity of story lines became more problematic. Was LOST going to stay an adventure-survival story as it warped into a sci-fi drama? And when it changed to supernatural elements and the sideways parallel universe, and the Desmond superman arc against EM energy, was fantasy how the show would be explained to the fans?

The vagueness of the producers lack of explanations of their own vision also clouds this debate. For if the writers wanted us to make our own sense of what was shown, then those producers and writers should not be upset with our criticisms or opinions. For if the producers and writers would come out on one side of the debate, sci-fi or fantasy, that would eliminate a great deal tension between these story forms. But then again, it would open another avenue of inquiry on that road and whether the stories made any sense in that genre.