A Visit to a Hostile Planet (Written by Peter Packer)

A routine check was being done on the fuel system, but the Jupiter rocked and rolled after Don hit the switch. Maureen called up to the flight console and John responded, "Looks like impurities in the reserve fuel system. We're gonna try a short blast at maximum thrust to clean 'em. Now, standby below." John ordered Don to perform a full forward thrust for one minute, but the Jupiter did not slow down at the end of that time period. In fact, her velocity increased to the speed of light. Even hitting the circuit breakers didn't slow her down. The vehicle continued to accelerate and went beyond E.M. radiation speed. There was an explosion and everyone fell to the floor unconscious.

Dr. Smith, the only one who had the presence of mind to wear a gas mask, was the first to regain consciousness. The Robot explained to Dr. Smith that the Jupiter had entered a hyperdrive. "We are not where we were," the Robot stated. The Robot concluded that, "Both visual and electronic data indicate that electromagnetic radiation at runaway velocity has brought us to a space warp to that solar system containing the planet Earth."

"Earth? Did you say Earth? Where?" Dr. Smith demanded. Outside the view port was indeed the solar system of his birth. When John regained consciousness and confirmed that he saw the same image, Dr. Smith rejoiced. "Earth. We are home. This ghastly nightmare is over."

Don joked about communicating with Alpha Control. "John, what's the name of that outfit that might like to know we're still around? Uh, Beta… Gamma, don't tell me now."

John played along with him and then Don suggested that they all suit up for re-entry. John left to tell the family. "Excuse me, Doctor," Don said as he moved past him to the controls.

"Major, can I be of any assistance to you?" Dr. Smith asked.

"Just stand clear and don't hold your breath. This isn't going to be easy, Doctor," Don replied.

"Ah, Major, I have the utmost confidence in you."


Judy was waiting for Don outside his door while he changed. "I can't believe we're going home," Judy told him.

He pulled Judy into his cabin and closed the door. "Judy, do you know what this means?" he asked her.

She nodded, and an excited smile lit her face. She put her arms around his neck. "We can finally get married."

His hands went around her waist and he drew her close. "Do you still want that? I mean, now that we're home…"

She rose to her toes and whispered, "Donald Michael West, don't you doubt me for one second. I love you and I want to marry you... the sooner the better."

Her gleefulness was contagious. "I promise that nothing will get in our way this time." Their lips met and there was a knock on the door.

"Don?"

"Damn it!" Don whispered. "Yes, Will?" he answered in a louder voice.

"Dad's having trouble reaching Alpha Control. He needs you up there right away," Will stated.

"All right. Tell him I'm on my way."


"Come in, Alpha Control. This Jupiter 2 preparing for reentry. Come in," John said into the microphone.

"No luck?" Maureen asked.

"No. We've tried every possible radio beam frequency we have. Also all the power we've got. Something strange is going on."

"Well, is it possible they've changed their communication system?"

"Could be," Don answered. He looked at Judy, as he said, "We've been away for a while."

They were only three minutes from reentry, and so they went their separate ways to strap in for the landing. As Don settled into his pilot's chair, he said, "You know, John, even though we've been away for a long time, Alpha Control still should have responded. Even if our communication system is obsolete, they would have picked up some kind of signal from us – even if it was only visual. I think we should be prepared in case we're met by a couple of jet fighters."

John agreed. "We better keep our eyes open."


Dr. Smith was the first one down the steps of the lower hatch, and he was followed by Maureen and the children. Although it was the middle of the night, they could still sense that they were in familiar surroundings… pine, burning leaves, fresh water. Dr. Smith kneeled and kissed the ground. Judy commented, "I'd like to do what Dr. Smith is doing." They separated to explore the area.

Don and John exited the ship and they ventured into what looked like a garage for a sawmill. Parked inside was a cream colored antique car. "Don, did you ever see one of those?" John asked. "The last time I saw a car like this, it was in a museum." He bent down to check the license plate and called Don's attention to it.

"Well, I was right. Michigan." Don said.

"No, the year."

"47?" Don was incredulous. "1947?"

John entered the vehicle and turned on the radio. At first, they only heard static, and then a voice began to broadcast. "This is emergency station MTG. All listeners are urged to stay tuned to this station for full, minute-by-minute reports on the grave situation, which now faces this area. At 2:35 this morning, an unidentifiable flying object was seen in the skies above Lake Superior. At the same time, all power and communication within a 200-mile radius of station MTG failed. Witnesses now report that the craft, which appears to navigate without propellers or steering gear, has landed in the parking area of a sawmill in Manatou Junction. All citizens capable of bearing arms are urged to report at once to the home of Joseph Cragmire on Willow Lane, Manatou Junction. It is believed that the occupants of the unidentified object are dangerous emissaries of a world not our own. You are listening to emergency station MTG. The time is now 3:15 a.m., Saturday, October 17, 1947. Please stand by."

Don couldn't believe what he had just heard. The full impact hadn't registered yet in his mind as he and John discussed the situation. "This car is new to them, and we're 50 years out of our time," John exclaimed.

"I don't know exactly what that means to us," Don commented.

"I know what it means to them. They think we're aliens."

"Us? Aliens?"

"Yes. Let's get back to the ship."


Maureen and the girls were waiting for them inside the Jupiter. Maureen approached her husband. "John, there is something very odd going on here. We found an office, but it seemed to be a room from an old time movie. There was a telephone that was something like a candlestick. I've seen pictures of people using them in pictures, but I couldn't get it to work."

"You're right, Maureen. There is something very wrong…" John commented.

Judy was almost afraid to ask. "What is it?"

Don looked as dejected as she had ever seen him. "We're fifty years in the past, Judy," he said. "We probably entered a time warp when we hit hyperdrive. It's 1947."

"1947?" Penny exclaimed. "None of us are even born yet!"

"Where are Will and Smith?" John asked.

"They went exploring," Penny answered.

"Send the Robot after them. It might be dangerous out there, and we need to decide what to do."

Penny went to find the Robot. Don and Judy just stared at each other. He didn't have to tell her that he wouldn't be able to keep his promise. She knew…

It didn't take long for the Robot to find Will and Smith – as well as a couple of the town's folk who were ready to shoot them down on their way back to the Jupiter. John and Don heard the commotion and it only took a couple of shots from their laser pistols to scare them off.

John held a family meeting, and, after explaining the situation, added, "Yes, I realize it would be tempting to stay. Try to make them understand that we're not Voltones or whatever it is they call us." John, however, went onto explain that he didn't think anyone would believe that they were from a future time. He feared that they would be shunned, or even locked up in an institution.

"Couldn't we sort of live apart?" Maureen suggested. "We've been on our own for a good long time now. We could make our own lives." John couldn't agree with her, and Maureen gave up the argument. "You're right, dear. I suppose we have to find our way back to the time in which we belong. Well, when do we go?" she asked him.

Dr. Smith strongly argued in favor of staying. "With our knowledge of the future we could be the masters of this entire planet," he exclaimed.

Even Judy didn't agree with him. "What's the use of being a master, Dr. Smith, if everyone thinks you're some kind of a kook?" she said.

"Kook, indeed, my dear, a king!"

"Forget it, Smith," John interjected. "We're here by accident, not design. And we're not taking over what isn't ours to take. Now let's get busy. It'll be light soon. I wanna lift off at 1600 hours. That's 12 hours from now."


Don went immediately to work on the guidance system. The women made sure that everything was secure, but there wasn't much for them to do, since they hadn't had a chance to set-up any kind of camp – or even eat anything for that matter.

Judy brought Don a sandwich and overheard him curse under his breath. "How's it going?" she asked him.

He glanced up at her. "Lousy. The damn thing seems to have a mind of its own today."

"Here." She handed him a sandwich. "Take a break." He accepted the sandwich gratefully. "You know, Don, you didn't have much to say when we were talking about whether or not we should stay here."

"What is there to say, Judy? Your father's right. We can't stay here. Your parents are supposed to be born ten years from now. What would happen then? I know enough about physics to know that we can't exist with ourselves in the same space and time. If we stayed, would you and I not be born when the 70's roll around? Or would we just cease to exist and start all over again? The future could be permanently changed." He noticed that her expression hadn't changed at all. "Does any of this make any sense to you?"

"I'm not stupid, Don. I know what you're getting at."

"I didn't say you were stupid, Judy."

"No, but you implied it. All I wanted to know was whether or not you're upset that we can't get married now. I can see that it hasn't even crossed your mind. Excuse me. I'm going to find Penny."

"Judy…" She ignored him, so he tossed his sandwich onto the plate and got back to work, but it seemed the more he tried to concentrate on what he was doing, the more trouble he had. Was he upset? Of course he was upset. He had promised her that nothing would interfere, but how could he foresee that they'd be fifty years out of their time?


Penny was at the observation window, staring out at what she had hoped would be home. Judy came up beside her and Penny could see that there were tears in her eyes. "Did you and Don have a fight?" she asked her.

"No – not really. We just were hoping…" Judy's voice drifted off.

"That you could finally settle down," Penny finished for her. Penny looked wistfully outside. "At least you'll still have someone you can settle with – someday."

Judy reached out to her sister and touched her arm. "I'm sorry, Penny. I know I don't really have a reason to feel sorry for myself."

"Did you tell Mom and Dad about your plans?"

"No… I don't want to burden them with any more guilt than they already have. Besides, I'm sure they know."

Maureen was speaking with John by the astrogator. "I'm afraid the girls haven't reconciled themselves to having their hopes dashed. For that matter, I'm not sure I have either."

"I tried to explain to them, but, uh--" John replied.

"I know. It takes a while for the heart to catch up with the head." Maureen approached the girls and they talked about how beautiful the land was that they had seen on the video screen.

"—Orchards with ripe fruit, pastures, birds flying," Judy observed.

"Mom, would it be all right if we went over to the orchards and picked some apples?" Penny asked. "Look, it isn't far."

Maureen looked at John and he nodded his approval. After gathering two basketfuls of apples, the girls wandered into the sawmill area. Penny savored the fruit while Judy talked about planting the seeds in the hydroponic garden. Before she could grab one to eat, a lasso was thrown around her neck and she screamed for Penny to get back to the ship. The young man with the rope was about to hit her with an insulated wrench, and Judy screamed, "Stop!"

"Hey, you're a girl," the young man observed.

"What did you think I was, some kind of a zombie?" she exclaimed.

"Well, aren't you?" he asked.

Judy tried her best to explain her situation to him, but he wasn't buying her story. "Please take this rope off. It's hurting me."

"You know, you speak so natural-like. I could almost believe you." He looked in her basket. "Apples. Oh, now don't tell me you Voltones eat those things?"

"Of course we do. And we're not Voltones. We're people, just like the rest of you." She grabbed an apple and took a bite.

When Penny ran into the Jupiter, John, Maureen and Don were talking about the disappearance of Dr. Smith, Will and the Robot. "Mom! Dad! They got Judy! They threw a rope around her and—"

"Where?" John asked.

"Right outside, under the shed."

John and Don grabbed their lasers and ran outside. They found Judy and the young man each enjoying an apple. Judy begged the young man to let her go again. He explained that he had orders to bring her in alive. He grabbed his wrench and added, But if you give me any trouble—"

John pointed his laser at the young man and ordered, "Drop it!"

Judy told them, "I tried to explain to him who we were, Dad, but it just wouldn't register."

Don lifted the rope that had been around Judy's neck and angrily threw it on the ground. Judy could see that he was incensed.

"Are you her father?" the young man asked John.

John confirmed that he was and tried to find out where Will was. The young man didn't know, so John gave him one hour to find Will and get him back to the sawmill, or he would come into town with lasers more powerful than what he held in his hand.

John went to Judy and held her to be sure she was all right. "He tried to be nice," she said and then she looked at Don.

"Yeah. Well, I never did trust those old-fashioned boys," he commented and stomped back to the Jupiter.


The family waited outside the ship for Will and the Robot. A gaggle of men could be heard marching and singing their way towards the Jupiter, an old cannon rolling behind them. They were being lead by none other than… Dr. Smith… wearing a 'fire chief' outfit.

As the men pointed the cannon at the Jupiter, Dr. Smith announced, "Now hear this all Jupiter 2 personnel. This is an ultimatum. You have five minutes to lay down your weapons and surrender. If your vehicle is not evacuated and the order obeyed within the stipulated time the Jupiter will be destroyed."

"He's gone berserk," Don commented.

John agreed and ordered everyone inside the ship. John's voice could be heard over the P.A. system. He tried explaining things again, but received no response. He left the ship without his weapon and made a final plea to Smith. The natives were beginning to become suspicious of Smith. The more he spoke, the more suspicious they became.

When the townsfolk were out of earshot, Smith begged, "Please, stay. Half a century can't make all that much difference to you."

"It makes all the difference in the world," John replied. "And if you're serious about destroying the Jupiter 2, then you'll have to destroy us along with it."

"Arrest him!" Dr. Smith declared, and two men, one of them the young man who had captured Judy, ran up and grabbed John's arms. Smith thought he had won.


John and the townsfolk were in a standoff. When Smith had another chance to speak with John alone, he begged him to be sensible and to stay, but John could not agree with him. "Get with it. Use your head, Smith. You don't belong in this age any more than we do."

"But it's Earth. Sweet Earth, and I do want to live here."

"All right. Suit yourself. But you mustn't prevent us from leaving. Or are you afraid to be left here alone? That's it, isn't it? You are afraid."

"I'm not. I'm not afraid." He again begged John to ask the family to leave the Jupiter, but John refused, so Dr. Smith gave them one minute to evacuate or he would destroy the Jupiter.

"I don't think he's responsible for his actions anymore. I think we better do as he said," Maureen stated, and Don agreed with her. They exited the ship carrying their weapons. Maureen called Dr. Smith's bluff. "Well, Dr. Smith, we've done as you asked. Now, do you intend to destroy the only means we have of getting back to where we belong?"

That was exactly what he intended to do and he gave Cragmire permission to fire the cannon. Just as Cragmire was about to give the order, Will and the Robot ran towards them with the little girl, Cragmire's own daughter, who had helped them escape.

Will asked Dr. Smith if he really intended to stay, and Smith replied that it was a far better place than anywhere 'out there.' Will argued that it wouldn't work, but Smith stubbornly insisted that it would. "All right, Dr. Smith. If you're that sure about it, I'll take the chance and stay here with you provided you let everyone go and don't blow up the Jupiter."

Maureen and John told Will that he didn't know what he was saying. Will understood that he wouldn't see his parents again until he was old, but assured them that he would be thinking of them, Judy, Penny and Don every minute. He asked Dr. Smith if it was a deal, and Dr. Smith happily agreed.

Cragmire, however, didn't like the deal and ordered the men to fire the cannon, but the cannon ball only rolled a few feet away. The Robinsons took that chance to rush back into the ship and Will went with them. John picked up a laser rifle and approached the group of men. Dr. Smith begged him not to shoot.

"I won't unless you try to prevent us from leaving," he said. "You think we're Voltones, aliens. Well, if that's what you believe, that's what we are. I won't try to change your minds. Let's just say that we came here and when we found out we didn't belong, we left."

Cragmire allowed them to go. Dr. Smith couldn't stand the thought of being left back without any of his companions and ran into the ship crying, "Wait for me!" The Jupiter closed its hatch and lifted off.

The old fashioned phone rang, and the young man answered it and explained what had just happened. When asked what the vehicle looked like, he described it as a plate – or saucer. "Yeah. That's what you'd call it, a flying saucer."

The little girl asked him if there could have been anything to the Robinsons' story that they were human. The young man replied that he didn't know, and added, "But whichever, I don't guess we'll ever hear of no flying saucers anymore."


Don and John did their best to recreate the factors that had hurled them into the time warp, and they had no idea if they had truly been successful. All they could do was hope that they were back in their own time span. The Jupiter was safely in orbit and on autopilot when Maureen called the family to dinner. The family was quiet and contemplative, and everyone noticed that the unresolved tension between Don and Judy.

"You know, Judy, we didn't bring any of those apples back with us," Penny stated.

Judy sighed. "So much happened so fast, I never thought to go back for the baskets. Now we won't have any apples for the hydroponic garden."

Dr. Smith leaned towards her. "What garden, may I ask? What if we never set foot on terra firma ever again? We may be doomed to live on this metal hulk until we die."

"Thanks, Smith," Don stated. "You're pleasant thoughts really help us all feel better."

"You know, Dr. Smith," Maureen offered, "We're all just as disappointed as you are."

"I highly doubt that, madam. While you may all have the constitution for life in this galactic vacuum, I do not," Smith replied. "Fresh fruits and vegetables, warm, soft beds, the creature comforts of home… could have been ours once again, and we just left it behind… just like that," and he snapped his fingers in the air.

Don couldn't stand it anymore. He threw his napkin on the table and stood. "Excuse me." He went to the upper deck.

Judy stared after him and Maureen said, "Go ahead, Judy. I'll keep your dinners warm."

She nodded to her mother in gratitude and followed Don.

"What was that about?" Dr. Smith asked. "I said nothing wrong."

"Well, uh, I believe Don and Judy had some plans they hoped to fulfill when we landed," Maureen explained.

"Well, whatever it was, if they truly wanted to, they could have done it," Smith argued.

"I'm afraid not, Dr. Smith," John stated. "You see… it wasn't their time."


Judy found Don in his seat, staring out the view port. His eyes didn't waver as she took the chair across from him. She gazed at the expanse of stars in silence, wondering what she should say to break the tension between them. She didn't have to say a word.

"I'm sorry, Judy," Don softly said as he continued to eye the stars.

She glanced at him, but he didn't turn towards her. "For what?" she asked.

He shrugged. "For lots of things… but… I promised that I wouldn't let anything interfere this time…"

She reached out and placed her hand on his forearm. "Don… there was nothing we could have done…"

"I know… but that doesn't change how I feel. And when I saw that noose around your neck, I just wanted to…" He strangled the air with his hands.

"You wanted to take all of your frustrations out on that poor boy."

He glanced at her. "He wasn't a boy, Judy…"

"Oh, I know…" She rose from her chair, knelt in front of him and took both of his hands in hers. "Believe me, I noticed…" Now he looked at her face. "I noticed and it didn't matter, Don. And you wanted to tear him apart… but you didn't… I'd say we've both grown quite a bit."

He pulled her into his lap and stroked her arm, holding her close. "Yeah. I… I guess we have."

She leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his in a sweet, gentle kiss. Just as they were about to deepen their kiss, the elevator rose to the upper level, and Smith and the Robot opened the gate as Will scurried off the ladder. "Mom just cleaned up. She said to tell you that your food is in the warmer, and to eat soon or it'll dry out," Will told them.

Don sighed and Judy chuckled. "Someday, Don," she said.

"Yeah, someday," he echoed as they stood. Their privacy was ended, but so was the tension that had been hovering between them. They were back on track – whatever track that was – until their next landing. They both hoped that their next planetary stay would bring them what they both wanted so desperately…


Next week, an evil space ruler seeks the services of a doctor…

Next week in "Kidnapped in Space" on Lost in Space