First off I would like to ask each and every one of you to respect each other and that you post NO spoilers, flames or inappropriate language (keep the 3,4, or 5 letter words to yourself, and you know what I mean by that) Thank you in advance for you consideration!

Now, onto the Theory!

We don't know much about the original timeline but here is a quick summation of what I believe happened. In an unaltered timeline many people went about their lives with no mysterious abductions or returns. A brilliant man by the name of Kevin Burkhoff was working on developing a method to unlock the unused portions of the brain when he fell irreversibly ill, some time after that another researcher came along and picked up where Kevin had left off. Through this person's research an amazing discovery was made, promicin. Also sometime farther in the future a catastrophe occurred that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, thousands maybe millions of people, this seems to have been of biological and industrial origin, and perhaps resulting in something much larger. After this catastrophe a select few are able to live comfortably within a "special city" created by an "elite group" while those less fortunate are left outside in a barren waste land struggling to survive. A group of people formed together, tired of the way things were and devised a plan.

There were members from both sides of that city who joined this group, they desired to see a better future and set forth to discover how to make this happen. With each other's cooperation they were able to get information, resources and technology to help them on their quest. They studied out their history and found key factors resulting in the origin of the catastrophe. They learned how it all began and what actions may help either prevent or significantly soften the blow of the catastrophe. They began a search through time to find people who, if at the right place, the right time with the right "stuff", were the best candidates to make the necessary impacts and decided on 4400 people who were removed from their own time. These people were brought to the future where they were given promicin, some of which seem to have possible suppressed memories of important information from the future and they are placed into a pretty glowing ball of light and sent back through time, Superman style, to Seattle in 2004. These people are brought to a secure facility and quarantined while they are tested and studied for a time and eventually released, unbeknownst to them, to begin their work. We learn that the future are responsible for the return of the 4400 when a young man by the name of Shawn Farrell heals his cousin Kyle Baldwin, who has been in a coma since Shawn's abduction. Kyle wakes being very confused and eventually leads his father, Tom, to a beach where they are able to contact the future and we are told where the 4400 had been and that they have been returned to prevent the catastrophe.



We see a few examples of the effects right off, one is with Orson Bailey who is upset when his previous employer refuses to give him his job back and he approaches the man's house and unintentionally causes his death. Later we see that this man was up to no good and that Orson may have done the world a favor. We see another man, Carl Morrissey who upon discovering his ability decides to use it to clean up a beloved park and unfortunately dies in the process. However thanks to his actions others in the community take action and continue his mission to clean up the park and perhaps more. Perhaps the most fascinating would be Tess Doener, a disturbed lady, who with her ability and a possible suppressed memory from the future created a device that brought the brilliant Dr. Burkhoff back to his senses! Dr Burkoff, the "Father of 4400 Technology" will become very important due to his knowledge and understanding of promicin. There are also those who were returned whose actions could not be found in a positive light. Were they corrupted by the opposition or is there more to it than we are able to see? We simply don't know.

There is a unique addition to the group discovered later when a 4400, Lilly Moore, discovers she was impregnated while in the future! This child's origins are uncertain at this time. Was she planted by the opposition in order to tip the balances in their favor or was she planned to help the 4400 with their purpose? This child, Isabelle Tyler, is presumed to have been fathered by Richard Tyler although this is never truly confirmed. She baffles many people in the months to come including her own mother who has a VERY unique connection with the child; she saves her parents life on more than one occasion and we also see her helping her parents escape from one Jordan Collier as he scares Lilly and Richard due to his unorthodox obsession with Isabelle. Is Jordan reacting to a suppressed memory that he took to a little too strongly? Perhaps he was meant to help Richard and Lilly guide Isabelle on the 4400 path in order to help them in their quest. After the child is born she is eventually brought back into contact with Jordan, and she is reminded of the feelings that he caused in her mother and gives him a false vision which ultimately leads to his demise.

Jordan is forewarned by Maia Skouris that he will be assassinated but he decides that he will listen to Isabelle instead. We later discover that Kyle shot Jordan during a "blackout" and is found to have an entity inside of him that is removed by Shawn. We can not be sure at this point whether it was the opposition or the 4400 faction that had Jordan killed but it seems as though it was the 4400 faction that revived and returned him with his vision.

Before, or near the time of Jordan Collier's death, the opposition sends some returnees of their own. 10 agents, who are against the 4400 and everything they stand for, who would have their consciences "downloaded" into specific people of our own time, one of these people being verified later as Matthew Ross. Another is speculated to be a man named Dennis Ryland. We find out that Ryland is, partially, responsible for the promicin inhibitor being developed and used earlier than intended on the 4400. This inhibitor is intended to counteract the abilities of the 4400 ultimately negating any positive changes they were meant to make. Due to the rushed introduction of the inhibitor many 4400's begin to get ill and close to 40 died because of this. Kevin is brought in and with Isabelle's help he is able to extract enough untainted promicin to give out one shot, minus what he hid from those around him for his own studies. This shot is given to none other than Shawn and he is able to heal the other 4400s after the shot helps him recover from this illness.

After the inhibitor scandal was discovered and the 4400 were healed we find that Isabelle has grown about 20 years overnight and introduces herself to Shawn. Unfortunately Isabelle's growth spurt has resulted in the rapid aging of her mother who is now dying. Isabelle attempts to commit suicide as a means of preserving her mother's life but instead discovers that she is able to heal herself to the point of reviving herself from death. This is when we see the actions of the future agent inside of Matthew take light. Matthew tells her that she is meant to do bad things and he was sent to guide her but she tells him that she does not want to do that and he gives her a substance and tells her that if she really wants to try and save her mother's life that this is the only thing that can hurt her, but he can't guarantee that it will work. She ponders on his words and the encouragement of her mother and decides not to take the shot. She struggles for a while to fight what Matthew has been telling her and eventually gives in. The opposition has now corrupted Isabelle and although she eventually kills Matthew she continues down this destructive path.

The 4400 faction decides it's time to step in and abduct the children from the present and reseed them farther into the past in order to counteract the negative actions Isabelle has made. Tom's partner, Diana Skouris is extremely distraught when she discovers what has become of her adopted daughter Maia Rutledge, now Skouris. She locks herself up in a Dream world created by returnee Alana Mereva and will not leave so Tom takes matters into his own hands. Tom was told that he was important in the events to come while the future was communicating through his son so he tempts fate and commits suicide as an attempt to contact the future and it works. He speaks with "Sarah" who is responsible for the kidnapping of the children, and she tells Tom that she will return the kids BUT he must do something he will not like and if he does not follow through it will cost him dearly. Sarah also tells him that next time they may not save him.

The agreement is made and the kids are returned directly from the future, now having never been in the past, and Tom finds them as well as his assignment "Kill Isabelle" and we see the very same substance that was given to Isabelle by Matthew. Tom confronts Isabelle about his mission and decides to wait until he feels he has good reason and in the mean time we see that Isabelle is meeting with Ryland in secret; she is supplying him with promicin which he is stock piling. Ryland is using this stock pile to secretly create super soldiers and he has also discovered that the Starzl Mutation seems to have a connection with promicin, apparently if a P+ and a Starzl have a child that child would have an ability. This seems to indicate that the catastrophe was originally very far in the future and the 4400 faction was hoping that returning them to the same location where the most people with the mutation could be found, would result in more babies being born with promicin in their systems.

Jordan is returned from the dead with a vision of the catastrophe, and his memory in shambles until Alana comes to help restore them, and Isabelle is worried. We see Isabelle admit to having given Jordan the false vision because of the way he made her parents feel and she confronts Jordan and apologizes, while he accepts her apology he tells her to leave and never come back which leads her to openly work with Ryland, who thinks he can control her. When Jordan steals the stock pile of promicin as a means of counteracting the vision he saw of the future Isabelle becomes infuriated and hunts him down destroying anyone who gets in her way. Tom finally takes out the syringe and means to use it. Her father ends up injecting her and she is stripped of her powers but Tom shoots her in the arm instead of killing her. We later see that Alana has been taken back by the future.

Alana was able to see the same things that Jordan saw as she restored his memories and after being taken to the future once more, she is "found" to have been sent farther back in the past and is speculated to have helped in the creation of a prophesy book used by a cult named the Wight Light group. Given Alana's ability, her knowledge from Jordan's memories and some possible information from the future she could very easily have started the group as a means to begin a foundation for the events to come. We see Kyle led to this book by his ability, Cassie, and he begins to study it and decodes a section with the help of Isabelle, who has now escaped from prison with a seemingly new attitude after the removal of her powers. They meet up with Jordan who takes them both in and begins to follow the book as well. We see Tom compromised by the Marked and another person, Drew Imroth, is discovered to be an agent as well.

Given what clues we have been given I believe the catastrophe to be biological and industrial in nature and that promicin somehow creates an immunity to the biological effects while the actions of the 4400 were meant to help eliminate some of the industrial origins, as well as improve some of the biological issues.

I believe this covers the major events up until now, if I missed anything let me know.

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sorry zippity i only read half way through i'll read the rest another time have to go eat and do housework i'll give u my opinion another time............

Z

I vote you get to write the 1st 4400 Novel. Excellent post. Loved it.

That's OK evenstar, I don't blame you at all! It did turn out incredibly long. Hope you enjoy your meal and good luck with the house work



Wow, thanks!! I don't know how good I would do at righting a Novel though, but I appreciate the support! Glad you enjoyed it!

Ok, I actually read the whole thing in one sitting. I agree with all you wrote. You forgot to mention about the new (closely watched, maybe a Mark) NTAC director Meghan Doyle. hehe

I finally got the first and second season today (I already had the third season) and I watched it all again. The part that made my light bulb go on was when I watched season one, the part when Kyle directed Tom to the beach and Kyle (well the person in Kyle’s body) said that he was a communication (or something like that) to Tom. Then In season two, where Shawn took out the entity inside of Kyle.

My point, believe me I do have one, is this: I feel that The person that is Kyle when Kyle blacked out was Cassie all along. Hear me out..... When Shawn went into a coma and Kyle gave him a shot of promicin then Shawn had his healing ability back. So if Kyle's ability is Cassie now, then when he had his blackout it was her, but she was not in a human form she only controlled him from the inside and because Shawn took out his ability "supposedly" I think it just made it stronger and all his ability needed was the shot of Promicin to be in human form.

I'm I wrong?

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Cassie is not in human form, she is an "invisible friend"

It's a big leap to say the catastrophe was/is/will be biological and industrial because Promicin creates an immunity.

We've been shown that Promicin creates abilities. There is no evidence to suggest Promicin does anything else.

I think the reason Jordan was killed was getting in the way of what the 4400 was sent back to do. He built the 4400 center but for his personal gain. He was also blocking Tom from working together with them, exspecially making sure Shawn kept away from any family ties. When Jordan died Shawn was in control a much better working relationship don't you think? Now Jordan seem more in tune with the Pro-4400 PFTF mission they maybe trying to covertly direct him. So enter the Anti-4400 PFTF who plans to use the other sides champion, Tom for their own agenda. I secretly think they have a wicked sense of humor with that plan.

Phanta Quote: Cassie is not in human form, she is an "invisible friend"

Answer: Just because Tom didn't see her doesn't mean she is the "invisible friend," (she can make herself invisible) Other times she tells Kyle to meet her and no one is around. Just my thought.


Elessar Question:If I understand you right, you think that maybe the entity that was controlling Kyle was Cassie, and that when Shawn removed her from Kyle, his taking the shot allowed her to continue controlling him without having to possess him, is that right?

Answer: Correct, I feel strongly about that. After buying all seasons of the 4400 I watched(researched) then again and that's what I came up with.

Elessar Question: The only thing that seems strange to me is that the entity that was in Kyle that Shawn removed had Kyle kill Jordan, so now why would this same enitity, if it is the same, have Kyle working with Jordan?

Answer: I was going to answer that, but June911 said it for me. I could write it but it would be a repeat. Jordan was doing more bad then good, so he had to be "refreshed" in ways.

Welcome to the boards wicartic! I hope you enjoy it here, and I am glad that you agreed but I am afraid that I am not ready to jump on the "Meghan is a Marked" band wagon just yet! She was acting suspiciously but I am going to keep an eye on her a little longer before I come to any conclusions

Now with Kyle's ability, I am the odd ball in the group that thinks that she could honestly be his ability, he is a Shaman and she is his spirit guide. She has a connection to the spirit world and is able to access information about the past, present and the future. I do find your theory interesting though, especially about the future taking Jordan out because of his bad intentions... I like that!



Well, I don't know if that is the true nature of the catastrophe, just a theory but promicin is not my only basis for believing it to be. With Carl cleaning up the park and his death sparking the community to continue his work it seems to me that there is some kind of natural or biological basis too it or why else would that have been important? With the starzl mutation giving 4400's a chance to have babies with abilities it says to me that promicin is very important somehow, maybe it's in order to give the people a way to fight back or maybe it has added benefits such as an immunity? It's hard to say right now, I have been looking at the facts and it appears to me that those with abilities are the most likely to survive so it seems that it somehow plays a big role in the catastrophe. I would like to find out for sure what the story is but for now I am standing by my little crackpot theory... Although it is subject to change if they give us some more information to go on in the show.

That episode wasn't about the park being dirty. The park being tangible was the tangible result of the people losing control of their neighborhood to negative influences. Cleaning up the park was the symbolic action of "taking the neighborhood back". Carl's ability is what enabled the residents of the neighborhood to take such action.

Now, if you want to extrapolate that one episode outward (which you arguably can because other episodes featured a similar theme) then you can say that abilities were meant to help people "take the world back".

The question then becomes: What is the relevance of the enviroment (the park) being dirty? Is that plot element symbolic of the enivroment being in danger?

The answer is: No, because the the park being dirty was the effect and not the cause. The cause was the (in)action of the residents of the neighborhood.

Oh, in that case the catastrophe is the enviroment being bad, right? I mean, that's the end result. Well, was the catastrophe of the Holocaust the insanely large number of oen ethnicity killed in a genocide? No, the numbers are the effects, the consequences. The catastrophe was the actions of the entire world that allowed that scenario to play out.

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Those refutations aside, I would estimate that this perspective stems from the belief that we cannot kill the planet, only make it uninhabitable to ourselves. In other words:

The existence of the planet Earth in some form is an objective fact, the quality of its enviroment is a relevant condition in regards to us (humanity).

"Killing the enviroment" means nothing if the standard of human living remains static or increases. Therefore, the question regarding the (supposed) catastrophe becomes:

What caused the overall standard of living for humanity to decrease so drastically? (Of course, this question is framed from a Utilitarian perspective, but I think such a standard is how we measure the success of a nation and perhaps ultimately how we'll measure the success of the global "community".)

Jayemel, I haven't been on the past couple of days so please forgive me for taking so long in replying.

I believe that the future had a good idea as to what ability each person would get, they couldn't decide what ability they would get though. That's why they chose these specific people, they would get the ability that could make a difference in the place where the person either lives or where they would "gravitate" to. So if that is true than we take into consideration the types of abilities that we have seen (healing plants, fertilizing fields, etc.) And the way the abilities have been used such as his "taking back the park" would all indicate that nature plays a role. The future told Tom that each one had something important to do, they were taken for a purpose and I believe given the abilities and some of the actions we have seen that it is possible that there is a biological relevance to the catastrophe.

I have no big scientific reason as to why I believe it but I do. Given the facts we have learned and what we have seen it seems likely to me. Also if you recall when the kids were reinserted into the past some of the changes that were made was the lunar colonies and synthetic fuels, the lunar colonies give us an alternate place to live and the synthetic fuel would help preserve some of the world's resources which effects the environment.

Basically, it would be nearly impossible to go back and change the actions of everyone resulting in things getting better or preventing them from getting bad in the first place BUT if you take someone back that has the ability to make a huge impact and they begin to make a change then that will empower others to get active as well and having seen what happens when they don't do anything makes the realisation of the importance of those actions all the more valuable.

Wow, Zip...that is quite a bit of thinking. Good job of putting it all to paper (or should I say a message panel). My thoughts about the up coming catastrophe relate directly to what you said, plus in a part to what Jayemel posted. I am thinking that "we ... the human race" is the catastrophe. Haven't thought it all through yet as you have but I have in my mind that we as a species are what we must be saved from. The 4400's were sent back to fix what we are causing to the environment by using their abilities. It is only frames of thoughts right now so I can't defend it totally.

Thanks Mickey! I appreciate it, just several theories and a time line all thrown in together is all! And you were right about the paper, I wrote most of that out in the middle of the night and then typed it out the next day, didn't get much sleep at all I agree about the problem being people as well, our inaction and those who would do wrong on a grand scale are all causing problems. I guess that ties in with an industrial aspect? But we are (in)directly the cause of biological issues as well. It just seems to me that the abilities and ripples that we have seen seem to point to this as well.

Ah, Zip, you are going for self-inflected pain, kiddo. To stay up at night writing all those thoughts are way beyond what I could do with pen and paper. And you're welcome.

I was trying to remember excatly what Jordan said last season but couldn't pull it from the deep abyss of my brain. Didn't he say something about the machines not working and natural disasters???? Of course, we are not sure what he said he saw relates directly to the catastrophe but if it is true, the question is what causes it? The ripple effect of us as humans or the ripple effect of messing with the abilities. Back we go....around and around and around.

Yeah, I do hate those late nights... I knew I shouldn't have drunk all that coffee that morning!

Hard to say isn't it? Let's see... Bodies everywhere, machines not working, wasteland everywhere except inside the city where the elite lived, people crying to get in and no one listening... I don't know if he pointed out anything in particulat as to what would have caused the catastrophe other than the machines the only thing he mentioned was people... Hmmm, I think maybe originally it is our neglect to the natures needs and our constant need for possession and control. But I believe Jordan may have seen an altered future, one where 4400s were present but due to Ryland the government "won" because of the control over promicin maybe?

Let's think for a second. This may sound crazy, but a "perfect city" surrounded by a waste land? Did this strike anyone else as possibly "Promise City"?

yes it has been thought of, maybe just not posted.

I wasn't exactly being literal, but hoping to start some discussion on the subject.

Exactly. That's why I think the catastrophe is still happening. I like the timeline as it was presented but there are a few things I would add.

Time travel is very likely due to someone's promicin ability.

If the elitist walled city cut off from a barren world with few survivors is the catastrophe, then two things are possible.

1) The 4400 (Jordan and his followers) are the elites forming the city which will eventually only welcome those with abilities, leaving everyone else as "sacrifices." This could make them the enemy without them realizing it, and the Marked could be the good guys trying to stop them. The P+'s would actually be the catastrophe.

2) The 4400 are to save the world from the walled city situation and create heaven on earth, not just in a small part of it. The Marked could then be the elites of the walled city trying to maintain their hold on the future.

As regards to killing Isabelle. I think Tom was supposed to kill Isabelle to prevent her from helping Ryland and spreading promicin. The spread of promicin seems to have sped up the timeline and the future may have punished Tom by taking Alana away. The question then is whether Alana's removal and Jordan's return were yet another attempt by TPFTF to save the world after Tom failed or if Jordan is an enemy and promicin should have never been distributed.

You have a lot of nice ideas, but I just wanted to touch on this one.

My first theory about the show after the first season was that the 4400 were much more planned and targeted than they appear to be now. I thought that they were given specific abilities and were released back into the wild with those abilities set to emerge at specific times (timed-release capsules?). So, we start with a bunch of people frightened of the returnees, but they ultimately need to save the world, so we need everyone to get over the fear and embrace their mission. Thus, we begin with Carl Morrissey. Nice guy, good deeds, inspires others -- less fear. I then contorted a bit with the serial killer, thinking that maybe they needed to spark open hostility towards the 4400 to get most people to feel sorry for them and remember that there may be other Carl Morrisseys or Shawn Ferrells among them. This would also drive the 4400's together to help each other and get working on their mission.

I pretty much dropped that idea with the spore lady. However, I still tend to think that the 4400 were chosen, not picked at random.

I still think that the future intended for the 4400 to save us from a particular catastrophe, and I also think that it was something biological -- multiple pandemics in an over-populated and ecologically sick world. I agree that the differences noted in the timeline when the children were placed further back are significant. I also think that this move to create a world of P+'s beginning in a walled-off city is not what the future intended. If they needed more people, they presumably could have abducted 8800 or 17,600, or however many were needed.

I think they sent back people like Heather Tobey to bring out talents in non P+'s. They sent the water kids and others back to advance technology at a much faster rate. They sent Shawn back to gain the world's trust of the 4400. And they sent people like Richard and the Nova leader back to protect the 4400 from harm while they went about their important tasks.

Well, that's my theory anyhow. Now, if Jordan would just get with the program.

LOL that Jordan always the last one to join the club. LOL

Good theory though.

Thanks. I should add that my multiple pandemics statement is an example, not my particular guess. It was probably a combination of things, like multiple pandemics, followed by nuclear reactor failures (everyone called in sick) and massive crop failures (durn bugs!), and other things that would create a wasteland.

Oh yeah. I forgot to include the Starzl mutation into my theory. The future picked Seattle 2004 so that there would be a few extra breeders available to replenish some lost 4400s and to make sure that promicin people continued to exist into the future (apparently, 4400s cannot mate with each other -- well, that will have to be my theory until I hear about a 4400 couple having a baby).

Maybe they just dont have enough people left to re-populate OR they are sterile because of the catastrophe and can't reproduce. so they had to go back further into the past to stop the catastrophe...at Highland Beach Kyle (the communicator) states that humanity is dying out....

I still believe that the two warring factions are opposite timelines, one where there is paradise, and one where there is nothing but despair. One timeline is going to have to die, and that is thta.

I don't agree with that. I believe it is the same time line---just two opposing views. Although, why would anyone want to let humanity die out---

I don't WANT humanity to die out, but I do think it's possible that even the human race will come to an end someday. Here's a thought. Humans are such purists that some people have a problem with humans of different races intermarrying, even though we are all the same species. What if humanity is not dying out-it's just becoming part of a larger group? Some scientists theorize that Neanderthals did not die out-they just got absorbed into another human population. What if what the PFTF who created the 4400 call the death of humanity, is really just humanity being absorbed into a wider population? What if there would still be people-our descendants-continuing on, just with different bloodlines and in a wider realm than just the earth? I got to thinking of the light creature that came out of Kyle and wondered if it was human, or another species. I have also wondered if Isabelle is a hybrid of human and light creature.

Does anyone remember the epi after Kyle got out of the hosp, but before he went to Highland beach? His mother called Tom to come quick. They got to his room and he was sitting on the bed with a map of the area. He was writing --using some symbols that looked kind of like a dot with a half parenthesis around it. When they asked what he was doing he answered "I'm looking". They asked for what and he replied "For me." They never explained the significance of those symbols. And why would he look for himself on a map? any ideas? Im off to work--see you all later.

It does seem that way doesn't it Paradox? I think someone posted something about this last week but I might be mistaken. I think the key factor in Jordan's city will be whether or not he eventually decides to let everyone in. One of the problems with the Last City was that they had closed themselves off, people were begging to get in and no one would listen. Is Jordan going to gain that mentallity or is he going to continue to let all positives in and eventually allow negatives as well?



Thanks for the input Katatonik. I would like to say that I don't agree with time travel being an ability though, I know they did it one Heroes but it just doesn't seem intirely likely to me. For now I think I will leave that part open to interpretation unless we see something more concrete on the show.

I don't think that the elite cutting themselves off is the catastrophe, but more of a result. All these bad things started happening so they just walled themselves up and carelessly left everyone else out to suffer making things reach a point where something had to be done to correct the problem and insure survival for all of mankind. Now I do find your theories interesting and for right now it is hard to say which side is good but I am going to say that the 4400 faction is good in my opinion. I think however Shawn is the closest to the right path, he doesn't condemn people for taking promicin and wants everyone to get along and learn to except eachother, he also stated that Jordan shouldn't have released it until it was safer and I agree with all of these points. Anyway, I believe the marked to be the bad people fighting to keep the seperation and Jordan is just gone wacky and needs to have a reality check big time.

I definitely agree that Alana being removed was in order to punish Tom. I am not sure that it was to negate the promicin distribution though, if I recall correctly she had been going to Ryland for a while before Sarah gave the shot to Tom, if the distribution was meant to be a good thing then perhaps they wanted her to be taken out of the picture to prevent her from attacking Jordan and the others and preventing the distribution. It seems to me that had Ryland been able to continue the enhanced soldier program that the brutal elite would have been them but seeing as how the general public now have the ability to gain an ability there is more of a balance of power although I am not sure what this means for the elite at this point.



Thanks Bahmo! It's good to read that I don't come off as a basket case

I definitely agree that they were specifically chosen and not taken randomly, although I don't think that their abilities could have been picked but rather determined by the individual personalities. "Timed-release capsules" I like that! I do think that Oliver and Jean seemed to throw a monkey wrench into things while I think it's posible that they were compromised by the bad side in order to help nullify the 4400 I don't know if that's true, perhaps through their actions something was done for the greater good but we were not able to see what that good might have been.

I agree on your thoughts about the biological aspects of the catastrophe and that the 4400 were intended to save us but I am beginning to lean towards the distribution as a good thing. I don't think it was originally the route they wanted to go but that it became nesseccary when Ryland began the super soldier program, could you imagine all these super powered soldier and less than 4400 people in the general public being able to maintain a balance?! I have been pondering though if the future had intended for the promicin to be safer when handed out though and that Jordan's actions were more extreme then they wanted. This prophesy book is still throwing me off too though, I am not 100% sure how to feel about it.

Other than that I pretty well agree with your thoughts and I think you got a good theory there!



I agree with there being multiple aspects to the carastrophe and I think you summed things up rather well.

Yes, the Starzl Mutation, definitely agree with your thoughts here, this is also what leads me to believe that the catastrophe was originally very FAR into the future but with the events that we have seen unfold I think it's possible that the timeline has changed. It would be interesting to see or hear of one being born and how the ability shows up in a child.



That is an interesting thought Phanta, I think it's possible too. Given what we have been told about the catastrophe it is very likely that the various conditions led up to them becoming sterile. Although I think there is more to it than just that.

I thought those symbols were interesting as well, ya know what. I would like to see his symbols lined up with the coded section of the prophesy book and see if they are similar. That could prove interesting, to me anyway!As far as the map goes maybe he had realized he was in the wrong time and was trying to find an area where he could connect to the future?

I don't think the light was necessarily an actual being but I think it is possible that the catastrophe somehow caused a new (to the universe or just to the planet?) breed of beings to emerge. They are the marked/elite, they want the catastrophe to happen because it ensures that they will be there and have control if it does but the other side doesn't want it because of the tyrrants that resulted and it causes the end of mankind in the process. But that is just a side theory that I haven't played with in a while so it might not have comeout quite right...

Something tells me it's all going to come down to one decision on Jordan's part. I bet it Maia or someone is going to figure out that if he continues to let it happen, then he is the tragedy, and they'll point that out. He'll have to make some important decision.

That is interesting Paradox, and he certainly is going to have some major decisions to make. Especially with all those people under his watch... It will be interesting to see how things unfold!

*smacks head* Holy moley, that's an awesome idea, and I hadn't thought of that! It makes so much sense, too... it wouldn't require technology, and therefore any faction who has access to this person and their ability could use it.


I agree, these seem like the two most likely scenarios. A twist on the first one is that the walled city falls into the hands of a "negative" future faction, which has nothing to do with Jordan's goals/intentions.


Great thought, as we don't know right now if Promicin is what causes/contributes to the catastrophe, or if more people should have promicin and abilities.

That sounds like a Star Trek episode or two.

But the point is fear keeps some people from believing that evolution is not a good thing. Therefore, "humanity is dying out."

Did Star Trek do that? I watch the original Star Trek, and there were a few of TNG I liked. I didn't like Deep Space Nine-I just couldn't get into it, although I liked Quark. And Voyager-I didn't like Voyager until Seven of Nine came along. After Mr Spock, she's the best character they ever created-at least in my humble opinion. What Star Trek did they do this idea on, EasyMac?

So you think it's possible that humanity might not actually be dying out, just evolving in a way some PFTF don't like? It doesn't seem reasonable-people have been evolving for as long as there have been...well, people.

There was at least one episode on ST:TNG where a species was evolving, and those members showing the signs of evolution were persecuted, told they were ill, hunted down, jailed, etc. It was just repeated on SpikeTV in the past couple weeks. I'll bet there was a similar kind of story line in the original ST, or Voyager, or DS9 ... though I'm drawing a blank on it at the moment.


I think it's very reasonable that mankind evolves into something that those of the status-quo don't like. Most evolution we've seen hasn't been negative - mankind is taller, lives longer, has a larger brain... most people don't see much negative in those changes.

But if a society imbued with promicin leads to evolution of mankind ... that is unexpected... I could see some factions of society fighting it and/or viewing the evolution as a negative.

Is that what I think has happened? Is that what I think the catastrophe is? I don't know. But anything is possible since we know very little as to what the catastrophe is: the story writers are purposefully keeping the story secretive, to keep us coming back, and to give them plenty of options.

The epi on ST: TNG was with the androginous people. Some of them started to become more male or female and were "reprogrammed". Is that the one you were talking about?

No... but that was a good episode, too!

I found the episode I was referencing:
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Season 3, Episode 25: Transfigurations

Original Air Date: 2 June 1990

When the Enterprise finds a damaged escape pod, they also find a severely injured humanoid whom Dr. Beverly Crusher tries to heal, though she thinks his chances of survival are slim - when he wakes up he doesn't even know who he is. However, he begins to heal at a phenomenal rate, faster than even Dr. Crusher thinks is possible, when he begins to exhibit other symptoms wholly unrelated to his injuries. Soon, he even starts affecting the Enterprise crew including Geordi LaForge who now has new-found confidence in himself (reversing his bad luck streak with women) and heals Chief O'Brien's kayaking wound with a simple touch.

However, soon a ship from this person's homeworld demands his return because he is a criminal and very dangerous.

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At the very end of the episode he explains that he and others are evolving yet have been told they were sick or dying. Then he does a final transformation, and he becomes all light.

Thanks for the outline, EasyMac! So it is possible that the "catastrophe" could be normal evolution and the PFTF who say humanity is dying out could be grossly exaggerating. One more possibility among all the others...I wish they would just tell us what the catastrophe was and precisely how creating the 4400 is supposed to avert it.