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. 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.

Last year, Fox released the entire 1st season in DVD box set. It included all 29 of the episodes as well as the original unaired pilot. When they were ready to release the 2nd season, they opted to break it up into 2 sets. 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 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 did have one nit pick however that was the lack of any extra features on the first of the 2nd season set. The 1st season had a couple of great ones, the next set nothing. On the second volume of the 2nd season though, they decided to add a couple of features back in. In this final set, we still find only a couple of extra features, but they are enjoyable. The oddest one is an “Act Break”, where the action freezes and is interrupted by a ‘place commercial here’ sign, then it cuts back to the action and unfreezes. There is also a blooper, but its not from the original run of the show, it appears to be from some sort of reunion and takes place between the Robot, Jonathan Harris, and the now-grown up Bill Mumy. Finally, there are some interview segments with Harris (5:28) and Mumy (5:45) that are interesting, but far too short.

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:
Target Earth
Princess of Space
Time Merchant
The Promised Planet
Fugitive in Space
Space Beauty
The Flaming Planet
The Great Vegetable Rebellion
Junkyard in Space

Starring: Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Jonathan Harris, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Billy Mumy, Angela Cartwright, Bob May
Extras: Interviews with Jonathan Harris and Bill Mumy, Rare Outtake Moment
Specifications: Full Screen, Mono
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 7/19/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Lost in Space: Season 3, Volume 2 a B.