Last week, as you recall, the Robinsons were visited by old friends whom they thought they would never see again. The first was the space pirate, Captain Tucker, who was searching for Beelibones' treasure; however, what was valuable to Beelibones was worthless to Captain Tucker and he swore off of his pirate ways. The beloved android, Verda, returned and was confronted by another android, IDAK, who was programmed to destroy her. The Robinsons protected Verda, who was becoming more and more human. She was able to humanize IDAK, and they left to settle an uninhabited planet where their evil employers would never find them. Don and the Robinsons were now in the process of setting up a series of relay stations that would make it possible to communicate almost anywhere, however, their efforts were interrupted by an alien transmission and the stations overheated…

The Colonists (Written by Peter Packer)

The Robot reported to Will that they were receiving an alien sound wave that destroyed all of their communication equipment. John told Maureen that even their back-up system was burned out, meaning that the destruction was deliberate. Don first blamed Dr. Smith, but soon realized that he had nothing to do with the current crisis. He and Dr. Smith went to the girls' relay station and found only a work glove on the ground. Don assumed that the girls had returned to the Jupiter, so he and Dr. Smith swung by Will and the Robot's station before returning to camp. While there, however, a disembodied voice ordered them to return to the Jupiter where they were told that they would be contacted again. When Don asked what this was all about, he was told, "Prisoners may not ask questions."

When told to surrender their weapons, Don said, "No, thanks," and drew his gun, which was knocked out of his hand by an invisible force and melted when it hit the ground. The disembodied voice was heard again and ordered them to surrender all their weapons. While Don, John and Maureen pondered the fate of the children, Dr. Smith entered the ship and carried their weapons out. Don told Dr. Smith to return the weapons, and John told Maureen that, until they knew what had happened to Judy and the children, they would have to play along with the voice.

While the adults were contending with the female voice, Will and the robot found the main campsite of the alien aggressor in a cave. While Will made an attempt to change the frequencies of the aliens' main communication machine, a female clad in black with a spiked black cap appeared, along with male guards who stopped Will from escaping. The female, Niolani, took credit for destroying the Robinsons' radio network.

Niolani then appeared at the Jupiter campsite. She again demanded that they surrender their weapons. "What about our children?" John asked.

"They have been taken captive along with that repulsive creature, class M-3," Niolani stated.

Since Niolani had the children, John agreed to her demands and ordered Don to retrieve the weapons. While Don and Smith gathered them, Don hid one under the shirt he had slung over his shoulder, but it did not fool Niolani.

"There is a weapon missing," Niolani stated. "You have the vulgar cunning of all members of your sex," Niolani exclaimed as Don whipped out the pistol, but she burned it out of his hand with a wave of her wand. "If there are any further attempts at escape or violence – by any of you," Niolani warned, "your end will be swift, I promise you." She then forced the adults to march to her campsite and left the guards to watch them.

After she retreated into her cave, Don mumbled, "Any woman who acts like a barbarian is gonna be treated like one. From now on, she is interplanetary enemy number one."

John warned him, "We'll do nothing until we know about the children."

Dr. Smith spotted Will moving rocks. "Will seems safe enough. Look," he stated.

"Will!" Maureen called and she attempted to go to him, but was stopped by Niolani. "The male child is a captive. Let him be," she exclaimed.

"But he's my son!" Maureen interjected.

"The women of my nation have had many sons. They are of little worth to us. Fall in!" she commanded the men. "You have no doubt all wondered why you were taken prisoner."

John said, "Yes, I've been more than wondering."

"And if I had half the chance – " Don threatened, but John stopped him.

Niolani explained to Don, "Your moral courage is not what is needed here. What we need is your male animal strength. That is all."

"Does that include the strength of children?" Maureen demanded to know.

"Only male children," Niolani answered. She went on to read a proclamation from a scroll indicating that the planet had been chosen as a pioneer colony for female warriors of the Kondor Nation. The men were to prepare the landing pad, as well as an electronic purifying arch through which all of the warriors would have to pass in order to breathe the air. "You will be expected to work night and day, with only brief periods for food and rest. Laggards, I must warn you, will be severely punished. It will be futile for you to attempt escape, as you will now see." Niolani waved her wand and a force field barrier appeared around the campsite.

Don, still angry at their predicament and refusing to bend to her will, said, "Doesn't look like much of a barrier to me."

Niolani challenged him. "Go on, try it. You are the arrogant one." Don picked up a rock and tossed it at the barrier, and it disintegrated into cinders and smoke. She ordered the men to work and told Maureen to come with her.

"No, I want to stay here," Maureen replied.

"You will now fulfill your true destiny. Come." John nodded to Maureen and she left with Niolani. The men started clearing the rocks.

After some time, Don was allowed a food break, and Judy snuck out of the cave to be with him. Don took her hand and exclaimed, "Judy. Judy, are you all right?"

She sat on the rock next to him and replied, "Uh-huh. Penny's all right too. She's with Mother."

Don was relieved. "Oh, good." He was glad to see her unharmed. "Well, I hope they haven't been working you the way they've been working us."

"Uh-uh. Women have their privileges in this community, Don."

"Really? Like what?" he asked.

"Oh, like being waited on by men while Niolani tells us all about the estimable virtues of the female, and the not-so-estimable vices of the male."

"Hmm. I hope you haven't been swallowing any of that."

Penny came up behind them and admonished her sister. "Judy, you shouldn't be here with Don like this. You know it's against the rules."

"Yeah, well, you can tell Niolani for me, Penny, that it's not against human nature," Don stated. "And there's nothing she's going to do about that."

Judy looked guilty and stated, "I'd better go." Don reached out for her hand, but Judy slipped away with Penny. Don returned to his food, angry and frustrated.

As they walked back to the cave, Penny complained to her sister, "You shouldn't have gone to him. I could report you, you know."

"I had to be sure he was all right," Judy responded.

"Of course he's all right. If you ask me, you're better off without him anyway."

"Penny, you're too young to understand."

"Oh, I understand… You only need him for one thing, Judy…"

"Penny!" Maureen called as she approached the girls. "Where were you?"

"I had to go and pull Judy away from Don, Mom, or she would have gotten into trouble."

"Oh, I see," Maureen replied as she gave Judy a sympathetic look. "I must admit, I'm worried about them too, Judy."

"Well, they're okay for now, Mom. We better get back to our, ahem, education."

"I don't think I can stomach another one of those lectures…"

"Well, I think Niolani makes a lot of sense," Penny said. "All we do is feed the males and do their laundry. They treat us like we can't even think for ourselves. Why I bet we could learn to fly the Jupiter as well as Don could, but he'd never teach us because then we wouldn't need him anymore."

"Penny! I think you've had enough 'education' from Niolani," Maureen stated.

"Well, it's true, isn't it? I mean, once Judy has children, what else would she need Don for?"

"I wouldn't want to raise our children without him, Penny," Judy responded. "Think about what our family life would have been like without Dad?"

"Family is one thing Niolani has not talked about, Penny," Maureen stated. "She treats having children and raising them as if they were eggs laid by chickens. Once they hatch, the parents' job is done. There's a lot more to raising children than simply having them."

"And there's a lot more to 'human nature' than just having children…" Judy added.

Dr. Smith painted a mural underneath the arch as John, Will and Don completed the heavy work. He was able to ingratiate himself with Niolani due to his 'artistic flair' and she took him on as her 'consort.' While Smith was with her, John and Don brainstormed ways to sabotage the arrival of the colonists. John wanted to alter the flight path of the arriving ships by readjusting the hypersonic transmitter. Will suggested that they simply do something to the arch. Then Dr. Smith came out holding Niolani's scepter, as he was assigned the task of supervising their work, which was nearly complete.

Once the arch was done, Don and John pushed their way past the guards into Niolani's lair where Dr. Smith was serving her. John demanded his release, as well as the release of his family. Niolani informed him that colonization was a never-ending task and told him and Don that they would be transported to another planet to perform the same function.

The two men had no intention of being held captive forever and immediately attacked the guards. Don managed to get over to the transmitter and started to readjust it when Niolani exclaimed, "You are inviting death."

Don replied, "Well, it's better than being one of your male slaves."

Niolani aimed her scepter at him, and he fell back against the machine as if he was electrocuted and then dropped, unconscious. Don and John were dragged out of the cave by the guards. Niolani then received a message that the colonists were to arrive with the rising sun. Once they were through the arch, Niolani would search for another habitable planet. Dr. Smith told her about Earth, but Niolani explained that females never follow men…

The girls were asleep when Maureen heard the commotion near the transmitter. She went to investigate and asked Niolani what had happened.

"You have not trained your men well. They continue to be arrogant and stupid," Niolani replied.

"But are they all right?" Maureen asked.

"Your consort is fine. The other will recover once the effects of the shock wear off. He must learn his place."

"I'm going to them," Maureen stated.

"Do as you will… The arch is in place and the colonists are on their way. We won't need the men until the colonists have all come through the arch. Then the men will dismantle it and move it to another planet. The arrogant one will have more than enough time to recover."

Maureen took a container of water and brought it outside with her. John was helping Don steady himself on a rock. She poured water into a cup and gave it to Don to drink and asked him if he was all right. He said that he felt as if he had been thrown over Niagara Falls, but thought he'd be okay. John mentioned that they had some guns at the drill site, and he hoped to escape if they could get the force field down. Don noticed that the controls of the force field were on the transmitter antenna, and Maureen volunteered to try to get to them.

Maureen was successful, but Dr. Smith thwarted their escape, and Don and John were led back into the camp. Dr. Smith, however, allowed Will and the Robot to escape without incident. Will went to the drill site and brought several explosives back to the camp.

Dr. Smith had made cherubic angels and had attached them to the arch. Will made a duplicate out of plastic explosives and replaced Dr. Smith's with his own. He told his father about what he had done and John completed his planning with Don. There was nothing else to do but wait for dawn.

As Will, John and Don lay on the ground, trying to get a bit of sleep, Don wondered aloud, "Do you think the girls will be okay?"

"I'm sure they're being well taken care of, Don," John replied.

"It's not that… are they falling for the brainwashing?"

"Worried about Judy's feelings for you changing?"

Don answered too quickly. "No!" Then he glanced away and mumbled, "Maybe… a little…"

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Don."

"I hope so…"

Niolani was ready for the grand arrival of her people and instructed Dr. Smith to have Will, John and Don stand in line as an honor guard. As he was doing so, he noticed that something was wrong with one of his statues and he removed it to repair it. Will caught Dr. Smith just as he was about to hit the explosive cherub with a mallet. Will convinced him to return the explosive statue to the arch so it could be destroyed. The plan worked perfectly and the colonists threw their space ship into reverse as soon as the explosion occurred.

The family was together again and Judy looked into Don's face as he approached her to reassure herself that he was, indeed, fine. Niolani was desolate. "Defeated by mere males. Oh, I shall be court-martialed. Sentenced to a lifetime of degrading drudgery – cooking, cleaning, laundry…" Judy reached out to Don as he caught her eye. Niolani continued, "Squalling, sniveling children. You have defeated me. You are free now. It is I who am captive."

Maureen attempted to soothe her. "Well, it isn't a defeat to acknowledge that men are just as good as women. Why, equality of the sexes has advantages you may have overlooked."

"I must tell my people about that. Perhaps they will listen." Will handed her scepter back to her. "Thank you, male child." Then she disappeared.

"Well, do you still think the male is nothing and the female is everything?" Will asked Penny.

"I never said any such thing!" Penny replied.

"Oh, yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, come on now. Isn't it about time that you two retire this battle?" Maureen asked.

"What battle?" Penny asked.

"Battle of the sexes," Judy answered. "After all, weren't you the one who reprimanded me for being with Don?"

"That was breaking the rules. I was only trying to keep you out of trouble," Penny stated.

"And somebody should have told 'Noble Niolani' that raising children is probably the most noble thing she could do," Don told Penny.

Judy smiled at his statement. "By the way, Don," she said, "Penny was wondering if we women could learn to fly the Jupiter?"

Don's eyebrows shot up. "Well, sure you could. In fact I think it's a good idea. It's kind of like driving a car."

Judy glanced at Penny as she asked Don, "Aren't you afraid we won't need you anymore?"

"I hope you need me for more than flying the Jupiter…" He blushed just a tad… "Especially you…"

"Of course I do… it's human nature," Judy replied.

Maureen interrupted, "Come on, Penny, Will… I think it's time to go back to our own camp now."

Don and Judy fell behind the rest and Don reached out for her hand. "So, uh, what were some of those 'vices' that we men are supposed to have?"

"Oh, that your brains are ruled by your bodies," Judy stated, "and that limits your intellectual potential."

"Well, that's partly true," Don replied, "but only when we're near the women we love…" They stopped walking and faced each other. He placed his hand on her cheek. "…Like right now." He leaned his face down and Judy turned her lips towards his until they met. Judy reached her arms around his neck and Don drew her close. When they came up for air, Dom murmured, "You didn't fall for her brainwashing."

Judy smiled and shook her head. "Uh-uh. I'm happy with what I have… even if you are 'the arrogant one.'"

The process for replacing the transisteroids and upgrading the electrical system was just about complete. All that was left to be done was to lay in the relays and gradually return to full power, a job that John had delegated to Dr. Smith. Don was hesitant to let Smith have that responsibility, so he asked him to repeat his instructions. Smith insisted that he knew the steps. "As I have said many times in the past – Never fear, Smith is here," Smith stated.

"Oh, I know this is a mistake," Don murmured, and then went on to explain the process one last time before re-entering the Jupiter. "When you see the yellow light go on, hit the blue button. Then wait two seconds and hit the black button. Then wait three seconds and hit the green."

"Child's play," Smith retorted.

"That's why we picked you to do it," Don said than then re-entered the Jupiter.

"Bah! Huh, nothing to it at all." As Smith repeated the directions several times to himself, he became totally confused and, when the yellow light came on, hit the green button and there was an explosion inside the ship! He then hit the blue and there was a second explosion.

Maureen forced Dr. Smith inside the hatch with her and found the room full of smoke, Don lying unconscious on the floor and John trying to stay away from a high voltage cable that was slithering like a drunken snake on the floor…

TripThrough the Robot (Written by Barney Slater)

John finally pulled the cable out of the ceiling and then he and Maureen went to help Don up. "Easy fella. That's a nasty crack you took there," John said.

"Oh, I feel just great – like I got hit by a truck," Don replied as he stood up. He surveyed the room and added, "Oh, what mess!" Don was furious with Dr. Smith, yet again, and went to have it out with him, but John convinced him to save his energy. Dr. Smith, of course, put the blame on anyone and everyone, but himself. The family then went in to clean up the mess.

Maureen wanted to check Don, but he insisted that he was fine. "Look, Maureen, I've survived plenty of knocks on the head. This one is no different," he stated.

Judy stood beside him, rolling her eyes at his stubbornness. "Don… stop being so stubborn. Let her look at you."

"Look, I know the routine! Just do your hourly checks on me for the next twenty-four hours. I'll be fine!"

"There is no use arguing with him, Mother."

"Oh… go on… go help John," Maureen told him.

He smiled and scooted away. Judy crossed her arms and shook her head. "It's a good thing he has a hard head…"

Don lamented that Dr. Smith should have been doing the work, but John retorted that, "If the good doctor so much as touches it, it'll never work again." Will then came into camp with the Robot dragging himself behind him. The Robot needed to be recharged, but Don told Will that charging the Robot could burn out the auxiliary power unit, and John insisted that they couldn't take that chance. Will didn't think his father was being fair and worried that the Robot could die if he wasn't recharged, but the Robot agreed with the men and left camp alone. Will gave one last, forlorn look at the retreating robot and entered the Jupiter.

Moments later, Judy came out to check on Don. She touched his elbow and said, "Okay, let me take a look at your eyes." Don didn't even look at her and replied that he was fine. "Don…" she repeated.

He sighed. After turning to face her he opened his eyes wide and said, "See… they still work…"

She smiled and shook her head. "What has Will so upset? He was almost crying when he walked past me."

"Oh, it's the Robot. It needs to be recharged, and we just can't spare the power to do it," Don replied.

"What will happen to the Robot?" Judy asked.

"It's power will drain and we might not be able to get it charged again," John stated.

"Dad, no! Can't we give him a little bit of power?"

"I'm afraid it's all or nothing, Judy. Let's just hope we get the system going again before he totally loses all of his power."

Don rubbed his neck. "Let's get back to work."

The family sat around a candlelit table for dinner that evening. No one, except Dr. Smith had much of an appetite. They were all worried about the Robot and Dr. Smith reminded them that it was just a machine. "You're the only one who feels that way about him," Maureen stated.

Penny brought out her tape recorder to let the family listen to a message that the Robot had left on it. For the sake of his dear friends, he had left camp forever.

"Dear Joan,

There we were sitting around a candlelit table, but it wasn't a romantic setting at all. Dr. Smith's ineptitude caused another crisis. He burned out our power system. Our poor Robot needs to be recharged, but until Dad and Don get the power unit running again, we can't risk feeding it any power. We might not be able to revive him if he totally runs down. I hope that doesn't happen, Joan. He's become part of the family.

Oh, and Don has another concussion. I have to go and check on him soon. He's been all right since this morning, and he's only had a slight headache (or so he says), so he's probably fine. The usual routine of staying in his room just doesn't seem to be the right thing to do tonight. We're both worried about the Robot, so we really are not in the mood for any kind of romance…

Not only that, I'm mad at him for how he wanted to treat Dr. Smith and I haven't talked to him about it yet. After he woke up from being knocked unconscious today, he came out of the Jupiter and started pulling up his sleeves. Then he told Mom to take the kids inside because they were, and I quote, 'too young to see what he was going to do' to poor Dr. Smith. Oh, I know the explosion and Don's concussion were both Dr. Smith's fault, but Don is twenty years younger than Dr. Smith! What makes him think it's ok to threaten him with bodily harm? It's not like Dr. Smith caused the damage on purpose. He is just incompetent. I'm going to have to talk to him about it sooner or later, though because it is really bothering me."

During breakfast, John was discussing with Maureen why he couldn't allow the Robot to be recharged. Don joined them and picked up on the conversation. "Listen, you don't have to justify your actions to me. I agree with you," he said, "but then again, I'm not a twelve year old boy who's very fond of a robot."

John was feeling guilty enough as it was and replied, "Oh, thanks a lot."

"Coffee?" Maureen asked Don. He nodded. "You seem much better today. No effects from that explosion yesterday?"

"No and I finally convinced Judy that she didn't need to check on me over-night so that we could both get some sleep. I think that helped."

Judy came out of the ship and commented to Don. "Well, I see you're not in a coma, Don."

He didn't take her bait. "Amazing what a little bit of uninterrupted sleep can do."

Penny sauntered down the ramp. "Will and Dr. Smith aren't here?" she asked.

"They must still be sleeping," Maureen stated.

"No, Mom, they're not. I think they went off together to look for the Robot."

"Oh, no… Do you think they'll find him, John?"

"I have no idea," John replied, "but they better get back here on their own because we don't have time to go search for them."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be back soon. Dr. Smith never misses a meal."

Sometime later, Maureen approached John, still worried, and John and Don decided to leave their work and look for the errant troublemakers…

"Dear Joan,

Our Robot ended up in the Valley of Shadows and grew to a huge size. Dr. Smith said that he was as big as a house! He and Will went inside the Robot to reverse his ionic process. Dad and Don went in after them. Will did the repairs, but then the Robot started to shrink. Thank goodness they all got out of the Robot before it totally shrunk back to its normal size, but Don said that Will barely made it.

Don was furious with Dr. Smith again. Not only did Dr. Smith refuse to help him when he got stuck, but Dr. Smith also told Dad that Will had gotten out of the Robot when he was still in there. Don told me that Dr. Smith got stuck just before the exit hole and he wanted to leave him inside the Robot. He would have been crushed to death, Joan. What a horrible fate. I can't believe Don would have done that! Now, that's two things that I have to talk with him about.

Well, at least the Robot is back to normal. We gave him power from the chariot's battery. I'm not back to normal with Don, yet. I'm going to find some time to talk with him as soon as the electrical system is back up and running."

It was a few days before Judy had an opportunity to speak with Don about her concerns. He was working underneath the chariot when she tapped his foot to come out and talk with her. "Can't it wait, Judy?" he asked.

Judy sighed in frustration. "Don… we haven't had a chance to talk in days."

He slid out and sat up. Judy tossed him a rag and he wiped his hands. He had been so busy with the electrical system, he hadn't noticed that she had been somewhat distant, and he had no idea that something was bothering her. "So… what do you want to talk with me about?" he asked.

She was trying to think of a way to start that wouldn't make him angry. "I want to talk to you about something that has been bothering me for the last few days."

"Something I did?"

She nodded.

"This isn't about Smith, is it?"

"Well…"

"Damn it, Judy!" He threw the rag aside in anger.

"That's exactly what I want to talk to you about – your temper."

"If this is about wanting to leave him…"

"Yes! That and when you threatened to beat him up. He's an old man, Don!"

"Old man? Judy, the man is a menace. He didn't think twice about leaving me to be crushed to death – or even Will for that matter! Why wouldn't I be justified in leaving him behind?"

"No one is justified in leaving someone to die!"

"Oh, but he is…"

"I didn't say he was – we're talking about you, not him."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe he's the one you should be talking to? If he didn't pull half the stupid crap he does…"

"He's not the man I want to marry – you are!"

On any other day, that pronouncement would have made him feel exuberant, but not today. He stood and brushed himself off. "Are you sure about that?"

Judy's cheeks flushed. "Not if you're going to continue to threaten people. I want my husband to be as respectful of human life as I am."

"We're not talkin' about people, here, Judy… we're talkin' about Smith…"

Judy folded her arms. She wasn't going to let him get away with that comment. "The last time I looked… Dr. Smith was 'people.'" She turned and stomped away from him, leaving him to ponder her words.

The camp was in Don's hands since John and Maureen had gone off to observe a volcano, and he knew that it was a much-needed mini vacation for the two of them. He was glad that they were getting some romance in their lives. He and Judy were being civil to each other, but that was about it. He knew that she had a point about Smith being 'people,' but he was too stubborn to acknowledge that to her. If he had had his way in the beginning, Smith would have been given a trial and executed for his crimes. That would be what would have happened on Earth, or he at least would have been given life in prison. Judy, he knew, was against capital punishment. In general he was too, but not when the perpetrator was caught red handed. Smith had tried so many times to kill them – either accidentally or on purpose – that threatening him with physical harm had become an automatic reaction for him.

Penny, Judy, Don, Dr. Smith and Will now lay on the deck of the Jupiter… waiting for a barrage of electrical explosions to hit them for the third night in a row. Judy stayed close to Penny and made sure that she was far enough away from Don to let him know that she was still perturbed with him. Dr. Smith had his ears covered and asked when it would start. Will noted that it was now an hour past the time that the barrage had started on the first night, and thirty minutes later than it had started on the second. Dr. Smith complained that no one was answering him and Don angrily pulled his hands away from his ears so he could hear. "I'm hit!" Dr. Smith exclaimed.

Don curled his fist and told him, "You will be with this if you don't simmer down."

Then the barrage started and they covered their heads with their arms. Judy put her arm around Penny. Don looked over at Judy and was tempted to reach out to her, but thought better of it. After the barrage was done, however, he helped her up by the elbow.

"All right. It's over for tonight," Don stated.

"If we only knew why they were attacking or who they are or what they want," Judy said.

"…My only guess is that they're using some kind of a softening up process," Don replied.

"Yeah, but for what reason?" Will asked.

"To render us helpless and impose their will on us," Dr. Smith answered. He went on to explain that it was a cardinal principle of von Clausewitz's philosophy of war.

Don told the children to check out the controls and then he turned to Dr. Smith and said, "…As for you, Clausewitz, let's go out and see if we can get that force field energizer back on its feet."

Dr. Smith followed him murmuring, "Something dire is afoot. I know it."

Once outside, Don checked out the force field unit and declared that it seemed to be all right, adding, "At least it'll keep whoever they are from getting too close to us."

Dr. Smith was wary and stated, "They're much too close for comfort now. In fact, I–"

"You what?" Don asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Dr. Smith replied. Don left him standing there. A rock wall opened after Don left and a red humanoid alien pointed a long cannon like object at him. He held a large red ball in his hands and squeezed it, and Dr. Smith took on the electrical signature of a negative photograph…

To be continued…

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