I've been a Lost devotee since the beginning. I've stuck with the show through the highs and the lows week in and week out, putting up with all the detractors' complaints of "But they never actually answer any questions!" the entire time. But even I am ready for the series to wrap up. As much as I love the show, I'm glad it has an end date.

ABC, on the other hand, doesn't share that love. They're oblivious as to how an end date has bettered the show by forcing the writers to abandon the waffling narratives that plagued seasons two and three. All they know is that come the end of season 6, they are no longer going to have the mysteries of the island to drive advertising revenue. Their solution? Lost spin-offs! From Variety:

"We've been talking about this for a couple of years now," says ABC marketing exec VP Mike Benson. "We want to keep it alive but make sure we maintain the integrity of the franchise. We're not about milking this thing for all that it is right now; it's important to see this live for years to come."

Now call me a cynic, but to me that sounds like 'we're not just about milking Lost for what it's worth now, we plan on draining its every drop for the foreseeable future.' And as it stands right now, those years to come likely won't find the original creators involved; as evidenced by Damon Lindelof's slightly more reassuring take on the matter, "People deserve an ending, and to promise a continuation of the story in any form in some way negates the finality in some way."

So it's good to know that ABC isn't mandating that the current show be left open for further exploration, rather that they are going to find whatever way possible to re-open the show's mythos:

"Damon and Carlton laid such groundwork, it's going to be a challenge for us, and we have to rise to the occasion," [Marketing Exec] Provencio says. "We have to find different, creative and innovative ways to keep the fans happy and to keep the franchise healthy."

And that's where the references to all of the Star Trek spin-off shows come into play. But my concern is this. Is a Lost: The Next Generation what will "keep" fans happy? Can the show proper not "keep" fans happy on its own? I know there are a ton of unanswered questions lingering around their writer's room, but is it enough to kick off an entirely new show? Isn't speculation what made Lost such a phenomenon in the first place? If the show's creator thinks continuing the story in any form negates the finale, shouldn't you listen to him? Am I the only one ready to let Lost walk off into the sunset on its own terms and move on?