I don't see how Daniel will be the savior when he is deceased, but anything can happen on this show.
How sad and tragic that his Mother kills him, knows that she did it, and still sends him back there in the future. My Motherly instincts would drive me to do the total opposite! I would push him into music instead of science and keep him as far away from that island as possible. The look of betrayal on Daniel's face when he realized that his mother knew he would die all the while she was pushing him to go to the island was so sad.
And what a twist that Charles Whitmore is his father. I kinda saw it coming about 2/3 of the way through, but was still hoping I was wrong. So, a Darma leutenant (and future leader) has an affair with a Hostile/Other/Native and creates the child that has the potential to save them all.