I always thought of Smith more like a Long John Silver type. Even when he was still the sinister saboteur who wouldn't mind seeing the Robinson's perish, he played Will like a fiddle.

The 1990's LIS comic book, plotted out by Will Robinson himself, Billy Mumy, took the Robinsons back to the edge the early first season episodes had. It even explained away the sillier episodes as being from young Penny's point of view.

I rewatched the 1998 movie recently, and it was better than I remember. I think my disappointment at the time that a long planned reunion film with the original cast didn't get off the ground, made me initially hostile to a reboot. Gary Oldman made for a pretty darn good Dr. Smith.

The whole series is coming out on Blu Ray this year!