Lost In Space: [SPOILER’S] Death Made Ben Adler’s Sacrifice More Meaningful

In Lost In Space season 3, the death of the alien robot Scarecrow actually makes Ben Adler’s (JJ Feild) sacrifice all the more meaningful. While season 3 focuses on the threat that Will Robinson (Maxwell Jenkins) and Robot’s special bond poses to SAR and the entire alien robot army, there’s one other complicated relationship between humankind and the robots that is both understated and essential in season 3: the friendship between Ben Adler and Scarecrow.

In Lost In Space season 2, Ben Adler acted as a secondary antagonist alongside Alistair Hastings (Douglas Hodge). Adler was one of the first people to explore Scarecrow’s crash site on Earth, which allowed him to form a bond with Scarecrow that was similar to Will and Robot’s connection. Using Scarecrow’s advanced technology, an alien engine that creates a rift in space, Adler eventually abused his connection to Scarecrow by forcing the robot to pilot 23 separate missions between Earth and the new colony on Alpha Centauri, often using torture as a means of making Scarecrow cooperate. While Adler and Scarecrow had a complicated relationship as friends turned enemies, Adler eventually sacrifices himself to save Scarecrow after Will convinces him that Scarecrow isn’t innately evil. In Lost In Space season 3, Scarecrow’s death doesn’t diminish Adler’s sacrifice but rather shows that Adler had an impact on his robot friend after all.

When Maureen comes to the realization that the best chance they’ll have of reuniting with their children on Alpha Centauri involves acquiring both an alien engine and a friendly robot to operate it, Maureen, John, and Don decide to find SAR’s remains on the Amber planet. After happening upon Scarecrow in Lost In Space season 3 episode 2, Maureen, John, and Don hatch a plan to steal the alien robot engine onboard a nearby spaceship with the help of Scarecrow. While Don and John distract a horde of alien robots by taking the Chariot for a joyride in episode 3 “The New Guy,” Scarecrow sneaks onboard and successfully snatches the engine, but is ultimately captured by SAR. While Scarecrow isn’t killed by SAR until after he uses Scarecrow’s link to Robot to send Will a threatening message in episode 4, the circumstances of Scarecrow’s end mimics Adler’s death in a way that suggests Scarecrow learned from Adler’s sacrifice.

When Scarecrow is captured by SAR in season 3, Scarecrow spies Maureen hiding, but doesn’t alert SAR to her presence, essentially sacrificing himself to spare a former enemy turned friend. Adler’s death at the end of Lost In Space season 2. With the aim of rebooting Scarecrow during the lightning storm, Adler and Will bring Scarecrow to the metal ring located on Scarecrow’s home planet. When Adler realizes that the storm is early, he alone delivers Scarecrow onto the metal platform, giving up his life to save Scarecrow. One form of the alien robot’s programming appears to involve imitation. When Will saved Robot in season 1, he returned the favor by saving Will from the wildfire and transformed his hardware to make himself appear more anthropomorphic. In season 3 episode 2, Will discovers that the alien race that created the robots had similar features, accounting for the robot’s four arms. After witnessing Adler give his life to save him in season 2, Scarecrow, therefore, learned to sacrifice himself for others from Adler’s example.

Scarecrow’s change of heart and sacrifice for Maureen, John, and Don in Lost In Space season 3 actually foreshadows the resolution of the series finale “Trust.” After Will connects that the robots want to turn on the engine, which will open a rift in space and tear Alpha Centauri apart, Penny attempts to reach the alien engine before the robots. After she acquires the engine with Judy’s help, Penny decides to save one of the robots that appears to be dying, which quickly forms a bond with Penny. As Penny and the children of the Resolute create their own army of friendly robots that each of them save, Penny discovers that the robots aren’t bad at heart, they just needed to have their programming adjusted, which they learned by example.