NOTE: The following contains spoilers from JJ Abrams/Damon Lindelof's 2009 Star Trek movie.
Season Six of LOST has introduced a new way to confuse viewers: the "Flashsideways" alternate "What if Oceanic 815 never crashed?" reality.
The concept of the alternate reality is the basis of the new Star Trek movie, directed by JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof.
A Romulan named Nero and his ship are sucked through a black hole and transported over 100 years into the past. Immediately Nero attacks the USS Kelvin, a federation starship. Among it's passengers are George and Winona Kirk parents of James T. Kirk.
25 years after the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of George Kirk, aboard the USS Enterprise, future captain Kirk, and current captain Spock are discussing the realization that Nero is from the future.
Kirk: But you say he's from the future, knows what's gonna happen? Then the logical thing is to be unpredictable.
Spock: You're assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. The contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the U.S.S. Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party.
Uhura: An alternate reality.
Spock: Precisely. Whatever our lives might have been if the time continumm was disrupted, our destinies have changed.
This is what has happened on LOST. The detonation of the hydrogen bomb (or something) created an alternate reality for the passengers of 815 and changing their destinies.
