Lost in Space Wreck of the Robot (1965–1968) Online

The opening sequence may seem like something out of Batman, but I enjoyed this one, because I like the story of the intelligent aliens intending to conquer the entire Earth. There's a lot more at stake here than just the safety of the Robinson family.

The bond between the family and the Robot is shown to be very great as they completely resist parting with him, regardless of the consequences and likewise the Robot chooses to sacrifice himself when the family are threatened. It's made pretty clear that the Robot has become as important as any of the other characters - a far cry from his simplistic interactions at the beginning of the first series.

But more than anything, this episode was way ahead of its time. The idea that technology of the human race is really a weakness as well as a strength, that this weakness could be exploited for malevolent purposes is even more relevant now than it was back in the '60s. Although, it's all done in a fun way here, as we can laugh as technology gone wrong puts various members of the Robinson family in serious peril.

The style of the aliens is also very creepy, the way they hang around in the shadows and sneak up behind people, and the way they sway sideways as they walk, it's all very atmospheric.

Without giving anything away, the ending teaches us that the robot has become more than the sum of his parts - he has developed emergent behaviour and effectively outgrown his original specification.

Perhaps the denouement is brought about a little too swiftly and cleanly though, but overall a good episode for season two.

The second season of Lost in Space is baffling to me. Putting together a string of pitiful episodes of particularly puerile quality, "The Wreck of the Robot" seems to be, for about 95% of its running time, the answer to a question I started asking myself, "Will this season have at least one episode of decent quality to it?"

We are first introduced to a recurring character of aliens (although, in pure Lost in Space fashion, thanks to cheap producers trying to save a buck when need be, they return not as the alien lifeforms seen here) I have discovered on a Lost in Space forum as the "Saticons". The Saticons have no faces, wear bowler hats and capes, and move right and left, speaking in slow, sinister whispers with quite the malevolent tone. The eerie score and the way the Saticons hide in the background as John Robinson and Major West must talk to them from a distance as they specify their intentions and establish superior powers, this trio of aliens are actually rather menacing in a spooky way. The Saticons truly are one of the best creations of the second season, not known for producing hardly anything of serious merit.

"The Wreck of the Robot", like "War of the Robots" in the first season, further exemplifies the importance of Robot to the Robinson unit, how he has transcended the basic machine used just for duties and work, his programming as it has evolved where his sensors can seem to produce feelings such as woe and fear, and how he rescues his human family in the end when all appears doom and gloom (the universe is in perilous danger because the Saticons are successful in forcing Robot to sacrifice himself for the Robinson party who are unable to keep the aliens from entering their ship and taking "him", disassembling him and learning of the human knowledge in regards to machinery).

This episode does allow Smith to remain a stooge for comic relief, particularly at the amusement of Don West who plays a humorous practical joke using Robot's dome. The "assaults" on the Robinsons by their own machines, now at the power of the Saticons, are an interesting development that adds to the danger in the story, and signifies a major threat to all of humankind unless the aliens are stopped.

The ending is flawed because if the Saticons knew all there was to know about the inner/outer workings of Robot they could have just pulled his power pack when he was trying to destroy their solar machine used to control human machinery. And their fates never make logical sense…what about destroying a solar machine would lead to their ends?

Again, when you have been watching such putrid bile as "West of Mars" and "Deadly Games of Gamma Six", "The Wreck of the Robot" is a breath of fresh air. At the least, the alien threat is actually pretty creepy and the music around them fitting. Yes, one might say they look like alien magicians, but there's something about their glittery purple costume (it appears they are wearing a stocking around their faces and gloves, giving them a unique look, not too tacky, actually) that actually adds a mystique to them. Probably as close to a high water mark as there is in the mostly banal second season.

Funniest scene has to be when an exercise bike goes haywire with Doctor Smith caught on it (or his reaction to be stuck with the work normally handled by Robot; even his ridiculous wintry outfit when the temperature was 75 degrees earned a chuckle from me, someone who normally finds him rather insufferable). Of course when an electric drill tries to kill John or the water hose from the hydroponic garden machine attempts to strangle Judy, we get a clear picture of just what might await Earth if the Saticons are successful, pretty good story by Barney Slater this time around.

There's a scene where the leader of the Saticons tells Robot "resistance is futile": I wonder if this inspired the popular Borg statement? Creepiest scene to me is when the Saticons actually board the Jupiter 2, look about the inside of the ship, and find Robot: this kind of easy access to intrusion is rather disheartening, setting quite an ominous tone.

To have this much to say about an episode does say something in the favor of "The Wreck of the Robot". Even the cool scenes where Robot is in pieces should provide much excitement for Lost in Space fans.