Dr Smith traditionally is always seen as an antagonist. But vilians in most movies are most likely nice in real life. Actually, I think Smith was the focal point to sustain the suspense through season 1. Plus his master of old english style and idioms in all his character dialogues are quite impressive. Even if he is in the middle of something at least he does it with finesse. He certainly has heart, maybe hard to discover, but he's earned his due credit. He always has a clever excuse or alibi to weasle out of something. But Smith's role is at least more classier than modern villians.Alien Spaceship with mouthless bodiless--this is real, gloomy, mellowdramatic science fiction and low key-- contrasted with others that fly in your face and say Boo! or scream at you or a huge monster growlling, like star trek, jursic park, poltergeist, Friday 13th, evil dead with over exaggerated costumes and make-up-how ridiculous.

Sure there are the bad things like "I've never seen a blip like that one before". I've seen a blip like that before, two episodes ago in fact.But those aside re-watching the first season made me remember my original experience with Lost in Space, as a kid. I watched the first season which got me hooked, then spent the rest of the series hoping the next episode would be like those early episodes. Unfortunately they got worse and worse.Like other first season episodes this one contains:- ships landing and flying around, rather than exploding onto the scene
- real meat behind the planet's history and existence rather than psychedelic colors
- A more underplayed and sinister Smith rather than the wild character on exhibit by the third season
- More from the whole cast, rather than the Will, Smith and Robot focus the series had all too often in the last two seasonsI had forgotten that the early episodes were so good.

Good episode, the spaceships cool and even the wavy, ciran-wrap as curtains in the interior of the ship, is effective. But what's most important here is the first appearance of the Robot's great personality emerging. Will's brain fails to help the aliens and his tears look like a real "special" effect.
Bonus: June's bizzare, Asian eye-make is the precursor to the crazy eye-make employed on Star Trek a couple of years lateer. Check out Uhura, she also looks "Asian."

Who would've thought that the 5th dimension looks like a cheap Vegas magic act?Actually, I liked this episode a lot. It has a lot of cool, welcomed elements: the jet pack; the rover; an art installation alien space craft, and mouthless, bodiless aliens. Dr. Smith is in rare form here as well, selling out a young boy but still somehow helping w/ his rescue. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the prodcuers/writers on the later Star Trek weren't influenced by this episode for the "The Gamesters of Triskellion."Does June Lockhart have an Asian ancestry? She kind looks it.