Blast Off Into Space
| Blast Off Into Space | |
| |
| Prod No: | 9501 |
|---|---|
| Season: | 2 |
| Air Date: | 09/14/1966 |
| Writers: | Peter Packer |
| Director: | Nathan Juran |
| Principal Cast: | John Robinson (Guy Williams)
Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart) Penny Robinson (Angela Cartwright) Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) Robot B-9 (Bob May Dick Tufeld (voice)) |
| Supporting Cast: | Strother Martin as Nerim |
| Preceded By: | Follow The Leader |
| Followed By: | Wild Adventure |
Blast Off Into Space is an episode of Lost In Space.
Synopsis
Young Will Robinson and Dr. Smith must barter with an intergalactic prospector for precious cosmonium crystals before they can get the Jupiter 2 back into space — and to safety — before the planet they've landed on disintegrates.
Plot
Announcer: "Last week, as you recall, our space family's host plaanet has been rocked by a series of large earthquakes. Little did they they dream that in less than twenty desperate hours, a cataclysmic explosion would rip apart the planet's core and disintegrate their entire world into galactic dust."
Lead-In: Back at the Jupiter camp, Maureen and Penny are tending to chores. John is off doing his own work. Suddenly, they experience massive tremors. John rushes back to the ship and checks the seismometer readings. The quake was one of the largest they have felt among the many quakes they have recently been having. John believes that they could crack the very core of the planet. He radios Don and Judy to warn them of the tremors that could be heading their way.
At the drill site, Don recieves the message fron John. Don tells them that they have not yet experienced anything, but they will pack up and start heading back. While Don starts packing, Judy goes to fetch Will, Dr. Smith and the robot, who are involved in a ceremony to dedicate a stone statue that Smith has created of himself and calls "Spirit of Space".
Judy tells them to hurry back to the chariot. They dismiss her and return to the ceremony. With an indignent look, Judy turns and walks back to the chariot.
Diring the ceremony, a quake does occur, but Smith is relieved that his statue is unharmed. At that moment, there is an explosion behind the trio. They turn to see a large, newly formed hole. As they gaze at it, u human-looking man floats up, steps out of the hole and approaches them.He is wearing what appears to be a flannel shirt and goggles and is carryina pick-axe.
Act 1 The miner examines the Robot, Will and Smith. After a few seconds, he surmises that they are "earth-folk". He is concerned that they were snooping on him. They explain that they were just there drilling for the materiels to make deutronium fuel.
Smith mentions the "earthquake" that just occurred. The miner informs him that it was no earthquake, it was just him blasting. He says he would have put up a sign if he'd known the planet was inhabited.
He introduces himself as "Nerim". He states that he is from the "galaxy of the Southern Fish" and his home is "caddy corner from Fomalhaut".
Smith asks him what he is blasting for. Nerim says he's looking for Cosmonium. Smith wonders if it is precious. Nerims says that it is if you know how to get it and what to do with it. Smith asks Nerim if they could see his operation. Nerim agrees.
Nerim takes them to the hole and explains that his mine is at the bottom. To get there, one just needs to jump into the whole. It has been partially "de-gravitized". Nerim jumps in. Will and Smith follow, slowly decending and arrive at the bottom.
On the ground are many crystal-like rocks. Nerim offers to sweep them away. Smith recognizes them as diamonds. To Nerim, they are a niusance. They are constantly dropping from the ceiling and getting in his way.
As Nerim draws out a bit of the liquid cosmonium, he explains that is is the "quintessence of the living force. Will and Smith return to the surface and rejoin Don and Judy.
After returning to the ship, they castaways experience another planet quake. This one is the largest so far. Joh asks the robot for an analysis of the effects of the quake. John concludes that the planet has only a few more hours before it disintegrates into cosmic dust.
To reassure the party, Smith tells them about Nerim and the quakes are due to nothing more than his "harmless" blasts. John is unconvinced and is still certain that the planet is doomed. They must lift off no later than "0600" in the morning. Because John anticipates that weight will be a problem for take-off, he tasks Maureen, Judy and Penny with getting rid of anything they to not absolutely need. Don tasks Smith with taking the chariot back to the drill site and picking up all of the equipment and returning with it.
At Nerim's site, he is dealing with a problem. His mule, "Rover" as chewed up his thruster control. Without it, Nerim will be unable to leave the planet before it blows up.
When Smith arrives at Nerim's camp, he asks for Nerim's assurance that the planet is safe. Nerim, falsely, re-assures him. Smith intimates that he would like to be Nerim's partner.
Nerim admits to Smith that he can no longer leave the planet since his thruster control has been ruined. He says that he would be willing to gamble with some of his cosmonium to get a replacement control. Smith tells him that he might be able to help. Smith returns to the Jupiter without bringing back any of the equipment.
Back at the ship, everyone continues to prepare to lift-off with less than 3 hours to go.
As John and Don are conducting some necessary repairs, Smith engages them in conversation. He recognizes a thruster control lying among the now loose parts and pockets it. Smith claims that he lost his way, in the dark and did not get to the drill site. John sends Will and Smith back to the site to retrieve the gear.
Will and Smith drive to the site, but Smith veers off towards Nerim's site. Smith claims that he is visiting Nerim to help him. Will notices the thruster control and asks Smith where he got it. Smith claims that he retrieved it from the junk pile.
Smith and Nerim paly a card game to gamble with the thruster and cosmonium as the pot.
Galaxies Planets Satellites Asteroids
Notes
The teaser for this episode (in the last one) was shown in black and white. This is the first episode of the second season and the first color one.
"Nerim" is an annagram of "Miner"
At one point Nerim mentions that this planet is "a dozen light years from home".
Nerim describes cosmonium as the quintessence of the living force. He doesn't explain exactly what it is or what it's used for. Nevertheless, Smith must have it, true to his greedy nature.
Debbie, the bloop does appear in this episode, however, she will inexplicably disappear by the third season.
When Smith is sent to the drill site, Smith asks Don for the key to it. Why does the chariot need a key? I guess there is crime everywhere. I wonder if they use any other anti-theft devices on it.
While boasting to Nerim, Smith claims that his uncle Thaddeus discovered the Comstock Lode all by himself. First of all, what would an alien know about Earth history? Of course, all of the aliens speak English, so maybe Earth history is a required class also in their studies.
In preparing to lift off, the family has to discard everything that is not absolutely necessary. They discard a lot of sporting equipment. Why did they bring it in the first place? Also, they somehow accumulate more by the time of the episode "Two Weeks In Space". Not only are the Robinsons pioneers, they are also first class packrats!
Rope, net, tennis rackets, basketball, suitcases,
There must be a universal standard when it comes to spaceship parts. The Jupiter's thruster control aparrently works perfectly on Nerim's ship!
One particularly touching scene is toward the end, before they've lifted off. John tells each of the family members how much he loves them and they return the same to him. Particularly warm is the exchange between John and Maureen. He thanks her for being the most uncomplaining partner a man could ask for. It's apparent that they are more than man and wife. They are also best friends.
Will mentions that they must be travelling at almost the speed of light. Actually, for them to get to ANY other star in less than a number of YEARS, they would have to exceed the speed of light (impossible) or to have gone through some sort of warp in space. It was only a matter of a few days to have reached the planet they were on.
Dr. Smith Vocabulary Lesson for the week: alarums - A warning or alarm, especially a call to arms: “This instrument called television can teach and illuminate, cautioned Edward R. Murrow, but only to the extent that its operators choose to use it…. An era later… Murrow's alarum remains as up to date as tonight's news” (Harry F. Waters).
Smith is supposedly going back to the drill site alone, but in the scene with the chariot, we can clearly see that inside are several people, all of whom are wearing parkas! Irwin's philosophy was to never shoot new footage is stock footage could be substituted. It didn't matter if it was raelistic or not.