A note to the literal minded: The people and events described below exist in the alternate universe of the Lost in Space TV series--a universe in which interstellar travel began in the 1980s. Somehow, it all seemed plausible back in 1965….

Full name: John Sims Robinson Birth date: January 14, 1957 Birth place: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA Height: 6 feet, 3 inches Weight: 190 pounds Eyes: Hazel…Hair: Dark brown Rank: Lieutenant Colonel, United States Space Corps Hobbies/interests: Sports, especially football, fencing, boxing.

John Robinson was born the fifth child of a "lower-income" family. His high intelligence, good looks and athletic ability helped him to overcome his economic hardships. In school, John was always at the head of his class, academically. He also shined on the football field, becoming the youngest quarterback ever at East Side High School during his sophomore year.

Academics remained his primary interest, however, despite several lucrative offers from colleges that wanted him to play on their football teams. By working part-time and obtaining academic scholarships, John was able to enroll at the California Institute of Technology in 1976. The school offered a degree program in Planetary Geological Sciences, which combined his keen interests in geology and space.

Although popular, John had never dated much. While at CIT, though, he met a beautiful and brilliant student named Maureen Tomlinson. Despite hectic schedules, the two found time to be together and were soon virtually inseparable. During the summer break after their first year in college, they were married, on June 10, 1977. Maureen's sister, Colleen, invited them to live with her in Los Angeles while they finished college, and they did so for the next four years.

John decided to stay for a fifth year at CIT in order to earn his master's degree in Astrophysics and applied Planetary Geology. He graduated with honors in 1981. His first job was as an instructor of geophysics at the University of California at Los Angeles. While working there, he continued his education and received a doctorate in 1985. "He won a number of awards while at the school for outstanding teaching ability and leadership, including the prestigious Zane Morris award."

While all of this was going on, the Robinson family was growing. Daughter Judy was born on February 26, 1978. The Robinsons moved to their own home in Los Angeles, and then, soon after Penny was born on September 8, 1985, they moved to nearby San Gabriel, California. Will was born there on February 1, 1987.

After seven years of teaching, John was restless. When Alpha Control offered him the opportunity to work on a new program to study the adaptability of humans to life on alien planets, he immediately accepted "with the blessings of his family." The Robinsons moved in the spring of 1988 to Houston, Texas, where Alpha Control was building a gigantic scientific and training facility.

John (known as "Professor Robinson" at Alpha Control) was soon deeply involved in the program to develop the Deep Thrust Telescopic Probe series of interstellar spacecraft. These ships were launched in December 1988 and showed definitively that Alpha Centauri had two planets, Delta and Gamma, capable of supporting human life. One of them, Gamma, was found to be ideal for colonization.

John was next given a position with Alpha Control's Colonization Studies Division. His enthusiasm for the colonization program rubbed off on Maureen. Despite misgivings about the dangers of space flight, she eventually agreed with John to volunteer the family for the first colonization mission.

Alpha Control announced in February 1993 that it would begin taking applications from families for the Jupiter 2 mission. Four months later, it was announced that the Robinsons would be the first family in space. "John, Maureen, and the three Robinson children would spend the next four years training for the mission, and would leave Earth on October 16, 1997."

Full name: Maureen Tomlinson Robinson Birth date: June 25, 1958 Birth place: New York City Height: 5 feet, 5 inches Weight: 128 pounds Eyes: Blue… Hair: Auburn Hobbies/interests: Cooking, hydroponics, gardening....

Maureen was born the second daughter of James and Margaret Tomlinson. Her father was the founder and owner of Tomlinson Engineering Corporation, an aircraft navigation systems design firm.

She was educated at a private school for gifted children. Maureen had a "normal" childhood until her parents were killed in a plane crash in 1966. Her older sister, Colleen, who lived in Los Angeles, then became Maureen's legal guardian. Because of the tragic death of her parents, "In later years, she would feel strongly about the well-being of her husband and three children, sometimes to the point of being over-protective."

Maureen graduated from high school in 1976, and then enrolled at the California Institute of Technology. She received her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1980. While in college, she met a young student from Massachusetts named John Robinson. They were married in 1977, and their first child, Judy, was born in 1978.

After college, Maureen worked at Tetrodyne Chemicals, a company specializing in solid fuel propellants for the U.S. military and NASA. In 1985, with the birth of Penny, she left her job to become a full-time mother and housewife. The family moved to Houston, Texas, where John had taken a job with Alpha Control.

After a while, she went back to school to obtain her master's degree, which she completed in 1991. She then began to work on a doctorate in biochemistry. She was at first shocked when John proposed the idea of becoming the first family to colonize Alpha Centauri. Though still reluctant, she finally consented, and John submitted their application to Alpha Control in March of 1993. Three months later, the Robinsons were chosen to be "the first family in space." They spent the next four years in training at the United States Space Corps training facility, where Maureen completed her doctorate. She and her family left Earth on October 16, 1997.

Full name: Judith Elana Robinson Birth date: February 26, 1978 Birth place: Los Angeles, California, USA Height: 5 feet, 4 inches Weight: 108 pounds Eyes: Blue…Hair: Blonde Hobbies/interests: Acting, singing, popular music and "sleeping in late"

Judy was a "backward, shy" child who had trouble making friends, partly because her parents were often away as they pursued their scientific careers. She spent a few years living with her Aunt Colleen in Los Angeles, where she became very close to her cousin, Joan--"a relationship that continued up to the day of the Jupiter 2 launch."

Judy became better adjusted as she entered her teenage years, and attracted quite a few boys. Her mother refused to let her date until age 16, however. She finished high school at the United States Space Corps Training Center in Houston, Texas, where, in addition to studying academic subjects, she learned about survival in space, the operation of Jupiter 2 equipment, and spacewalking.

Although above average in intelligence, Judy did not inherit her parents' superior intellect. In her own words, she "never really cared much for school," but found she was talented at acting, singing and dancing. She planned to pursue a career in one of those areas.

Her plans had to change when the Robinson family was chosen for the colonization mission. "Always emotional and slightly rebellious," Judy didn't want to join her family on the mission at first.

She changed her mind when Major Donald West was selected to be the Jupiter 2's pilot. They "hit it off immediately" because of their complimentary personalities: Both are impulsive, but Judy is compassionate and caring, while Don is, in her father's words, "a real hothead." Though she once complained to her mother that she didn't have more men to choose from, Judy and Don have become very close while lost in space.

Full name: Penny Roberta Robinson Birth date: September 9, 1985 Birth place: Los Angeles, California, USA Height (at launch): 4 feet, 9 inches Weight (at launch): 75 pounds Eyes: Hazel… Hair: Dark brown Hobbies/interests: Zoology, classical music, literature..........

With the arrival of second daughter Penny, Maureen Robinson left her job at Tetrodyne Chemicals and became a full-time housewife, "a position she found fully satisfying." Like all the Robinson children, Penny was talented and intelligent. By the time of the Jupiter 2 launch, when she was 12 years old, she had advanced to the 10th grade and had an I.Q. of 147.

Shortly after the Robinsons moved from California to Houston, Texas, for their flight training at the United States Space Corps Training Center, Penny joined the newly formed Space Scouts. This was a program that Alpha Control had set up to recruit young people for future colonization missions. Penny's "leadership abilities were proven" when she was soon elected president of the Houston chapter.

Penny has some "tom-boyish" characteristics, probably due to her closeness to her brother, Will. She also has a tendency to let her imagination run out of control. Her parents sometimes have difficulty telling when she's being factual and when she's indulging in fantasy. This got her into some trouble during her year on Priplanus.

"Another aspect of Penny's character is her outgoing, friendly personality, which made her very popular with Alpha Control instructors and employees." As Alpha Control's psychological tests predicted, Penny adjusted very well to the stresses and pressures of space travel.

Full name: William Edward Robinson Birth date: February 1, 1987 Birth place: San Gabriel, California, USA Height (at launch): 4 feet, 3 inches Weight (at launch): 60 pounds Eyes: Hazel… Hair: Red Hobbies/interests: Geology, electronics, playing the guitar and singing........

By the age of 5, people were already calling Will Robinson "the little genius." At the age of 6 (when he was already in the third grade), he dismantled the family's VCR, then put it back together again in perfect working order--much to his family's amazement. His I.Q. at the time of the Jupiter 2's liftoff was 182, and he had advanced to the eleventh grade.

On Earth, Will's extraordinary intelligence made him something of a misfit. Neither children his own age nor the older students he attended school with understood him very well. He often tried to take on adult responsibilities, but adults had trouble taking him seriously.

Will's attempts to make adult decisions were still creating problems after leaving Earth, as he "often endangered both himself and his family by going off on his own without John or Maureen's permission." On the other hand, his intelligence and common sense have saved the space pioneers and Dr. Smith, with whom he has developed a deep friendship, on many occasions.

Among Will's chief characteristics is his intense curiosity. This often gets him into trouble, as when he set off on his own to explore a seemingly derelict alien ship the Robinsons encountered soon after the family became lost in space. He is also intensely loyal, even to those (like Dr. Smith) who don't always deserve it. Will is very devoted to the Robinsons' B-9 environmental control robot--even though it once tried to kill him--and has used his skill with electronics to keep the robot functioning at a high level.

On a personal level, Will is sometimes sarcastic, but he is always polite. Perhaps because he is the youngest member of the crew, Will seems to have adapted better to the uncertainties of life in space better than anyone else on the Jupiter 2.

Full name: Donald West Birth date: July 24, 1973 Birth place: New York City Height: 6 feet Weight: 160 pounds Eyes: Hazel… Hair: Dark brown Rank: Major, United States Space Corps Interests/hobbies: Flying, cars, contact sports, boxing, cooking (Boston Cream Pie)

Don was born the sixth child of Colonel Mark West, a retired Air Force pilot. He had a "normal" childhood, and received above average grades at Robert C. Ingersoll High School in Brooklyn, New York.

He was bored with classroom work, however, and was far happier playing sports, such as football, baseball and basketball. At an early age, he developed a love of aircraft, and he earned his pilot's license at the age of 18.

Fascinated by the U.S. space program, and by the incredible advances in space travel technology discovered in the early 1980s, he decided to apply to the Air Force Academy. With the help of his congressman, Don was accepted into the Academy in the fall of 1991. He immediately received the rank of second lieutenant, since he had completed two years of ROTC training in high school.

Don completed the regular training required by the Academy (and his bachelor of science degree) in a special three-year program designed for officers seeking entrance into the United States Space Corps. He was assigned to the USSC Pilot Training Center in Houston, Texas. "Lieutenant West displayed his incredible flying abilities both in simulators and advanced jet trainers at the center, and the combination of aviation skill and high grades allowed for a rapid promotion to captain in 1995, at the age of 22."

Don and 19 other trainees were chosen as pilots for the Alpha Centauri colonization program in 1994, "barely a year after the destruction of the Jupiter 1 and the death of the crew and passengers."

Don met Judy Robinson during his first semester of the astronaut training program. "When time permitted, Don had always dated, and with his sharp wit and good looks, he had few problems in finding companionship." But despite a five-year age difference, he found himself very attracted to Judy, and the two began spending most of their free time together.

Some of the other pilots thought that Don, who had a reputation as a "go getter," was using Judy to get the assignment as Jupiter 2 mission pilot. John Robinson didn't believe that this was true, but rumors began to circulate at the training center that the Robinsons were unfairly favoring Don for the assignment. This put a strain on John and Don's relationship, which wasn't resolved until the first few weeks on Priplanus. Also, Maureen Robinson was not comfortable at first about Don and Judy's relationship: "Judy was inexperienced and had led a sheltered life, and Don's reputation with women on the USSC campus, while not entirely deserved, did not sit well with Maureen."

Despite these difficulties, the Robinsons chose Don as their pilot for the Jupiter 2 mission. John felt that he was the best man for the job, and the decision was announced on June 2, 1997. Don was promoted to Major by the time of the Jupiter 2's launch, on October 16, 1997.

Full name: Zachary Smith Birth date: November 6, 1945 Birth place: New York City Height: 5 feet, 11 inches Weight: 190 pounds Eyes: Green… Hair: Brown-gray Rank: Colonel, United States Space Corps Hobbies/interests: Opera, chess, gardening, gourmet food and wine........

Colonel (Dr.) Zachary Smith was the United States Space Corps' staff psychologist and environmental expert prior to his unexpected departure from Earth.

He spent his earliest years in lower Manhattan (New York City), until his parents were killed in a boating accident. The young Smith then went to live with his Aunt Maude and Uncle Thaddeus in Marietta, Georgia. "Aunt Maude was the matriarch of the Smith family, and she raised Zachary with a stern hand. In his own words, the doctor admitted that sometimes he had 'a tendency to be lazy,' but the determined lady pressured him into obtaining reasonable grades at school. Through her considerable social connections, she managed to obtain Marshall scholarships for the entrance of both Zachary and his cousin Jeremiah to Oxford University."

At Oxford, Smith worked on his degree in psychology, and became the Grand Master of the Oxford Chess Society for three years in a row. He later entered Harvard University, where he earned his doctorate. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force.

Over the next 16 years, he had "an exceptional career as a military psychologist," and was stationed at a number of U.S. military bases in the United States and Europe. He was promoted to Colonel in 1995, and then transferred to the recently formed United States Space Corps. The USSC sent him to its Houston (Texas) Training Center, where he went through an extensive retraining program. "The training combined his expertise as a psychologist with a new branch of medicine dealing with the stress and pressures that would be put on future space colonists." Only about two dozen people in the world specialized in this field, known as Environmental Space Psychology.

Smith was involved in the artificial intelligence programming for the Jupiter 2's Series M-3, Model B-9 robot. He reviewed the psychological fitness of potential pilots for colonization missions, as well as volunteers for the missions, including the Robinson family. Smith performed the final stress-analysis examinations of the Robinsons before they left Earth.

The above information was taken from the standard USSC personnel file. But there was another side to Zachary Smith, which Alpha Control officials pieced together after they began to suspect that Smith's disappearance at the time of the Jupiter 2's ill-fated launch was more than a coincidence.

Smith's Aunt Maude's husband, the late Thaddeus Smith, was an eccentric, superstitious and bizarre person who had a bad influence on young Zachary and his cousin Jeremiah. It was discovered that Smith's high grades were largely due to cheating and bribery, and that his entrance to Oxford was due to a bribe paid by his prosperous Aunt. Zachary and Jeremiah hadn't wanted to attend college in England, but Aunt Maude, an Oxford graduate herself, convinced them by promising that whoever graduated first would inherit her fortune. Within six weeks of entering Oxford, Jeremiah was expelled for gambling and returned to Georgia. Shortly thereafter, Aunt Maude died mysteriously. Jeremiah disappeared.

Under the circumstances, the terms of Aunt Maude's will were revised so that the last surviving Smith cousin would receive her fortune. Zachary, without the comfortable income he had become accustomed to, dropped out of Oxford for a while, and traveled around Europe "as a common drifter." During this period, he apparently was contacted by an intelligence agent of a country that considered itself an enemy of the United States and was offered a substantial sum of money to act as a future plant within the United States Air Force.

Smith returned to the United States with a degree from Oxford (now known to be forged). His intelligence contacts saw to it that he was admitted to Harvard. Smith later used his position as a military psychologist to learn classified information from his patients, using hypnosis and other means. "His cover was obviously a good one, for while Smith never made many friends with his caustic personality, he did develop an excellent reputation as a doctor, and no one ever suspected his true purpose within the military."

During his military career, Smith's tastes became very expensive, and he pressured his intelligence contacts to get him a position that would gain him greater income. They installed him as an operative within the USSC, along with several other operatives already there, collectively known by the code name Aeolus Umbra. [Note: "Aeolus" is the Latin name for the god of the winds; "umbra" is the Latin word for a ghost or spirit.]

The destruction of the Jupiter 1 in 1993, which was officially attributed to a fuel system malfunction, was probably due to sabotage by these agents. Although Smith was not involved in that disaster, he undoubtedly had help from other agents within the Space Corps with his attempt to destroy the second colonization ship.

After the launch of the Jupiter 2 on October 16, 1997, Smith's behavior became increasingly bizarre and childish (according to logs that John Robinson left on interstellar fuel barge F-12, which were later retrieved by Alpha Control). Within a year, the enormous stress of his space voyage, which included contact with numerous hostile aliens, had transformed Smith into a mere shell of his former self.

The final paragraph of the Alpha Control profile of Smith reads as follows: "Now that the investigation into Col. Smith's background has been concluded…the decision is up to the President as to whether Smith should be tried in absentia for murder, attempted murder, espionage, etc. Considering the negative publicity such a trial would receive, the current mental condition of the man, and the simple fact that Smith will probably never return to Earth to have whatever sentence he received carried out, we can only recommend that the man not be brought to trial unless he returns to his home planet."

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