





Gary Troup was a middle-section survivor of Oceanic Flight 815. He was the author of mystery novel Bad Twin and the controversial The Valenzetti Equation. He was one of the people who survived the initial crash of Oceanic Flight 815 but was sucked into a turbine of the plane only minutes afterwards, causing the engine to explode and kill him. In "Pilot, Part 1", he was portrayed briefly by stuntman Frank Torres, but in interviews revealed on the Internet to coincide with The Lost Experience, he was impersonated by an unknown actor. Troup's name appeared on the wall of Jacob's cave, suggesting he was a candidate.

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Before the crash

Little is known about the author apart from information gleaned from published editors' notes from Hyperion Publishing, where they posthumously praised Gary Troup after he disappeared on Oceanic Flight 815. What is known is that Troup was involved in a romantic relationship with Oceanic flight hostess Cindy Chandler, who was also present on Flight 815. Whether this was unrequited was never revealed. Chandler was also given a cameo role in Bad Twin by Troup while dedicating the book to her as well. Writing Bad Twin, Troup had also written a book on The Valenzetti Equation, detailing the theorem as well as including information on the mastermind behind it, Enzo Valenzetti. However, it was known that the Hanso Foundation bought all copies of the book and obtained rights to reprint. It was presumed by Troup that Alvar Hanso wanted to prevent the equation's disclosure, with the theorem being one of the most closely guarded corporate secrets within The Hanso Foundation.

On September 16, 2004, 6 days before the crash, Gary Troup was interviewed by television presenter Laird Granger about his upcoming novel Bad Twin on Book Talk show #1523. Troup discussed, among other things, The Hanso Foundation, The Valenzetti Equation, and his love for Cindy Chandler. So far, only seven of nine parts of the interview have appeared on various websites in the Lost Experience, and it was suggested by Javier Grillo-Marxuach that there were no other two parts.

Troup has been described as an "acclaimed mystery writer" and a "master of quiet irony" by Hyperion Publishing. Just days prior to boarding Flight 815, Troup delivered the manuscript of his latest book, Bad Twin, to the publishers, and also visited Sydney, Australia to meet with Walkabout Publishing about promotion for his new book. It was for this reason that Troup was on Oceanic Flight 815, returning from this business trip. Tragically, Troup had also been planning to write another book according to his interview, exposing the truths about the Hanso Foundation. Though he was not able to accomplish it, his goal would later be achieved by Rachel Blake.

On the Island



Gary Troup is sucked into the turbine.

Day 1 (Season 1)

Minutes after the crash, Troup was standing in front of one of the plane's still-running turbines and was sucked into it, killing him and causing the turbine to explode. ("Pilot, Part 1") ("Exposé")

Post-death



Sawyer reads the manuscript.

Troup's impact on the survivors extended after his death when a manuscript of Bad Twin was found and read by Hurley. ("The Long Con") The manuscript was later acquired by Sawyer. When Sawyer tried to postpone Jack's demand for the stolen guns ("Cool your damn jets and walk around the coconut trees; I've got, like, 10 pages left"), Jack burned the pages that would have revealed the ending. ("Two for the Road")

His book, "Bad Twin," was published by Walkabout Publishing. Though, this is not necessarily canon in the Lost universe. (Bad Twin)

When Sawyer and The Man in Black came to the Cliffside cave, a Surname similar to his (TROUPE, with the number 90), was written in the Jacob's Wall. This could be mean that he was a candidate to replace Jacob. ("The Substitute")

A note from the editors

Audio was found on a number of websites, together revealing an audio commentary about both Gary Troup and his works. Correspondence between Gary Troup and Christine DeVries was also discovered.

Part 1

Was hosted on the now-defunct www.soundsgood.com:

Note: The Copyright of this audio sample is (c) James Patterson.

“ "(whispering) Bad Twin. A note from the editors. It is with a mix of pride and sorrow that Hyperion presents 'Bad Twin', the last novel by a wonderful author taken from us in the very prime of his writing life. As many readers are already aware, Gary Troup has been missing since September 2004 when the jetliner that was carrying him from Sydney to Los Angeles crashed somewhere over the South Pacific. While nothing is more human to hope for miracles, reason tells us that the author and his fellow travelers cannot have survived this disaster. As his books so vividly attest, Gary Troup was a master of quiet irony. Perhaps he would have savoured the cruel, but undeniable irony of his own demise on route from Sydney. In recent years, Australia had become an increasingly important part of his life. He loved the Land Down Under and the Land Down Under seemed to love him back. A new readership was discovering him in the antipodes. He seemed re-energised by the acceptance he found there, as evidenced by the letters that followed--correspondence that Troup shared with us when submitting his manuscript, just days before departing on his fateful journey. But it wasn't business alone that accounted for the author's increasingly frequent Transpacific travels. Somewhere in the skies above the ocean, he seemed to have found a great romance and this, to those of us who knew him well, came as a delightful surprise. Gary Troup was a confirmed bachelor. Long on charm, but short on commitment, he’d kept his affections ..." ”

Part 2

Preview on iTunes picks up with the next segment:

“ "... re-energised by the acceptance he found there, as evidenced by the letters that followed--correspondence that Troup shared with us when submitting his manuscript, just days before departing on his fateful journey. But it wasn't business alone that accounted for the author's increasingly frequent Transpacific travels. Somewhere in the skies above the ocean, he seemed to have found a great romance and this, to those of us who knew him well, came as a delightful surprise. Gary Troup was a confirmed bachelor. Long on charm, but short on commitment, he’d kept his affections in check—until he met Cindy Chandler, a flight attendant on Oceanic Airlines. All indications are that he was completely smitten with her. It is to Cindy that he dedicated this book; with characteristic slyness, he even gave her a cameo role to play. If death can ever be kind, perhaps it was a kindness that the new lovers were lost in the same catastrophe, neither having to mourn the other.



Walkabout Publishing

Christine DeVries, Senior Editor

August 16, 2004

Mr. Gary Troup

481 West 68th Street

NY NY 10023

USA

Dear Mr. Troup,

I wanted to drop you a line to tell you how ..." ”

Part 3

The message continued on both Troup's website ( now defunct ) and Borders Books.

“ Walkabout Publishing

Christine DeVries, Senior Editor

August 16, 2004

Mr. Gary Troup

481 West 68th Street

NY NY 10023

USA

Dear Mr. Troup,

I wanted to drop you a line to tell you how delighted I am with the draft of BAD TWIN. I think it's the cleverest, and the same time spookiest, thing you've done. Good move setting some scenes in Sydney and at the reef not to mention including such an appealing, if not necessarily trustworthy Aussie woman as a love interest. Your growing audience in our hemisphere will no doubt appreciate the local references. I am happy to tell you that we are planning a major promotional push for your book, and I am wondering if we could lure you to Sydney sometime soon, to meet with our marketing people and to work out some details of your publicity tour. We would insist, of course, on arranging your accommodations and covering your expenses, as well as trying our very best to show you a damn good time while you are with us! Please let me know if you are willing to make the journey.

Warm regards,

Christine ”





“ Gary Troup

Ms. Christine DeVries

Walkabout Publishing

4200 Queen Street

Sydney, New South Wales

2316, Australia

August 23, 2004

Dear Christine–

Thanks so much for your kind note. Like every other sort of salesman, I rub my hands with glee at the thought of expanding my territory—and Australia is a big territory. Regarding my willingness to come to Sydney, you should know that I never miss a chance to visit your beautiful city—and if the trip is on the publisher's dime, so much the better. I trust that entertaining me will not be too difficult for you and your colleagues; just have a few bottles of your excellent Shiraz on hand at all times. Which reminds me, please don't call me Mr. Troup anymore, I write private eye books, not literary novels and I'm not to be taken too seriously. Let me know when it would be convenient to have me visit, early September would work for me.

Cheers,

Gary ”

Trivia