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Episode Studies by Clayton Barr

enik1138
-at-popapostle-dot-com

Journey to the Planet of the Blawps
Lost in Space: The New Journeys Book 4
Written by Nancy Krulik

(Page numbers come from the 1st printing, November 1998)

Blarp begins to run wild.

 

Story Summary

 

Read the brief story summary at the Lost In Space Movie Timeline

 

Notes from the Lost in Space chronology

 

Passages in this book suggest that the Robot is no longer on treads and has legs instead. This may place the book some time after The Vault, in which Will has replaced the Robot's treads with multijointed, gyrostabilized legs.

 

Didja Know?

 

Lost in Space: The New Journeys was a series of six books for young readers, published by Scholastic.

 

Didja Notice?

 

Pages 1 references the time machine invented by Will. This is a reference to the one young Will theorized and future-Will brought to life in an alternate future in Lost in Space.

 

Page 3 suggests that the Robinsons believe they are not within their own galaxy (the Milky Way).

 

Page 3 reveals that Maureen has assigned Penny and Will to read Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is a 1597 play written by William Shakespeare. Will complains that a 400 year old play doesn't have anything to do with their lives now and his mother corrects him about the common themes that still affect humanity today. But, from the Robinson's standpoint in about 2168, it would be closer to 500 years than 400.

 

Chapter 1 reveals that Penny has a scholastic interest in literature, unlike her science-minded brother, and even feels an identification with the 14-year old Juliet in the play, the same age as her; however, Juliet is clearly mentioned as 13 years old in Shakespeare's play.

 

Page 9 reveals that Maureen was a life sciences professor at a university back on Earth.

 

With the ship being pulled toward a newly-forming star, Will asks why they can't just hyperspeed through it like they did last time. This is a reference to John and Don piloting the ship through Earth's sun near the beginning of Lost in Space.

 

During the fight against the gravity of the new star, the Robot is left in a damaged heap in Penny's quarters. Among the Robot's listed damage is a broken kneecap. In the Robot's original treaded incarnation, as seen in most LIS stories, it does not have kneecaps, so the story may be interpreted as taking place after the events of The Vault, in which Will has replaced the Robot's treads with multijointed, gyrostabilized legs. However, later on, on page 36, it is described that Robot "wheeled himself onto the bridge", suggesting something other than legs providing his motion; possibly this description is in error and was simply missed in editing.

 

On page 23, John tells Don to pilot the ship to the newly discovered planet for repairs, saying, "Go west, young man!" This is a famous phrase penned by American author Horace Greeley (1811-1872) in reference to the United States' so-called Manifest Destiny to expand westward across the North American continent.

 

Page 30 reveals that Blarp requires very little liquid intake to survive.

 

A couple times in the book, Dr. Smith refers to Penny as "Penny, precious". He also used this "pet name" for her in Lost in Space.

 

On page 47, Penny makes reference to two alien beings the Robinsons brought on board the ship a few months ago. This is a reference to the events of The Passengers. Page 67 also references this novel, in its description of Blarp attacking the aliens when they tried to hurt Penny. That book was also authored by Nancy Krulik.

 

Page 61 reveals that Blarp is afraid of the dark.

 

Page 70 reveals that Judy's study of Blarp in the past has revealed that the species is self-replicating.

 

This book reveals that Will has been practicing the drums and Maureen knows how to play some guitar.

 

A few times in this book, the Blarps are making a "bloop" sound among their blarps. This may be a reference to the space-chimp that became Penny's pet in the original LIS TV series, which would make a "bloop" sound.

 

Unanswered Questions

 

How did the Blarps get to the desert planet? Is it their native world? Or did they travel there across space in a ship since lost?

 

Back to Lost in Space Episode Studies