Ziggy vs Lothos

I was arguing with someone via Instant Messaging about Project QL vs Project Evil QL. This other person argued that Alia, Zoey, Thames, and Lothos functioned in same the way Sam, Al, Gooshie(if he can even be seen as Thames counterpart), and Ziggy did and the only difference between the two projects is that one is good and the other is evil. While its true that the good/evil thing is a big difference, its not the only difference between the projects.

Another big difference in the projects is the nature of Ziggy and Lothos. Ziggy is hybrid super computer and all that does not control Sam's leaps. Ziggy is not the main force that envisioned and started Project QL. Ziggy makes calculated guesses at what Sam's mission is in each leap, but does not determine the missions themselves, God, Sam, fate or whatever does that.

Lothos is quite different from Ziggy in these regards. Lothos does control Alia and Zoey's leaps. Alia and Zoey's lines reveal that Lothos is the ultimate force driving and controlling and probably starting PEQL. Thames talks about how Lothos wanted Zoey to carry out his plans. Lothos determines what Alia and Zoey's missions are when they leap, and Lothos punishes them if they fail. Ziggy is just a computer, but Lothos is a computer plus something more. Personally, I think there is much evidence to suggest that Lothos is the devil, perhaps the computer incarnation of the devil from the Boog@%man episode.

I know what Quantum Retribution says, but I don't go by fanfic, I think there is good evidence to suggest Lothos is supernatural rather than natural. If Lothos can resurrect the dead or damned such as Alia and/or Zoey to do his work(which in a previous post I suggested is a possibility), and dish out punishment "worse than death" as Alia put it(perhaps hellish torture) than that indicates a evil supernatural being, or the devil.

What does anybody think? Here's a great question that I wish the Evil Leaper Trilogy would have answered: What did Zoey owe Alia for in their past that compelled Zoey to recommend Alia to Lothos to do the leaping??? (mentioned in Revenge episode)

Well, Quantum Retribution is just one interpretation of who or what Lothos really is, but no one really knows. I don't think the people who wrote the Evil Leaper episodes even knew. To my knowledge, the "evil leaper" concept is something that Bellisario didn't want to pursue, but was kind of pressured by NBC to add a new adversarial element to the series to improve ratings. Similar to what I said in another topic, if the series had continued, I bet that we would have eventually found out where Lothos came from.

An old theory of mine was that Lothos was, in fact, the Ziggy of the future... a much more evolved version of "him/her" that turned on her human creator in an effort to take control over the "inferior and pathetic humans." Ironically, this very concept is one that MJ and I have been exploring in The Leap Continues RPG, only we named her Eden and she "deleted" Lothos' main program when she took over his mainframe in the form of an "upgrade." I even came up with another character who traveled back to PQL time to try and stop her from evolving into Eden: Isabella Fulton, Sammy Jo's daughter.

I also think that regardless of who or what Lothos really is, that there is definitely a force of great Evil behind the Evil Project, and has possibly "possessed" Lothos to give him/it "supernatural" abilites. I mean, it just makes sense that if God, Time, Fate, or Whatever is using Sam as a tool to "put right what once went wrong," that there would also be an evil equivalent of GTFW trying to counteract Sam's good deeds.

There WAS another theory I had surrounding Lothos, but leapers might think I was being blasphemous... it DOES relate to the theory of Nathaniel Lothoman (Quantum Retribution & TVS) becoming integrated into his machine...

It's possible that Sam IS Lothos... and that prolonged leaping over the years made him go completely insane. So much so, that perhaps he doesn't even realize who he is anymore or what he's become. Yeah, I know, a bit out in left field, but it's a thought that my over-active imagination has had a few times over the years.

Hmmm... I shouldn't say too much more about THAT... wouldn't want to give away details of one scene in my next TVS story... :b

(MJ reads this and thinks: "Oh Lord, what idea did he come up with NOW?")