Penny Robinson (Netflix)

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Probably should have read the fine print before I launched into space.
- Penny Robinson, "Impact"

Penny Robinson is a main character on the Netflix series Lost in Space. She is the second daughter of the Robinson Family.

Profile

Quick-witted and contrarian, but her sarcastic and tough exterior covers a romantic soul. If the Robinsons had a black sheep, she’d be it. She’s the most social person in her family, with the best sense of humor of any of them. She is always a bit sarcastic, but hides so much care for others underneath it. As her dad states, she tries harder than anyone will ever give her credit for. Penny grew up the victim of middle-child-syndrome, caught between a superstar older sister who could do no wrong and a baby brother who everybody was afraid couldn't do anything right. She didn't want to leave her home on Earth, and, being a sentimental person, struggles with the loss of everything and everyone she knew. During the time on the alien planet, Penny meets a boy from one of the other crashed Jupiter ships named Vijay Dhar. They have a difficult relationship due to his father. But Vijay rebels a bit, to the liking of Penny. (mostly from the series casting brief) Although outgoing, she sometimes suffers from self-esteem issues. Surrounded by two high-performing prodigies, her brother Will and her sister Judy, she sometimes has to be reminded that her contributions are valued and important as well.

History

While in school on Earth, she played the role of Hermia in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her brother Will was able to attend the play but didn't really understand it, while her sister Judy was unable to attend due to a heavy courseload at her own school. (Lost in Space: Return to Yesterday) She overheard her mother Maureen stating that the unknown planet on which they and the other members of the 24th Mission had crashed was doomed, due to its proximity to a black hole. She shared this information with Vijay Dhar, but begged him to not tell anyone else. She had previously blackmailed him into keeping quiet about his knowledge of the Robot by withholding a piece of paper that she had taken from him when they first met.

After the Robot's presence on the planet became common knowledge, she returned the paper and he had her read it, revealing it was a piece of poetry he wrote when he thought he was going to die in space. Among the things it contained was the fact that no girl had ever broken his heart before. After reading this, she kissed him. ("Eulogy") She was extremely upset that he broke her trust by breaking his promise not to tell his family that the planet on which they had crashed was doomed. They decided to stop seeing each other and she chastised him as being a "bad kisser." ("Trajectory")

She was a talented writer. After she and her family escaped from the unknown planet, she wrote a memoir about their adventures titled Lost in Space. Her brother Will considered it to be so good that he published it, created several hand-bound copies which he passed out as Christmas presents to the group, which were now stranded on a water planet that the Jupiter 2 had been forced to land on. In the book, Penny speaks of her fear of space and having to overcome such challenges.

One of Penny's tasks aboard the Jupiter 2 was to escort "Dr. Smith," who had been locked up in a room on the vessel after betraying the family. Every day, she would come with a pair of handcuffs and lead her out of her cell in order to give her a chance to get some exercise and go to the bathroom and such. Dr. Smith tried to manipulate her by telling her that her mother must really trust her by giving her such an important job as looking after her. ("Shipwrecked")

When the vessel's food supply was ruined by toxic gas, Maureen hatched a risky plan to turn the vessel into a boat. They would sail the vessel to a recurring storm on the planet in order to re-energize its batteries and escape. As they put the plan into motion, Penny grew increasingly upset about her seeming uselessness. As she worked together with Don West to help keep toxic kelp off the ship, she said that it felt like her mother always gave her the "dummy jobs." Don asked if helping him was a dummy job, but she explained that it felt like Will was given the smart jobs and Judy the tough jobs. In response, he told her his own philosophy, that flying under the radar was one of his core principles. He felt that the Robinsons were over-achievers, whereas he never wanted to be too good at anything.

Later, she and her mother were trapped in a crevasse on the planet, the lightning storm fast approaching. As they scrambled for a solution to the problem, things came to a head between them. Penny commented that all of her children to get stuck with, Maureen had to get stuck with her. She said that Will would have found some geometrical formula to get them out of their predicament, while Judy would run 30 miles and find a strong tree. Maureen tried to argue, but Penny was not comforted by her arguments and told her to stop. In the end, however, it turns out to be Penny who saves the day when she figures out that the rigging from the sails which fell into the crevasse spans 30 feet, enough to reach the Chariot vehicle dangled down by John and Judy. They take refuge inside the Chariot, using it as a Faraday cage to protect them from the lightning. Maureen admitted that she hadn't read Penny's memoir, but promised that she would. Meanwhile, back on vessel, Dr. Smith told her that she had read the memoir and particularly liked Penny's line "The irony of all this is I almost died trying to get somewhere I never even wanted to go." ("Precipice")

Penny, Shocked — Penny, shocked at her sister's proposal for saving the 24th Mission children

After her family escaped from the unknown planet, she was surprised to learn that her brother published several copies of a memoir that she had been writing, which he had entitled Lost in Space. In the memoir, she spoke of needing to see things for herself, unlike her mother, who was a scientist. She stated that the invisible force of her family reminded her that she was never alone. ("Shipwrecked") She also admitted that she had never really wanted to go into outer space and to Alpha Centauri like the other members of her family. ("Precipice") Later, after the family rejoined with the other colonists from the Resolute, she protested strongly when her sister Judy proposed a plan which would save the 97 children of the 24th Mission, but would leave behind their parents. She felt that it was a bad idea for them to split up and that there must be some other way. Ultimately, however, she was tearfully forced to accept the plan, with Judy serving as the group's captain. She was shocked along with the others when instead of arriving at Alpha Centauri, they instead found themselves at a shattered planet that was nesting the wreck of the Fortuna, a long-lost vessel captained by Judy's biological father Grant Kelly. ("Ninety-Seven")

Personality & character

Penny (Penelope) Robinson is seen to be cheerful, outgoing and brave. Often spouting jokes or witty comebacks, she can be very lighthearted. In times of distress, she can be a very critical problem solver.

She was known to oftentimes employ dry sarcasm, which could sometimes annoy those around her. ("Impact")

She was romantically attracted to Vijay Dhar and planned a romantic outing with him, only for it be spoiled when they discovered to her chagrin that the waterfall she was planning to use to set up a romantic rescue type of scenario had dried up. ("Eulogy")

She did not really want to go into space and had been scared of it for as long as she could remember. ("Shipwrecked")

She often felt undervalued by her family, particularly her mother, once expressing to Don West that Will always given the smart jobs and Judy the tough jobs. ("Precipice")

She disliked horses, but nevertheless always hung out at the stables at her grandmother's place because it allowed her to be with her mother, who loved horses. ("Echoes")

Skills & abilities

She is seen to be a daredevil taking most of the risks even if it will potentially put them into unsafe circumstances.

She was an author and wrote a memoir which her brother Will titled Lost in Space. ("Shipwrecked") In general, her family seemed to think that she was good writer based on her memoir, Will so much so that he published several copies of it. Maureen, though, admitted to not having read it, though she promised to do so. ("Precipice")

She has a talent for reading other people and persuading them, somewhat not unlike "Dr. Smith." She surprises herself by convincing Dr. Smith to use her own skills to persuade Mr. Jackson to get inside a box with them despite his severe claustrophobia. Afterwards, when she comments that they all survived, "no thanks to the black sheep of the Robinson family," Vijay Dhar points that it was her that saved him, that nobody else could have convinced Dr. Smith to be a good person, something which was very Robinson. ("Severed")