CR 4-81516-23 42
Before the crash
- Loved Penelope, who is a Widmore heiress.
- Served with the Royal Scots (now The Royal Scots Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland). The Oldest 'line' regiment in the British Army.
- Dishonorably discharged (at the rank of Lance Corporal) after serving time in Southway Garrison (a military prison) for a crime that is unclear ("failing to follow orders" according to Kelvin; possibly insubordination).
- When released from prison, Desmond gets his belongings back, including a book by Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend. He said he was saving this book to read just before he died. He had read all of Dickens other books and knew this would give him something to look forward to. (This is a reference to the Author [John Irving] Dickens, John Irving's biggest influence, is saving the exact same book for a severe illness or near death experience.)
- Wrote to Penelope Widmore many times while in prison; however, none of the letters were received because her father, Charles Widmore, intercepted them and returned them unopened to Desmond upon his release from prison.
- Was offered money by Charles Widmore to never contact his daughter again upon his release from prison.
- Said that he was training for a "race around the world" when he first met Jack at a stadium in Los Angeles the day of Sarah's back surgery.
- (Jokingly) Asks Libby for $42,000, after she gave him $4 for a cup of coffee in cafe after he realizes he has no American currency (two of the numbers). In the ensuing conversation, he tells Libby about a boat race he wants to enter sponsored by Charles Widmore, and in turn she gives him her boat.
- While getting ready to run at the stadium, Penelope finds him and asks why he didn't write. Instead of telling her the letters were intercepted, he tells her he is entering her father's race to win back his honor, and promises her he'll return in a year.
- Gave Jack a drink of "water" from his water bottle at the stadium.
- Told Jack he would not be able to catch up with him (suggesting some kind of superior stamina). Possibly a reference to his military background.
- Uses the phrase "See you in another life"
- Said that he was "almost a doctor once".
- Had a coat of arms on his polo shirt when he meets Jack in the US.
- Frequently calls people "brother" or "sister".
- Tells Jack "You have to lift it up".
- Desmond shares two of his names with the famous Scottish philospher, David Hume, a return to the earlier recurring motif of naming characters after famous philosophers (e.g., John Locke, Rousseau).
On the island
- Was brought to the Swan by Kelvin, after being found washed up on the beach, and lived there for three years. Kelvin was wearing a bio-hazard suit, and told him that due to his elongated exposure to the outside environment, he might be infected.
- Kelvin instructed him to inject himself every 9 days with the vaccine labeled "CR 4-81516-23 42", which he did over the next 3 years.
- The first thing Kelvin asked him was, "Are you him?" and "What did one snowman say to the other snowman?"
- Entered the Numbers into the Station 3 Computer every 108 minutes.
- Didn't leave the Hatch for 2 years, until the day of the plane crash, when he followed Kelvin.
- Killed Kelvin by accident after discovering that, without telling him, Kelvin had repaired his sailboat to try to escape the island.
- Kelvin said the boat would be ready in a couple of weeks, so it's not certain how Desmond finishes the repairs.
- By failing to Push the Button in time, he inadvertently caused the magnetic pulse that resulted in Flight 815 being torn apart in the skies above the island.
- Was going to read his Dickens novel (and presumably kill himself) when he found a letter from Penelope Widmore inside which kept him going.
- Heard Locke pounding on the hatch and turned on the bright light. This event gave hope to both men.
- After getting up, he plays Mama Cass Elliot's Make Your Own Kind of Music on a record player; the song is interrupted by a blast (Locke and the others blowing up the hatch).
- When Locke encounters Desmond in the Hatch, Desmond asks "Are you him?", indicating that he was expecting someone male.
- Also asks Locke "What did one snowman say to the other snowman?" to which Locke replies "I don't know what you're talking about". Desmond's reaction indicates that Locke was probably not the person he was originally expecting. The question was originally asked of him by Kelvin, to which the answer is "Smells like carrots".
- It is notable that Kelvin does not tell Desmond the answer, at least that we see. It may be that the answer given to Locke was just made up by Desmond. Desmond may have simply noted the protocol that Kelvin was following and mimicked it with Locke.
- Also asks Locke "What did one snowman say to the other snowman?" to which Locke replies "I don't know what you're talking about". Desmond's reaction indicates that Locke was probably not the person he was originally expecting. The question was originally asked of him by Kelvin, to which the answer is "Smells like carrots".
- Is in possession of photograph of Penelope Widmore and himself.
- Fled The Swan in panic after he accidently shot and failed to repair the computer, stating that they were all going to die.
- Activated the Fail Safe device shortly after the counter got to zero, causing the discharge.
- May have died in Live Together, Die Alone hatch incident along with Locke and Mr. Eko. Current whereabouts and fate unknown.
Connection to David Hume
- One of Hume's main philosophies was that things are not what they seem, that what you believe to be reality might actually be a figment of your imagination. This coincides with the enigmatic nature of the Island.
- His middle name is David.
- In Monty Python's "Philosopher Song," one of the lyrics is "David Hume / could outconsume / Schopenhauer and Hegel" (alternately, "Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel"). This could be a reference to Desmond's alcoholism — but then, since the song identities nearly every major philosopher, calling them all drunks, this may be spurious.
Theories
- Keeping Desmond in the dark regarding when his replacements will arrive is consistent with a well-executed Skinner Box-like experiment.
- When Jack meets Desmond in the stadium, Desmond is wearing a white polo shirt with a red emblem of some sort of bird on it. There also seems to be a hand-drawn pentagon around the image.
- The crest of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is that of a two-headed falcon, which resembles the bird in the emblem. Perhaps he belongs to a sect?
- The official (and DHARMA-esque) creed of the AASRF is: Human progress is our cause, liberty of thought our supreme wish, freedom of conscience our mission, and the guarantee of equal rights to all people everywhere our ultimate goal.
- The bird could be a firebird. Since firebirds (such as the phoenix) are a symbol of rebirth, Desmond may be connected to an organization that is working on reanimation (or cloning).
- Two-headed eagles are common in logoes and coats of arms, so the logo on his shirt could be many things.
- The crest of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is that of a two-headed falcon, which resembles the bird in the emblem. Perhaps he belongs to a sect?
- Took a stuffed rabbit from the bed when packing to leave. There may be something inside the rabbit to help him.
- Or it could just be something of importance to him (like a toy that somebody gave to him, maybe his wife/girlfriend), or just a lucky charm
- Desmond's farewell of choice is "See you in another life", which is also what Dave says to Hurley before jumping off of a cliff and into the ocean (and what Desmond said to Jack at the end of their encounter in the stadium). Does the choice of phrase indicate a connection between Desmond and Dave? Is there a connection to Nadia, who wrote, "I will see you in another life, if not in this one," on the back of the photograph she gave to Sayid?
- Kelvin told Desmond that they are expected to be relieved by a man who they could identify by using the question, "What did one snowman say to the other snowman?"
- Kelvin knew Desmond is discharged from army when he very first arrived to the Swan. So he might be informed about Desmond and his past. That might prove that all people are specially selected and somehow guided to the island by the influences of people in their lives.
- This is not exactly true -- during the conversation about Desmond's past, Desmond also mentioned that he had not been allowed to leave the Hatch for two years.
- Going with the Rousseu Genetic Mirror Theory, Desmond is the doppelganger or twin of Arthur Widmore... 23 years apart and 4 degrees of separation: Desmond Hume - Penelope Widmore - Charles Widmore - Arthur Widmore. It is possible that Charles wants Desmond to go away because of this... maybe acting as an agent of Arthur. In the Bad Twin novel, Arthur is obsessed with his Scottish heritage which is convenient since Desmond is Scottish.