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When I was growing
up, most of my friends were into “Star
Trek.” But I was kind of a weirdo
(was?). My favorite ‘outer space’
show was “Lost in Space.” Yeah,
I know. You really can’t get any kitschier
than “Lost in Space.” I mean
what with those cool retro 60s outfits and
silver jumpsuits that the producers knew
we’d be wearing in 1997. Heck, even
the space ship took on the appearance of
all of those ‘flyin’ saucers’
that were seen in the skies by rednecks
everywhere during that period. There weren’t
any sleek looking nacelles on the Jupiter
2, no sir. But you know what “Lost
in Space” had that other show didn’t
have? Will Robinson. That’s right;
this series offered us someone our age that
we could identify with. After all, what’s
more awesome for a kid than to be in space?
Of course, this was tried many years later
with a certain Wesley Crusher on “Star
Trek: The Next Generation.” However,
unlike Will Robinson, Wesley’s popularity
could be pretty much summed up by the joke
I heard all too often at the one Sci Fi
Convention I actually attended, which was
that he should be beamed into a bulkhead.
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And by heard often I mean 37 times… by
the same guy… at the same forum….
“Lost in Space” originally aired for
three seasons from 1965 through 1968, a full season
before “Star Trek.” It became a cult
phenomenon before anyone even heard of Captain
Kirk. Though the series still has its fans, “Lost
in Space” just didn’t launch as immense
a fan base as Trek did. It’s only real claim
to recent fame was a so-so big budget movie remake
a few years back. This film just didn’t
capture the spirit of the original series, so
any other opportunities for remakes remain steadily
on the back burner. At least fans can still revisit
the series through conventions and the recent
release of the first full season on DVD. (Perhaps
this will be the start of something big!)
The world of “Lost in Space” took
place in a futuristic 1997, where the Robinson
family shot off into outer space in search of
Alpha Centauri. There goal was to find a habitable
star system within the reach of man’s technology.
Their ship, the Jupiter 2, was the work of years
of research and the most advanced spacecraft of
its time. Unbeknownst to our intrepid family,
just prior to their initial takeoff, the ship
was invaded by one Dr. Zachary Smith. His intent
was to destroy the ship; however his attempt only
succeeded in knocking out the guidance system
which caused the ship to be… ahem…lost
in space.
The first season was shot in Black and White (though
the show would later go to color), the special
effects were just slightly cheesy, and the villains
tended to overact just a tad. And somehow all
the planets the ship landed on looked just a little
bit alike. But you know what? “Lost in Space”
was still a heck of a lot of fun. It never took
itself too seriously and made for a perfect family
show.
I mentioned before one of the things that made
the show so accessible for kids was the inclusion
of Will Robinson. Cast in the role was Billy Mumy,
who had already made a bit of a name for himself
on episodes of “The Twilight Zone.”
His Will Robinson character had just the right
combination of earnestness and mischievousness
that most of us watching could totally see where
he was coming from. A fan favorite, we were all
thrilled when Mumy showed up years later in “Babylon
5”, in what thankfully became a major character.
Of course, acting as his foil was the villainous
Dr. Smith, played by Jonathon Harris. His cries
of “Oh the pain…the pain…”
were always delivered with a ‘drama queen’
flourish, but then he could surprise us a few
moments later with a devilishly evil grin over
his latest attempt to be rid of the Robinsons.
A few months back, Fox released the entire 1st
season in DVD box set. It included all 29 of the
episodes as well as the original unaired pilot.
This time around they are only releasing the first
part of the 2nd season, breaking it up into two
volumes. The latter volume comes out later this
year. The thinking behind this was that the cost
of the initial 1st season set might have kept
sales low, making a second full season set unappealing
to merchants and buyers. By breaking it up into
two volumes, the lower price can seem more inviting,
even though you will still pay the same amount
if you end up buying both volumes. For example,
it is feels easier to spend $40 now, and then
$40 again a few months later, than it is to spend
$80 all at one time (of course, if you shop around
you’ll find it for less, but the concept
is still the same).
Though I would prefer a whole season set, as long
as they keep releasing them, I won’t complain.
I do have one nit pick however, and that is the
lack of any extra features on this set. The 1st
season had a couple of great ones, but here, nothing.
There are so many of the cast members that are
still around that I cannot imagine them not setting
up some interviews or commentaries. Oh well, I
guess it’s just another maneuver to keep
the cost down.
Aside from that nit, the set is still worthwhile.
Some of my personal favorite episodes were in
the 2nd season, most notably “Wild Adventure”
which featured Vitina Marcus as the girl from
the green dimension. Her seduction of Dr. Smith
is probably one of the most memorable scenes from
the entire series. Watching her float by the windows
of the Jupiter 2, only to disappear anytime anyone
else looked was classic. So popular was her character
that she returned later in the season in the episode
titled, oddly enough, “The Girl from the
Green Dimension” (which is also available
on this set).
I definitely need to mention the packaging, as
Fox seems to be leaning more towards a box set
that holds individual super-slim cases. I really
like these a lot more that the traditional foldout
disc holders. Granted, those tend to look really
nice as far as artwork, but they are a bit awkward
to handle. They’re still using those holders
on some of he other releases like “Buffy
the Vampire Slayer”, “Angel”
and “The X-Files”, but I think that
is only because the earlier season sets started
out that way and they are jut trying to be consistent
within a particular series. The newer series sets
like “Firefly”, “Family Guy”
and several others are using these super-slim
cases which use up little space and are easier
to handle. Each case in this set features a different
member of the cast on the cover as well as episode
synopsis and air dates on the back. Really nice
work.
No matter where your loyalties lie in terms of
Sci Fi shows, “Lost in Space” is well
worth your time to check out for the first time,
or as it is in my case, an opportunity to re-visit
your childhood days of TV viewing.
Episodes:
Blast Off Into Space
Wild Adventure
The Ghost Planet
Forbidden World
Space Circus
The Prisoners of Space
The Android Machine
The Deadly Games of Gamma 6
The Thief From Outer Space
Curse of Cousin Smith
West of Mars
A Visit to Hades
Wreck of the Robot
The Dream Monster
The Golden Man
The Girl from the Green Dimension
Starring: Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Jonathan
Harris, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Billy Mumy,
Angela Cartwright, Bob May
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Mono
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 9/14/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Lost in Space: Season 2, Volume 1
a B-.
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