Diksha Sundriyal
In 1965, a sci-fi series called ‘Lost in Space‘, inspired by the 1812 novel, The Swiss Family Robinson by David Wyss, premiered on CBS. The show met with a good response in the beginning but was cancelled after the third season. A number of reasons, including the high cost and a shift in the primary audience (towards children), were cited by the network. Nonetheless, it left the audience wanting for more, as they never received the conclusion of the story.
It received another shot at making an impact on the audience when Stephen Hopkins-directed film, ‘Lost in Space’, came to the silver screen in 1998. Even with the star cast of William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Matt LeBlanc and Gary Oldman, the film didn’t manage to inspire the trust of the critics. However, it did perform rather well at the box-office, which meant that the audience was still interested in the premise. It just needs the right treatment.
In the bid to expand its sci-fi collection, Netflix not only invites original scripts to their platform but also goes back in the archives to look for the stories that never had the chance to fully realise their potential. They found it in ‘Lost in Space’ and the series landed on the streaming service in 2018. With the resources of Netflix, the showrunners went all in with this one, spending time and money on creating a fabulous world that the audience couldn’t help but be gravitated towards. With spectacular views of outer space and an alien planet, the story succeeded in reeling in the audience, enough for Netflix to commission a second season. If you haven’t yet seen it, you should head over to Netflix.
The first season ends with a cliff-hanger that takes your breath away, and with the second season almost on the horizon, we can’t wait to tune in to the story of the Robinsons, which also includes Don West, even if unofficially. Before you dive right back into it, here is a quick recap of what happened in the first season of ‘Lost in Space’.
Lost in Space Season 1 Recap
Thirty years from now, the Earth is losing its balance. Things are getting worse and soon, the planet will become inhabitable. Meanwhile, an alien ship, which is disguised as a meteorite collision by the government to keep the public away from it, crash lands on Earth. The scientists, which includes Maureen Robinson, had been working on a plan to allow humans (enough of them) to escape the Earth and travel all the way to Alpha Centauri, where a new colony is to be set up. The only problem was to find an engine that could take the ship on that journey.
They find a solution to their problem in the crashed alien ship. They use its engine, and several families- who have had to pass a series of tests to secure their place on the new Earth- fly off to their new home. However, the aliens, to whom the technology belongs, want it back. One of them attacks the ship, killing a number of people. In this chaos, the Robinsons escape the ship, called the Resolute, in their landing craft, Jupiter.
The New Planet
The alien planet has unforgiving conditions and the Robinsons find themselves continuously fighting off one problem after another. In the middle of this, Will, the youngest child, comes across the injured robot. He helps it and, in return, the robot becomes loyal to the child. While the family is sceptic of the thing, they have no choice but to let it accompany them because it helps them on a number of occasions.
Meanwhile, we come to know that there are other survivors too. One by one, their paths merge, until everyone is together again. With no fuel left in their Jupiters, they have to find a way out of the planet, and as soon as possible, because the planet is showing serious signs of distress. Eventually, they discover that the planet is dying. Apart from leaving it, they also have to solve the connection problem with the Resolute.
The Villain of the Story
While they take care of all the technicalities, there are a number of other things the Robinsons go through. A certain Dr Smith turns out to be the most problematic character of all. As everybody finds out later, her real name is June Harris. She is an ex-con who entered the ship by taking over the place of her sister, Jessica. She was caught in the ship, but before she could be brought to justice, the attack happened. In the commotion, she succeeded in boarding a landing craft with Don West, under the guise of Dr Smith.
On the new planet, her self-preservation motto kicks in and she sabotages West as well as the Robinsons on a number of occasions. She also succeeds in getting Will to destroy the robot, so that she can repair and take over it, in order to protect herself. She uses it to make the Robinsons take her with them on the Jupiter craft. By the end, however, the robot channels back its connection with the boy, and it proves that it is loyal to no one else.
The Season Finale
In the last episode, after many ups and downs in their plans to leave the planet, the Robinsons succeed in finding enough fuel for everyone to leave. They imprison Harris and come close to being rescued by others when their fuel is exhausted. However, due to the alien tech, which they didn’t know about, present on their Jupiter, they are not only attacked by another robot but are also sucked through a wormhole and end up in an unknown part of the universe.
The last shot shows them in front of a strange planet that they can’t identify. Will remembers the symbols that the robot had been drawing over and over when they were still on the other planet. It had connected the image to the word “Danger”, and that’s how Will knows that they are all in some serious trouble.
Read More: Lost in Space Season 1 Ending, Explained
