Lost In Space: What's Inside Those Hatches?

Comics veteran and Lost In Space superfan Jeff Nicholson answers the question... what's in those hatches on the Jupiter 2? It all depends on what season you're watching, or how many goofs you're counting. You probably know most of the answers but there will be a few surprises for you.
@UltraKlutzJeff
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[@WraunRat]

Even as a small child watching Lost in Space I knew that the interior dimensions were larger than the exterior. It might as well have been the TARDIS.

[@johnnie2638]

Truth! LOL Still a great show!

[@riogrande5761]

I agree. Hollywood asks us to throw out brains out the window and accept things that don't make sense. I watch very little of this show, I much preferred Star Trek and still do.

[@carllawler2837]

It was a fun show...why nit pick it ...

[@earlr2992]

I agree. Also the chariot was always mysteriously taken out of the ship without revealing where it was inside the ship.

[@kainnosgoth7336]

@@earlr2992 Somebody suggested once at another site, that the dimensions of the J2 allowed such impossible room and space because prior to it's launch, the Govt. was utilizing some sort of alien technology during the R&D stages of the J2, previously discovered but not implemented until the J2 project was initiated. Interesting thought. In his own way, Irwin Allen left many things for us to think about and flesh out with our own imaginations.

[@ARWest-bp4yb]

So the areas behind those hatches were basically whatever the scriptwriters wanted them to be for a given episode!🤣

[@johnnie2638]

Even as a little kid in the 60s I twisted my little imagination around in every which way to make the 3 floors fit into the Jupiter 2! I already had qualms about the lower deck but in "The Space Creature" when Will & Dr. Smith go down even further(!) to the engine core even my 7yr old brain couldn't make that work! LOL Regardless, I LOVE this show. It's my all time favorite. So much so that all my life even well into my adult years, becoming a father and later sharing LIS with my son and into my later years (I'm 61 now) I've always told myself that if I ever won the lottery I'd buy acreage and have Jupiter 2 built where I would live. And what's more in my garage I would have an actual 60s version Batmobile as my daily driver!

[@AdmiralNelson1000]

Now you're talking! And maybe a Flying Sub at the marina.

[@NathanTarantlawriter]

I did exactly the same. I convinced myself it was a form of NASA origami (I didn't know that word at the time of course) that they could use storage space so efficiently.

[@charlestaylor253]

LOS's S3 ep: 'The Space Creature' really did unnerve me, (as a 6 year old back in '75), when I first saw it. It lended a unique "haunted house in space" effect to the Jupiter 2's interior, unlike any other episode ever did. 🤪😉

[@THE-HammerMan]

The ship was like luggage! Just walk around the outside of the ship unzipping it ... and PRESTO, it expands for extra levels!

[@kainnosgoth7336]

Space Creature was a GREAT episode. Season Three was loaded with stinkers, but occasionally a writer hit pay dirt. Another great episode from S3 was "Visit To A Hostile Planet" where they land on Earth in 1947, 50 years before their liftoff.

[@cjimcook]

Cool trivia about the voice actor for the guy in the sheet. Never would have guessed that kind of continuity across so many decades.

[@pauld6967]

Absolutely right that this was a great connection to point out. Icing on the cake for a well done video.

[@Captain_Sarcastic]

Who would have thought I would find a video about hatches so interesting? Thanks for this video!! 4:52 This is by far the laziest alien creature "costume" in any TV show or movie.

[@3dartistguy]

the lower deck open hatch marked radiation was open for one episode that showed a large computer Don was using to monitor the Jupiter 2's fuel source-"The Raft".

[@TheTheo58]

Yes a B-220 console with a B-205 mounted on top.

[@charlestaylor253]

The mysterious power core...

[@nrnoble]

You should do video titled: "Whatever happened to Judy: The character that had nothing to do for three seasons".... I suspect the original intent for the character was to be a love interest for Major West, but was never explored. They briefly hinted at a romance in season 1.

[@timsmith2525]

@5:00 Same costume, same voice actor?! Wow! That's fascinating!

[@HAL_NINER_TRIPLE_ZERO]

Space proportions within the J-2 were wildly inconsistent and improbable. One of Irwin Allen's favorite sayings was "Don't bother me with logic". This philosophy was very evident in the fact that there were 3 staterooms for 7 people.

[@3dartistguy]

Smith was a reluctant extra psssenger. We’re they supposed to have an extra cabin for stowaways? The three staterooms had two bunks each. They often had to rotate the sleeping arrangements to accommodate the sleeping assignments. Irwin Allen was just being factious with that often used quote.

[@Sherwoody]

They should have left Smith behind. Who would know, they’re in space.

[@kainnosgoth7336]

@@Sherwoody Yeah, Smith even stopped them from reaching Earth in Season Two. He went outside the ship with the Green Girl and because of that, the course correction that would have sent them back to Earth was delayed, and Major West went out to rescue him. 2 minutes away from a return to Earth, how ironic!!!

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

@@kainnosgoth7336 AND YET if Smith g=ad NOT been on board as shown in The Time Merchant...........................

[@robertfindley921]

I always thought it was hysterical that landing the Jupiter II always resulted in a beautiful ramp up to the door.

[@tediousmaximus1067]

That's right! Where the hell did that ramp come from?

[@jameshanlon5689]

In episodic TV shows like Lost in Space and Star Trek of the 60s, the producers didn't care about continuity or story arch's but what made a good story in the episode.

[@borusa32]

That power core room was the size of a whole other deck. Never mind, still enjoy it.

[@888jackflash]

I can't believe that I actually enjoyed this and sat through it. GEEKS! I distinctly recall the first season launch; it was whipped-up in commercials before-hand and boys at (grade) school were all talking about it. It was exciting during an early time in Space exploration (Gemini) That opening, showing "deep space" ...was SCARY!

[@josemoreno3334]

I thought they were restrooms. Oh well. Thanks for that info.

[@KillerBebe]

This was the 60’s, no one ever had to use the bathroom, they were all Ken dolls.

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

@@KillerBebe In various blueprints the restroom was on either floor as a shower sink toilet combo Since the ship was tuck on the planet for most of season one and two they probably designated outhouse As for the inside bathroom, safe bet that Smith clogged it several times that is until they met Sessmar He probably fixed the ships plumbing in exchange for the Radion pictures

[@every1665]

Lost in Space must be enjoyed like the old (and easy the best) James Bond movies. They're utterly ridiculous but great fun to watch. Also, as a kid I was wildly in love with Judy and used to fantasize that I would rescue her from space monsters but of course being only 8 or 9 years old, I had no idea what to do with her!

[@SteveWilsonAuthor]

Hey, Jeff. Great summary! I think you missed one clip, though. The lower deck hatch is shown open in one early Season One episode, IIRC. Inside is one of the omnipresent consoles like they have on the flight deck under the viewport. Don is shown working underneath it. "Welcome Stranger," maybe? I'll have to check.

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

That sounds familiar. My notes weren't as thorough on the lower deck. I did a quick scan of ep 6 and didn't see it there, but I can picture that. Like they literally borrowed a flight console to dress that set for a quick scene.

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

I got an update and screenshot on this in one of my facebook groups. It was on the ep The Raft the scene you recalled. 😀

[@sjTHEfirst]

As soon as you showed the space creature in the sheet, my first thought was Armus from TNG Skin of Evil.

[@stevebishop9468]

The hatch with the radiation symbol was used as the engine room in the first season episode the raft

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

Correct! I missed that one.

[@bradmartin7598]

Thank you for validating my own observations on these two hatches and how they changed.

[@fueledbylove]

There's No Place like DANGER - RADIOACTIVITY

[@brettcourtenay569]

But...but...as Dr Smith once said: " There is no Lower Deck" Now I don't know what to believe and am now hopelessly Lost in (the ) Space of the Jupiter 2! Oh the Pain...the pain...

[@greggorr314]

Carol (door number one) & Merill (door number two).

[@nighthiker8872]

I love how Will, comes up on the elevator, that's great. I was thinking did they use a pallet on a forklift. To get that effect.

[@geraldscott4302]

All TV shows have their bloopers, but everything produced by Irwin Allen always had far more than their share. Allen couldn't seem to get anything right.

[@NathanTarantlawriter]

I don't think he cared all that much. They treated scifi shows like the viewers were stupid back then, like they treat fans of horror movies today.

[@TheRogerhill1234]

I am impressed. Good vid Jeff !!!

[@dwellyn]

You sir, are a man after my own heart. Obsessively watching the show as a child, I asked these exact same questions.

[@flashgordon3715]

I just gave the Jupiter 2 the Tartis exemption.

[@igorschmidlapp6987]

I think you mean TARDIS... research...

[@flashgordon3715]

@@igorschmidlapp6987 thanks

[@Dragonblaster1]

I loved Lost in Space as an infant and a young boy in SE England, but i always did wonder about that, as well as the greater depth of the Jupiter II compared to the external shots. Didn't have that problem with other Irwin Allen shows except maybe Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

Scale was the problem with much of the ship. Especially when the Chariot began to appear.

[@kainnosgoth7336]

The Reactor Core was used for the engine of the Bat Cave in the 60's Batman TV series. Look closely and you can see.

[@abortio]

I can’t believe I didn’t know you had a channel! UltraKlutz, Father & Son, Through the Habitrails, and Colonia are all amazing. I finally got around to watching Severance and wondered what you’d make of it. I’d say you were an inspiration. Thanks for all of the great comics, man! Lots of media to consume these days but all of your stuff has stuck with me for decades and gets re-read/new attention almost every year.

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

Thank you, I have read about Severance and very curious about how "Habitrails" it is but have not found it on the three stream services that I use. Looks like it only on Apple TV for now? Maybe it will share to another streamer eventually. Glad you for found my channel, appreciate the comment!

[@abortio]

I think it’s only on Apple+. You’re always welcome to come by and have some pizza and binge it!

[@AdmiralNelson1000]

Nicely done overall. There's already fan chat about allowing for a slight enlargement guess- timation to accommodate needed space. Things like that storage / cargo room and the Power Core are just too wonderful to "lose".

[@NathanTarantlawriter]

I always thought they screwed up bigtime by not putting Marta Kristen up front more often. She was the show's hottie.

[@zekehanscom5869]

That map looks like a National Geographics fold out from the 60s. I remember having this on the wall in my room.

[@nrnoble]

What!!! there are continuity problems in LIS? I am completely flabbergasted. 😉Be sure to check out my book of lost LIS episodes like the episode where Major West body slams Dr. Smith, drags him into the airlock by his hair, and jettisons him out into space. 😄

[@kainnosgoth7336]

As Lost In Space has 1997 as the date for the Robinson's liftoff, it fits into Irwin Allen's grand scheme. Since his shows were filled with all manner of lavish high tech gadgetry and ships, he was giving us a glimpse of the world of tomorrow. 1997 was a long way off from 1965 (32 years), but one day it would be here, and high tech would play a greater role in our daily lives that previously thought. Allen was telling us to embrace the future, because one day 1997 would be a REAL time, and that we could do anything if we set our minds to it.

[@WyomingGuy876]

I always thought that the scale was all wrong for the first two floors of the Jupiter II, it looked like there was at least 1/2 the floor space behind the hatch doors and elevator on the top level with 1/2 the floor space on the 2nd level towards the front of the ship on the other side of the elevator.

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

TVs in the 1960s got poor resolution plus a lot of people got snow with a analog signal. My dad would put a antenna up high on the roof risking his own safety to get a clearer picture. If wasn't until the 1970s until we got cable. My point is a lot of things that were obviously fake couldn't be seen by a lot of people on 1960s TVs. But we still enjoyed TV because what you never had you don't mess what you never had.

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

So true. That wood grain only now shows up on Blu-Ray and the remastered DVDs. Also, TV tubes had that rounding on the edges that they knew would obscure some things on the very edges.

[@rogerrenfrow]

I may be mis-remembering, but don't those doors open differently from use to use?

[@michaelmcenery7515]

Also wondered during first season where the astrogater went there were chairs in its place

[@brucedavis3816]

It is pushed up into the top buble of the jupiter. I think in the pilot they kinda of briefly show it!!!

[@andrewpotter5956]

They never did explain how they got The Chariot out of its bay.....when J2 had belly landed .....hmmmm...ooopsie.

[@DocDoccus]

In the S1 episode where they have to head south to find warmth, John says to Don "Let's assemble the Chariot". So it must be in pieces somewhere on board.

[@andrewpotter5956]

@@DocDoccus yeah but they still didna show it in its packed state.Diagrams of the J2 show it in a Bay,the lower hull has a hatch that's used as a ramp.....

[@AdmiralNelson1000]

I'm wondering if the fans may have to make some extracurricular adjustments. Maybe Chariot out the side of a somewhat larger understanding of the Jupiter 2....

[@charlestaylor253]

Should've dragged Smith's ass behind it...😉

[@mikeb53]

Actually the power core hatch was opened in Season 1: The Raft. There was a computer looking thing back there which supposedly contained their fuel.

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

True! I missed that one.

[@eddiewilson1220]

That was gd vid thank u thought I was only one wondering about the doors on the show lol

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Irwin Allen was his own worst enemy.

[@NathanTarantlawriter]

But he was incredibly prolific and successful.

[@Axis_Of_Evil]

Feng shui in space!

[@TerryAllenSwartos]

Overall, this was interesting enough, but revealing that the same voice actor portrayed essentially the same character in different shows twenty years apart…that’s just great.

[@Skaramine]

OMG! I have some issues of Ultra Klutz! Nice to find your channel!

[@Skaramine]

The good things found through Lost in Space trivia and reviews.

[@brucedavis3816]

Ron Gans played that guy with the crazy ears in the episode with the evil female robot!!!

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

Correct! "Destroy them!" He also did the voice of the frog head alien. When he turns human at the end it's another actor, but still has Ron's voice dubbed over.

[@disraelidemon]

Looking at the upper deck, and the position of those ceiling and wall struts, was part of this set recycled to make the cockpit of the flying sub in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea?

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

Voyage was running concurrently with LOS 1965-1968, so they must have had their own standing sets of that scale. Although they certainly shared a lot of smaller props and monster costumes.

[@DocDoccus]

3:07 Either the Robot isn't connected right or it's from that episode that Smith made the Robot's lower half detach so he could make a travelling service cart.

[@hueyiroquois3839]

4:28 Those boxes were accidentally filled with something other than food. Kinda like one of the devices in the Infocom game of "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy".

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

I like that head cannon. They could have mistakenly contained all the tennis rackets, painter's palettes, Ouija boards and other sundry junk that would appear on the show over time.

[@michaelhawkins5530]

I wonder what happened to the space pod interior and exterior props?

[@garpickle]

You Forgot "The Raft:, The Power Core was Opened Then!

[@mackermaldrill2656]

The guy in the sheet is none other than Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate! Yes, he probably escaped from the Stern show and ended up there; large teeth and gums.

[@patcoston]

The Jupiter 2 is bigger on the inside. Where did they keep the chariot and how did it exit and enter the ship?

[@user-pu7yl5py1u]

Yes, what's inside these hatches?

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

Also in the episode introducing Verda Smith after disagreeing with the family uses the future space pod hatch to leave in disgust Then on season one when the Engine room was used to build a vehicle Life boat? I also thought the Space Creature ep was an homage to 1953's Invaders from Mars due to everything being seen through a child's perspective and how bout the missiles in Junkyard fin Space?

[@starsiegeplayer]

Rewatched the series a Couple years ago. They didn't care about continuity at all.

[@HansZarkovPhD]

Wnen i hit the lottery, i am havimg a life size jupiter 2 mancave built. As close as possible to the original.

[@jameskerr8091]

Really good video.

[@woof3598]

always wondered where the upper deck ladder went ? there are buttons near the ceiling

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

I'm picturing a hatch like on an RV. So when they are on planet and don't need an airlock they can take a few lawn chairs up there.

[@hadleymanmusic]

cables on the floor and picked thru left over catering beer cans scattered

[@KillerBebe]

All the boxes food behind that door is constantly exposed to radiation…. Mmmmmm good eating.

[@earlr2992]

The space Inside the ship did not match the size of the ship outside. Also how did they get the chariot out of the ship. The bottom of the ship was always buried.

[@utuBrV1oI]

Ok - here's 4 more interesting questions: 1. at 10 sec in the above video, take a good look at the Jup 2 UPPER deck LADDER - you can climb it EVEN HIGHER & there is an OPENING in the "ROOF"!!! WHAT IS UP THERE?!! & how come no one EVER climbs up that high?! Could be a good place to hide - if there's enough room up there. Am i the only viewer who ever noticed this? 2. Is the up & down movement of the Jup 2 elevator --> electrically engine/motor powered? - or human mechanically powered?! 3. There are not enough cabins on the lower deck for everyone, & 1 seems to be wider than than the others! They should/could have made them the same smaller width & put/fit another cabin where there is a "hallway" between cabins. WHAT is down that short hallway & what is the big light for there?! 4. In the 1st season, John "tucks" Will into bed & places a "blanket" over him, but it is too narrow & barely covers him! WHY?!

[@UltraKlutzJeff]

1) I don't think there is any attic space up there, so perhaps a hatch direct to topside for use when on planet. Like on top of an R.V. You can take some little deck chairs up there. 2) I'm guessing it is truly motor powered, unlike the hatch doors which are probably stage hands sliding them ala Star Trek. 3) I imagine the wide one to be for Mr. & Mrs. Robinson. The girls could share a small one and Will has the other. I don't think we ever see Don bedded down so perhaps he sleeps in one of the retractable lift-off beds. But then Smith somehow has his own room and we see the girls have seperate rooms so it just cannot add up. Down the hall is a bathroom and shower stall (as seen on some blueprints in the technical manual). 4) Don't all sci-fi shows have to have uncomfortable looking "space blankets," including Star Trek TNG? 😜

[@utuBrV1oI]

@@UltraKlutzJeff Actually in some episodes, that's Dr.Smith's(of all people) cabin! I think it's the "hero" cabin & bigger -more room in there to put filming cameras.

[@riogrande5761]

I tried to watch Lost in Space a few times as a kid, but it was just to cheesy for me. Not a super fan. As others have noted the exterior of the ship looks way to small vs. the interiors. I just can't throw my brain out the window with some shows.

[@jeffzenick4795]

Outasite!

[@petery4521]

Political correctness Bathrooms!

[@George-pp2hr]

Despite whatever changes they made season to season it was barely noticed. For each season there were always changes to accommodate the episode. It is obvious that the interior of the ship has a different dimension than the exterior. It not only has an upper and lower deck but a third also the engine core. 👍🇭🇲🦘🐨✌️