An eager crowd packed into Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic Con to hear the latest on the fifth season of ABC’s smash hit Lost. After a brief presentation from a supposed representative from the Dharma Initiative, executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof answered questions while being careful not to give too much away. As an added bonus, every person who asked a question was given a special gift from a mysterious box (which included a Lost calendar, a container of Dharma-brand ranch dressing, a Hanso Foundation hat and other Lost-themed items).

When asked if the show would continue with its traditional flashback or flash-forward format, Cuse responded: “There will still be flashbacks and flash-forwards on the show but we are going to do something different this season to mix it up. There will be storytelling both on the island and off the island and in different periods of time.”

The off-camera deaths of popular characters John Locke and Jin Kwon were addressed in a very non-committal way, with Cuse saying, “Death is a relative term, really. In the timelines of those characters, there is still a lot of story yet to be told.” However, we should expect to see Terry O’Quinn (Locke) and Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) in future episodes.

Other points that were touched upon included the revelation that there will be a continuation of Danielle Rousseau’s story, that Walt’s dog Vincent will make another appearance, as well as hints toward the actual age of Richard Alpert.

Before the producers gave away a Jack Shephard action figure to an eager fan, they took a moment to debate how accurate the likeness was to series star Matthew Fox. The duo decided the best way to solve their dispute would be to ask the man himself. With that, Fox took the stage to a thunderous ovation. Fox signed the figure and handed it off to the awestruck fan.

To conclude the panel, a crazed ‘Dharma employee’ stormed the stage with a behind-the-scenes video that he insisted would shed light on the truth behind the Dharma Initiative. The piece featured series character Dr. Marvin Candle from either 30 years in the past or 30 years in the future making an urgent plea for someone to save the Dharma Initiative.

After the video aired, the previous Dharma representative who opened the show insisted that the panel come to an end. Gordon Holmes

The fifth season of Lost is slated to begin in early 2009.

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