History Series / LostInSpace

* '''Judy Robinson -''' DistressedDamsel and perpetual [[LoveInterests love interest]] to Major West. She could get annoyingly {{wangst}}y in episodes centering on her. In the series played by Marta Kristen, in the film by Creator/HeatherGraham. The would-be revival cast Creator/AdriannePalicki in the role. In the film, Marta was one of the reporters at the pre-launch press briefing.
* '''Penny Robinson -''' Not old enough to be a sex symbol like her sister nor as smart as her younger brother, Penny often just took up scenery, except in several episodes featuring her. FriendToAllLivingThings and, despite being ignored, got a few ADayInTheLimelight moments, which often involved wars. In the series played by Angela Cartwright, in the film by Creator/LaceyChabert, who portrayed a less likeable "modern" version of the character. The would-be-revival had not included this role. Considered an EnsembleDarkhorse by many. In the film, Angela was also one of the reporters at the pre-launch press briefing.
* '''Will Robinson -''' [[TeenGenius Boy Genius]], MoralityPet for Dr. Smith and occasionally a CreatorsPet. In the series played by Creator/BillMumy, in the film by both Jack Johnson and Jared Harris. The would-be revival cast Ryan Malgarini in the role.

* '''Maureen Robinson -''' Mother and occasional [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]. She was an extremely old-fashioned HouseWife, a little lacking in the brains department. (In the pilot, it was mentioned that she had a [=PhD=] in biochemistry, [[InformedAbility something that was never brought up again]].) In the series played by June Lockhart, in the film by Creator/MimiRogers. The would-be revival cast Jayne Brook in the role. In the film, June Lockhart had a brief cameo as the school principal.

* {{Fanservice}}: In “Flight into the Future”, the while the male “space historians” that our heroes encounter are dressed in very bulky space suits, the sole female encountered (played by Judy’s actress and supposedly her descendant) is dressed in a rather fancier outfit involving a one-piece swimsuit with sexy boots and stockings.

* HaveAGayOldTime: In "Two Weeks in Space", Doctor Smith, [[ItMakesSenseInContext pretending to run a resort]], insisted it was the gayest resort you've ever found.

* RunningGag: Various times Dr. Smith gets woken by surprise and immediately insists, "I'm innocent."

* HypnotizeThePrincess: Penny in "The Promised Planet".

* JustEatGilligan: Substitute Dr. Smith for Gilligan.

* CaptainsLog: Only in the early episodes with more serious storylines. Ironically, these 'logs' predated ''Star Trek'' by a year.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: In the pilot set in 1997, the space agency director's desk has a rotary phone, with a reel-to reel tape recorder and plenty of blinking lights on the wall behind, and not a PC in sight... but the producers deliberately did NOT make Dr. Smith a Soviet/Communist agent because they [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp actually did guess the Cold War would be over by 1997]]. The Sci Fi Channel aired a marathon of LIS episodes (including the unaired pilot) on October 16, 1997, the Jupiter II launch date given in the second pilot.

* LatexSpaceSuit: A staple of the show's costuming, and featured early on the the movie as "cryosuits" for deep sleep. They are, predictably, highly revealing in their tightness (the plastic suits of the movie were literally moulded from the actors, leaving the female characters seeming a little exposed in them).

JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith some sort of strange sci-fi cast-away show; that would be ''Series/{{Lost}}'' [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space!]]]]

* AllAnimalsAreDomesticated: Debbie the Bloop. After encountering Debbie, a chimpanzee-like alien, in one of the earlier episodes, the Robinson parents immediately and without fanfare allow Penny to adopt the wild animal. She immediately behaves like a pet and requires no on-screen training.

* '''Judy Robinson -''' DistressedDamsel and perpetual [[LoveInterests love interest]] to Major West. She could get annoyingly {{wangst}}y in episodes centering on her. In the series played by Marta Kristen, in the film by Creator/HeatherGraham. The would-be revival cast Adrianne Palicki in the role. In the film, Marta was one of the reporters at the pre-launch press briefing.

* '''Will Robinson -''' [[TeenGenius Boy Genius]], MoralityPet for Dr. Smith and occasionally a CreatorsPet. In the series played by Bill Mumy, in the film by both Jack Johnson and Jared Harris. The would-be revival cast Ryan Malgarini in the role.

* TheCastShowOff: Billy Mumy, a talented guitar player and singer, got to perform "Green Sleeves" in one episode and "Sloop John B" in another. Also, Creator/GuyWilliams, who played Series/{{Zorro}}, got to show off his fencing skills more than once.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: In-universe for the film. Major West gets a computer from Earth working on a ship from the future, and is amazed at how fast it is.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The change from serious sci-fi family adventure to almost a sitcom annoyed much of the fanbase. The movie tried to undo this by returning the concept to its "serious" roots, but many fans consider the changes it made to be even worse!

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The three Robinson children in the original series. Not quite fulfilled with the adult cast. Mother Maureen is the only redhead, with the adult males all being brunette.

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The three Robinson children in the original series. Not quite fulfilled with the adult cast. Mother Maureen is the only redhead, and there are no blondes other than Judy.

''Lost in Space'' was a rival for ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' in the realm of serious sci-fi, which might explain the show's turn from serious SpeculativeFiction into FantasticComedy to keep a share of the viewing audience. Ratings wise, ''Lost in Space'' was actually the more popular series ''by far'' during their original run. Notable for its beautiful music (including ''two'' opening themes by Johnny Williams (as Music/JohnWilliams was then known), sets, [[LatexSpaceSuit skin tight ski-spacesuits]], aliens, inventive and surreal plots, and highly articulated Robot, itself a "cousin" of JustForFun/RobbyTheRobot from the film ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'' (who also guest starred on the show). The original plot had the Robinsons as explorer/settlers, with Dr. Smith as a saboteur paid by an unseen agency to program The Robot to kill the Robinsons and ruin their mission. This show is often mocked by those who only remember the comedy and talking carrots of the later seasons, but is actually an often well-written show suitable for all age groups. It has a loyal fanbase, and inspired many. The first episodes were in black and white and involved exploring the planet they crash-landed on. When the show shifted to {{camp}} it involved their conflicts with resident or visiting aliens of all sorts. In the 3rd season, the formula was altered to feature more actual space travel,as well as a more action based format.

May well be one of the classics of sci-fi for no other reason than the scene-chewing LargeHam glory of Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith) and his pained and witty repartee with the Robot. While its going from serious to camp may well have been a blow to later efforts at serious sci-fi, it was nonetheless a surreal joy to watch. The recent attempts to reboot it as a serious series may be doomed to fail because of this, as it's best remembered as a humorous series.

* CrushKillDestroy: The TropeNamer. This line is often wrongly attributed to The Robot, who does use the term "Destroy" several times in the pilot during his rampage. It's Killer Android IDAK Alpha 12 who says this in the episode titled "Revolt of the Androids." Despite its use in only one episode, it became a more famous line than "Destroy" and was thus attributed to the main character robot.