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Every evening after school I would plant myself in front of the TV to watch what the space family of the Robinsons was up to, and it would never disappoint. The Original Lost in Space series involved great sets, amazing narration that focused on foreboding, and new tech in each episode that fired up my imagination.
The best thing about the series was that each episode was a satisfying one-hour-long adventure with laughs, one or more character arcs, and a preview of the next episode. The practical effects were really fun to watch and the plot was not always predictable.
What was the original Lost in Space series about?
As the name clearly indicates, the original Lost in Space was about a family of space travelers getting lost in interstellar space. The family gets lost in space after their Jupiter 2 spaceship is thrown off-course by Dr. Smith getting trapped in the ship trying to sabotage it.
Before the Jupiter 2, its predecessor was successfully sabotaged by a military agent from another country.
Cast and Characters
The Robinsons are basically the Brady bunch in space, with an emo vibe. The cast and the unique chemistry they shared is what made this campy series so damn interesting to watch as a kid. Here are the recurring characters in the series:
Guy Williams as Professor John Robinson
Mark Goddard as Major Don West
June Lockhart as Maureen Robinson
Marta Kristin as Judy Robinson
Angela Cartwright as Penny Robinson
Bill Mumy as Will Robinson
Jonathan Harris as Dr. Zachary Smith
Dick Tufeld as the voice of Robot B9
John Robinson is the patriarch of the Robinson family and the heart and soul of the Jupiter 2 expedition to outer space. He is usually at the center of most plots or at least receives the most screen time in season 1.
He is made to exhibit the conventional characteristics of a good leader - taking care of the people under him, empowering them to make good decisions, and protecting them from harm at his own expense.
The Robot B9, known and called only as "Robot" is one of the most interesting aspects of the show, at least in the first season. You are curious to see what stuff the robot is capable of doing, like each time the robot displays super strength or cool defense tech.
It can mostly use high voltage electric arc charges as a defense along with a gas nozzle that can come out of the treads.
As the episodes go on the Robot gets less robotic and develops a really entertaining and interesting personality. Certain design aspects of the robot are obviously flawed such as its battery pack which is placed on the outside and is easy to remove by anyone within reach.
Maureen Robinson is the matriarch and is a nurturing and calming influence among the whole group. Judy Robinson is the impulsive daughter who sometimes serves to carry the plot and calm the children during times of crisis. Penny Robinson is similar to (Billy Mumy's) Will in that she is still a young kid trying to find her identity in a tough situation.
All three women in this series have very little screen time and mostly serve as a backdrop to the men that spring into action. Among the three, Penny seems to get most of the screen time.
Mark Goddard played the role of Major Don. West is more brawn than brains, yet possesses serious technical know-how and is a great pilot. His last name always made me wonder if he was related to the rocket science pioneer Robert Goddard. Apparently, rumor has it that he is in fact a distant relative of the rocket scientist! Who Knew? (not completely substantiated though).
He is always on the brink of fighting someone he just met or threatening to beat up Dr. Smith! A good soldier as always, Major West is always loyal to Professor Robinson until he's pushed too far.
Will Robinson is the boy genius of the family and the most kind to the mischief-maker Dr. Smith. The youngest one in the space expedition, Will is rarely taken seriously, yet solves the most problems during the series.
Being with Smith also means he has developed a dry wit which at times puts Dr. Smith in his rightful place as the troublemaker. He also shares a strong bond with the Robot B9 who is simply called "Robot."
Dr. Smith is the typical up-to-no-good character you would see in a series such as the Adam West version of Batman. He is greedy, selfish, ungainly, and yet is capable of great personal growth. Without Dr. Smith, most episodes would have turned out to be bland and tasteless affairs.
With his affectation of a Victorian accent (both on-screen and in real life as well), unpredictable behavior, and infinite quirks and complaints, Dr. Smith was the undoubted comic relief of the show.
Even though the series paints Dr. Smith as a villain type, you see the Robinson family bully someone who is essentially a senior citizen time and again. I seriously felt the family could have eased up on him a bit, following which Smith would have been a better space traveler among them.
My Favorite Episodes of Irwin Allen's Lost in Space
While I enjoyed every episode of this awesome series, some episodes stood out compared to the others. Hence I have listed one episode from each season in this series that is my favorite.
I have selected these episodes based solely on personal preference
Season 1 Episode 11 - Wish Upon a Star
Wish fulfillment is a great theme to build on and Irwin Allen did a great job implementing this into a space-age setting. After Smith gets kicked out of the Jupiter 2 for doing something inexcusable, he sets up camp in the remains of an alien spaceship.
He finds an object of alien origin that seems to bring wishes into reality, turning Dr. Smith into a greed machine. There's a lot of comedy, twists, and lessons learned in this episode that also have a MacGuffin flavor to the whole thing.
The fact that this episode and the whole season were black and white makes it much more fun. Also, I loved the props they used for this, and this particular Wish generator was used in at least one other episode in future seasons.
Season 2 Episode 26 - Trip Through the Robot
The B9 robot is one of the best things about Lost in Space, and this episode is about that Bubble-headed Booby!
After getting into an accident the Robot suddenly grows in size several times and becomes unable to function. This is when Will and Dr. Smith rescue their pusillanimous pipsqueak by repairing B9 and returning it to its original size.
The episode gives you a low-budget Fantastic Voyage vibe where people shrink themselves enough to enter a patient's bloodstream.
Season 3 Episode 18 - The Time Merchant
The way they have mixed sci-fi and fantasy themes in this episode makes it an interesting watch. When Billy Mumy's Will performs a complex experiment to capture cosmic particles, he unintentionally captures a galactic entity named Chronos who has a way with time.
As usual, Dr. Smith's meddling turns a simple cut-and-dry situation into a life-or-death gamble. Enter John Robinson who takes control, makes sense of the chaos, and saves the day!
What happened at the end of Lost in Space?
The end of this space opera sees the space family still being lost in space! Who would've thunk it? Even though it seems cliché I think it is a great way to end the series - just how it started. My high school English textbook always had such tales with unresolved endings. In any case, there are only a few directions you can take to end such a series:
Let the series' protagonists achieve their desired goal. It would mean the Robinsons making their way to the Alpha Centauri planetary system and setting down roots to start a colony.
Allow the Robinsons to return to Earth where they find a new lease on life.
Keep the "space family" ( as the narrator puts it) lost in space, true to the series name.
Go the way of the conventional twist ending. The Robinsons reach either Alpha Centauri or Earth only to uncover greater peril. For example, the Earth they land on is from another reality or timeline ( Re: Planet of the Apes).
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Why did Lost in Space get Cancelled?
I really think there should have been at least a couple more seasons, but only three were ready for viewership. Reasons for canceling this hugely entertaining series vary from source to source. The network that created this series, CBS, failed to provide any reasons as to why this wonderful series was canceled.
Popular speculation states that the high costs of the series including complex sets and actor salaries ended its life prematurely. At the time, the interior of the Jupiter 2 spaceship was the most expensive set for a TV show at the time, coming in at around $350,000.
The Lost in Space Forever DVD states that plummeting ratings and rising costs were the main reasons for the show's cancellation. The show's creator Irwin Allen said that season 3 viewers were mostly children leading to a drop in the audience with purchasing power. Since advertisers prefer selling ads targeted at decision-makers in the house, this meant lower ad revenues.
Another contributing factor was that Guy Williams was resentful about how campy his role got and how Jonathan Harris got more screen time. I feel that Dr. Smith's character arc was really entertaining.
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Is the Original Lost in Space Series worth watching?
Irwin Allen's Lost in Space is campy, goofy and has overdone family sentiment throughout the series. But it has been an integral part of my childhood, inspired the amazing Star Trek TOS, and pioneered sci-fi for its time. Overall the historical significance and effort put into the series means you should watch at least a few episodes to get a feel of what Irwin Allen was all about.
Note: First Published 21st Nov 2021 and updated on 28th April 2024