The Ending Of Lost In Space Season 3 Explained

The third and final season of Netflix's "Lost in Space" was released earlier this month, bringing the beloved sci-fi series to a close and doing its best to wrap up all the loose ends leftover from the previous seasons. "Lost in Space" is a remake of the 1965 CBS series of the same name, which itself was a sci-fi retelling of "The Swiss Family Robinson" (a novel released in 1812 about a family of immigrants who are shipwrecked in the East Indies).

The story of "Lost in Space" is essentially the same, though in Netflix's series the Robinson family are a group of space colonizers trying to reach Alpha Centauri. The colonizers are attacked by alien robots during their voyage, and subsequently crash on an Earth-like planet in deep space. Season 3 sees the Robinson family finally land on Alpha Centauri, with plans to colonize the planet for human civilization. Their plans are put on hold, however, when SAR and his legion of hostile alien robots show up — every one of them dead set on destroying Alpha Centauri and the human race alongside it. 

Thus, the series' ending is set up to be a climactic showdown between man and machine, upon which the fate of the entire human race is dependent. Though, in truth, this battle ends up being not so climactic after all.

One of the most important aspects of the series is the relationship between Will Robinson (Maxwell Jenkins), the youngest child of the Robinson family, and Robot (Brian Steele), the alien robot that first attacks their ship and forces them to crash land at the series' beginning. The series is constantly reinforcing how this bond between Will and Robot is something special that proves humans and robots can coexist and even care for one another.

As it happens, this connection between man and machine is what ends up saving the planet from destruction. When Penny (Mina Sundwall) and the others fighting on Alpha Centauri save a few robots trapped beneath a pile of debris, their compassion actually alters the robots' programming, and a large part of the robot army turns against their allies — now fighting to save humanity rather than destroy it. Their support is enough to turn the tide of battle, and in the end SAR is defeated and humanity saved.

In the aftermath of the battle, we watch as robots and humans work together to construct the colony on Alpha Centauri, bringing this idea of cooperation full circle, and reiterating just how vital the connection between Will and Robot is to the story as a whole.

While the rest of the Robinson family is fighting on Alpha Centauri, Robot and Will travel to the robots' home world. The duo attempt to convince all of the robots to turn against SAR and help save humankind from extinction, but the robots are unmoved. That is, until Will's mechanical heart stops beating, and Robot sacrifices the last of his energy to keep Will alive. Robot's sacrifice inspires the other robots to turn against SAR, and by the time Will returns to Alpha Centauri, the battle is all but decided. Though SAR himself is not finished just yet.

The leader of the evil robot legion is moments from glassing the entire planet when Will arrives and deliberately allows SAR to stab him in the heart. In one of the stranger twists in the series, it's revealed that Robot's sacrifice actually transfers his consciousness into the mechanical heart itself. Thus, when SAR stabs him, Robot is able to transfer himself into SAR, and take control of the other robot's body; eliminating the series' main antagonist once and for all. It's a powerful moment that once again reinforces the theme of trust that the series emphasizes so heavily — specifically, the trust Will and Robot have for one another, which helps save both of them as well as the rest of humanity.

After the battle, we are greeted by a quick epilogue narrated by Penny Robinson — who decides to become a writer. Maureen (Molly Parker) and Don (Ignacio Serricchio) are in orbit, working alongside the robots to build a new kind of spacecraft. Penny makes sure to clarify that the robots have all developed new personalities, adding thoughtfully: "They're all different, just like we are."

John Robinson (Toby Stephens) lives a quiet, peaceful life on Alpha Centauri, a well-deserved rest for the former soldier who's seen so much, and Judy (Taylor Russell) continues her work as a doctor. Elsewhere, Dr. Smith (Parker Posey) turns herself in to Commander Radic (Shaun Parkes) and is imprisoned for her crimes both before and after her time on the Resolute. Maureen visits Smith in her cell, and tells her to find the Robinsons once she gets out of jail. Penny wraps up her narration over a quick scene of the Robinson family and all their friends sharing a joyful dinner, and the epilogue shifts over to one last scene of Will and Robot.

The two beloved characters are, in many ways, the heart and soul of the series, and the ending makes it clear that their story is only just getting started. We watch as Will and Robot set off into space, looking to explore and map new worlds that nobody has ever seen before. Their story is left open-ended, and it's up to the audience to decide where their adventures will take them next.

For more insight, see what one of the show's stars, Mina Sundwall, had to say about the end of "Lost in Space."