Lost blasts into its final season larded with long-gestating story arcs outlined years ago when producers created the show's "bible." The ABC series, which begins its final 16-episode run with a two-hour season premiere Tuesday (9 p.m. EST), ended the previous season in a white-light blast detonated by time-traveling Juliet (played by Elizabeth Mitchell).

Producers declared earlier this month that the 16 remaining episodes of Lost will inevitably leave some mysteries unresolved, given the sheer quantity of clues, red herrings, subplots and weird moments sprinkled throughout the series since its 2004 launch.

But some issues remain paramount. Culled from the blizzard of riddles raised by the Lost ... and Gone Forever blog and Lost Ate My Life author Jon "DocArzt" Lachonis, here are seven questions Lost needs to answer over the next four months.

7 burning questions for Lost's final season ——————————————-

Just because Juliet threw herself on top of a nuclear device doesn't mean her life is over: This is Lost after all. Is Juliet dead or alive? Will the explosion hurl survivors into a new dimension where their Oceanic Flight 815 lands safely in Los Angeles so they can go about their business as strangers with no memory of the island? Alternately, will the explosion catapult our heroes into the present day and make all that Season 5 time travel a water-treading storyline detour? Did a greater power or mere coincidence bring the survivors to the island in the first place? Do the Oceanic 815 survivors share special traits that link their destinies, or did they simply get lucky by living through the plane crash? What's the deal with that creepy plume of smoke introduced in the pilot episode? "Smokey" recurs throughout the series, but this mostly malevolent force remains a mystery as to origins and motivation. The ever-twisted manipulator Ben (played by Michael Emerson) has an agenda, but it keeps changing. Is he a pawn or the prime mover who only pretends to be following orders? Will Kate (Evangeline Lilly) end up with Sawyer (Josh Holloway) or Jack? Or neither? Will the guy who looks like John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), who overcome the mysterious Jacob, explain what the hell he's trying to accomplish? Or will he be sidelined as Jack, Ben and the Others fight their way through to some kind of closure?

Blowback ——–

What questions do you think Lost absolutely must answer this season? And, after seeing the Lost season premiere, weigh in with your take: What's the biggest surprise of the opener? Did the final season's first volley raise more questions than it answered? Comment below.

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