The relative merits of excluding the aging male
from a cohesive social group were symbolically
explored in two other Lost in Space episodes. In
the first-season episode ‘A Change of Space’8, a
forbidden ride in an alien ‘multi-dimensional
excursion vehicle’ accelerates Dr Smith’s aging
process and transforms him into a decrepit old
wreck of extremely advanced age. After the alien
owner of the vehicle mercifully restores Dr Smith
to his former self, the grateful Smith slaps his
sagging neck, and, with tongue in cheek, intones:
‘He could have made me a few years younger than
I was before!’ Despite the momentary display of
vanity, order has been restored with the reinstate-
ment of the mature, though not yet declining, male
to his rightful place. The alien knew best how to
structure human society logically. Dr Smith’s
frequent boasting that he is in the prime of life
and is at the peak of physical perfection turns out
to be true in terms of the value of his contributions
to the community.
In the third-season episode ‘Kidnapped in
Space’9, the same theme is explored from a differ-
ent angle. After Dr Smith tampers with an alien
time manipulation device, his aging process is
reversed, and he is transformed into a 9-year-old
boy. In contradiction to the messages that the
American masses received from the beauty
industry in the 1960s, the cult of youth and the
symbolic rejection of the aging male is presented in
Lost in Space as a mistake. Smith immediately
regrets the transformation and realizes that attempts
to recapture youth are futile and tantamount to
death, an eventuality, he warns, that will occur in
mere moments unless he is returned to his correct
age. When Professor Robinson intercedes on
Smith’s behalf with the malevolent alien computer
responsible for Smith’s transformation, Smith
pessimistically warns: ‘Oh, he’ll never agree.
Never! We’ll all be destroyed right here, and
me, such a wonderful little boy with a brilliant
future ahead of me. He’ll destroy us. I know he
will. There’s less than a minute remaining. In just
a few seconds there’ll be nothing left of me
but a pleasant memory.’ Here, the conclusion
reached in ‘A Change of Space’ is confirmed: it is
wonderful to be a part of the younger generation,
but brilliance that benefits all is a product of
maturity. Hence, the mature male is a needed and
welcome participant in a smoothly functioning
society. |
In addition to validating the social importance
of the aging male, the Smith character,in harmony
with the symbolism found in most television
science fiction of the decade (with the notable
exception of Star Trek), also represents the scien-
tific establishment. Smith is a medical doctor, an
artist, a bon vivant, and a scientist. Being especially
brilliant in computer science, Smith could program
the robot with such skill and sophistication that he
was able to create a level of artificial intelligence in
the robot that far exceeded the realistic aspirations
of computer scientists of the 1960s. Intriguingly,
the only other member of the expedition who
could approach Smith’s level of programming skill
was young Will. For the adult members of the
crew, despite their own laudable scientific accom-
plishments, the robot remained a static tool rather
than a laboratory for the development of new
pathways in robotics, cybernetics and computer
engineering. Smith’s motivations for increasing
the robot’s level of artificial intelligence and
independence were not entirely an exercise in
pragmatics or theory:he sought to please and
delight the boy. Thus, the science of the older
generation is a gift to the younger generation. The
practical benefits the rest of society might reap
from this exchange are of secondary value. We may
conclude that according to the mythology of Lost
in Space, ingenious invention and innovation are
products of love rather than necessity.
CONCLUSIONS
The science fiction television series of the 1960s
struck a deep chord in audiences of this period not
because they revealed a new world but because
they reminded audiences of their own world and
dramatized the complex conflicts raging through-
out society in simple,allegorical terms. In the
television science fiction of this decade,no con-
sensus was reached about the place or relative
merits of the influence of the aging male on society.
The anthology shows, The Twilight Zone and
The Outer Limits, explored the disasters that can
occur when the alleged frailty of the aged male is
combined with power. In the Star Trek universe,
there simply was no room for the aged or aging
male.In Lost in Space, however, the aged male is
vindicated and his contributions defended and
lauded. As such, Lost in Space provided a model for
the organization of society along co-operative |
