Lost in Vorlon Space

or The Robinsons: The Last Generation

A rocky, alien planet. Dr. Smith and Will are gathering rock samples. A little distance away Penny and the robot are looking at scrubby, purple plants. Will and Smith are continuing a conversation.

Will:
Gee, Dr. Smith, I think I’m too young to get married. Besides, you couldn’t marry me, I’m a boy.

Dr. Smith:
Indeed you are, sweet William, indeed you are.

Suddenly the robot starts flailing his arms about, his lights start flashing, and he moves towards Smith and Will.

Robot:
Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

Smith:
What is it now, you tin-plated ninny! Cease this senseless babble at once!

Robot:
My sensors have detected a dangerous alien presence. (he points) There!

Smith (cowering behind Will, so that Will is between him and the area to which the robot has pointed, he starts to scream, but looks in the direction the robot as pointed, seeing nothing he relaxes, then turns to the robot, looking peeved):
There’s nothing there, you bubble-headed nincompoop!

Penny (while Smith is speaking, she comes to stand in front of the area to which the robot is pointing, and has an awe-struck expression):
It’s so beautiful!

Will appears disgusted with Smith’s cowering, then looks up, and also gets an awe-struck expression. We see what he sees, a large, humanoid creature, wearing a white gown, glowing, and with a large pair of wings.

Freeze, then countdown - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - theme music, title sequence.

Return to the view of the alien, while the scene is still frozen, display title:

Lost in Vorlon Space

Penny (to the alien):
Are you an angel?

Will:
Hello, I’m Will Robinson.

Smith (looking at Will and Penny):
Who are you talking to? There’s nothing there!

Penny:
Don’t you see it, Dr. Smith? I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!

Smith:
Oh, dear! I’m afraid you’ve taken leave of your senses!

Will:
No she hasn’t, I can see it, too.

Alien (makes some beeping, squeaking noises before speaking):
Who are you?

Smith (upon hearing the alien voice he jumps, then hides behind Will):
Oh! What was that!? Where are you?

Will (to the alien):
Like I said, I’m Will Robinson. This is Dr. Smith, and this is my sister Penny.

Penny:
How do you do.

Alien (pop, squeak, whistle, then, more insistently):
Who are you?

Smith (indignantly to Will):
Obviously it's not a very bright alien. (looks around, but not directly at the alien, since he can’t see him) Dear sir, I’m Dr. Zachary Smith, at your service. And you are?

Alien (even more insistently):
Who are you?

Will (getting a little impatient):
We’ve told you who we are, now who are you?

Smith:
Yes, who are you, good sir, and what do you want?

Alien (fixing its gaze on Smith, who grasps his neck as though he is being choked):
Never ask that question!

Smith (he is released from the invisible chokehold and gasps to recover):
Oh! The pain!

Will (angrily):
What did you do that for?

Alien (directly to Will):
Who are you?

Penny (leans over to Will, whispers):
I think we should get dad.

Will (whispering back to Penny):
You’re right, let's go back to the Jupiter. (to the alien) If you really want to know who I am, I’ll need to get my dad. (He starts walking away, Penny follows, Will turns to the robot) Come on, robot! (the robot falls in, all three walk off, with the alien following, but leaving behind Dr. Smith)

Smith (watches everyone leave, then suddenly starts running to catch up):
Wait for me! Wait for me!

Outside the Jupiter II, Prof. Robinson and Major West are working on the force field generator. Maureen and Judy are setting the table for lunch.

Will:
Dad! Major West!

Everyone turns, sees the alien following Will and Penny.

Don (to John):
I don’t like the looks of this.

John (to Don):
Neither do I. (to Maureen) I want you and Judy inside, and take Penny and Will with you.

Maureen:
John, do you really think that’s necessary?

Judy:
Really, dad, it seems friendly enough, in fact, it looks like an angel.

John:
Looks can be deceiving. Go inside, and get the lasers. If it’s a friendly alien, one of us will let you know, but if not, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Maureen:
Okay, John. (calls to Penny and Will, who are almost within the camp now) Penny, Will, I need you two to help me with something inside.

(Penny walks over to Maureen and Judy, they go inside. Will goes over to where John and Don are.)

John:
Son, I think your mother just called you, you’d better go inside.

Will:
But dad, I...

John:
You will do as your mother and I say, now go inside.

Will (resignedly):
Yes, sir. (He goes inside. As the doors are starting to close Smith runs up to them.)

Don (goes over to Smith, grabs him by the arm):
Oh no, not you, Smith, you stay out here.

Smith (struggles to pull away):
Unhand me, you bore! I assure you, Major, I’d prefer to stay out here, but I’m sure I can contribute so much more helping inside. As you know, my delicate back is not suited to out-of-doors tasks.

Don:
I’ll just bet, Smith. (jerks him away as the doors close)

Alien (who meanwhile has gone over to John, and is staring at him; begins beeping and whistling):
Who are you?

John:
I’m Professor John Robinson. Who are you?

Smith (to John):
A dreadful creature, if you ask me!

Don:
Nobody asked you, Smith!

Smith:
Really Major! I should think this alien could at least show himself! And he keeps asking the same question over and over again! It’s so rude!

John:
Smith, do you mean you can’t see this creature?

Smith:
No. (turning in the general direction of the alien, speaking smarmily) Kind sir, could you please show yourself, let us see what you look like?

Don (to John):
Well, I think Smith has finally lost it!

Smith (indignantly sniffs):
Indeed!

Alien (still addressing John):
Who are you?

John and Don look at each other, both are wary of the alien.

John:
I’m Professor John Robinson, commanding the JupiterII, and this is Major West, our pilot. We’re from Earth.

Alien:
Why are you here?

Smith (aside to Don):
Finally, a different question!

Don (to Smith):
Shut up, Smith!

John:
My family and I were headed to Alpha Centauri, but we were knocked off course and got lost. That’s how we wound up here on this planet.

Alien:
Why?

Don (interjecting):
Because of Smith here. He stowed away on our ship, and caused us to go off course. He’s the reason we got lost.

Smith:
Really, Major! (to alien, sort of) I don’t know why the Major is so disagreeable, always accusing me of things of which I am innocent.

Don:
Why, I oughta...

Alien (to John):
So you did not intend to enter Vorlon Space?

John:
No, we don’t know where we are, and we’re sorry if we’re on your planet. If you will give us time to repair our ship we will leave as soon as we can.

Alien:
No. (to Smith) You are the reason you have entered our space?

Smith:
Surely not, I don’t know what they are taking about....

Robot (cutting in):
I cannot tell a lie. It was Smith that caused us to go off course and to enter your territory.

Alien:
Unfortunate.

Smith (to robot):
Why, you traitorous bucket of botched tapes! I should have removed your power pack years ago!

Alien (stares at Smith, who grabs his throat, and begins to lift off the ground, as though being choked and lifted by an invisible hand):
Why?

Smith (choking):
Oh! Let me go! Oh! The pain! (suddenly, he quits fighting, and begins speaking as though controlled) It...was...the...boy. ..I...wanted...to...be...with..him. ...I...followed...Will..onto ...the...ship. Ahhhh ! The pain! (he falls to the ground)

Don (bends down, checks Smith’s pulse):
He’s dead, John! (turns to the alien) You bastard, you killed him! I wanted to kill him and now I can’t! You son of a ...(he takes a fighting stance, starts to attack the alien)

John (holds Don back):
No, Don. It would just kill you, too. Besides, did you hear what Smith said!? If the alien hadn’t of killed him I would have! He was stalking my son! Sure, I realized he was, well, you know, but I didn’t realize. ..I mean, I thought maybe there was something between the two of you, the way you were always fighting and bickering, but Will! He’s just a boy!

John (to alien):
Look, we get the message. We will leave this place at once.

From behind them appears someone else, a human in 17th-century English attire.

Stranger:
I’m afraid it’s too late. No one leaves Vorlon space.

Don and John both turn.

John:
Who are you?

Stranger:
Funny you should ask that question. Usually I’m the one who does the asking.

The doors to the Jupiter open, out comes Will.

John:
Son, I though I told you to stay inside.

Stranger:
I don’t think he has much choice.

John (looking at the Vorlon):
What are you doing? You’ve already killed one of us. At least spare my son!

Alien:
He will not die.

Stranger:
Neither will any of the rest of you, at least not for a long time.

Alien:
You will be.... .

John:
What is that supposed to mean?

Don:
Yeah, I don’t like the sound of...

suddenly, both Don and John freeze

Will:
Dad? Don? (to the alien and the stranger) What’s going on? What have you done to them?

More aliens emerge from the Jupiter, these are wearing encounter suits, and the rest of the family walks out with them, mechanically, as though robots under control.

Will:
What are you doing with my family? (looks down at Smith) And what have you done to Dr. Smith?

Alien:
The one called Smith is dead. The others will be .... useful.

Will:
What? You killed Smith?! How could you?

Stranger:
It was his own fear that killed him. Pity, he could have been most useful. Do not worry about the others. The Major will be as I am, preserved, and used as needed. Your family will be taken to the Centauri homeworld. It certainly will be better than wandering about lost, hopping from one dismal planet to another.

Will:
You mean they’re finally going to Alpha Centauri, our original destination!

Alien:
Not...exactly.

Stranger:
Alpha Centauri is uninhabitable, at least for humans. No, they will be taken to Centauri Prime, where they will not be too conspicuous, as long as your sisters don’t date much. This is all for your own good, Will Robinson. You have been rescued for a purpose.

Will:
What purpose? And this hardly seems like a rescue!

Stranger:
When you are older, you will understand. (He holds a triangular shaped object in front of Will, it glows faintly, and a wispy cocoon begins forming about him) Who are you?

Will:
What are you doing? (struggles within the cocoon) What are you doing to me? Stop!

Alien:
WHO....ARE...YOU?

Will (speaking with difficultly):
I’m... Will....Robinson

Alien (cutting him off):
NO! You are Lennier!

Will:
What?

Stranger:
Who are you?

Will:
I’m... Will....

Alien:
NO!

Stranger:
You are Lennier. You will serve, with honor no less. And you will go to a place where there are no cute kids or robots.

Disclaimers: Lost in Space and its characters are copyrighted by somebody. Babylon 5 and its characters are copyrighted by Warner Bros. and Babylonian Productions. This little bit of nonsense is not intended to infringe upon these rights, and is well within fair use. Apologies to JMS, but none to IA.