Bunny #15 and Other Gleanings from the "Lost" Panel at Comic-Con

I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with the announcements that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse--armed with bells to keep one another from spilling too much--made at the Lost panel at Comic-Con yesterday.

Besides, the big Lost news--that Harold Perrineau's Michael would be returning next season as a series regular--was spoiled the day before at ABC's TCA panel by none other than the network president himself.

So what else was apparently gleaned from the Lost panel at Comic-Con yesterday? Not all that much, to be honest.

Season Four will NOT be taking place in the present day (2007/08) or the future, but will instead take place during the same timeline the series has always existed in, albeit with flashbacks and flash-forwards next season.

Damon claims that they wanted to use the flash-forward device earlier on in Season Three but, until they received an end date from the network, decided to hold off. Getting off the island isn't the ultimate endgame for the series. (Intriguing.) And that scene with Kate and Jack at the end of Season Three is definitely not the final scene of the series. (Did we ever think it was?)

Jack and Claire will discover that they are siblings sometime during Season Four.

Rousseau's flashback WILL be told but it's a matter of when. Most likely not during Season Four or Five until certain events are synced up first. (Hmmm.)

Ben never intentionally meant to get caught in Rousseau's net trap in Season Two. But just what Ben was doing on the other side of the island will be explored in due time. (Whew, as that's always bothered me and leads me to believe there's more to Henry Gale than we once thought.)

Yes, plans are in the works to finally learn Libby's backstory and whether or not Hurley's doomed love interest was working for Dharma.

The smoke monster might only be called Cerebus by the Others but Damon says that the ultimate reveal about Smoky's true nature/origin will be satisfying.

Apparently, there's a sixth station on the island--the Orchid--that is NOT (I repeat NOT) a botanical research station. It has something to do with a bunny with the number 15 on its back (I guess they're bringing back that motif) and the Casimir effect. Oh, and Dr. Marvin Candleman likes to swear.

Finally, Lost's season premiere script is still being written and/or titled. But Damon and Carlton do have a major time advantage on their hands as they don't have a fall launch this year: New episodes will begin to air in February 2008.

But hey, there's always the Lost Season Three DVD--due out on December 11th--to tide us over until then.