Drifting in space aboard a Jupiter, the five members of the Robinson family play Go Fish in zero-g. Their father, John, points out that they don't have anything better to do. Youngest son Will stares off into space for a moment until John gets his attention. Penny wonders why their trip went astray since the Resolute has made 23 safe trips. Her mother Maureen tells her that there's no point in speculating.
The computer announces that the de-orbiting burn is complete, and the Robinsons put on their helmets and continue playing. As Judy takes a card from Will, the ship shakes and the computer announces an atmospheric disturbance, and Maureen assures her children that the computer will land them just fine.
A burning wreck slams into the ship and the computer reports that their off-course. The Robinsons join hands as the ship slams into the planet's surface. The computer reports that the landing surface is unstable, and the Robinsons begin evacuation. Maureen's leg is stuck by a shifting crate, and Judy takes Will and Penny out while John frees Maureen. They join the others and Will gets out first. The hatch jams before the others can get out, and Will jumps down to the snow-covered surface and looks at the surrounding terrain. Wreckage of the other Jupiters fall fromthe sky, as the others get out via another hatch. The ice beneath their Jupiter melts and the ship sinks out of sight.
On Earth, John calls his family via teleconferencing and they share Christmas. He can't say where they are because he's on a top-secret military assignment, and Penny from the hedges in the background realizes that he's outside. John comes in and everyone hugs him. Penny gets a call and turns on the news. The reporter talks about an unknown celestial object that is heading toward Earth, and that NASA scientists are working around the clock to assess the risk of it colliding with Earth.
Judy notices that Penny grabbed her phone, and confirms that Maureen's leg is broken. She points out that there's a rip in John's suit and removes her helmet, figuring that the atmosphere is safe. The others remove their helmets as well, and Penny fires a flare and calls the other Jupiters but gets no response. Meanwhile, Maureen tries to work out where they are and points out the planet is like nothing they charter. Will figures the Resolute will send help, and Will winces in pain from the crash harness hitting his chest when they landed. John says that it's normal, and Judy points out that it might be normal for him but not for Will. Another Jupiter comes down in the distance, leaving a trail of white instead of red rocket fuel, and John warns that once the ice freezes their Jupiter will be locked.
Maureen says that how much time they have is complicated, and says that they should talk privately. The children overhear them and demand to know what's going on, and Maureen says that the sun will go down in six hours and the temperature will drop and their power cells will die. She says that they have to abandon her because of her leg, and John tells them that he can go back down and get one of the lithium batteries to recharge their suits. Maureen points out that he won't make it through the upper hatch, and insists that Will has been trained to do it. Overriding Maureen's objections, John prepares Will for his trip. As he suits his son up, Will freezes up and Judy says that she's got it and jumps into the water. She bypasses the top hatch and heads for the aft airlock, and ignores John' ordering her to come back.
Judy gets to the supply room hatch but discovers that the bulkhead is warped and she can't open the door. John orders to come back, but Judy goes to the garage and takes one of the Chariot batteries. The water starts freezing, and Judy swims to the surface. Judy finally release the battery to go faster, and the water freezes around her just before she can make the surface. Maureen tells her over the radio to control her breathing, and says that her suit will keep her warm and she has five hours of oxygen. John checks Maureen's vitals on the computer, and Maureen insists that she won't rest until Judy is safe. She passes out, and John checks her vitals on the computer to make sure that she's okay. He tries to talk to Judy, who tells him not to talk to her.
John chips away at the ice while Penny makes the unconscious Maureen comfortable in the survival tent. Will offers his father some water and says that he figured out that when they crashed they scraped open a vein of magnesium and it burns hot. He says that ice makes it burn hotter, and John tells Judy that he has to get something to get her out and he'll be back. John tells Penny that she'll have to hold down the fort and tells Will to come with him because he doesn't know what he's looking for. Penny hugs John before he goes, and he kisses her on the head.
Maureen and Penny go to a shop and Penny says that she wants to get a gift for John in case he shows up for Christmas. Her mother says that she doesn't want her to be disappointed again, and insists on paying for it. Once Penny moves off, Maureen confirms how easy it will be to return it.
Penny chips at the ice without success, and Judy asks how Maureen is doing. Judy asks her to keep talking, and asks if she has any trashy books on her phone. She confirms that Penny has Moby Dick and has her read it to her.
John and Will trek across the glacier, and John asks Will what he's in to. Will says that he tested into the geology program, and tells his father that he likes to read. They find a field of magnesium and go to get some.
Maureen wakes up and climbs out of the tent, and Penny tells her that John and Will went to get magnesium.
John and Will enter a cavern and find a vein of magnesium, and Will tells his father not to make a spark. His father scraps some magnesium into a bottle, and assures Will that Judy has plenty of time. Will blames himself for freezing up, and John assures him that he earned his spot on the mission. Will plummets down a cliff when the ice gives out beneath him, and he slides down a tunnel to the bottom of the glacier.
Maureen moans in pain and Penny figures that the wound is getting worse. Judy talks Penny through examining the broken leg, and Judy says that they have to release the pressure building up in the leg from the break. She has Penny gives Maureen a sedative and admits that she hasn't done the procedure before. Judy has Penny cut from the kneecap to the ankle, until she reaches muscle., Once Penny does it, Judy tells her to do it three more times.
Will recovers and finds a forest clear of snow. John calls him on the radio and has him describe what he sees. He warns Will that it will take him some time to get down there and Judy doesn't have time, but assures his son that he'll be back soon. Will tells John to go save Judy, and John heads back to the crash site.
Judy finds Will working on a model of the Resolute, and Will says that someday she'll be on it. She says that the test results haven't come back yet, and assures Will that he passed. Will isn't convinced, and Judy tells him that the Robinsons stick together no matter what. She tosses her manuals in the garbage and tells Will that she'll borrow his manuals when they come in. Maureen secretly watches, and Will talks Judy through painting the model.
Penny wakes up and Maureen congratulates her on her work. She tells Penny that the three children are all that matter, and that's why they left to find a home that was worthy of them. Penny says that they're going to make it, and Maureen agrees.
Maureen goes to her office and someone contacts her via the Internet and asks if she's ready to trade. After Maureen blanks her office window, she confirms that Will's application was denied. The contact asks if she's having second thoughts, and Maureen uploads a file. After a moment, Will's status changes to accepted. Maureen calls Will and tells him that they're celebrating his acceptance.
Will hears creatures moving in the forest, and orange ash drifts down. He tries to call any survivors but gets no response. Will then heads off into the forest and follows the ash to another wreck. Exploring the wreckage, Will realizes that it's not a Jupiter and begins a video log to document his finding the first alien intelligence. He sees something moving in the forest, and asks who's there. When it moves out, Will runs and hides, and a second Robot approaches him. Will climbs a tree and the Robot paws at the base of the tree. Will realizes that it's the bottom half of a Robot, and discovers that the top half is on the branch with him.
John returns to the crash site and tells Judy that he's going to get her out. He informs Maureen that he left Will but will go back for him, digs a pit, puts in the magnesium, and ignites it. The magnesium burns a hole in the ice, and John says that it was Will's idea and he doesn't deserve to be there. Maureen asks when she'll see him next.
John is at a base camp and Maureen calls to tell him that they've been accepted into the 24th Colonist Group. He says that he's proud of their children, and Maureen sends him custody papers granting her permission to take them. John asks if she wants to take her children away from him, and Maureen says that he already left and now he has one chance to do the right thing by them.
As night falls, Will tries to reach John on the radio as the Robot stares at hm. The ship makes a noise and Will realizes that it's the noise that he heard before. An insect flies down and lands on his sleeve, and then flies over onto the Robot's arm. It looks at it, seemingly curious, and Will figures that it's never seen anything like it either. The insect flies off, and Will introduces himself to the Robot. The Robot's lights dim, and on the ground below its bottom half briefly collapses. Will figures that his Robot is "dying", as fires spread from the wreckage and burn through the forest.
John and Maureen continue digging Judy out, John burning more magnesium as necessary. It starts raining and the temperature drops. The ice around Judy refreezes, and her life signs plummet as she runs out of oxygen. John figures that she has enough time and tells Maureen to dig with him.
The fire consumes the forest around Will, and he tries without success to jump to a higher branch. He tries to reach John but gets no signal, and the Robot's upper half looks down at it's "dying" lower half. Will climbs over to the Robot and uses a saw string to cut through the branch. The Robot falls and after a minute, the full Robot gets up, climbs up the tree, picks up Will, and leaps over the flames.
Once they're clear, the Robot sets Will down. He thanks it for saving his life, and it restructures its body into a humanoid shape.
As Judy hyperventilates, John, Maureen, and Penny keep digging. They realize that it's hopeless and take her hand sticking out of the ice, and the Robot arrives. Will runs up after it and says that the Robot is with him, and it speaks for the first time, saying, "Danger, Will Robinson." Will asks it to help Judy, and the Robot kneels and melts the ice with heat from its hands. The others pull Judy free, and Will asks if it can do something so they don't freeze. It projects more heat from its hands, warming them.
On the Resolute, 12 hours earlier, everyone proceeds to their Jupiter pods and Maureen assures her family that they'll have the damage repaired soon. A woman watches as a Robot rampages through the ship, killing everything in its path. She finds an injured man and notices his nametag--Dr. Z. Smith--on his suit, and removes his coat. She takes his coat and puts it on, apologizes, and runs off.
Two marines, Tam and Don West, figure that they need to get off the ship. Don prepares to enter one of the Jupiters, and the woman arrives. Don claims that they're fixing it, and the woman holds up her sleeve. The system identifies her nametag and the hatch opens, and the woman says that her family isn't coming and they're welcome to come with her. When Don asks what her name is, the woman says that she's Dr. Smith. The Jupiters depart the Resolute as it blows up behind them.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 3, 2018