Lost in Space

Lost in Space, an American science fiction television series, was created and produced by Irwin Allen. It chronicled the struggles of the Robinson family, a pioneering group of space colonists trying to survive in the vastness of space. The series spanned 83 episodes across three seasons. The first season consisted of 30 one-hour episodes filmed in black and white, though the 30th episode included a brief color sequence at its conclusion. Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed entirely in color. The story begins on an overcrowded Earth, where the United States prepares for space colonization. The Jupiter 2, a saucer-shaped spacecraft, sits on its launchpad for final checks. Its mission: transport one family on a five-and-a-half-year journey to a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. The Robinson family includes parents John (Guy Williams) and Maureen (June Lockhart), along with their children Judy (Marta Kristen), Penny (Angela Cartwright), and Will (Bill Mumy). John is a professor. They are joined by U.S. Space Corps Major Donald West (Mark Goddard). For the voyage, the family and Major West are placed in cryogenic suspension, scheduled to be revived upon reaching their destination. Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris), a physician working for Alpha Control, is secretly a saboteur for an unnamed nation or organization, communicating under the code name Aeolis-14-Umbra. After killing a guard who catches him aboard the Jupiter 2, Smith reprograms the B-9 environmental control robot (Bob May, voiced by Dick Tufeld) to destroy critical systems eight hours after launch. Smith becomes trapped on the ship, and his extra weight throws it off course into an asteroid field. The Robot’s rampage forces the ship to activate its hyperdrive prematurely, leaving the expedition hopelessly lost in space. In the first season, the Robinsons and Major West depart Earth for Alpha Centauri. Smith saves himself from his own sabotage by reviving the crew early. The ship survives, but the damage leaves them lost. The Jupiter 2 crash-lands on an alien world, later named Priplanus by Will, where the family spends the season facing various adventures.