Remember the very first episode (not the pilot) where they show him hiding aboard to sabotage ship by reprogramming the robot to destroy the ship...then the cop catches him saying he must arrest him....and Smith plays nice to him and once he goes behind him he karate chops him in the back and throws him down the trash slide....did that police officer die as a result?
shareIronic if Smith finally got back to Earth and he was promptly arrested and charged with attempted murder, spying and treason which could perhaps get him the death penalty.
shareIf he returned like many many years later would they just forget about what he did and move on? Like if they returned today in 2016...19 years later.
shareIf the guard died, his surviving family and coworkers wouldn't just say screw it along with NASA and all the other Federal agencies involved with tracking spies and saboteurs. They still hunt Nazi war criminals. J2 was a very important mission of national significance.
If they found out today that the Space Shuttle which exploded in 1986 was an intentional act and the person who did it showed up from wherever they were hiding, I'm pretty sure they would arrest and charge him. I doubt there are any Statute Of Limitations problems especially when the charge(s) is murder and/or treason.
There is no Statute of Limitations for murder or treason.
shareI agree.
I just wanted to hedge a little bit because were not sure if the guard in fact died and/or if there would be enough evidence to convict Smith beyond a reasonable doubt of spying/treason as opposed to say just attempted murder, trespassing, damage to property etc.
I doubt there would be any witnesses to come forward and give direct evidence and testimony that Smith's intent was to overthrow the government or give aid to the enemy, etc. Obviously, it certainly looks that way circumstantially which may be enough especially if Smith was viewed as a terrorist.
If there were no death involved (ie no murder charge) or competent evidence of actual treason as opposed to lesser offenses then PERHAPS Smith would have a SOL argument as he didn't voluntarily leave the jurisdiction.
Legal niceties aside, even a 20-25 year sentence for a man Smith's age would basically be a life sentence if the death penalty were inapplicable. Who knows for sure, thats what trials and plea bargains are for.
According to the US constitution treason is restricted to aiding and abetting the enemy in a time of war, and requires at least 2 witnesses to convict.
so I guess that Smith probably could not be charged with acts of treason against the USA.
I would say that he just knocked him out with the karate chop. However, when he sent his body down the trash chute, it looks like it's just gravity fed, and he landed in a bin just under the Jupiter 2. One would think that the J2, upon liftoff, would generate tremendous heat, therefore killing the security guard. But that depends on one's view of what physics are used for thrust in the LiS world.
shareAlso we don't know if the guard regained consciousness before lift off, therefore possibly getting away.
shareIt's been mentioned on this board in the past that, in the original script for "The Reluctant Stowaway," it is made clear that Smith had some kind of poison-tipped ring (I think it was skull-shaped) - and he was to use that to kill the guard.
Someone apparently decided that that was inappropriate for a show airing at 7:30 to an audience full of children.
The guard's fate is thus ambiguous, but I believe Smith does check his pulse. Smith then glances at the door to the "power core," considering it as a place to hide the guard, but he shakes his head. Perhaps he doesn't want to kill the guard - although if he doesn't, he better be prepared to jump on a plane for whatever country hired him, since the guard can identify him.
Once the guard is in the waste cart, I think we can assume that his body is safe, at least. Either the J2 doesn't produce heat, or the waste cart would be removed. Would Alpha Control really leave a waste cart there to explode in flames during liftoff?
Ironically, if Smith had just stowed the guard in the power core there would have been no need to program the robot to destroy the J2. The guard's extra weight would surely have thrown off the J2's navigation just as certainly as Smith's did.
Ironically, if Smith had just stowed the guard in the power core there would have been no need to program the robot to destroy the J2. The guard's extra weight would surely have thrown off the J2's navigation just as certainly as Smith's did.
I wish this had been resolved. Since the waste cart was open-topped, I assume someone would take care of it following liftoff, and discover him, alive or dead. He would also be noticed missing.
shareGiven the fact that the early episodes were dark and serious as compared to the later campy and half-comedic ones, I would venture to say that the poor guard met an untimely end at the hands of Dr. Smith. Karate chops such as those are designed to kill, and remember that Dr. Smith was ready to eliminate the entire family if necessary. Therefore, he would have had no qualms in terms of murdering that guard. I did not see the pilot episode until many years after I had watched most of the others, and I was shocked by the cruelty of Dr. Smith. His diabolical nature was shown in the happy smile on his face as he dragged his victim across the floor, brutally stuffed him into the chute, and then nonchalantly shoved him down into the trash bin. Thus, that unfortunate guard for whom I always felt so sorry was very likely murdered by Dr. Smith. :(
share