Template:Infobox Lost character Katherine "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Evangeline Lilly. She is the female leading character.

Born and raised in Iowa, Kate is the daughter of diner worker Diane and Sam, a U.S. Army Ranger and Gulf War Veteran, who taught Kate to track deer in the wild during her childhood. At an early age she befriended Tom, and together they buried a time capsule beneath a large tree. Kate's parents later divorce, and Diane marries an abusive alcoholic named Wayne. As an adult, Kate takes out an insurance policy on her mother's home before blowing it up with Wayne inside, which she confesses to her mother before disappearing. Diane calls the authorities, resulting in Kate's arrest at a bus station by Edward Mars. As he drives her to her arraignment, a horse on the road causes him to lose control of the vehicle and crash, allowing Kate to escape. Kate travels and confronts Sam, realizing that he was in Korea at the time of her conception, and Sam reveals that that Wayne is her biological father. Sickened by her relation to Wayne, Kate continues her fugitive lifestyle, but remains determined to learn why her mother surrendered her to the police. Under the alias of Lucy, she meets an out-of-luck con artist named Cassidy Phillips, who helps her confront Diane in a diner restroom, where Kate learns that despite Wayne's abusive nature, Diane still loved him. Before she leaves, Diane warns Kate that when she next sees her, she will immediately call for help.

Kate flees to Miami, dating and marrying a police officer named Kevin. Following the wedding, Kate calls Mars and begs him to stop looking for her, which he agrees to do, under the condition that she finally settles down, something that Kate knows she's incapable of doing. After almost becoming pregnant and Kevin's purchase of two Oceanic tickets to Costa Rica for their honeymoon, Kate confesses her fugitive past and laces his drink with a sedative before disappearing. After months of traveling around the country under numerous aliases, license plates and hairstyles, Kate learns that Diane is dying of cancer, and decides to visit her. She reunites with her childhood friend Tom, who helps her dig up their time capsule, containing a variety of items, including his small toy airplane. Tom, now a doctor, arranges a meeting between Kate and Diane. As Kate tries to apologize to her, Diane screams for help, prompting Kate to flee the hospital with Tom. A policeman opens fire on their getaway car, killing Tom and forcing Kate to flee the scene of the accident, leaving behind Tom and his childhood toy.

Months later Kate stages a robbery in New Mexico with several criminals to infiltrate a bank's safe deposit box, where the toy airplane is stored, shooting the leader in the leg to prevent him from hurting the other customers and calling the police. She flees to Australia, where she is discovered by a farmer sleeping in his barn. Posing as a Canadian hiker, Kate works on the farm for three months, saving her wages in a hole in the pantry. The farmer catches her attempting to sneak away, and offers her a ride into town the next morning. During the journey however, Kate discovers that the farmer has learned her real identity and notified Edward Mars of here whereabouts, in exchange for the $23,000 reward. Kate grabs the wheel and crashes the truck into a field but instead of running, helps the unconscious farmer from his vehicle, giving Mars time to pursue and arrest her. Escorting her to the airport in handcuffs, Mars briefs local security officers on Kate's fugitive past and reveals his locked carry-on case containing five firearms. Boarding the plane, he handcuffs Kate and seats her next to the window, near the tail section. As plane is bombarded with escalating turbulence, Mars is knocked unconscious by luggage from the overhead department. Kate steals the keys to the handcuffs and attaches an oxygen mask to Mars before taking one for herself, as the plane splinters and crashes onto the island.

Having survived the crash, Kate discards her handcuffs and stumbles out of the jungle to encounter a wounded Jack, whose wounds she agrees to suture. That night, the two explore the inland area to search for the missing cockpit, accompanied by Charlie. The three discover the cockpit a surviving pilot. As they recover the radio transceiver, they are thrown into disarray by the arrival of the "Monster," whose rampage kills the pilot. Kate returns to the beach with Jack and Charlie and later joins several survivors who accompany Sayid as he attempts to transmit a distress signal. Upon returning, Jack tells Kate that he knows she is a fugitive. She examines the injured Marshall, only to be strangled. She asks Sawyer to kill him on her behalf, but Jack is the one who eventually does it. Later, after Jack discovers the caves, Kate decides to remain on the beach. She prepares to help Sayid locate the source of the looped distress call, but after Sawyer informs her of Jack being in a cave in, she abandons her post to help. She also extracts the truth of Shannon's missing asthma inhalers from him, revealing he doesn't have them.

Kate is often the sight of attention for Jack and Sawyer. When she discovers the Marshall's case, she and Sawyer fight to gain possession, but she eventually informs Jack, who confiscates it from her. She later informs Nikki and Paulo of its original whereabouts. Kate helps Sun with her garden, learning that she understand English. Kate continues to maintain a helpful attitude throughout the camp, as she joins the search party for the kidnapped Claire and Charlie, returning only with the latter. When Claire returns two weeks later, Kate also helps capture Ethan. Later, Sawyer seeks Kate's help in tracking a boar he claims to be constantly harassing him. Kate jokes about his predicament, but agrees to help nonetheless. She abandons him, however, after he exhibits aggressive behavior. Whilst in the caves with Jack, she is sent to retrieve alcohol when Locke carries a mortally wounded Boone. She becomes sidetracked when she discovers Claire in the jungle going into labor, and must deliver the baby without Jack's help.

Kate grows concerned over Jack's well-being, and drugs him in order for him to get some deserved sleep. However, Kate and Jack later discover that the key to the gun case is missing; they find Shannon holding Locke at gunpoint later in the jungle. After Rousseau arrives on the beach to warn the camp of the Others' imminent arrival, she takes Kate, Jack, Locke, Hurley and Arzt to the Black Rock, where they attempt to carry dynamite to the hatch discovered in the jungle. After the sudden demise of Arzt, Kate volunteers to carry dynamite in her backpack; she discovers that Jack switched her bag moments before handing it to her. Arriving at the hatch, Kate helps prepare the dynamite. Once the hatch door is blown open, she and the others peer inside.

Despite Jack's objections, Kate and Locke descend into the hatch, Kate entering first. Once inside, she is caught by Desmond, and tells her to tie up Locke, until he reveals Kate's criminal past. Kate is tied up and locked in the food pantry, where Locke slips her a knife to free herself with. Kate crawls through the air vents and arrives in a room with a computer, where she overpowers Desmond after Jack arrives. She accidentally damages the computer in the crossfire, causing Desmond to panic and flee. When Jack returns, Kate is placed on a rota to enter the numbers into the computer. As she and Jack play golf one day, they encounter Mr. Eko carrying a critically injured Sawyer. When the rest of the tail-section survivors arrive, along with Jin and Michael. While picking fruit one day Kate sees a black house from her past. When she retuins to the hatch Wayne is channeled through Sawyer and Kate freaks out. Later she is sitting in the jungel when Jack come along wondering what she is doing out here. She says she is sorry that she is not a perfect and good as him, and that this place (the island) is driving her nuts. Kate than passionatly kisses Jack and runs off with Jack shouting her name. When Michael runs off in search of his son, Kate volunteers to follow him, only for her offer to be rejected by Jack. Adamant to help, Kate follows them from a distance, but gets captured, tied up and gagged by Tom. She is held ransom for the weapons from the armory. Sawyer sympathizes with her actions, while Jack gives her the cold shoulder.

Later, Kate finds herself a victim of a long con, conducted by Sawyer, in order to gain access to the armory's remaining weapons and the camp's medicine. When Claire's baby falls ill, Kate joins her on a trek into the jungle to seek Rousseau's help. The three head inland, where they discover the Staff station. Inside, Kate examines the locker room, where she discovers a box of theatrical props and costume, including a fake beard worn by Tom. Failing to find what Claire was looking for, Kate returns her to the camp. Sun confides in Kate when she learns that she is pregnant, who helps her come to terms with the sudden news. Later, Kate and Jack discover a mysterious and unnoticed food drop in the jungle. They return to the hatch, where hostage "Henry Gale" is exposed as an imposter. Later, Kate joins Jack on a trek back to where they encountered the Others. On the way, they fall for one of Rousseau's traps, and are momentarily caught in a net together. The two discover Michael stumbling out of the bushes in exhaustion.

Michael invites her to follow him to the Others' camp when he recovers, to which she accepts. However, upon learning that Ana Lucia has stolen Sawyer's personal gun, Kate, Jack, Locke and Sawyer rush to the hatch to find her dead, and Michael and Libby severely injured. Kate scolds Jack when he decides to find the escaped Henry, reminding him that Libby is in dire need of medical assistance. Kate helps carry the two bodies to the beach, where she comforts Hurley over the loss of Libby. The next day, Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Hurley join Michael as they head for the Others' camp. On the way, Kate and Sawyer kill two of the Others who attempt to ambush them, causing Michael to reveal his true reasons for bringing them along. They are then ambushed, gagged, tied up and taken to a pier. Kate witnesses Michael leaving the island with Walt, while she, Jack and Sawyer are taken away with the Others.

Kate wakes up in a locker room, with Tom supervising her. She is forced to strip and shower, but is also forced to wear a dress as she accompanies Ben for breakfast. Ben forces her to handcuff herself. She is then placed in a cage opposite Sawyer. The two are told to work for the Others, under the watchful eye of Pickett. When Sawyer rebels against the Others, Kate is held at gunpoint until he cooperates. Later, Kate climbs out of her cage and attempts to escape with Sawyer, until on he is forced to admit there is no way off as they are on an island. The two have sex, unaware that they are being watched by Jack. Kate is then forced to watch as Pickett is about to kill Sawyer, in revenge for his dead wife. When Jack radios her via Pickett's radio, informing her that she has a head-start to escape, she and Sawyer locks Pickett inside the cage and run towards the beach. They encounter Alex, who gives them her boat in exchange for rescuing her brainwashed boyfriend, Karl. Upon arriving on the beach, however, they are held at gunpoint by Pickett, until Juliet arrives and kills him. Jack radios her again, and tells her never to return for him. However, Kate is unable to abide by his request.

Upon arriving back on the main island, Kate demands that she and Sawyer head back to rescue him. When arriving on the beach, she scolds Sayid and Locke for not bothering to rescue Jack. She heads into the jungle, with the two in pursuit, and finds Rousseau, who agrees to help her after learning of Alex's status. The four trek into the jungle, where they discover the Flame station. They are greeted by Mikhail, who poses as an innocent surviving DHARMA member, but is exposed as an Other. Kate and Sayid take him hostage, as well as Bea, found hiding in the basement. Upon leaving the station that night, Kate witnesses its destruction. The four, along with Mikhail, resume their hike, eventually coming across a set of sonar panel fences. Kate suggests climbing over them to avoid the sonic barrier, and the four eventually arrive at the Others' barracks, where Kate is appalled to see Jack bonding with Tom. Kate rushes in that night to rescue him, but is captured. She is gassed the next morning, and wakes up in the jungle, handcuffed to Juliet. The two constantly bicker as they are chased by the "Monster." They soon trap it outside the sonar fencing when Juliet unlocks the handcuffs. Kate finds Jack unconscious in one of the barracks, and apologizes for the trouble she caused. She returns to the beach with Jack, Sayid and Juliet.

Upon returning, Kate is still wary over Juliet. When Claire falls ill suddenly, Juliet explains to her and Jack about the deaths of pregnant women on the island. Kate grows concerned over the fate of Sun, and cautions her when she begins questioning Juliet. She also uses Sawyer for sex when she sees Jack alone with Juliet. Later, she discovers Sayid with a satellite phone. She learns of Naomi's arrival, and of Juliet's true purpose for being in the camp. She breaks Sayid's word, and immediately informs Jack of Naomi's presence. That night, during a camp discussion, Jack and Juliet admit to being dishonest. Kate is then shown their plan to deal with the Others' kidnap attempt the next morning. However, after Karl arrives to warn then of the Others' imminent arrival, Kate travels to the radio tower with Jack and the majority of the camp. While going there Sawyer says she is going back to check on the others and Kate says she is going with him, but she says no. Juliet goes with him, but before she leavs she kisses Jack while kate is watching. Later Kate is getting a rock out of her shoe when Jack come over and tells her that Sawyer didnt mean it, that he was tring to protect her, he tells her that that is why he asked her not to go back for him. She askes him why he is sticking up for Sawyer, because he would never do it for him. Jack replys: "Because I Love You"" She witnesses the backfire of Jack's plan, but presses on. They eventually encounter Ben and Alex in the jungle, to which Ben is taken hostage, while Alex is reunited with Rousseau. Kate arrives at the radio tower, where she witnesses Locke stabbing Naomi in the back. She watches as Jack makes contact with her freighter.

After Naomi crawls away, Kate follows her into the jungle, alone. Naomi ambushes her and holds a knife to her throat. Kate manages to convince her that they meant her no harm, and when they are contacted via the radio phone, Naomi lies to her people about her injury and covers for the survivors before dying. Kate meets up with the rest of the survivors at the cockpit, where she breaks the news about Naomi's death. When the survivors split, she chooses to remain with Jack. Later, she and Jack are starring inside the cockpit, reminiscing about Charlie and the trip the three of them took there, when they hear a helicopter overhead. Kate is with Jack when Faraday lands on the island and first speaks to them.

In Through the Looking Glass, Jack and Kate leave the island sometime in the future. They agree to meet near the airport. Jack informs her of an unidentified person's funeral and she asks him why would she go. After Jack tells her that they need to return to the island, she leaves, saying that, "he's gonna be wondering where I am." Kate does not want to return to the island, or thats what she tells Jack at least.

• In the original plot for Lost, in which Jack dies when the group finds the cockpit, Kate was to emerge as the leader for the survivors, motivating them to build shelter and begin considering life as permanent residents of the island.^[1]
• In the original description for Kate, she was a slightly older woman separated from her husband, who went to the bathroom in the tail-section of the plane. However, that idea ended up being used for Rose and her husband Bernard.
• Yunjin Kim originally tried out for Kate. The producers liked her but didn't think she was right for the part, so they wrote the role of Sun-Hwa Kwon for her.^[1]

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