The DHARMA Initiative ( Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications Initiative )[1] is a fictional research project featured in the American television series Lost. It was introduced in the second-season episode "Orientation".
Background
Template:Spoiler Most of what is currently known about the DHARMA Initiative comes from an orientation film, [2] found inside an underground bunker on the island, that outlines the purpose and instructions for Station 3: The Swan. The film has a copyright date of 1980 and is designated as the third of six such films. Dr. Marvin Candle (played by François Chau) narrates the film, which is noticeably cut or damaged in places.
The film begins by providing background history of the DHARMA Initiative. It states that the Initiative was founded in 1970 by University of Michigan doctoral candidates Karen and Gerald de Groot and financed by the Hanso Foundation, apparently composed of a group of "scientists and free thinkers" from around the world who were brought together at a "large-scale communal research compound" on the island to conduct research in various disciplines, including meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism, and a sixth discipline that the film begins to identify as "utopian social . . . ." before being cut off. American psychologist and Walden Two author B.F. Skinner is cited as an influence on the de Groots' work.
A section of film is discovered by Mr. Eko inside a second, but apparently inactive, station where the survivors from the tail section of the plane were living in season one. In "What Kate Did", this portion of filmstock, hidden in a hollowed-out Bible, is given to John Locke who splices it into the orientation film. The additional section completes an admonishment against station orientees attempting to use the station's computer system to communicate with the outside world.
In the second season finale "Live Together Die Alone" it is revealed that the section was edited out of the film by a former inhabitant of the bunker.
Research stations
The DHARMA Initiative has placed several research stations around the island, which take the form of hidden, underground facilities or bunkers. The first to be discovered by the survivors is "Station 3" or "The Swan" which they refer to informally as "the hatch" and have since occupied. Three additional stations have since been visited: "The Pearl," "The Arrow," and "The Staff." Each of these facilities has a particular logo associated with it: an octagon with an interior based on the bagua design, with a differing symbol at the center.
"The Swan" research station consists of living quarters and a computer room. The living quarters contain a general living/sleeping space, bathroom, kitchen, pantry, and gun locker or armory. The computer room consists of several computers operating with reel to reel tape drives, an Apple II Personal computer from the late-1970s to early 1980s (Particular Model Unknown), and a countdown clock. As explained in the orientation film, the clock counts down from 108 minutes. Once the counter reaches four minutes the two men stationed inside "The Swan" must enter the number sequence 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 into the computer at which point the clock resets. The reason for doing so is never explicitly stated in the orientation film but it is implied that failure to do so will have dire results. The man that the characters find occupying the hatch describes it as "saving the world". In the second season finale "Live Together Die Alone" it is revealed that the station acts as a safety valve for magnetic energy. It is also shown that failure to input the numbers is very destructive to the hatch, causing a massive magnetic pull which begins to destroy the station. In the final mintues of the finale the character Desmond uses a failsafe option to apparently destroy the station, possibly killing himself, John Locke, and Mr. Eko.
"The Swans" armory once contained several automatic rifles but these were stolen by Sawyer. The food which was in the pantry was distributed to the survivors by Hurley. The hatch also contained a late model washer and dryer, which seem to be much newer than the rest of the furnishings and which was noticed by the character Libby.
One of the most unusual features of "The Swan" was the map drawn inside it. Drawn with ultraviolet paint on the inside of blast doors which are usually raised the map is invisible except when the doors close to allow food drops. In the second season finale "Live Together Die Alone" it is revealed that the map was drawn by two former occupants of the hatch.
In the episode "The Other 48 Days", the Tailies discover the hatch "The Arrow". Hidden in the jungle the hatch consists of a single room which is empty except for some refuse including a glass eye and a bible. The Tailies occupy the hatch until they decide to reunite with the other survivors.
In the episode "Maternity Leave" it is revealed in flashbacks that when Claire Littleton was abducted she was taken to the station "The Staff". This station, whose "staff" symbol is actually caduceus, is a medical center where Claire was experimented on and where The Others planned for her to deliver her baby. When Claire, Kate Austen, and Danielle Rousseau return to the station in the present day it is abandoned but Kate discovers evidence that The Others are pretending to be jungle dwelling primitives.
In "?", Mr. Eko and Locke discover Station 5, "The Pearl" which has an orientation of its own on a video tape. It also has a copyright date of 1980. On this tape, someone who looks just like Marvin Candle identifies himself as Dr. Mark Wickman. According to the video, the Pearl station is intended to observe and document activity in another station on the island. It explains that a psychological experiment is taking place in other stations, where team members have been conditioned to believe their work is of great importance. The station contains several monitors which allow the participants to watch the activities in "The Swan". However, Eko notices a camera within "The Pearl" station which may indicate that it is being observed. Later in the second season finale it is revealed that the log books which the men in "The Pearl" are supposed to fill out and return via pneumatic tube, are merely dumped in a field on the other side of the Island.
Notes
- A DHARMA Initiative symbol appears on the tail of a shark that attacks Michael and Sawyer in the episode "Adrift".
- As part of the associated alternate reality game, the Lost Experience, an actor portraying Hugh McIntyre of the Hanso Foundation, appeared in a staged interview on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, and claimed that the DHARMA Initiative was canceled in 1987.[3]
- Marvin Candle's left arm does not move throughout the orientation film, and creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse confirmed that Candle's hand is a prosthetic.[4] However, in the episode "?" he appears in a second orientation film, identifying himself as "Mark Wickman," and with both hands intact.
- While DHARMA stands for Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications[1], Dharma is also a Sanskrit term with several meanings in different religious contexts, including "natural law", "reality", "truth" and "duty".
References
- ^ a b Revealed by playing a memory game accessible through the Hanso Foundation website, which can be found here [1]. To reveal the acronym one must reach level 42, which is the largest of The numbers.
- ^ Orientation film for Station 3: The Swan QuickTime movie at fansite http://thedharmainitiative.org
- ^ Hugh McIntyre interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live
- ^ "Official Lost Podcast" 17 January 2006.