General Information
Director: Don Richardson
Writer: Peter Packer
Cast: Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Billy Mumy, Angela Cartwright, Jonathan Harris, Stanley Adams, and James Millhollin
Composer: Alexander Courage
Air Date: 2/28/1968
Production #: 1521
Overview
After traveling to an alien planet to gather flowers for the Robot on his birthday, Dr. Smith commits the “crime” of killing a self-aware plant. Enraged, Tybo (Stanley
Adams)—a talking carrot man—transforms Dr. Smith into a stalk of celery and confines the Robinson family to a hot house maintained by Willoughby (James Millhollin), a lettuce-human hybrid.
“The Great Vegetable Rebellion” earns its reputation as the most bizarre Lost in Space episode of all time. Series enthusiasts may, however, enjoy this guilty pleasure for its campy humor.
Pros
Arguably the most hilarious villain ever featured in Lost in Space, the carrot man played by Stanley Adams (whom Star Trek fans may recognize from
“The Trouble with Tribbles”) will entertain those with a high capacity for disbelief suspension. (That being said, the repetitious nature of Tybo’s antics may try the viewer’s patience after a while.)
Also amusing is the original music of Alexander Courage, whose arrangement for this episode conveys an air of mischief around Tybo and his nefarious deeds.
Cons
Though hardly more juvenile than the majority of third season Lost in Space episodes, “The Great Vegetable Rebellion” offers only a small number of worthwhile character moments (e.g., Professor Robinson’s refusal to let Tybo die of thirst) to compensate for its absurd and one-note premise (described as “trash” by Peter Packer himself).
Analysis
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Concluding Comments
A groan-inducing effort, “The Great Vegetable Rebellion” would best be avoided by those of a serious inclination. Nevertheless, Stanley Adams should be commended for his portrayal of Tybo.
Overall Quality: 3/10
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I’ve been looking forward to reading your analysis of this one! As you indicated, it is truly dreadful. I do believe it was written, at least in part, with a wink and smile. Perhaps that’s why I have a soft spot for it. The distance between this and the pilot are mindboggling. I think of the bad campy episodes as hour long sitcoms with a flimsy sci-fi element. It’s just that they’re not very good sitcoms in that they’re not funny whereas this one truly makes me laugh.
If they made a decent costume or a scary one for Typo. The story was a good one. Just the Carrot costume was stupid.
This is my number twenty-two ranked episode for the psychedelic and far out, all over the place, highly inconsistent and relatively overrated, shortest final colored season..
Everybody stop trying to sugar coat what this episode really actually was/is..
The series that was LOST IN SPACE at its notoriously, widely acclaimed worst embarrassment lol.. :-p
This is the episode that many people remember about LIS. And really it is fun to watch. I always like to watch Major West when he is looking off so he won’t show himself laughing. It really should have been the last episode of the series.
This episode is much better than many say. You have to see it as whimsical and humorous. Smith clinging to a tree content to be a celery stalk was hilariously brilliant. While complaining as Willoughby nibbles at him. Will- “Willouby, you’re gonna have to stop nibbling on Dr. Smith- he says its jarring”. All involved play it perfectly for the playfully hilarious episode it was surely meant to be
Those who mock this episode must be forgetting that a large proportion of LIS episodes were playful whimsy. Thor and the Frost Giants. The Questing Beast. And many, many others. The show was rarely straight scifi.
It has become doctrine that this was a terrible episode. Forget the doctrine- just watch and smile.
Tim