WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Lost in Space
With the finale of Netflix ‘s Lost in Space ending on a major cliffhanger, fans are going to have some big questions about what's coming in the second season. The makers of the series have ideas for Lost in Space season 2 should Netflix order a follow-up, but given where the Robinson family winds up in the final seconds, the structure and mystery of the show could change in some major ways.
To help prepare fans for what to expect should Lost in Space season two be confirmed, we're running down the major plot points most likely to be picked up - and whether or not there are going to be plenty of new Robots in Will Robinson’s future. Although the return of an old one is definitely what fans will be hoping for.
And believe us, the most entertaining days of the Robinson Family may still be ahead of them. Along with some of the most thought-provoking twists.
The Robinsons Finally Are 'Lost in Space'
For those who never watched the original Lost in Space TV series from the 1960s or the 1998 movie reboot, it goes without saying that some serious changes were made through four decades of science fiction influences. But the premise remained the same: the Robinson family is propelled far off their original course, taking their specially designed, cutting edge spaceship into unknown space. With only their family members (and Don West, Dr. Smith, and Robot) to help them survive and hopefully return home, the crew learns what it means to truly be "Lost in Space."
For the Netflix series, that isn't the case. Instead of one ship, the Robinsons are part of an entire colonist group which crash lands on an unknown alien world. That detail changed the complexion of the first season considerably, integrating conflicts between leadership and fellow colonists, but also providing dozens of fellow castaways to turn to for help. The circumstances by which Don West, Dr. Smith, and Robot join the Robinsons are also dramatically different. Smith isn't a saboteur stowaway, but a deceiver and imposter masquerading as a trained colonist from the start. Don West isn't the Robinsons' pilot, but a mission grunt who proves his worth.
The Robot is Lost in Space's biggest change: not a designed robotic assistant for the mission, but an alien originally programmed to kill humans and recover the stolen engine making their trip possible.
For all those differences, the writers slowly but surely work their way towards the original premise from the first episode. Resembling something of an “origin story” for the original series, the finale ends where the fun part of the original adventure begins. Don West is an extended family member, nobody is sure whether Dr. Smith can truly be trusted, John and Maureen Robinson are overtly loving co-parents, and every Robinson child is a proven prodigy (in their own way). In essence, the stage is set for Lost in Space season 2 to follow even closer to the original spirit and structure. Closer, also, to its Star Trek-esque line of crises, scientific mysteries, alien threats, and "boldly going where no one has gone before" beginnings.
The only thing missing when season one ends... is the Robot. Which is where the REAL draw of Lost in Space season 2 lies.
The Robot & Alien Engine Mystery Continues
The image of Will’s trusting Robot stepping off a cliff to its death may be the first season's most heartbreaking moment - challenged only by the image of the Robot drifting off into space, locked in combat with its Robot compatriot to protect the Robinsons. That also means that the return of "Robot" is guaranteed to be one of the most fan-demanded developments for a second season. And despite how he was last seen, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Robot to have won or escaped, and propelled himself back to the Jupiter 2 before its engine warped it across space.
But even if the Robot fans know doesn't return, that doesn't mean the Robots will disappear from the story altogether. As viewers of the first season know, the Robots tied to the alien engines powering Earth's colony missions basically ARE the plot of the series - at least in regards to its LOST-esque mystery. And it's that mystery that will almost certainly form the backbone of a second season. Even if the mystery is solved before the audience's (and the Robinsons’) eyes, that doesn't necessarily mean the show’s heroes will be returned safely home. But before we get to wondering about Lost in Space's THIRD season, let's cover the questions most likely to be answered.
For starters, what led to the Earth governments in charge of the colony missions actually acquiring one of the alien engines? The secrecy makes sense, and most westerners accept that the government knows more about UFOs and alien suspicions than the public. But even if the reported “Christmas Star” was a cover-up, as Maureen assumes, and even if the aliens return to wreak havoc on The Resolute to get their engine back… what actually took place in the supposed impact zone of the meteor?
Was it a meeting between humans and aliens that went wrong? A negotiation? A hostile confrontation? Or were the aliens merely discovered after their craft smashed into Earth - and the decision to use their surviving engine earned the aliens’ ire?
Part of the reason for finding those answers is to connect the dots in the aforementioned LOST-ish mystery box. But more important is what it could explain about the aliens’ motivations - or those of the Robots (assuming they're not one and the same). If the aliens were approaching in peace and either sabotage, violence, or disaster saw them killed, then it makes sense for them to assume humanity is hostile, and therefore malevolently stole their technology (rather than just using what was left behind).
But if humanity really did take one look at the technology possessed by these alien visitors, and killed them for it, the perception of who the show's real 'Heroes' and 'Villains' would change considerably. Humans would have to be seriously desperate to make such a potentially dangerous move though… perhaps if their planet were dying, with no technology capable of getting humans to another galaxy?
To make a slight defense for the Robots, it might be hard to consider them villains if they don't know, let alone get the chance to sympathize with the WHY of humanity's actions. Who knows, maybe once they learn that their engine was being used to ferry survivors off of a dying Earth, they may let it slide. Especially if they have their own massive problems to worry about.
The bottom line is somebody is going to have to answer for the engine theft, assuming that's why its original extraterrestrial owners attacked. And if it's coming, it will almost certainly come in Lost in Space season 2. So let's just hope that the Robinsons will be reunited with the one friendly Robot that might argue in their favour. Judging by that final image though, their most immediate problems in season 2 problems may be downright astronomical.
Lost in Space's first season is now streaming on Netflix.