episode #23 - The Space Trader

episode #23 / Air Date: 3/9/66
written by Barney Slater; Directed by Nathan Juran

A freak storm causes so much damage that the Robinsons are forced to resort to protein pellets for their food intake. This really irritates Smith. Unknown to any of them, a trader (Torin Thatcher) from space has landed nearby and was the cause of the storm, using one of his machines. Will & Smith are the first to meet the Trader, who has food in abundance, but what he wants in trade is unclear until Smith ends up trading The Robot. This upsets the group but it gets even more upsetting for Smith, when the Trader's ultimate goals are unveiled: acquiring a human from Earth - Smith!

This was a mildly diverting episode, with Smith at his most wretched & pathetic and The Robot at his most heroic - it was quite an evolution from their relationship of only about a dozen episodes earlier. Smith was usually being threatened by the Trader's German Shepherds here (no attempt at alien dogs). In the end, though, there were not many interesting scenes and it was a bit dull. BoG's Score: 5 out of 10


Lost in Space Trivia: Star Trek TOS actor alert - Torin Thatcher also had a role in Return of the Archons of TOS, but he's best known for playing the evil magician in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), and he plays the Trader character in a similar manner.

Epilogue Tag: Smith and Will come across an opulent-looking crown, fit for a king; Smith places the crown on his head and z-z-zap.. freeze frame!