The hatch has been blown to smithereens. Harold Perrineau, Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros are history. But viewers of the ABC series "Lost" have only glimpsed the great mysteries of their mysterious island, according to the show's cast.

Avid fans who don't mind kicking it on the beach while the series stars walk a red carpet for the media can get an early look at the first episode of the third season tomorrow at a special Sunset on the Beach. The Hawai'i-filmed show kicks off Wednesday on ABC with the first of six new episodes. The show will then go on hiatus for more than a month before returning with 17 consecutive new episodes to complete the season.

In August, cast members on hand at Turtle Bay to publicize a stop-gap remedy — the "Lost" second season DVD, released Sept. 5 — let go a few bits of information about what to expect.

"I bet expectations are different" for the third season, said Terry O'Quinn ("Locke"). "I get the feeling people want to change gears, ramp it up a little bit, and I think that's what the plan is. I've only seen two scripts, but that's how it's been."

Expect to see more of "Sun" (Yunjin Kim) and "Jin" (Daniel Dae Kim) early on.

"Hopefully, we'll get to learn more about Sun and Jin's past, and finally get that answer to, 'Whose baby is it?' " Yunjin Kim said. "We are going to their flashback very soon, so hopefully we get some answers."

Kim said another dramatic fight is brewing for the on-screen couple, and it could lead to a separation.

"We can't just be a happy couple," she said. "That wouldn't be very interesting."

What will viewers learn about Sun and Jin? If Kim knows, she isn't telling. But it won't be pretty.

"It's got to be something really, really bad for us to be stranded on that island," she said. "There's got to be a reason. Every single character has done something awful, and they have to resolve it on that island, or let go or forgive."

But, as Kim pragmatically notes, resolution can be bad for the career.

"Once you resolve, you go goodbye," she said. "Hopefully, I'll have lots of conflicts that don't get resolved."

Michael Emerson, who plays "Henry Gale," a leader of The Others, told The Associated Press, "What I know is that we get to go live with The Others, where they learn a little more about their life and, hopefully, their mission, their agenda, whatever that might be. Maybe we'll get to warm up to them."

Evangeline Lilly also hinted that the show would focus on a new setting and set of characters. "This year, we've opened this up to another whole other people, a whole other location, a whole other facet through which we can tell stories," she said.

Emerson is well aware that a role on "Lost" can be a bit more tenuous than one on another less adventurous show.

"It's not like I'm living with my bags packed, but I suppose an actor has to think about those sorts of things," he said. "It's one of the great things about the show, that they're daring. They're willing to change the ground rules on a moment's notice, shift the cast around, send people away and bring people back.

"Any actor needs to know that his is a gypsy life, and nothing is forever."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.