Lost in Space (Netflix series)

I loved Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck - the character and gender swap sure worked well for Battlestar Galactica.

Story, character, acting and making sure all of those work together is imperative and should be the driving force.

A female Starbuck worked because it was a reimagining of the series - the basics of Starbuck from the original series were "...Viper starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars." While there was more to him than that, those were basics - take out womanizer and it applies to Kara Thrace. It had also been 30 years or so since the original Battlestar Galactica aired when the reboot happened.

Dr. Smith was pretty much genderless in Lost in Space. His traits weren't specific to a sex, race or anything, really. Add the fact that the series hasn't aired first run in almost 50 years... well, there's not a whole lot of folks out there who see it as little more than a quaint, family friendly series with not a lot of substance.

Fantastic Four I find a little different - while they attempted to explain the Johnny/Sue relationship, it fell flat. FF has been running in comics for years and years - and then there's the **** poor film they made around the Jordan and the rest of the cast.

I'm ticked about what they did to Superman in Man of Steel and BvS and they didn't bother to change his sex, ethnicity or much else.

Posey is solid actress. I just hope they give her solid material and make a good series around her.

Your mileage may vary.
 
JD said:
I loved Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck - the character and gender swap sure worked well for Battlestar Galactica.

Story, character, acting and making sure all of those work together is imperative and should be the driving force.

A female Starbuck worked because it was a reimagining of the series - the basics of Starbuck from the original series were "...Viper starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars." While there was more to him than that, those were basics - take out womanizer and it applies to Kara Thrace. It had also been 30 years or so since the original Battlestar Galactica aired when the reboot happened.

Dr. Smith was pretty much genderless in Lost in Space. His traits weren't specific to a sex, race or anything, really. Add the fact that the series hasn't aired first run in almost 50 years... well, there's not a whole lot of folks out there who see it as little more than a quaint, family friendly series with not a lot of substance.

Fantastic Four I find a little different - while they attempted to explain the Johnny/Sue relationship, it fell flat. FF has been running in comics for years and years - and then there's the **** poor film they made around the Jordan and the rest of the cast.

I'm ticked about what they did to Superman in Man of Steel and BvS and they didn't bother to change his sex, ethnicity or much else.

Posey is solid actress. I just hope they give her solid material and make a good series around her.

Your mileage may vary.
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i have to kindly disagree. Dr Smith was a cowardly terrorist. he showed many feministic traits. He's the kind of guy who hides behind someone and points the finger to someone else. he also had this... many would say strange character chemistry with will robinson.

i really enjoyed the cowardly Dr smith. who would always try to manipulate Will.

i hope i am completely wrong, but i cant see a woman portraying the doctor. Im not being sexiest, its just Dr Smith was always a cowardly man to me, i cant see a woman terrorist doing/ acting the same way... idk.. we will see where it goes.

i like all the other changes i have heard so far
 
halliwax said:
i have to kindly disagree. Dr Smith was a cowardly terrorist. he showed many feministic traits. He's the kind of guy who hides behind someone and points the finger to someone else. he also had this... many would say strange character chemistry with will robinson.

i really enjoyed the cowardly Dr smith. who would always try to manipulate Will.

i hope i am completely wrong, but i cant see a woman portraying the doctor. Im not being sexiest, its just Dr Smith was always a cowardly man to me, i cant see a woman terrorist doing/ acting the same way... idk.. we will see where it goes.

i like all the other changes i have heard so far
Click to expand...

...and of course you're entitled to disagree. I'm not sure how being a "cowardly terrorist," or hiding behind someone and pointing a finger or showing "feminisitic traits," or even the chemistry with Will are exclusive to being a male.

Smith's role in the original series changed quite a bit - from not appearing in the pilot to becoming a strong focus of the show. His beginnings as an evil, manipulative enemy agent were abandoned for him to become a bungling, manipulative coward (which grew and grew).

Maybe I'm wrong - but, I don't think we'll be getting the buffoon caricature that Dr. Smith became in the original series. It may've made for good, light hearted fun in the '60 when we also had Adam West and Burt Ward jumping around in tights - I think we're going to see something more akin to the evil Smith that was intended in the series.
 
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halliwax said:
i hope i am completely wrong, but i cant see a woman portraying the doctor. Im not being sexiest, its just Dr Smith was always a cowardly man to me, i cant see a woman terrorist doing/ acting the same way... idk.. we will see where it goes.
Click to expand...


Don't apologize for thinking that a character should stay as written. THe fact that they have to change what worked in the past means either they don't know what to do with him these days as he was written without totally changing who he was (in which case they shouldn't be working on the series) or are doing that hollywood forced diversity thing, which audiences can smell a mile a way as phony no matter the race or sex.

It would be much more interesting if they added a NEW character to the mix. hell, just do a new character with a different name and the same traits of the old character. But don't race or gender switch dr.smith just cause you can. it's showing disrespect to the character... and yes, I just said that. When a character has been around for as long as these have, they tend to grow a life and following of their own.
 
JD said:
...and of course you're entitled to disagree. I'm not sure how being a "cowardly terrorist," or hiding behind someone and pointing a finger or showing "feminisitic traits," or even the chemistry with Will are exclusive to being a male.

Smith's role in the original series changed quite a bit - from not appearing in the pilot to becoming a strong focus of the show. His beginnings as an evil, manipulative enemy agent were abandoned for him to become a bungling, manipulative coward (which grew and grew).

Maybe I'm wrong - but, I don't think we'll be getting the buffoon caricature that Dr. Smith became in the original series. It may've made for good, light hearted fun in the '60 when we also had Adam West and Burt Ward jumping around in tights - I think we're going to see something more akin to the evil Smith that was intended in the series.
Click to expand...

yeah, i didn't want to use the word sissy but i always thought of dr smith as a sissy. hiding behind the robot, lol made me laugh ya know? i seriously forgot that he wasn't in the pilot!!! its been so long since I've seen a episode i have to go back and blow the dust off my dvd's. a couple years ago the scifi channel use to run it daily, which i loved. im just such a huge Smith fan i was really disappointed when i heard this. hey, hopefully i eat my own words and i love the new smith, i hope she's pure evil!! a real manipulative kinda person

NeilT said:
Don't apologize for thinking that a character should stay as written. THe fact that they have to change what worked in the past means either they don't know what to do with him these days as he was written without totally changing who he was (in which case they shouldn't be working on the series) or are doing that hollywood forced diversity thing, which audiences can smell a mile a way as phony no matter the race or sex.

It would be much more interesting if they added a NEW character to the mix. hell, just do a new character with a different name and the same traits of the old character. But don't race or gender switch dr.smith just cause you can. it's showing disrespect to the character... and yes, I just said that. When a character has been around for as long as these have, they tend to grow a life and following of their own.
Click to expand...

i am always open to new things. face it eventually everything will be rebooted. i was just so excited for this new series because i am such a smith fan. i love jonathan harris, i loved how he portrayed the cowardly terrorist we all know and love, heck im really going to take the flames now BUT. i even think Gary oldman did a good job portraying him, he even had sissy moments in the 1997 version.

with this new female dr smith, i hope she's pure evil. no sissiness ( i cant believe sissiness is a word, no red underline so i think im good) i hope she's a real monster, i cant see her playing a sissy

either way, we will be getting Lost in space back, and it will be a fun new adventure. im so curious to see the new robot!
 
NeilT said:
Don't apologize for thinking that a character should stay as written. THe fact that they have to change what worked in the past means either they don't know what to do with him these days as he was written without totally changing who he was (in which case they shouldn't be working on the series) or are doing that hollywood forced diversity thing, which audiences can smell a mile a way as phony no matter the race or sex.

It would be much more interesting if they added a NEW character to the mix. hell, just do a new character with a different name and the same traits of the old character. But don't race or gender switch dr.smith just cause you can. it's showing disrespect to the character... and yes, I just said that. When a character has been around for as long as these have, they tend to grow a life and following of their own.
Click to expand...
First and foremost, he didn't apologize.

Second - and most importantly - Smith didn't "stay as written" from the beginning. He started as a character that wasn't meant to be a part of the regular cast - the character started as an evil manipulator and turned into comic relief. Irwin Allen and the creative people behind the original Lost In Space saw the popularity of Smith - as Jonathan Harris took the reins... and the show took a turn from science fiction to much more a comedy.

It's also unfair to think a character with campy '60s values can translate to the modern age with appeal. The original series has been done - no one's taking that away from anyone. To think that they can recreate that 50 years later with the same authenticity and appeal is just naive. How many different versions of Batman do we have? Sure he's still a white male - but, he's also not a character that's been largely vacant from pop culture for decades. This is a new series that seems to be going with modern sensibilities and a more realistic take on society. The US didn't even get a woman into space until 1983 - and now there have been over 40 of them, including Kate Rubins who is on the ISS right now.

The idea that this is being forced due to diversity is nonsense unless you can offer proof. Times have changed and so has everyone's role in society. This is far from Ghostbusters. In Bond, M worked as a woman; The Ancient One in Dr. Strange worked as a non-Asian woman; no one batted an eye when Jason took the reins from his mother in Friday the 13th... there are tons of examples when races or gender has changed in media, sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. It's not always this PC parade that so many are so quick to pass judgement on and whine about.

Darwin is misquoted as saying "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." While it could mean different things to different people, it could hold true here - just as Allen and adapted the original series, now these new creators are adapting to the changes that have happened in our world in the 50 years that have past since the first run of Lost in Space. Will it work? Who know... I imagine if it's quality entertainment it will.

There's also the fact that no one has even seen this series yet... and some of us are already pre-judging it.
 
JD said:
First and foremost, he didn't apologize.

Second - and most importantly - Smith didn't "stay as written" from the beginning. He started as a character that wasn't meant to be a part of the regular cast - the character started as an evil manipulator and turned into comic relief. Irwin Allen and the creative people behind the original Lost In Space saw the popularity of Smith - as Jonathan Harris took the reins... and the show took a turn from science fiction to much more a comedy.

It's also unfair to think a character with campy '60s values can translate to the modern age with appeal. The original series has been done - no one's taking that away from anyone. To think that they can recreate that 50 years later with the same authenticity and appeal is just naive. How many different versions of Batman do we have? Sure he's still a white male - but, he's also not a character that's been largely vacant from pop culture for decades. This is a new series that seems to be going with modern sensibilities and a more realistic take on society. The US didn't even get a woman into space until 1983 - and now there have been over 40 of them, including Kate Rubins who is on the ISS right now.

The idea that this is being forced due to diversity is nonsense unless you can offer proof. Times have changed and so has everyone's role in society. This is far from Ghostbusters. In Bond, M worked as a woman; The Ancient One in Dr. Strange worked as a non-Asian woman; no one batted an eye when Jason took the reins from his mother in Friday the 13th... there are tons of examples when races or gender has changed in media, sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. It's not always this PC parade that so many are so quick to pass judgement on and whine about.

Darwin is misquoted as saying "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." While it could mean different things to different people, it could hold true here - just as Allen and adapted the original series, now these new creators are adapting to the changes that have happened in our world in the 50 years that have past since the first run of Lost in Space. Will it work? Who know... I imagine if it's quality entertainment it will.

There's also the fact that no one has even seen this series yet... and some of us are already pre-judging it.
Click to expand...

im dont think im judging. im excited about this new series, im just a little bummed that smiths role has changed :( because im such a huge fan of him
 
JD said:
First and foremost, he didn't apologize.

Second - and most importantly - Smith didn't "stay as written" from the beginning. He started as a character that wasn't meant to be a part of the regular cast - the character started as an evil manipulator and turned into comic relief. Irwin Allen and the creative people behind the original Lost In Space saw the popularity of Smith - as Jonathan Harris took the reins... and the show took a turn from science fiction to much more a comedy.

It's also unfair to think a character with campy '60s values can translate to the modern age with appeal. The original series has been done - no one's taking that away from anyone. To think that they can recreate that 50 years later with the same authenticity and appeal is just naive. How many different versions of Batman do we have? Sure he's still a white male - but, he's also not a character that's been largely vacant from pop culture for decades. This is a new series that seems to be going with modern sensibilities and a more realistic take on society. The US didn't even get a woman into space until 1983 - and now there have been over 40 of them, including Kate Rubins who is on the ISS right now.

The idea that this is being forced due to diversity is nonsense unless you can offer proof. Times have changed and so has everyone's role in society. This is far from Ghostbusters. In Bond, M worked as a woman; The Ancient One in Dr. Strange worked as a non-Asian woman; no one batted an eye when Jason took the reins from his mother in Friday the 13th... there are tons of examples when races or gender has changed in media, sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. It's not always this PC parade that so many are so quick to pass judgement on and whine about.

Darwin is misquoted as saying "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." While it could mean different things to different people, it could hold true here - just as Allen and adapted the original series, now these new creators are adapting to the changes that have happened in our world in the 50 years that have past since the first run of Lost in Space. Will it work? Who know... I imagine if it's quality entertainment it will.

There's also the fact that no one has even seen this series yet... and some of us are already pre-judging it.
Click to expand...


Absolutely, positively, completely ridiculously well said.
 
halliwax said:
im dont think im judging. im excited about this new series, im just a little bummed that smiths role has changed :( because im such a huge fan of him
Click to expand...
Outside of a now being played by Parker Posey (Jonathan Harris has been dead for years), we really don't know what else may have changed about the character. Let's not forget that Smith's character changed quite a bit during the original run, too.
 
JD said:
Outside of a now being played by Parker Posey (Jonathan Harris has been dead for years), we really don't know what else may have changed about the character. Let's not forget that Smith's character changed quite a bit during the original run, too.
Click to expand...

yeah, how did you like gary oldman as smith?
 
halliwax said:
yeah, how did you like gary oldman as smith?
Click to expand...
Ironically, I just rewatched that movie recently - unfortunately, I slept through most of it. But, I do remember that most of that movie was rather forgettable - even the usually amazing Gary Oldman. I don't think that was necessarily the fault of the actors (well, maybe a few...), it was just too much of a Michael Bay-esque miscue.
 
JD said:
Ironically, I just rewatched that movie recently - unfortunately, I slept through most of it. But, I do remember that most of that movie was rather forgettable - even the usually amazing Gary Oldman. I don't think that was necessarily the fault of the actors (well, maybe a few...), it was just too much of a Michael Bay-esque miscue.
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i was 13 at the time when it came out. i always watched the 60's reruns with dad. so when we heard a new movie was coming out we saw it right away. i was very excited about it because of all the new CGI effects. which from today look pitiful... but back then i never saw anything like it so i was in love.

my dad came out of it like "heh it was ok, but i like my version of it better"

i also loved the future robot, the one thats with adult will. he reminds me so much of johnny 5.

i wonder if they will keep the reasoning for space travel is the future of fossil fuels?
 
Father said:
I'm looking forward to seeing the Robot design. That was one thing I actually didn't mind about the movie.
The ship was ok... nothing mind blowing. I liked how during the take-off sequence they made it look like the original.
I liked the ship's interior design even though it was pretty cold looking. Didn't have an inter-galactic RV feel to it.
I liked the costumes.

Then there were the things I did mind...

Pointless CGI alien
View attachment 665970

Brooding [annoying] teen girl video blogging
View attachment 665971

CGI Spider-Smith
View attachment 665972
Click to expand...
Those vid-blogs would fit right in on a site like Youtube. They nailed the heck out of that prediction.
 
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