No Place to Hide (LiS episode)

"No Place to Hide"
LiS episode	N/A (pilot)
Production #	6023
First aired	April 24, 1993
Watch online now	Hulu, Amazon Instant Video
Written by	Irwin Allen, Shimon Wincelberg
Directed by	Irwin Allen
Previous episode	None
Next episode	"The Reluctant Stowaway"

Summary

Due to Earth’s severe overpopulation, in 1997, the first spacecraft (the Gemini 12) that could eventually lead 10 million families to other areas of the galaxy is set to launch, carrying the Robinson family (John, his wife Maureen and children Judy, Will and Penny Robinson) and their assistant Major Don West. The voyage will take over 90 years with the crew being in suspended animation throughout the flight.

Unfortunately at one point, the Gemini 12, due to its speed and pre-programmed flight plan, runs into a meteor shower that it is unable to avoid. The ship takes on heavy damage and lands on an unknown planet.

After surviving the crash, the Robinsons ascertain that it is the year 2001, have set up camp and even somewhat domesticated several indigenous animals (a monkey-like creature, a bloop they named Debbie, what could be an ostrich or emu and a giant turtle), although their ship is inoperable. Unfortunately, one day while checking local readings, John and West discover that the local temperature is going to drop to 150 degrees below zero and they will not survive the night unless they move to another area. West wants to check one last instrument, but finds it destroyed, as it was squashed by a giant footprint, which they then discover a giant cyclops is nearby.

Meanwhile, Will has just repaired a telescope, finds that the men are in trouble, grabs a gun and runs from camp, which he later shoots the cyclops with. The three escape and quickly pack up to leave, but Penny Robinson had ridden away on the turtle, which John had to don his jetpack and fly around until he located her, then took her and the monkey back to camp, where they then leave via their Chariot vehicle.

Upon encountering and shooting another giant cyclops, the crew finds a cave to stay inside, which shows signs of civilization. Unfortunately as they are exploring the area, Debbie runs off, which Penny gets separated from the rest of the group as she tries to find her. Will locates Penny, but then they get stuck inside a room when Will accidentally activates a trap door. West and Judy get trapped inside as well, which John gets them out by cutting through the stone door with his gun (which, in the meantime, an earthquake had hit, making the area even more dangerous).

Upon escaping the cave and attempting to cross a sea to make it to an area of the planet with a better climate, they encounter a whirlpool, which the Chariot’s controls are lost until Don fixes the solar battery, who almost drowns. The crew finally touches down on land, which John states that he feels all kinds of adventures await them as two aliens are shown, watching the crew.

Background Information/trivia

• The ship the Robinsons and West travel in would be later renamed and was different than the one shown on this episode.
• The term "Maximum dynamic pressure" is technically correct - it applies to the maximum stress created on a vehicle by an atmosphere due to its speed, shape, and the external pressure.  For current spaceflights this occurs at altitudes between 35,000 and 45,000 feet.
• No title screen with the episode name was shown, unlike how future Lost in Space episodes would have them. The title music is borrowed from the film The Day The Earth Stood Still.
• There would be another bloop named Debbie later on in the series that Penny acquires as a pet.
• The episode was not publicly broadcast until 1993, on the Sci-Fi Channel's "First Annual Pilot Playhouse".
• Development artwork for the series shows the crash-landed ship was to have much more extensive damage, most notably a huge hole in the hull in the back across from the main viewport.
• There were no Robot or Zachary Smith characters until the actual aired pilot of “The Reluctant Stowaway.” - Dr. Smith was developed as a foil for the Robinsons as such a character was suggested by CBS after they screened this first pilot.
• Irwin Allen reportedly ran from the screening room when CBS executives started laughing at the pilot. Story Editor Anthony Wilson ran after him to tell him "they're only laughing because they said they love it!"
•  Time dilation is completely ignored here. Prof. Robinson writes in his log that they were traveling near the speed of light for almost three years.  This could result in a gap of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years between Earth and our Space Family.  It could be the year 10,000 CE back on Earth for all they know.
• The trip to Alpha Centauri (pronounced differently by the narrator than it is in "The Reluctant Stowaway") is said to take more than 90 years. For the remake, this was shortened to five and a half years, although 90+ years is actually a more realistic figure.
• The 2004 DVD release of the series includes an edited-down version of the pilot. Aside from a number of scenes being cut, the opening credits are moved to later in the pilot, occurring after the Gemini is knocked off course and a narrator states that the ship is "lost in space".

Cast

• Guy Williams as John Robinson
• June Lockhart as Maureen Robinson
• Mark Goddard as Major Don West
• Marta Kristen as Judy Robinson
• Bill Mumy as Will Robinson
• Angela Cartwright as Penny Robinson
• Lamar Lundy as The Giant