The Robot Model- B-9, also known simply as the Robot, is a fictional character in the television series ''
Lost in Space
''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...
''. His full designation was only occasionally mentioned on the show.
History
Although a machine endowed with superhuman strength and futuristic weaponry, he often displayed human characteristics, such as laughter, sadness, and mockery, as well as singing and playing the guitar. With his major role often being to protect the youngest member of the crew, the Robot's
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
s were "It does not compute" and "Danger, Will Robinson!",
accompanied by flailing his arms.
The Robot was performed by
Bob May in a prop costume built by Bob Stewart.
The voice was primarily dubbed by
Dick Tufeld
Richard Norton Tufeld (December 11, 1926 – January 22, 2012) was an American actor, announcer, narrator and voice actor from the late 1940s until the early 21st century. He was a well-known presence on television as an announcer, but his ...
,
who was also the series' narrator, and Jorge Arvizu for the Spanish dubbing. The Robot was designed by
Robert Kinoshita
Robert Kinoshita (February 24, 1914 – December 9, 2014) was an American artist, art director, set and production designer who worked in the American film and television industries from the 1950s through the early 1980s.
Biography
Kinoshita wa ...
, who also designed ''
Forbidden Planet
''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story ...
''
Robby the Robot
Robby the Robot is a fictional character and science fiction icon who first appeared in the 1956 film ''Forbidden Planet''. He made a number of subsequent appearances in science fiction films and television programs, which has given him the d ...
.
Both robots appear together in ''Lost in Space'' episode #20, "War of the Robots", and in episode #60, "Condemned of Space". The Robot did not appear in the unaired
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
episode, but was added to the series once it had been
greenlit
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
.
Initially, the bellows-covered legs were articulated, and were moved separately by the actor inside. However, the metal edges inside the suit cut actor Bob May's legs, so changes were made. The legs were bolted together, and the robot was pulled along by a wire instead of walking as it had done before. A new lower section was constructed with the legs cut off at the knee. This was filmed either in close-up or behind something to obscure the actor's feet protruding out the bottom; this version of the suit was informally referred to by the cast and crew as "the
Bermuda shorts
__NOTOC__
Bermuda shorts, also known as walk shorts or dress shorts, are a particular type of short trousers, worn as semi-casual attire by both men and women. The hem, which can be cuffed or un-cuffed, is around above the knee.
They are so-nam ...
".
Features and abilities
Robot consisted, from top down, of
# A glass bubble sensor unit with moving antennae;
# A fluted, translucent ring collar (actually an arrangement of shaped ribs, through which performer Bob May could see);
# A cylindrical, rotating trunk section with extending bellows arms that terminated in red mechanical claws. The trunk section had controls, indicators, a small sliding translucent door through which data tapes, similar to
punched tape
Five- and eight-hole punched paper tape
Paper tape reader on the Harwell computer with a small piece of five-hole tape connected in a circle – creating a physical program loop
Punched tape or perforated paper tape is a form of data storage ...
, could be accessed ("The Hungry Sea"), a removable power pack and a signature chest light that illuminated in synchrony with the Robot's speech (May had a key inside the suit that he would tap in time with his speech to illuminate the light, resulting in some scenes where one of the claws can be seen moving in time with the light);
# Bellows legs that were understood to move with some agility but which, due to real-world practical limitations, were rarely seen on camera to move separately; and
# Trapezoidal
continuous track
Continuous track is a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle b ...
units at the bottom of each leg. These normally paired as a single locomotive device, but they also could function as individual feet. The leg and tractor sections apparently could be readily detached, allowing the Robot to be positioned in the rear of the Chariot ATV, although the actual disconnect operation was depicted only once.
According to the series
# The Robot possessed powerful computers that allowed him to make complex calculations and to deduce many facts;
# He had a variety of sensors that detected numerous phenomena and dangers;
# He was programmed with extensive knowledge on many subjects, including how to operate the Jupiter 2 spaceship;
# His construction allowed him to function in extreme environments and in the vacuum of space;
# He was extremely strong, giving him utility both in performing difficult labor and in fighting when necessary. Moreover, his claws could fire laser beams and, most frequently, a powerful "electro-force"=40.01-K that was similar to arcing electricity.
In one first season episode, Doctor Zachary Smith was seen to remove the robot's programming tapes, which resemble a small reel of magnetic tape, from a hatch below the robot's chest panel.
After ''Lost in Space''
Two versions of the robot were used during ''Lost in Space'' filming – a "hero robot" costume worn by
Bob May, and a static, "stunt robot" prop that was used for distant or hazardous shots. Both versions fell into disrepair after the series, but these have since been discovered and restored. The "hero" was privately owned by TV and film producer
Kevin Burns
Kevin Burns (June 18, 1955September 27, 2020), was an American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter. His work can be seen on A&E, National Geographic Channel, E!, Animal Planet, AMC, Bravo, WE tv, Travel Channel, Lifetim ...
, who commissioned a replica in the early 1990s for touring and conventions. The "stunt robot" is in storage at the
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame
The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organized ...
in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
.
Like Robby the Robot, the B-9 Robot prop costume was re-used on at least one other show. On the Saturday morning children's show ''
Mystery Island
''Mystery Island'' is a live-action sci-fi adventure serial produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired as a segment on ''The Skatebirds'' from September 10, 1977, to January 21, 1978, on CBS.
In the fall of 1979, ''Mystery Islan ...
'', it was modified to make the primary character "P.O.P.S." There it had different domes, different color scheme, and an added rectangular skirt of gold-colored tubes, covering the rubber bellows legs and base.
Full-size replicas of the robot are available commercially. Other versions have been built by hobbyists around the world,
who have built at least 15 detailed full-size replicas of the Robot.
An animated special of ''Lost in Space'' was produced in 1973. Vastly different from the original series, the special only retained the characters of Dr. Smith (voiced by Jonathan Harris) and the Robot, now called "Robon" and bearing a distinctly purple paint job. Its design was similar to that of the original, though with its retractable arms on the sides of its torso rather than in the front. Its voice was provided by
Don Messick
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...
.
In the
1998 film, the Robot is originally a sleeker design equipped with weapons, but its original form is destroyed during a fight on an alien ship. Will is able to download most of its consciousness before the robot's original body is destroyed, filling in the gaps with extracts of his own neural patterns, and eventually manages to build a new body for it that bears a resemblance to its appearance in the original series.
In 2004's unsold pilot
The Robinsons: Lost in Space, the Robot was not standard equipment on the ''Jupiter 2'', but had been built by Will Robinson to protect him from bullies at school. Will brought it along on the journey in a partially-disassembled state, and when the mothership transporting the various ''Jupiter'' modules to a safe haven was attacked and the ''Jupiter 2'' was cast away from the main group, Will hooked the Robot up to the ship's systems to provide them the power needed to escape the aliens. This Robot was of a more humanoid appearance, though missing its arms and legs (which were presumably in storage), and had shining round blue eyes in an otherwise featureless face.
In the
2018 Netflix series, the Robot is an alien AI within a skeletal-looking body which bears only a few resemblances with earlier versions, such as his famous line and loyalty to Will, with its combat form resembling the tank from the 1998 movie. The Robot was the cause of the colony ship ''Resolute's'' destruction in the beginning of the series when it came to reclaim the engine and another of its kind dubbed Scarecrow, which were powering the ''Resolute''. Its attack trapped the Robinsons and other colonists on a doomed planet, but after befriending Will Robinson and growing the equivalent to a soul, it soon sacrificed itself to protect the Robinsons from SAR, the Second Alien Robot the Robinsons encounter.
The ''Resolute'' and the Robot soon teleported to the Robot's home system, where it and Will are eventually reunited after SAR's destruction. After integrating a new alien engine into the ''Resolute'', the Robot turned on Will after saving the dying Scarecrow from being tortured, but after failing to try and hijack the ship to return to its home planet to repair Scarecrow, it helps the kids hijack a ''Jupiter'' so they can return to the planet after Hastings, a high ranking member of the crew, tried to kill them. The Robot stays behind to fight off Hastings and the guards so that Will and Ben Adler, a human they befriended, can return Scarecrow to their kind. With Ben's sacrifice, Scarecrow is reunited with his kind.
Later, other robots similar to Robot and Scarecrow attack the ''Resolute'' for revenge and to get their technology. While the Robots ultimately succeed in destroying the ''Resolute'', Scarecrow turns on its fellows to protect the colonist children while the Robinson kids and the Robot escape in a Jupiter integrated with the engine, leaving the parents and adults to fend for themselves in the Robots' home system as only 97 people can survive in a single Jupiter.
References
{{Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Fictional humanoid robots