Second Season Episodes - Blast Off Into Space (episode 30)

Despite Smith's dealings with an intergalactic prospector, John Robinson manages to get the Jupiter 2 into space before the planet disintegrates. 

As Will watches Dr. Smith unveil a statue of himself, an earthquake hits. After the dust has cleared, intergalactic prospector Nerim appears and explains that he has been blasting for cosmonium. Inside the miner's shaft, Smith is excited not only by the diamond-littered floor, but by the glittering cosmonium, the quintessence of life itself. Will and Smith return to the Jupiter 2 where, after another quake, John announces that they must be ready to blast off within twelve hours, for the planet will soon disintegrate. Nerim lets Smith know that his thruster control is broken and that he would gamble his cosmonium for another.

Smith returns to the Jupiter 2, steals a thruster control, and then heads out again. Smith and Nerim play cards for the thruster, bet against the cosmonium, and Nerim wins as Smith has planned. But then Nerim explains that John is correct: the planet will explode at any time. Nerim rushes out to his ship with the thruster and blasts off. As the mine begins to crumble, Smith snatches up two flasks of cosmonium that Nerim has left behind and with Will rushes outside. On their return to the Jupiter 2, Smith stops to check on his statue. But a flask of cosmonium that Smith has dropped onto the statue causes it to spring to life.

Smith feeds it all the remaining Cosmonium, but it wants more and lurches for them. John, by now worried about the two, takes off in his rocket and when he sees the pair being pursued he blasts the creature with a laser. John, Will, and Smith rush back to the spaceship and the Jupiter 2 blasts off. As they attempt to maintain an orbit, the planet begins to explode. When the ship's rockets misfire and the craft is out of control, Smith admits giving one of the thrusters to Nerim. But Don's ingenuity gets the ship back on course, and as the planet disintegrates under them, they manage to pull free of its gravitational force and zoom into a multi-colored galaxy. 

Ray says: Season two starts off with a bang as the Robinson's leave the planet they have been stranded on for most of the first season. Beautiful liftoff sequence done with some very nice minature work courtesy of the Fox special effects department.

Cal Rodgers Remembers

Watched "Blast off into Space" the other night. It's one of the more interesting eps of Season 2. 

Of course, just being in color was novelty enough and being in space doesn't hurt either. 

Right around this time, Bill Mumy was doing some of his best acting in the series, IMO. He's moved beyond the "believe anything Smith says" era of Season 1, but hasn't reached the sarcastic Will stage of the later eps (except, perhaps with Penny). When the statue monster is chasing them Will looks genuinely scared. 

Sometimes I get the feeling that "Blast Off" is a poor man's "Wish", and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Rubberoid had been recycled for the role. One wonders what Sutton Roley might have done with the ep. 

As it is, Juran (I think) does what he can with some highly contrived elements, such as Priplanus exploding from overdrilling, Smith's confession "It's all up because of me", and the whole statue gimmick. If Smith was going to carve a statue, why would he do it out at the drill site? 

Well, it's still a lot of fun, and a good spooky chase scene. Got a jet pack scene, and plenty of Chariot action. I give it a solid B+ 

With many thanks to Cal for his excellent episode write up.

Filming