The 100: Why do the Eligius prisoners need a doctor so badly?

During “Pandora’s Box,” fans of The 100 learned that the Eligius prisoners are in desperate need of a doctor. But why now?

When Diyoza agreed to make a deal with Bellamy, we assumed she was doing so to spare the 283 Eligius hostages still asleep in space. During “Pandora’s Box,” however, we learn a bit more about her motives. She agrees to open the bunker for him, but we soon discover that this move benefits her people as much as it benefits his.

During an argument with McCreary, Diyoza reveals that she’s only helping Bellamy and Clarke because there’s a doctor in the bunker. This information is enough to shut even McCreary up, which means Eligius must be truly desperate for a physician. But why?

From what we’ve seen so far, the Eligius prisoners appear to be in perfect health. None of them drop any hints suggesting otherwise, so it comes as a surprise when they suggest kidnapping Abby. And more ambiguous are Diyoza’s plans for after they capture their doctor: “We go home. We find a cure.”

What “home” is she referring to? Given the short time they’ve been on Earth, we’re assuming it isn’t the valley. It could be the main ship, but that seems unlikely when you consider that Diyoza and her people were imprisoned there. “Home” could also reference a different location entirely.

During “Pandora’s Box,” Raven uncovers files divulging information about three other Eligius ships. The first two ships failed their missions, and the fourth is the ship holding the prisoners. Details on the third one, however, are so coded that even Raven can’t crack them open.

Could the inmates be headed to wherever Eligius III is? Fans of the show have theorized that the third ship could have found habitable land — perhaps a whole new planet. Given the state of Earth, it seems plausible the showrunners will add more livable space before the season is up.

Wherever Diyoza is heading, she’s planning to bring the cure there. This implies that the people back home may be the ones suffering disease, instead of the Eligius prisoners currently on Earth. But judging by the preview for next week’s episode, it looks like whatever ails Eligius will be reaching those on Earth soon. And it doesn’t look pretty.

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We’ll have to keep watching to learn more. Tune in Tuesday, May 22 for the fifth episode, “Shifting Sands.”