abstract
| - The orbit of the Robinson’s planet has become erratic and dangerous. Since the planet will soon collide with a comet, the Jupiter 2 makes an emergency lift-off and departs. They manage to escape the gravitational pull of the comet and continue safely through space. Doctor Smith records an SOS message to toss out of the ship, but when he opens the hatch, the Robot gets sucked through and out into space. No one wants the Robot to drift through space alone forever, so John puts on a spacesuit and goes out to rescue him. He doesn’t manage to do so,and the Robinsons are drawn through a supernova but luckily, the Robot manages to get back on his own. The Jupiter 2 is pulled into a void, where they dock at a strange ship. John and Don decide to get out and look around for spare parts. They find many people aboard, all frozen. It appears to be an automated prison ship that has somehow fallen into disrepair. Its only crew is a computer and a robot guard. John discovers that the time lapse computer which was supposed to measure the sentences of the prisoners has also been frozen and stopped working long ago. Smith, Will and the Robot later go down to investigate as well. Doctor Smith decides to thaw one of the prisoners out and is immediately attacked by the man. The prisoner, whose name is Phanzig, forces Smith to stand on a freezing pedestal and commands him to stay there. Smith disobeys and runs off, and an alarm sounds. The robot guard hears the alarm and sets off to find the escaped prisoner. He ends up finding Don instead, and he freezes the Major and takes him away for questioning. Phanzig catches Smith once again and forces him back onto the freezing pedestal. Smith tells Phanzig that they can both escape because he has a ship, and Phanzig decides that they can work together. Will and the Robot find John, and they all set out to look for Don and Doctor Smith. Poor Don is tied up, being questioned by the robot guard and the computer. Phanzig discovers the time lapse clocks have all been frozen and he orders Smith to help him free the other prisoners. Once free, the prisoners riot, forming a mob and rushing to the central control room. When they arrive, they find Will, Don and John in the control room already. Phanzig says they are taking over the ship, and plan on destroying the computer and its time lapse clock. John talks some sense into them, managing to convince the prisoners to let him repair the clock instead. Once the clock is fixed, the computer announces that the prisoners are all free and will be taken back to their home planet. Phanzig and the prisoners are all very happy, and the Robinsons collect the spare parts they need and go back to the Jupiter 2.
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