[Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA]
The ship is lost in space due to sabotage by an enemy agent, Dr. Zachary Smith, who is trapped aboard the ship at launch. Hurtling on into deep space, the Jupiter 2 crash lands on an unknown planet.
Although remote, this lost world soon becomes a stopping-off point for practically every space-traveling alien or monster in the galaxy, each episode seeing the arrival of some new visitor.[4]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri_in_fiction#Film_and_television
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That’s supposed to be where Star Trek’s Zefram Cochran is supposed to hail from (before they altered it in “First Contact”).
Earth: hello there!
[eight years later]
Proxima Centauri: Who's this?
[eight years later]
Earth: We are Earthlings!
[eight years later]
Proxima Centauri: Who?
[eight years later]
Earth: Earthlings!!
[eight years later]
etc, etc, etc
Thrilling communications!