Judy Robinson Is A Force To Be Reckoned With On 'Lost In Space'

The reboot of the 1960s sci-fi TV series, Lost in Space, has finally arrived on Netflix. Just like the original, the show will follow the lives of the Robinson family whose ship gets thrown off course, leaving them on a dangerous alien planet. The family consists of John, the dad; Maureen, the mom; and their children, Judy, Penny, and Will. Unlike the previous iteration of the show, the Robinsons are no longer an all-white family; Judy appears to be African-American or of a mixed race. So who plays Judy on Lost in Space? Taylor Russell takes on the well-known role.

Although Russell hasn't been acting for long, she's had a number of memorable roles on television. She appeared in The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story on Lifetime as Lark Voorhies in 2014. Following that, she earned recurring roles on Strange Empire and Falling Skies, before appearing on Dead of Summer. She's also done a few more TV movies, including Blink, Pants on Fire, and Sea Change. Additionally, Russell has additionally appeared on the big screen in If I Had Wings, Dead of Night, and Before I Fall. You can also see her in the indie film, Hot Air, which due out later this year. She'll be starring in the film as Tess, the niece to a conservative talk show host.

But just in case that doesn't make her sound busy enough, Russell is set to appear in a number of other films due out this year, including The Maze, Down a Dark Hall, and Words on Bathroom Walls. When Russell isn't busy acting, she's hanging out with her friends, traveling, and visiting museums.

As Judy, Russell will follow in some great footsteps. The first person to play the role was Marta Kristen in the original 1960s series. Then, in the 1998 film remake, Heather Graham took on the pivotal part It'll be interesting to see how Russell tackles the role and how the writers will (or won't) tackle race. Presumably, Judy was adopted in this version of the series since both of her parents are white.

Although most people were accepting of the change, it was unsurprising that some didn't agree with it. Some argued it didn't make sense to make Judy a non-white character since everyone else in her family is white, but the change could add another layer to the show that will make the material even more interesting. Thankfully, most fans of the original series are willing to give the new series a chance.

One thing that hasn't changed is that Judy is still the eldest sibling of the Robinsons. As the oldest, Judy will most likely carry the burden of more responsibilities and looking out for her younger siblings on this terrifying planet. However, unlike the 1960s version, Judy, along with the other women on the series, won't just be delegated to caregiving and other domestic tasks. Instead, showrunner Zach Estrin revealed to the New York Daily News that all the characters will have their own heroic moments throughout the series, and that includes women and children.

It's also worth noting in the original series that Judy had a romantic connection with Don West, who is played by Ignacio Serricchio in the reboot series (another originally white character who was recast as a person of color). So fans can probably expect a romance to brew to between those two in the series at some point.

Though there are, of course, changes in the new Netflix iteration of Lost in Space, a lot of the main story seems to remain the same. So whether you've seen the original or this is your first time hearing about it, you should definitely give it a watch.