Red Dwarf

We have all sat enthralled by science fiction stories that take place on huge interstellar crafts capable of touring the vast reaches of outer space with the push of a few buttons. Usually the movies or television series set on such a craft concentrate on the courageous crew and their resourceful commander. On the famous Star Ship Enterprise we got to witness the exploits of several generations of intrepid crews like this. The thing is even on such the technological marvels as this someone has to clear the toilets, mop the floor and perform those lowly duties too unimportant to waste advance technology on. No matter how advanced a society may be someone has to wind up doing the unappreciated grunt work. One television has entered cult classic immortality by focusing on the lowly unsung workers floating through outer space; ‘Red Dwarf’. This is by far one of the most bizarre, surreal and irreverent shows I have ever seen and I have been a huge fan of it ever since I happened to stumble across a few episodes on a PBS pledge drive. Needless to say a series this off the beaten track came from the innovative minds under the employ of Britain’s BBC. This is not to say that there is a dearth of talent here in the States but through much of my experience watching television and being a Sci-Fi enthusiast much or the truly imaginative shows of this genre have come from that side of the pond. In this case think alone the lines of an East End janitor working in the basement in Doctor Who’s TARDIS. This happens to be one of the few television series that quite literally makes me laugh out loud no matter how many times I watch an episode. Last year I was trapped in a hospital after a stroke. The place had only four channels on the rented TV so I turned to streaming video to maintain my sanity. One of the shows I found was this one and it’s induction of laugher helped a lot. When I received an opportunity to review the entire eight seasons I joyfully jumped at the opportunity.

The series was created by the English team of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. The two of them also were responsible for the teleplays during the first six seasons with Naylor partnering with several other writers for the last two seasons. Throughout the entire run this show maintain its sick and twisted view of humanity turning the genre on its head. There is a good deal of satire present here but mostly the show is all about how silly the cast and crew can get. Do not settle in to watching any episode in this set if you expect to retain the slightest modicum of sensibility. By most standards the special effects here are primitive and entirely unbelievable but that is part of the grand British tradition established with the early seasons of the grandfather of all television science fiction, Doctor who. Some advice especially for younger viewers, don’t be overly critical of the special effects. Do what the creators of this show intended; commit to the moment, kick back and have some fun.

The Red Dwarf is a commercial mining ship of monumental proportions coming in over six miles in length. In the first episode of the dhow a radiation leak of deadly Cadmium II kills the entire crew. Actually, there is a sole survivor, the lowest ranking man onboard, Dave Lister (Craig Charles). His job is basically refilling some of the snack food vending machine; a position that places him just slightly below the robotic scutters, that clean up around the ship. Lister is not exactly the ideal employee. He practically has a standing appointment with the ship’s captain typically for his latest disciplinary infraction. It was one such violation that provides the crux of the story. Lister is sentenced to some time in hibernation and happened to be safely confided there at the time of the radiation leak. Move forward about three million years and Lister is finally released to find not only is the whole crew long gone but humanity is extinct. The only other survivor of the leak was the kitten, Frankenstein, Lister smuggled on board, and now the ship is home to a humanoid feline known simply as The Cat (Danny John-Jules). He has all the characteristics of a house cat; vanity, self serving and always on the prowl. In one scene he makes up for the loss of his feline sent glands by spraying items he claimed with a plastic bottle. Two other ‘entities’ are also on board, Holly (Norman Lovett), the ship’s computer with an IQ of 6,000 and a hologram of another low ranking crewman, Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Early in the first season they pick up a service mechanoid, Kryten (Robert Llewellyn). Rimmer, his holographic status denoted by the letter ‘H’ on his forehead is an unlikeable sort, full of himself, pompous and a constant source of annoyance to Lister.

The main reason why this show never jumped the shark was its creator’s willingness to embrace the absurd. After all if the main premise of the show doesn’t have to make much sense you can pretty much get away with anything. The brilliance achieved by Naylor is there is a feel of continuity and cohesiveness even when taking the scenario off in a totally off the wall direction. They do make ample use of alternate universes to get around the ‘last man alive’ dilemma. In one memorable episode the crew stumbles into one odd parallel universe top meat their opposites. Even with this they don’t go down the expected road. Lister and Rimmer meet female counterparts with identical personalities while Cat runs into the slovenly Dog. Lister and female Lister ‘shag’ and Lister winds up pregnant. This is not a one off gag, little repercussions of these events ripple through the rest of the season. Several running gags are employed such as another alternate Rimmer who is brave, well liked and resourceful, ‘Ace’ Rimmer, a character that becomes increasingly important towards the end of the run. It is well worth getting the eight season box set; the episodes do tell a continuing tall and the humor is priceless.