In the episode “Whatever Happened, Happened” Miles and Hurley have a couple of key discussions about the nature of spacetime as it relates to being stuck in 1977. I’m postulating that Miles’ summary will also prove to be correct if the Bomb changes everything #BCE
First part is when Sawyer sends Miles back to the barracks to sit on Jack, Kate and Hurley, since things are spiraling out of control.
[Miles is loading his rifle.]
JACK: You’re telling us we’re under house arrest?
MILES: No, you’re all free to leave whenever you want…but I’ll shoot you in the leg.
JACK: [Sighs] And whose idea was this?
MILES: Who do you think?
KATE: Sawyer’s just doing his job, Jack.
[Miles looks at Jack and points at Kate, emphasizing her point. Miles walks over to the table where Hurley is inspecting his hand.]
MILES: What the hell are you doing, Tubby?
HURLEY: Checking to see if I’m disappearing.
MILES: What?
HURLEY: "Back to the Future," man. We came back in time to the island and changed stuff. So if little Ben dies, he’ll never grow up to be big Ben, who’s the one who made us come back here in the first place. Which means we can’t be here. And therefore, dude? We don’t exist.
MILES: You’re an idiot. [Takes a seat at the table]
HURLEY: Am I?
MILES: Yeah. It doesn’t work like that. You can’t change anything. You’re maniac Iraqi buddy shot Linus. That is what always happened. It’s just…we never experienced how it all turns out.
[Hurley looks at Jack, confused.]
HURLEY: This is really confusing.
MILES: Yeah, well, get used to it. But the good news is that Linus didn’t die, so that means the kid can’t either. He’ll be fine.
KATE: Didn’t look like he was gonna be fine. What if you’re wrong?
MILES: Well, if I’m wrong, then I guess we all stop existing, and none of it matters anyway then, does it?
Next miles and Hurley are sitting in the barracks (Kate has left after getting mad at Jack for not DOing SOMETHING!!!) and are still on the space time talk.
[Hurley is seated in the house, questioning Miles.]
HURLEY: Let me get this straight.
[Miles is pacing.]
HURLEY: All this already happened.
MILES: Yes.
HURLEY: So this conversation we’re having right now…we already had it.
MILES: [Claps his hands] Yes!
HURLEY: Then what am I gonna say next?
MILES: I don’t know. [Shakes his head.]
HURLEY: Ha’! Then your theory is wrong!
MILES: For the thousandth time, you dingbat, the conversation already happened, but not for you and me. For you and me, it’s happening right now.
HURLEY: Okay, answer me this. If all this already happened to me, then…why don’t I remember any of it?
MILES: Because once Ben turned that wheel, time isn’t a straight line for us anymore. Our experiences in the past and the future occurred before these experiences right now.
[Hurley’s face tightens in confusion as he thinks, Miles stares at him.]
HURLEY: Say that again.
MILES: [Pauses in exasperation and pulls out his gun and holds it out for Hurley to take.] Shoot me. Please. Please!
HURLEY: Aha! I can’t shoot you. Because if you die in 1977, then you’ll never come back to the island on the freighter 30 years from now.
MILES: I can die because I’ve already come to the island on the freighter. Any of us can die because this is our present.
HURLEY: But you said Ben couldn’t die because he still has to grow up and become the leader of the Others.
MILES: Because this is his past.
HURLEY: But when we first captured Ben, and Sayid, like, tortured him, then why wouldn’t he remember getting shot by that same guy when he was a kid?
[Miles blinks and looks around. Hurley raises his eyebrow.]
MILES: Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.
HURLEY: Huh. [Crossing his arms.]
We learn later in the episode that Ben’s memory of getting shot are changed from being healed by Richard in the temple. How that happened specifically is still a mystery. This scene was cut between Kate, Roger and Juliet working on little Ben in the infirmary. So it was cut into the episode with a purpose, I think it explains to us how the time travel thing works in Lost’s universe. So read on and read me BCmE theory again.