the show had no proper conclusion about the humans' attempts to return to earth, and the final episode, "graveyard of fools", was a universal tale that could have taken place anytime in the second season. the penultimate episode, "wild journey" (guest starring bruce dern), has steve and dan using alien technology to travel back in time to earth just a few hours before their ill-fated flight. in a storyline lifted from the "lost in space" episode "the time merchant", they attempt to alter the timeline but only succeed in ensuring that the events of the first episode, "the crash", take place (footage from the pilot, where "spindrift" becomes lost, is included in this episode), creating a "twilight zone"-style twist ending, with the impression of a recurring cycle of inevitable events.