Target Earth (LiS episode)

"Target Earth"
LiS episode	3x16 / 75 of 83 aired
Production #	1521
First aired	January 3, 1968
Watch online now	Hulu
Written by	Peter Packer
Directed by	Nathan Juran
Previous episode aired	"The Anti-Matter Man"
Next episode aired	"Princess of Space"

Summary

A perennially bored Dr. Smith decides to separate the Robot's torso from his tread section. The tread section goes out of control and accidentally enters the Space Pod, which then gets launched into space. The Pod lands on a planet that the Jupiter 2 is passing by. Professor Robinson contacts aliens on the surface by radio, and they OK a landing.

After landing, the Robinsons realize that they have been tricked by the aliens. They resign themselves to having to leave without The Robot or the Space Pod. Then the entire Robinson party except for Will and Dr. Smith are kidnapped by the aliens and put into suspended animation. The aliens plan to send duplicates of the Robinsons back to Earth on the Jupiter 2 with the intention of eventually conquering the Earth. The aliens have by now captured the upper section of The Robot as well, and have taken over control of him.

Dr. Smith and Will replace their duplicates with the real thing in the alien invasion team and the aliens leave for Earth. The duplicate Dr. Smith is aboard the Jupiter 2, but he has been tied up by the real Dr. Smith. Eventually the alien Dr. Smith escapes and exposes the real Dr. Smith and the effort to thwart the alien's plan.

While the Jupiter 2 has been travelling toward Earth Will gets the Robot over to his side. The Robot knocks out the duplicate Professor Robinson and Major West, and Will takes over control of the Jupiter 2. After the Jupiter 2 lands on Earth, near downtown Chicago, Illinois, Will pilots the ship back to the alien planet to rescue his family and Major West.

Background information

• After almost three years of being lost in space, a group of aliens have no trouble getting the Jupiter 2 to travel to Earth. Why don't the Robinsons just repeat that feat as soon as they are freed and regain control of their spaceship?

• After the real Dr. Smith has been exposed on the trip to Earth, the alien Professor Robinson suddenly starts referring to Will as if he is the real Will Robinson, even though he has not yet been exposed as the real Will Robinson.
• The freezing tubes from the Jupiter 2 are seen as the props in the alien lab used to process and create the duplicates.

• The status of The Space Pod is in doubt at the end of the episode. First, the aliens appear to load it into the Jupiter 2 before they depart for Earth. Then, it is back on the ground at the alien base. Then, when The Robot forces Dr. Smith to march into the Space Pod area, it appears to be in there.

• The Jupiter 2 demonstrates an ability to automatically dodge incoming objects (in this case, an Alpha Control Missile). It is possible this is the system mentioned by Major West in 'The Reluctant Stowaway' that would have allowed the ship to miss the incoming meteors were it not for Dr Smith's extra weight.

• Despite firing on the Jupiter 2, Alpha Control demonstrates no desire to communicate with the vessel first.
• The Jupiter 2 lands in Chicago and cannot spare the few seconds it would take to let Dr. Smith off the ship. The scene from the viewport is of a series of urban residential buildings so they are extremely lucky to have found an open space large enough to have accommodated the ship's landing. Also, the city seems to suffer no ill effects such as the power outage in "Visit to a Hostile Planet" due to the ship's landing and take-off.
• The alien leader is called "Gilt Proto" in the credits, although he is never called by name nor does he mention his name in the episode.
• In a minor continuity error when the Jupiter 2 lands on the alien planet the scene from the viewport is of a city (in fact Maureen comments "A nice, clean city instead of some dismal planet."). However when Gilt Proto opens the hatch the outside scene is that of the standard "dismal planet" landscape.

• The Robot tells Will he has no idea were his instructions to the Imposters will send the ship, only he hopes 'not back to Earth', which is exactly where they land!

Links and references

Starring

• Guy Williams as Professor John Robinson
• June Lockhart as Maureen Robinson

Co-starring

• Mark Goddard as Major Don West
• Marta Kristen as Judy Robinson
• Angela Cartwright as Penny Robinson
• Bill Mumy as Will Robinson
• Jonathan Harris as Doctor Smith

Uncredited co-stars (alphabetical)

• Bob May as the Robot
• Dick Tufeld as the Robot (voice)

Guest Cast

• James Gosa as Gilt Proto

References

Chicago; Gilt Proto's planet; Gilt Proto's species