Lost in Space Special Edition 2019

SEASON PREVIEW  HISTORY OF LOST IN SPACE 

CONCEPT ART

SPECIAL EDITION BEHIND THE SCENES

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JUPITER LANDING

IIMAGE CREDIT: NETFLIX

The cast and creatives behind Netflix’s Lost in Space reveal the secrets of the highlyanticipated second season. PG. 22

THE HISTORY OF LOST IN SPACE

“DANGER, WILL ROBINSON”

HOW TO BUILD A ROBOT

After two failed reboots, the third time was the charm for the iconic sci-fi franchise. PG. 4

Bill Mumy writes about his connection to the actor now filling Will Robinson’s shoes. PG. 8

A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the reimagined Robot. PG. 30 LOST IN SPACE EDITION | DEN OF GEEK

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

The cast and creative team of Lost in Space gather for a photo during the season one premiere event.

IT’S BEEN 54 YEARS NOW SINCE Irwin Allen created Lost in Space. He was himself inspired by the novel The Swiss Family Robinson, first published way back in 1812. Some stories are timeless. The tale of a family setting out into the great unknown in search of a better life resonates today as much as it did 200 years ago, or during the height of the 1960s space race. Especially when this family finds an adventure beyond anything they could have imagined. Throw in a devious stowaway, a handsome rogue, and a scene-stealing robot and you have a television classic we’re honored to have reimagined for the next generation.

Some things have been updated.

The family is blended, with roles accurately depicting modern sensibilities.

Dr. Smith is a no-less-delightfully-de-

Merry Christmas, Zack, Kevin, Jon, Matt, and Burk

vious woman. The robot’s origins are alien. And our production is as lavish as Irwin Allen would have wanted if he’d had access to today’s VFX. But the essence of Lost in Space has always been rooted in a family that you come to love, despite their occasional failings—a family you wish you were a part of. These things never change.

Last season, the Robinsons faced the dangers of an unknown planet. Maureen shouldered the fate of the family and figured out a way to escape. Judy came of age. Penny got over a broken heart. John found his place back in the family he feared he had lost forever. Don learned he wasn’t alone after all. Dr. Smith nearly destroyed everyone. And young Will Robinson proved himself through courage and a deep capacity for love.

It was his empathy for the damaged alien Robot—and the friendship that followed—that helped his family to survive.

In season two, the Robinsons face new threats and unexpected discoveries, which will test the bonds of their family like never before. Seven months have passed since their ship was sent to the strange solar system the Robot called “Danger.” Now marooned on a perilous ocean planet, the Robinsons grapple with how they’ll reconnect with their lost mothership, the “Resolute,” and the rest of the 24th colonist group. This time, there’s no Robot to save them—unless somehow Will can find his lost friend.

It’s been nearly a two-year journey for us to complete season two, and we couldn’t be prouder to finally unveil it to the universe.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

PRINT EDITOR Chris Longo Assistant Print Editors Alec Bojalad Mike Cecchini Nick Harley Creative Director Lucy Quintanilla Design and Illustration Hannah Kneisley Jessica Koynock Copy Editor Sarah Litt Production Manager Kyle Christine Darnell

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Return From Outer Space

Stories that dare us to dream will never get lost in the cosmos.

BY CHR IS LO N G O he Robinsons became the first family of outer space a year before Gene Roddenberry beamed us up to the Starship Enterprise, and over a decade before George Lucas first took us for a ride in the Millennium Falcon.

Debuting just four years before Neil Armstrong took a “giant leap for mankind” on the surface of the Moon, Lost in Space challenged viewers to imagine a future where families could travel to and explore new worlds. It’s important to preserve that history and contextualize the show’s place in the sci-fi genre. But what was most exciting about creating this special issue is understanding how and why Lost in Space endures for a new generation.

The Robinsons are still pushing forward and now they look a lot more like us. John and Maureen are no longer an idyllic vision of a ‘60s parental unit; in the Netflix version they’re flawed and complex. They’re also immensely proud of the gifts they’ve passed down to their kids. Judy, Penny, and Will Robinson are fiercely independent, brave, and genuinely enjoy science, math, and problem solving.

In these updated characters, young viewers have new role models that share their modern anxieties, without sacrificing their strong moral center or unbreakable sense of family.

Lost in Space was a window into science fiction fandom when my father introduced me to the campy,

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colorful reruns of the original series. I was around Will Robinson’s age when my uncle took me to see the 1998 Lost in Space feature film and was thrilled when my mother gifted me the Will Robinson and Robot action figures to create my own space adventures. I didn’t realize it then, but they passed down a piece of their childhood to me and it stuck; Lost in Space helped ignite my love for the genre and set me on a course for the work I do now.

Shows like Lost in Space return to orbit because we love passing down stories that inspire us to dream. They’re an intrinsic connection from one generation to the next.

Titanic science fiction franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek have had numerous magazines over the years, which made their respective universes feel as vast offscreen as they did onscreen. Lost in Space never had an official print magazine in the vein of its space opera cousins.

So what better way to celebrate the launch of Lost in Space season two on Netflix than to give the franchise its long overdue magazine treatment?

On these pages you’ll find that legacy is a starting point. The adventures of the Robinsons and their fans are just beginning.

The Lost in Space special edition magazine was produced in partnership with Netflix. All editorial and opinions expressed are those of Den of Geek.

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The crew of Jupiter 2: [back] Mark Goddard (as Major Donald West), Marta Kristen (as Judy Robinson), June Lockhart (as Dr. Maureen Robinson), Guy Williams (as Professor John Robinson), [front] Bill Mumy (as Will Robinson), Angela Cartwright (as Penny Robinson).

Lost in Space made its big Netflix comeback count by going back to basics.

B Y RYAN BRI TT

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efore the Netflix reimagining premiered in April 2018, the idea that any new version of Lost in Space would be decent—much less excellent—seemed unlikely, if not outright impossible. Prior to the Netflix version, there were two reboots: one you’ve forgotten and another you’ve likely never seen—the underwhelming 1998 Lost in Space film from New Line Cinema and an unaired 2004 series directed by John Woo called The Robinsons. Like some of the Alpha Centauri colonists who failed to dodge the death-ray from a robot, both failed

spectacularly. So, the challenge facing a new version of the Robinsons’ epic adventure was clear: How could the public at large take this wayward outer space family seriously?

“The perception of Lost in Space was a bit schizophrenic before we did this series,” says executive producer Kevin Burns. “It’s not an easy nut to crack.”

To make a realistic version of Lost in Space that also somehow honors the source material would be a little like someone trying to make a gritty Batman movie in 2019, in an alternate universe where the only Batman performances in history were Adam

West and George Clooney. In other words, before the new series, the true potential of Lost in Space had yet to be realized.

As it turns out, Lost in Space didn’t come back from the dead by reinventing itself exactly. Instead, it’s stealing its best stuff from a surprising source: the original intention of Irwin Allen’s classic show.

Before achieving escape velocity with the contemporary Netflix Lost in Space, producers Kevin Burns and Jon Jashni — who hold the copyrights to several Irwin Allen properties — dreamt of doing a Lost in Space remake that wasn’t a remake at all, but instead, a sequel. After the 1998 film was critically savaged, Irwin Allen’s widow gave the pair the keys to the Jupiter 2.

“We were able to secure the rights after that experience because Irwin Allen’s widow, Sheila Allen, was not happy with the movie, was not happy with how dark and morbid and dysfunctional the family appeared to be,” Burns says. And so, they decided to do something radical. In the early 2000s, they pitched NBC an ambitious project. The unused concept would have followed “a new group of people with a new robot” who, after fleeing from aliens, bump into the Lost in Space characters played by the original cast members—Bill Mumy, June Lockhart, and Jonathan Harris—all of whom have been frozen in Alien-style suspended animation.

“We developed this for NBC. They were excited about it and wanted it for Saturday night as a backdoor pilot,” Burns explains. “But, then Jonathan Harris passed away about four months before we were going to begin production.”

While the studio suggested replacements for Harris like Christopher Lloyd and John Lithgow, without Harris in the role of the original Dr. Smith, the hybrid reboot/sequel concept floundered, and by 2004 LOST IN SPACE EDITION | DEN OF GEEK

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June Lockhart (as Dr. Maureen Robinson) outruns a Space Gorilla.

eventually morphed into another remake—The Robinsons: Lost in Space, which was set to eventually debut on the now-defunct WB network. If fans track down the bootlegs on YouTube, they’ll immediately see why The Robinsons was never aired. Though some of the casting is great (Star Trek: Discovery’s Jayne Brook as Maureen Robinson is fantastic) the series feels generic and uninspired, mirroring the same problems evident in the 1998 film. Burns and Jashni felt like there were “some good ideas” in this pilot, but even the addition of John Woo as a director was too little, too late.

“We never had the control over it that we wanted. We were so unhappy with the result that we were kind of happy to just kind of let it go,” Burns explains. “Little did we know that the WB wouldn’t be around much longer.

So it turned out for the best, but we learned a lot from that experience. We

Lost in Space has always been a confluence of the past, present, and future of popular sci-fi learned what not to do.”

When it was time to try again, Burns and Jashni didn’t do anything radical to the concept. Instead, they went back to basics. While this is a little hard to believe for the casual viewer, the new series honors the original series, not for the campy show it became, but instead, the dangerous and realistic series Irwin Allen originally tried to create.

For Burns and Jashni, the gospel of the ‘60s’ Robinsons doesn’t extend much past the all black-and-white first season. When Burns and Jashni started collaborating with screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, they recommended nearly exclusively

episodes from the first season of the classic series.

“There are basically two different Lost in Spaces,” Burns says. “There’s the first season and then there’s the second and third season. Some people prefer the campy, funny, over the-top, series. But I’m in the camp that prefers what Irwin Allen intended it to be, which was a more straight action-adventure series.”

In the new Lost in Space, the Robinsons and their fellow stranded colonists aren’t really doing a lot of traveling in space: for nearly 10 full episodes they’re stuck on the same planet. And while this seems like a grounding and realistic choice for the

PHOTO CREDIT: CBS/PHOTOFEST (LOST IN SPACE), IFH85/ADOBE STOCK (SPACE BACKGROUND)

more naturalistic Netflix series, it’s actually exactly what happened in the classic series, too. The 1965 first season of the original Lost in Space finds the Robinsons stuck on the same planet for an extended period of time.

“Keep in mind that they [the original Robinsons] spent 29 hours on that planet and we only had 10!” Burns says. Jashni points out that the planetary location of the series isn’t just a slick dramatic choice, but instead, has a much deeper significance.

“To us, this is not a space show, this is a family show. And the environment and the unknown of that environment draws our family together in a Mosquito Coast like way,” Jashni explains.

“That’s much more important to us than focusing on the transportational aspects or the tech aspect.”

Despite the focus of the series being on family and their struggle to survive, the new Lost in Space feels closer to harder science fiction than some of its contemporaries. In the new series, the famous robot is no longer constructed by humans, but is instead part of a complicated race of alien robots. Still, the robot in the new series serves a similar function as it did in the pilot for the original show. “Dr. Smith orders the original robot to kill everyone in the family but Don West,” Burns says. “It’s really twisted.”

With the new series, Lost in Space gets to have its mayhem cake and eat it too. The robot still gets to be heroic and the protector of young Will Robinson, but like in the classic series, its origins are connected to destruction and sabotage. When the “good” robot fights another of its kind in the season one finale, fans of the old show could of course squint and see the season one episode of the 1965 series, “War of the Robots.” In that episode, Lost in Space borrowed Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet to do battle with the resident B-9 unit. Even when the classic Lost in Space was doing something innovative and new, it was always looking over its shoulder and borrowing from other science fiction nearby.

In all its forms, Lost in Space has always been a confluence of the past, present, and future of popular sci-fi.

The 1965 original series ransacked the

basic concepts of both Swiss Family Robinson and an unrelated comic book series called Space Family Robinson.

And though the first season of the show borrowed music composed for The Day the Earth Stood Still, the original music for the series showcased the talents of a young composer named “Johnny” Williams, who of course, went on to control all of our imaginations with his scores for Star Wars over a decade later.

Depending on how you look at it, the original Lost in Space was either an innovative masterpiece representative of its time or a kind of harbinger for things to come. But in hindsight, the classic Lost in Space and the two projects that preceded the Netflix series seemed to be the result of various scifi influences coalescing, trying to make something artistic and intelligent. In the classic season one episode, “Wish

Upon a Star,” Dr. Smith discovers a helmet that can grant him anything he wants out of thin air. With the advent of the new Lost in Space, it’s as though that magical sci-fi device has finally been used correctly, and the result is the compelling and sly Netflix series.

Could some kind of strange real-life sci-fi alchemy have been at work to make this all come together? If such dark magic is afoot, look no further than brilliant Dr. Smith actress Parker Posey. According to Burns and Jashni, at some point, Parker Posey was gifted a bust of Jonathan Harris as the original Dr. Smith. Later, they learned that Posey took a drill to the bust and turned it into a bespoke lamp. Parker Posey literally drilled into Jonathan Harris’ head to make room for a light.

The creation of the new series could have many metaphors, but it’s hard to think of one better or more apropos.

Jonathan Harris (as Dr. Zachary Smith) is attacked by space monsters.

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Maxwell Jenkins and Bill Mumy pose on the red carpet of the Lost in Space season one premiere.

“ D anger, Will Robinson! ”

The actors who’ve portrayed the Robinson family’s youngest son share a bond that extends well beyond Lost in Space.

O P - ED B Y BI LL MUMY I’ve run the gamut of emotions when hearing those three words over the last 54 years. I was a prolific and experienced professional actor, having worked half of my 10 years, by the time I accepted the role of Will Robinson in Irwin Allen’s ambitious

television project, Lost in Space. What kid wouldn’t have loved to be Will? He was a genius. Brave, trusting, open, bold, and respectful. He had a laser gun and he used it. He often saved the day. And… he played the guitar.

To me, Will was a superhero and

I modeled him after Bucky Barnes, Captain America’s sidekick from World War II. At the time I was filming Lost in Space from 19651968, the Marvel Comics character was being written by Stan Lee and illustrated with great power by Jack “King” Kirby. Their work had a big influence on me and how I portrayed Will.

“Danger Will Robinson” became a catch phrase during the psychedelic ‘60s—like “Sock it to me!”—and I was proud to be connected with it.

The show varied in tone—from gorgeous black and white adventure stories about a family struggling against the unknown dangers of an alien planet (all played out to the percussive themes of John Williams’ brilliant score) to the campy, brightlycolored, over-lit insanity of a sixfoot talking carrot in a rubber suit hamming it up while the cast couldn’t keep a straight face. After 83 hour-

IMAGE CREDITS: GETTY / JB LACROIX/WIREIMAGE, CBS/PHOTOFEST

long adventures in space, Lost in Space ended its original network run on CBS. I was 14 years old.

Soon I found myself touring and performing as a professional musician. When someone in the audience shouted, “Danger, Will Robinson” during a set, those three words didn’t resonate as positively as they had a few years earlier. Like most young adults, I wanted to distance myself from how the public perceived me as a child and I rebelled against that image. I soon came to understand that Lost in Space would never go away.

It resonates with generation after generation. But why?

The imagination is able to fly untethered when placing a family in the potential stories of countless deep space alien worlds. The conflict of a self-serving stowaway—a character you despise but come to love at the same time—who gains the trust of the youthful protagonist is brilliant. The addition of Robot, who can serve as a “Swiss Army Knife” in times of conflict is another eternally great idea. And our classic robot, designed by Robert Kinoshita, who also created “Robby the Robot” for the film Forbidden Planet, remains a brilliant design.

But beyond that, Lost in Space is about family. That is why it worked for the past 54 years—and that’s why it works now on Netflix.

For the past 20 years or so, producers Kevin Burns and Jon Jashni have singlehandedly been in charge of the classic Irwin Allen properties. Thankfully, they knew the proper approach to re-launching Lost in Space, and held out until they had assembled the precise creative team to do it right. Chemistry is a funny thing. You can’t “cast” it. You can only hope for it. The original cast had it and the new cast has it in spades.

So far, they’ve done everything right. The tone of the show is appropriately dramatic—just as our earliest episodes were. The danger comes from every direction. The characters are well defined and brilliantly acted. The expanse of filming exteriors in distant locations and then blending them with stateof-the-art CGI works beautifully. The music harkens back to the original

John Williams themes. And there are plenty of affectionate “nudge nudge, wink wink” moments that let you know that the people behind the new Lost in Space love the original version just as much as the fans do.

During the production of season one, I flew up to Vancouver to work on the show and was so pleased to learn that the cast had bonded like a true family. The crew was happy and proud. The production office couldn’t wait to jam on the next idea.

I am honored to see Will Robinson’s destiny in Maxwell Jenkins’ capable heart and hands.

They have a winner here.

I am honored to see Will Robinson’s destiny in Maxwell Jenkins’ capable heart and hands. He is a thoughtful, deeply talented actor and a genuinely wonderful human being. Max and I bonded quickly. We talked about Will and his connection to the Robot and Smith, the technical intelligence of the wardrobe, and props he was working with on set. We got into deep discussions about working on a series and having to be shuffled back and forth to a school trailer whenever a

scene was finished. That was always my toughest pill to swallow as a kid.

We talked about music, and I was blown away to learn Max was in the process of writing a report on Pete Seeger and plays the mandolin.

When I was filming Lost in Space in the ‘60s, I was a huge folk music fan, and Pete Seeger was one of my heroes. And, I play mandolin.

Max and I jammed. I made him an 80-minute mix of Pete Seeger songs.

Then we talked about comic books and I was surprised to discover not only does Max read comic books, but his favorite character is Captain America. So, I remembered a comic book store in Vancouver that I had visited while shooting a sequel to The Twilight Zone episode, “It’s a Good Life,” with Cloris Leachman and my daughter Liliana years ago.

On a long, cold walk over the weekend, I found the store still there. I bought Max a collection of the Kirby-Lee Captain America and Bucky stories that had so inspired my performances as Will Robinson over 50 years earlier. I also picked up the “Winter Soldier” Bucky Barnes collection that brings the character back into modern continuity. It features a “darker,” more realistic, Bucky. Perfect for a darker, more realistic, Will Robinson.

Now, I’m seeing and hearing those three words again more than ever: “Danger, Will Robinson!”

And it makes me smile such a sweet smile.

Actors Bill Mumy (L) and Jonathan Harris (R) are seen in a Lost in Space television still in 1966.

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Every incarnation of Lost in Space gets the lovable robot it deserves.

BY AL EC BO JA LA D

H Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) momentarily pauses his trademark insults to give Robot a Valentine’s Day card.

umans have a long history of loving things that aren’t human.

Robots, machines, artificial intelligence, and droids are all popular cultural symbols as long as they don’t cross into the uncanny valley. It’s easy to love simple mechanical beings because they’re blank slates. And perhaps no slate was more blank than the simply-named “Robot” from Lost in Space.

The Robot was designed by Robert Kinoshita, based on a similar model called Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet, the film that helped inspire Lost in Space. It (or he) was brought to life by actor Bob May inhabiting a prop

costume built by Bob Stewart. Dick Tufeld provided the voice. The robot’s legs used to move independently in early designs but the metal edges inside the suit cut May’s legs so much that the legs were eventually bolted together and the robot was moved along via wire.

“Robot” was technically designated the “Class M-3 Model B9 General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot” in the show.

Sometimes he was referred to as B-9 or the “Robinson Robot.” Creator Kinoshita liked to call him “Blinky.”

But mostly the characters preferred to just call him Robot.

And even after all these years, the Robot’s simple moniker remains LOST IN SPACE EDITION | DEN OF GEEK

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Don West (Mark Goddard) shares a scene with Robot.

Young Will Robinson commandeers the Robot’s interface for some alien spider hunting in the 1998 movie.

Almost everything that has entered our cultural memory from the original Lost in Space comes from Robot.

IMAGE CREDITS: CBS/PHOTOFEST, NETFLIX, NEW LINE CINEMA/PHOTOFEST (LOST IN SPACE), IFH85/ADOBE STOCK (SPACE BACKGROUND)

The Robot gets a sleek new design in Netflix’s Lost in Space, reflecting its alien origins.

Lost in Space’s greatest achievement.

Give your cats names all you want, you know deep down in your heart of hearts that every single cat in the world’s name is really just “kitty.”

Same rules apply for Robots. Alexa, Siri, Roombas—they’re all “Robot.”

Even though he sometimes displayed human characteristics like a sense of humor and an appreciation for music, Robot was, simply put: a robot. His head was an ovular glass sensor filled with antennas and wires.

His body resembled a propane tank strung together with Christmas lights. His stubby, useless arms jutted out in front of him as if his little red claw hands were perpetually expecting a hug. His legs were… and there is regrettably no other word for this, “thicc.”

He was about as lovable a robotic creation as could possibly exist.

Almost everything that has entered our cultural memory from the original Lost in Space comes from Robot.

“Does not compute.” “Danger, Will Robinson.” Those are two incredible greatest hits for any pop culture entity.

The Robot’s cultural influence and appeal carried over to the film world in 1998’s movie adaptation, Lost in Space. The film itself was largely unsuccessful both critically and commercially but its failures cannot be laid at Robot’s feet… or tracks rather. The Robot of the film is a large, hulking creature. He has broad shoulders and spindly arms ending in claws. Instead of a glass bubble head, he has a sleek, forward-facing sensor.

He also shoulders a much larger narrative burden. The events of Lost in Space (1998) are put into motion when the evil Dr. Smith hacks the Robot and forces him to attack the

Robinsons’ Jupiter 2 while they are in stasis. Young Will Robinson is able to gain control of the Robot and the two become fast friends. Robot learns about the beauty of baseball and friendship, as all robots should be so lucky to do.

Ultimately Robot does not factor into the film’s end game that much.

He just remains Will’s steadfast friend and after he’s eaten “alive” by killer space spiders, Will downloads his software into another Robot form that happens to resemble the original Robot quite a bit. Even after his unfortunate devouring, he remains the best part of a mediocre movie because, well, how could he not be?

He’s the Robot.

Robot’s significance to the plot of Lost in Space becomes even more crucial in the 2018 Netflix series. Now the Robot is more advanced than ever and has an extraterrestrial origin story.

He looks militaristic and powerful, made up of material stronger and more durable than anything on Earth.

Gone are any kind of “bubble sensor” heads. Instead Robot has a blank, expressionless face that alternates between blue or red static depending on his “emotional” state.

As in previous incarnations, however, Will is able to befriend him rather easily. In the modern incarnation of Lost in Space, Robot becomes Will’s silent protector after the youngest Robinson saves his life.

This proves to be incredibly useful to Will and the Robinsons. Robot saves their lives countless times and becomes one of the most important assets to the family marooned on an unknown, dangerous planet.

The Robot’s origin also becomes hugely significant to the show and judging by how the first season ended, will remain significant going forward.

Lost in Space season two will find the Robinsons orbiting dual collapsing planets that resemble the orb-like design that the Robot frequently drew in the dirt. Perhaps the Robinsons have come across the Robot’s homeworld—or at least a clue to his whereabouts. Either way, the Robot has certainly come a long way since stubby legs and Christmas lights.

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RObot

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P R E V I O US P AG E

BRIAN STEELE AS ROBOT

Brian Steele took his experience playing beasties like a Predator and a Terminator in each respective film franchise and applied it to his performance in Lost in Space as the reimagined Robot. In season two, the Robot’s extraterrestrial origins and alien technology play major roles in the series’ mythology and could be crucial to the crew of the Jupiter 2 reconnecting with the Resolute.

Dr. SMITH

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MAXWELL JENKINS AS WILL ROBINSON

Maxwell Jenkins is quickly making a name for himself with his portrayal of a Will Robinson for a new generation. Will may not have passed the tests necessary to be on this mission originally, but with his newfound courage, undeniable ingenuity, and close ties to a powerful robot, he may become the key to everyone’s survival.

Judy

Robinson

PARKER POSEY AS DR. SMITH

When she’s not winning awards as a breakthrough director or appearing in Christopher Guest mockumentaries, Parker Posey plays the insidious Dr. Smith, who manipulates the audience almost as well as she does the Robinson family. Although charismatic and clever, her motives seem to be completely self-serving, and despite many attempts to hold her accountable, Dr. Smith always slithers her way out of trouble.

TAYLOR RUSSELL AS JUDY ROBINSON

Soon she’ll be back in theaters in Escape Room 2 reprising her role as Zooey Davis, but now Taylor Russell has even more to bring to the indomitable Judy Robinson. Judy is the eldest sibling and a product of Maureen’s first marriage. Judy’s medical training has served her and the Robinson family well so far, and her willingness to push herself to her limits has, for the most part, made the rewards worth the risks.

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Maureen Robinson

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john

Robinson

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don west

IGNACIO SERRICCHIO AS DON WEST

Ignacio Serricchio does charity work and champions mental health awareness, but his Lost in Space character Don West is more of a cynical rogue, having admitted his penchant for smuggling luxury items for colonists aboard the Resolute. With the Robinsons, however, his status as an outsider is beginning to fade, and he’s on his way to finding the family he thought he’d never have.

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MINA SUNDWALL AS PENNY ROBINSON Away from the set, Mina Sundwall is an avid singer-songwriter, a hobby that seems like something that the often care-free Penny Robinson might also enjoy. Her sarcastic and sometimes contrarian ways are befitting of this middle child who’s often overshadowed by her superstar older sister and protected baby brother, but some hidden talents are definitely in play for her as well.

P R E V I O US P AG E

MOLLY PARKER AS

TOBY STEPHENS AS

As with her much-recognized role as Alma Garrett in Deadwood, Molly Parker plays Maureen Robinson with complete fearlessness. Whether she’s being a loving mother to her children or displaying her expertise as an aerospace engineer, the matriarch of the family proves to her family every day that nothing is impossible with the right combination of know-how and persistence.

Often seen on stage in the West End, Toby Stephens will be taking the role of John Robinson to new territory this season. As a former Navy SEAL, John has always had his leadership skills on full display; although his single-mindedness has not always served him well within his family, the current crisis has brought them closer.

MAUREEN ROBINSON

JOHN ROBINSON

penny Robinson

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The Robinsons have new worlds to explore in Lost in Space Season 2, but what will they discover about themselves along the way?

Entering Jupiter 2 never gets old

for Lost in Space executive producer and showrunner Zack Estrin.

As if he hasn’t already shot two seasons worth of footage inside the massive soundstage outside Vancouver, Estrin is bouncing around the ship’s interior as he shows off some “science fiction touchpoints” of the design, from the circular shape that pays homage to

BY CHRIS LO NG O

the original show’s Jupiter 2 to the lived-in ambiance that echoes the rusty Millennium Falcon. It’s not just a blast from the past—he’s perhaps most proud of the sterling upgrade the ship received when Netflix dusted off and reimagined the iconic sci-fi franchise for a new generation in 2018.

Estrin points to a ladder set against the wall of the Jupiter 2 that leads to nowhere but a ceiling. It’s not TV magic; it’s a calculated prop.

“The roof was going to actually raise like a Winnebago, and expand to an upper level that would be used because the Jupiters themselves are actually not meant to be spaceships, per se,” he says. “It’s designed to be more of a home that flies rather than a ship that could also be a home.”

These are finer details that may not necessarily be apparent onscreen. But the future home comforts have Estrin grinning ear to ear. He’s pacing, almost nervously, during the tour. Before we can even ask him a question about the long-awaited second season, he erupts with excitement in his voice.

“We are still on the move and we are still on our quest, but we’re not staying in place,” Estrin says.

“There are always new challenges. There are always new things to discover, not just about the universe, but about each other.”

When Lost in Space returns to Netflix on Dec. 24, it will finally live up to the show’s title. Stranded in Space might have been more apt during the first season, which saw the Robinsons thrown off course and stuck on a remote world. They had a long checklist of obstacles to overcome in season one: family strife, a volatile planet, power struggles, a hot and cold relationship with the mysterious Robot, and a barrage of deception from Dr. Smith. They persevered, however, barely escaping with the family unit intact, only to get lost in space for real this time.

The first season ultimately amounted to a survival story. In season two, the Robinsons will use their expertise to go on what executive producer and series co-creator Burk Sharpless calls a “science fiction quest.”

Calling back to the roots of the original series, the family will be exposed to new planets and the creatures who inhabit them. However, the new season has even loftier ambitions, leaning heavily into the mythology established by the Robot’s extraterrestrial origins.

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Season two opens after a seven-month time jump.

The Robinsons are trying to unlock the mysteries of the universe while settled on an oceanic planet. Their isolation initially forces the family to repair their broken bond. But how long will that last amidst depleting resources and frightening circumstances? Reality will inevitably set in: they may never again define “home” as four walls and a roof. Deep in outer space, the real quest will be finding relative normalcy, together, amongst the stars.

“We’re exploring the family dynamics among the Robinsons,” Estrin says of season two’s journey. “That’s the heart of the show. Yes, there’s adventure. Yes, there are great visual effects. But the whole thing hangs from this family.”

“As of this moment, the spacecraft has passed

the limits of our galaxy. It’s presumed to be… hopelessly lost in space.”

Those words from Alpha Control, along with John Williams’ heart-thumping score, punctuate a pivotal scene in “The Reluctant Stowaway,” the Lost in Space pilot that aired on Sept. 15, 1965. The Robinson family, Don West, and saboteur extraordinaire Dr. Smith were unaware that their contemporaries back on Earth had already deemed their mission a failure. With their odds of returning home dwindling by the minute, the cooler heads of John and Maureen Robinson (played by Guy Williams and June Lockhart, respectively); their kids Judy (Marta Kristen), Penny (Angela Cartwright), and Will (Bill Mumy); and their pilot, Don West (Mark Goddard) prevailed. Dr. Zachary Smith, played with brilliantly devious zeal by Jonathan Harris, mostly stood on the sideline in comedic hysterics in the episode.

The bravery and teamwork of the first family of outer space instantly endeared Lost in Space to audiences around the country. Week after week, the Robinson family escaped whatever series creator Irwin Allen,

known as “The Master of Disaster,” would throw their way. Allen would repurpose props and sets from his various film and television projects. To simulate bumpy space terrain, Allen and his producers would tilt the camera and clank a tin can to signal to the cast to shift their bodies to the left or right. Crafty indeed, but Allen’s special effects and sets were also imaginative and ahead of their time for television.

A year before Star Trek debuted and over a decade before George Lucas changed cinema forever with Star Wars, Allen was a pioneer of sci-fi television at a time when the genre was primarily considered for children.

Says reboot executive producer Kevin Burns: “You can look back at it now in the age of CGI and say, ‘Oh my God, this stuff is quaint.’ But in those days it was extraordinarily bold.”

CBS eventually pushed back on the scarier adventure elements of season one since it aired in the family-friendly 7:30 p.m. timeslot, and it became a more sanitized show to court a younger audience.

“When you think of the original Lost in Space, you think of that saturated, colorful world the show ended up becoming versus the original pilot, which was black and white,” Estrin says. “It was a little bit edgier and the characters were a little bit more complicated.”

Though Estrin loved some of the “awesome qualities” of the show’s later seasons, he says the original pilot was a path into the new show because it “actually translates more to the tone of television today.”

The technology Estrin and company used to bring the first season on Netflix to life would have been considered purely science fiction in 1965. Now it’s ubiquitous and the Robinsons can go wherever Estrin, Sharpless, and executive producer and co-creator Matt Sazama dare to dream up.

“We like to think that if Irwin Allen were making this show in 2019, this is the show that he would’ve made,” Sazama says.

Today, the team behind the Netflix series is honoring his legacy by developing new worlds and environments in their show that are based on research into what other planets are like and how people may interact with them.

“We like to think that if Irwin Allen were making this show in 2019, this is the show that he would’ve made.”

E XE CUTIVE PR O DUCE R M AT T SAZ AM A

IMAGE CREDITS: NETFLIX

John Robinson, Judy Robinson, and Don West survey the terrain of a new planet. (Below) Penny and Will Robinson are fearful of the unknown.

“Our universe and galaxy is such an interesting place that you don’t have to make stuff up to make it seem mind-blowing on screen,” Sharpless says.

The stuff they did make up has put the Robinsons in another hopeless predicament. The first season concludes with the Jupiter 2 being steered away from the safe haven of the Resolute by alien technology.

A flash of light transports the family into a colorful new solar system, one that Will recognizes from a drawing the Robot made in the sand back on the Goldilocks planet.

While the show’s space fantasy is at least partially rooted in real science, the subtext is grounded in historical allegory. Despite 54 years of sci-fi storytelling to pull inspiration from, the producers found themselves drawn to stories of the westward expansion of the United States. Take the Robinsons out of space and they could be a family on wagons barreling across the heartland—gambling their safety on the promise of a better life.

“Home is not necessarily a place,” Sazama states.

“It’s the people around you. It’s your family. It’s what you make of it. But in season two that becomes a little bit more complicated because what’s a good enough home for you? Is it worth the risk for a better home or is it better to maybe endure things that are worse to stay together? That’s one of the key questions that the Robinsons are going to be dealing with when the season starts because there is no good answer.”

In reimagining a “darker” Lost in Space, the Rob-

inson family had to change with the times. English actor Toby Stephens, who plays John Robinson, calls the Robinsons of the original series an “apple pie American family.” Stephens’ John Robinson is far from a perfect dad; he’s a former Navy SEAL who has to combat problems in space that are only compounded by his behavior back on earth.

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The Versatility of the Jupiter 2 Behind-the-scenes concept art shows the Robinsons’ ship like you’ve never seen it before.

“The rear platform of the Jupiter 2 was never featured as a set in season one,” says

showrunner Zack Estrin. “But for this sequence in episode 202, we knew that an action scene had to take place. And it also had to be submerged in water! At first, the task was too daunting to construct it for just this one scene, so several alternative locations on the ship were explored to possibly relocate the staging. But ultimately none seemed as dynamic, so with a combination of practical builds and a whole lot of VFX enhancements, we were able to achieve the scene as originally written.”

John’s struggle in season one was to readjust to being a father after years of missed birthdays while simultaneously repairing his fractured marriage.

Though heavy themes for a family show, Stephens says the material established a relatable family dynamic.

“The parents who are watching it with their children identify with [John and Maureen],” Stephens says.

“They’re not perfect, but they’re trying to do the best they can.”

Every decision is highly scrutinized when danger lurks around unexplored corners of the universe, hence why even though John and Maureen are once again a unit, they may have fundamental disagreements on which path forward is best for the family. At times John has to swallow his pride and defer to Maureen, the undeniable leader of the Jupiter.

“She’s not particularly emotionally intelligent, and that, in a way, is her struggle,” says actor Molly Parker, who plays Maureen. “It’s what I find the most enjoyable

to play about her. Once she thinks she has the solution, she’s directly in action. There’s not a lot of space made for feeling, which is not typical of female roles.”

Her unwavering confidence, intellect, and preparedness is reflected in her kids, who see their mom as a pillar of strength above all else, despite her shortcomings.

“She is the one who has put them in this situation, and she’s the one who needs to get them out of these situations,” Parker says. “But she’s also flawed, full of secrets, and not the most self-aware woman in the world.

And demanding of her children.”

The Robinsons’ eldest daughter, Judy, now 19, has some demands of her own: she wants to be respected and treated as an adult.

“As an adult, if you have a good head on your shoulders, you realize that you don’t know everything,” says actor Taylor Russell, who plays Judy. “There’s a huge growth period from [Judy] asking for so much responsibility, and asking for the parents to give me a bigger role

Although the

atmosphere on this oceanic planet is unsuitable for human life, the Robinsons were able to plant crops inside the expanded footprint of the Jupiter 2.

Yet high winds and monsoons threaten to compromise their greenhouse. Says Estrin: “The challenge for the design of the Robinsons’ greenhouse was that it had to serve two purposes…

A structure to house their crops and protect them from harsh alien environments and these exact pieces needed to be taken apart and later used believably as the building blocks for the masts and sails of the Jupiter’s transformation into a sailing vessel.”

in the family. I end up getting that. But be careful what you wish for.”

The most notable physical change on the show won’t be new terrain on unfamiliar planets. Actor Maxwell Jenkins’ growth spurt means Will Robinson will go from space child to space teen. Penny, the bright and witty middle Robinson child played by Mina Sundwall, is also in a crucial stage of development in her young life. She’s perhaps hit the hardest by being so far removed from home, and isn’t entirely comfortable living in space, but finds a fulfilling new role in the crew.

“Penny takes this entire mission on a very different note,” Sundwall says. “She is the one non-science person in a science family. She’s interested in literature and philosophy, and she takes on more of this rediscovering and perseverance of humanity. And when you are into language and when you are into speaking and reading and writing on a colonize mission, what do you become? You become the head of communications, and

that’s what she is.”

The maturity of both Jenkins and Sundwall played a factor in the writing of season two’s storylines.

“We want to take those kids who may have been 11 or 12 when they watched the first season, and follow their growth,” Estrin says. “I want to write what a 13 or 14 year old might want to see so that they feel like they’re growing up with Will or they’re growing up with Penny. The storytelling is not quite as innocent.”

Life is a little more complex for Will as he deals with the fallout of learning his mom broke the law to get him on the Resolute. Will’s loyalty will be tested as the family searches for his beloved Robot.

“When I first discovered Will Robinson, his relationship with the Robot really hit home because I have two rescued pit bulls at home and pit bulls have a bad reputation,” Jenkins says. “They are known to be aggressive, but at the end of the day, they’re fierce, they’re loyal, and they’re protectors. And that is what the Robot is to LOST IN SPACE EDITION | DEN OF GEEK

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“Our universe and galaxy is such an interesting place that you don’t have to make stuff up to make it seem mind-blowing on screen.”

E X E CU T I V E P RO DUC E R B URK S HA RPLE SS

Will, and that’s what my dogs are to me.”

Will feels like he has to prove his worth in season two, but Jenkins says that won’t come at the cost of compromising the character’s moral compass.

“Will has something that I think a lot of people in our world should have, which is compassion,” he says.

“That’s his superpower. That is what makes Will Robinson who he is. I think more people need to have that quality. Will ultimately has to prove to everybody that he belongs here, and you get to see him grow up at a normal rate, but under insane circumstances.”

The kids’ support system grows in season two as Don West is pulled in closer to the Robinsons. “[Don] takes on the role of uncle, but he wants nothing to do with them,” says actor Ignacio Serricchio. “He’ll be the fun uncle, he gets to know them after seven months, but it’s almost like a forced relationship. There’s this natural heroic side of him that, despite his best efforts, he can’t help but let a little bit of that emerge.”

The family’s circle of trust excludes Dr. Smith, however. She remains on the outside looking in, contained inside a cage with a thick piece of glass separating her from the Robinsons.

“I’ve been playing around with petulance and a sense of injustice,” Parker Posey says of her portrayal of Dr. Smith. “They’re stuck with me. So, it’s really fun to play.”

In both Jonathan Harris’ and Posey’s interpretation of the character, Dr. Smith has a steadfast survival-at-

To avoid near constant danger, the Robinson family must stick together in season two.

The Jupiter 2 is pushed to its limit on an oceanic planet.

all-costs attitude. Posey wants to analyze the character’s psyche in a deeper and more meaningful way in season two. To Posey, Smith’s story is about someone from a broken home who “wants to be a part of the family, yet is not part of the family.”

Estrin recalls a dinner conversation

with his family as a major factor in taking the showrunner job. He told his young kids, who had never heard of the original show or the 1998 feature film, the basic premise. Their eyes lit up. Soon they started asking “what if ” questions. How would their family survive in space?

“We’re very fortunate to have a comfortable life where we don’t have creatures attacking us or a spaceship that’s running out of air,” Estrin says. “But they were so excited by how we might solve those problems together and who would do what on a spaceship.”

During the writing of the first two seasons, news stories of families fleeing their homelands in pursuit of better opportunities informed discussions in the writer’s room. The Robinsons’ journey to Alpha Centauri is primarily motivated by the decaying Earth they’ve left behind—hardly a subtle nod to our real-world climate crisis. Where fantasy uncomfortably encounters reality, the Robinson children are a glimmer of hope in a dark universe.

“You forget what kids are capable of,” Sharpless says.

“Seeing the Parkland kids or even Greta [Thunberg] who’s doing incredible work with climate change. It’s an incredible reminder of how resilient and how brave kids are and people don’t usually give them credit for it.

So I think it’s nice to have the characters on our show be good examples of what you can accomplish no matter what your age.”

To the producers, using real world and historical parallels felt essential to restarting a franchise rooted in a timeless parable. The hardest part was choosing to jettison some of the furniture to put their own touch on a sci-fi classic.

The Jupiter 2 itself is a bridge from the past to present. It’ll be the vehicle to space adventure and a place for the Robinsons to rest their heads in future incarnations of Lost in Space for generations to come. But audiences will only come along for the ride if they feel invested in John, Maureen, Judy, Penny, Will, Don, and even Dr. Smith.

“We approached this with a great deal of love for the original,” Sazama says. “We’ve made a lot of changes, but Irwin Allen created something that was really durable. People who loved the old show wanted to be part of the Robinson family. You wanted to be a part of it because you loved the people there.”

Right now, the ties that bind this family are a spaceship spiraling into the abyss, strange environments, and hostile space creatures for new neighbors—certainly not the kind you want knocking on your door asking for a cup of sugar.

But as long as they’re together, the Robinsons will find a way to make it feel like home.

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Q&A

How to Build a Robot Mike Elizalde of Spectral Motion reveals what goes into updating an iconic creation.

B Y A LE C BOJ AL AD es, the creator of Netflix’s Lost in Space Robot knows you think it’s sexy.

“I think it’s great,” says Mike Elizalde of Spectral Motion, a creature and effects studio. “The aesthetic of the Robot is visually very beautiful and elegant. I think the performance combined with the visual really struck a chord with audiences.”

Below, Elizalde walks us through how to build an elegant, alien, and yes, sexy Robot for the next generation of Lost in Space.

Y

Mike Elizalde: It’s been in my blood ever since I was a little kid. There isn’t a time where I can remember that I wasn’t fascinated by monsters or movie makeup. The Universal Monsters were a big influence on me as a kid. Nosferatu. Metropolis.

These were visually stunning moments in my childhood that I’ll never forget. It was mind-blowing when I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey as a nine-year-old kid. For weeks I was just reeling from that experience.

It was so powerful.

How did you get involved with Netflix?

Aaron Sims, who did some of the

early design work for the robot on Lost in Space, put our name forward and Netflix was sufficiently pleased with the work we’d already done for them (building the Demogorgon in Stranger Things). But Neil Marshall was also a connection. Neil was a very close friend with one of our team members here, Kevin McTurk.

And the two of them had had some conversations. We had a good “in,” so to speak.

What was your reaction when it became official that you would be working on the Robot—an iconic non-human character in TV history?

That was a concern that I had of course. I grew up watching the show myself. It was one of my favorites as a kid. Robot was such a pillar of that storyline. He was such a central character. I was frankly

IMAGE CREDIT: SPECTRAL MOTION

Den of Geek: How did you first get interested in your industry?

What fascinated you about movie monsters and special effects?

concerned that if you changed it too much from that look or that design that maybe the audience wouldn’t embrace it. Netflix wisely chose to make the departure because guess what: the audience for that show isn’t old people like me that want to see their old friend the Robot. It’s a whole new audience.

Robot was a very successful character in the story. It created a bit of a stir even. I’m not sure if you’re aware of the “hot Robot” thing that happened.

Oh yes. I was definitely planning on asking you about that. Why don’t you go ahead and expand? How did that make you feel—people finding the Robot sexy?

I think it’s great. We definitely had a great performer in Brian Steele, who we’ve collaborated with many times in the past. He’s one of the most fit and can-do actors that I’ve ever worked with. I don’t think there was too much enhancement that was required to get that kind of reaction.

The aesthetic of the Robot is visually very beautiful and elegant. I think the performance combined with the visual really struck a chord with audiences.

You can just say the Robot’s sexy, that’s fine.

[Laughs] He is.

It sounds like you were trying to go with something completely new so maybe the original design didn’t factor in that much but what were some of the other influences?

The idea behind the Robot is that it’s alien technology that we don’t know that much about. You still want it to be relatable though. Especially for Will Robinson since they have such a close relationship in the show.

Those were the factors that drove what it looked like. Then we took that and adapted that to a human body and to practical systems and how we could translate it to the scenes. He’s in the show quite a bit. I’m very proud of the amount of screen time he was able to get.

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1

concept art Would it really be Lost in Space without the Robinsons encountering new creatures?

Showrunner Zack Estrin gives us a sneak peek inside the development process.

1

“It’s always a challenge to come up with a unique design for a new creature.

With this one we knew it was all about the chase sequence with Judy. So powerful hind legs would need to be the focal point. But the decision to give it no arms—and instead a tail that would split apart to act as limbs—truly made it stand out.”

2

IMAGE CREDIT: NETFLIX

2

“The idea here was to design an animal that would, at first glance, seem docile and almost familiar— like an alien buffalo. It’s not meant to be a predator or a threat to the Robinsons.

That is until... they’re startled into a stampede. Fifty of these rushing toward you are scary no matter what their intentions are. There was also a story point that had to be included in the design. Their horns had to be capable of spreading a toxin. Sort of their own private defense mechanism since they are not natural predators.”

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