Science-Fiction TV

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Lost In Space (2018), produced by Legendary Television and broadcast by Netflix, is a reboot of the science-fiction TV series of the same name originally broadcast by CBS from 1965-1968. The original series is notable as one of the first successful science-fiction series on television, for its creator Irwin Allen, who also produced the additional sci-fi series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants, as well as the highly successful disaster films The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974), and for its catchy theme music composed by John Williams in his early career before scoring Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park, just to name a few. The series may be best known for creating the famous line uttered by its robot to its young human friend, "Danger, Will Robinson!" That line, along with Williams' iconic theme music, survives into this updated remake.

The story: Set in 2046, after the crash of a gigantic meteor on Earth has caused world-wide destruction, humanity builds a fleet of ships to send select colonists to the Alpha Centauri star system. The Robinson family, headed by aerospace engineer and Mom, Maureen (Molly Parker), and former U.S. Marine and Dad, John (Toby Stephens), along with their three children, Judy (Taylor Russell), Penny (Mina Sundwall), and Will (Maxwell Jenkins), comprise the crew of one of the colonist vessels, the Jupiter 2. Their ship is one of several Jupiter-class ships being transported across the vast distance by a mother ship, the Resolute. While on their voyage, the Resolute is attacked by alien robots. Sustaining damage to the ship and casualties to its crew, the Resolute orders the Jupiter ships to launch for their protection. The Jupiter 2, with the Robinsons aboard, crash lands on an alien world. The family, is forced to deal with threats from a hostile environment, aliens, and other humans, the relationships within their own family, and with the other colonists. They find an ally in ship mechanic and part-time smuggler, Don West (Ignacio Serrichio), a threat in the form of "Dr. Smith" (Parker Posey), a criminal and sociopath who stole a spot on the Resolute and will do anything for her own benefit, and a conundrum in the form of "The Robot," an artifical life-form who befriends Will after it has been severely damaged.

The good points: The depiction of the space-family-Robinson is fairly spot on. Each of the five family members is a fully fleshed out character and they all have complex, believable relationships with one another. The parents and kids have estrangement issues from the dad having been away with the military while the family dealt with the problems of the world. There are rivalries between the kids, but they are still closely-knit. It was also nice to see that the Robinsons had mostly good relationships with the other colonists. The characters and their relationships seemed "real," not like those in backstabbing soap operas or in other series where all the parts are played by underwear models, and we actually see the characters and their relationships develop over the 10 hours of the series. Also, the threats the colonists face in their alien environment seem realistic, science-based, and it's interesting to see the ways they use their combined skills and knowledge to overcome them.

Quibbles: The character of Dr. Smith seemed at odds with the realistic, down-to-Earth (no pun intended) tone of the other characters. Posey's portrayal careened from animal-like survivor to moustache-twirling Machiavellian. It's unusual to find a person with no conscience at all and it usually doesn't take that long for them to be found out. Personally, I didn't find her character believable. Also, the series dangles little hints that there are mysteries to be revealed about the aliens, secrets within the human space program, and how Maureen was able to cash in a "favor." I suppose these little teases will lead somewhere in subsequent seasons, but I think they should have given us a bit more.

In all, I enjoyed this version of Lost In Space. It has likeable characters with interesting relationships and the situations they are faced with are genuinely suspenseful. They usually manage to survive by luck, their wits, and help from each other in ways you can't always see coming. It's worth watching.

-JC

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The best science-fiction remembers the story isn't really about the technology, but how it affects the human condition. The British television series, Black Mirror, seems keenly aware of this. Netflix has recently begun showing the six episodes from the series' first two seasons. While I recommend the show, be aware of the adult themes and the less than cheery endings of the episodes.

Each episode deals with technologies taken straight from our daily lives - cell phones, social networks, reality tv, the recording and storing of information, and rudimentary artificial intelligence. In fact, only a few episodes show technologies we don't already have or probably could have with a bit of applied effort. This makes the stories even more chilling, in that they are as plausible as they are.

These are not uplifting stories, though they may be cautionary tales. While it's easy to watch any one of these and point at the technology as evil, we know that's not really true. Technology is heartless and - without us - lifeless. We animate it. Technology doesn't sin. We do. Maybe you should think twice before downloading that embarassing video of someone. Is being famous really that important? If we have the power to dig up the whole truth that someone wants buried, should we? What if someone offered you a chance to live in a shadow of the past instead of moving on? Should public mockery be allowed to drown out serious discussion?

Several of these stories are an indictment of commercialism in a mass media society. As the character Herb Tarlek famously said on WKRP in Cincinatti, "Tasteless sells." In these days when everyone with an Internet connection has a voice, all that matters is what can get the most clicks. Someone out there knows how to turn those clicks into dollars. As the character Damon Killian says in The Running Man, "I just give the people what they want," as a justification for lies and murder. But somehow, in this marketplace of ideas, where the bad ones aimed at the lowest common denominator seem to keep winning, aren't we all cheapened and diminished?

Series creator, Charlie Brooker, is an English writer, comedian, and satirist. Much of his work is sarcastic and pessimistic, and it's proven very popular. It may be that these little morality tales reflect his view of the world. If so, I hope that he's wrong. Allow yourself to profit from these little tragedies. Learn to treat others with respect. Don't sell out for a little fame and comfort. Learn to let go of what you can't change. As the world changes and our reach increasingly exceeds our grasp, remember the things that matter don't really change - kindness, hope, family, home. The future is almost here. Be ready for it.

Listen to Brooker talk about Black Mirror here.

-JC

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