The Robot May Prove To Be The Most Complex Character On Netflix's 'Lost In Space'

The newly reimagined Lost in Space series is now on Netflix, and fans of the original series may be surprised by some of the changes in the latest version. For instance, the new Robot looks quite different than the one in the original 1960s series, and that's not just because technology has vastly improved since then. While the original Robot actually looked like a robot, this new one seems... different, to say the least. So what is Robot on Lost in Space?

Showrunner Zack Estrin is keeping the details about who, or what, Robot is pretty underwraps, but Entertainment Weekly describes the mechanical character as being of "a mysterious extraterrestrial origin." So Robot is no longer actually a robot, but rather some kind of alien creature. This was pretty much hinted at in the trailer, which saw Will Robinson — the youngest child in the Robinson family — discovering Robot on the dangerous alien plant the family's spaceship crash-landed on.

It's hard to say if Robot can be trusted or not, but he seems friendly enough. He's shown throwing a baseball with Will, which doesn't seem like something a murderous alien would do. However, the rest of the Robinson family is hesitant to put their trust in it, which is much different than the relationship they had with Robot in the original series.

The original Robot was always with the Robinson family, not found on the planet they end up on. Additionally, Robot was way more fun. He had a number of humanlike qualities that included laughter, sadness, and mockery, and it could also sing and play the guitar. However, that version of Robot went along with the campy style of the original series, which is a far cry than what the new Lost in Space looks like. Although Estrin told EW that the show would still have the same kind of "family adventure" feel as the original, that's hard to see in the trailer, which looks quite dark.

That being said, Estrin also said that "it's a different experience watching the show versus the trailer. You fall in love with this character. It's less about how it looks than who it is." So perhaps even though Robot looks more menacing than its original counterpart, it will still end up being just as lovable as the original. Looks can be deceiving, after all, though there is one thing about Robot's physical appearance that has remained the same.

Just like the original Robot, this version will also have lights in its face that will suggest how it's feeling. Besides that though, this character is a mystery that Estrin promises will unfold over the course of the 10-episode season. Apparently this time around Robot has its own backstory and it'll be interesting to see how that impacts the Robinson family as they try to survive this new planet and figure out how to get off it.

Along with the changes in Robot, there are a few other alterations in the reboot as well. For instance, the eldest Robinson child, Judy (Taylor Russell), is now African-American and her quasi-love interest, Don West (Ignacio Serricchio), is Latino. Additionally, Dr. Smith is now a woman and played by Parker Posey. All of this is to help give the updated series a much-needed dose of diversity. Lost in Space definitely has the chance of being another big hit for Netflix, so its definitely worth watching.

If you haven't checked it out yet, you can now stream the whole first season of Lost in Space now on Netflix.

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