Ackerman’s eye

I was always confused by exactly this. I agree it’s an eyepatch, but yeah, it looks like something far worse. I think the size and shape just really confuses things.

I actually think something really gross would have been amusing.

I’d say, futuristic eyepatch. Or maybe even sophisticated sensor that gives him even greater visual acuity..?

Ackerman’s personal preference to being eyeless aside, you’d think that in the future, nanobots wouldn’t have much trouble repairing injuries like that (after all, they can bring entire crews back to life despite their desiccated remains having been jettisoned into deep space centuries previously).

Also, if Kryten’s self-repair system could disassemble / reassemble something as large as Red Dwarf in a matter of hours, what’s the point in having a mining fleet, anyway? But then, Kryten was manufactured after Red Dwarf, so maybe nanos weren’t as sophisticated back when the ship was built (plus they had three million years to break their programming / refine their technique). But then, without nanos, how the hell do you go about building something as gigantic as Red Dwarf to begin with? But then– I’m reading too much into this, aren’t I?

You’re all being very kind. Couldn’t it just be a very lazy, but rushed attempt to hide his real eye? I mean this is the series of BITR Part 3 and Pete Part 2

I’m of the opinion that it’s supposed to be a gaping hole….but is just a shit effect. Maybe somebody thought it would be funny…..Maybe it’s a gag? Did the audience laugh? If they didn’t, how we supposed to know if it is a gag or not? There should be a little symbol in the corner to let us know which bits are funny!

I just don’t get it. Maybe they had trouble with the effect and had to make it larger and eye-patched shape? It’s weird.

>I love how many people don’t want to admit they know it’s Krytie TV.

On my Mum and Dad’s life.

So, it’s a patch then? But why is it CG?

Did they think we wouldn’t notice due to the godawful studio lighting in VIII?

Unless they planned for some kind of superb and gross CGI fill in that never happened?

Surely it’s just held on by adhesive, like medical eyepatches they use in hospitals.

THE APPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAL!

Yeah, I remembered it was Krytie TV. It always bugged me too. When I was younger, I too thought it was supposed to be a big, crappily rendered hole in his face which was ridiculous. I only surmised that because I wondered why there would be a big reveal for just a patch, and a patch that doesn’t even look like a patch anyway.

The idea that maybe there was supposed to be a lickle CG thrown on top of that patch which never transpired had crossed my mind before too, and could be a good shout.

I always assumed it was meant to be a great big gaping hole. It looked strange (no doubt intentional for comic effect, whether it worked or not) but I assumed the implant must have consisted of the entire eye, lids and surrounding area. The idea it was an eye-patch didn’t even occur to me. If that WAS the intention, I think that again it was rendered in rubbish CG for comedy purposes. I know affects aren’t usually intentionally meant to be rubbish in Red Dwarf, but I think this is an exception.

Also, if Kryten’s self-repair system could disassemble / reassemble something as large as Red Dwarf in a matter of hours, what’s the point in having a mining fleet, anyway? But then, Kryten was manufactured after Red Dwarf, so maybe nanos weren’t as sophisticated back when the ship was built (plus they had three million years to break their programming / refine their technique).

Yeah, I don’t think Kryten’s nanobots would have been that sophisticated even in his time. I’d go with the bit I emboldened and add- machine evolution. I.e. if the nanobots can repair other systems, then it makes sense that they’d be able to upgrade each other as well. In all that time* I don’t think they’re the little beasties they used to be, particularly considering their independence.

Incidentally, I always wondered how Kryten’s self repair system worked when he was crushed into a cube shape considering his nanobots had left at that point. I understand that the real world explanation is that the writers hadn’t decided what had happened to the ship at that rate, but in-world…?

I remember bringing it up on the official site and Andrew suggested that might have been the point when Kryten became aware that his nanobots were missing. It still doesn’t really explain how he fixed himself though. I suppose it’s possible that the nanobots only formed part of his self repair system, maybe for the finer micro-level fixing.

*I’m not sure Kryten would have been on-line for the entire three million years. He may have leap-frogged through time by going in stasis or just switching himseolf off for a millennia or so while the girls were in stasis. I think it’s fair to say he’s been active a long time by our standards though.

I don’t buy it! Could you watch it again and give us all a second opinion? Thanks.

And he doesn’t say “Return my detailed model of half of my face”.

As you do.

>I don’t even know why anyone thinks it’s CGI. It’s not.

My deepest apologies. Although in that pic it still looks CGI to me.

>Me too. I’m not entirely sure whey. Maybe it’s just the shape, which is also unusual for an eye patch, although probably intentional to hid it behind the glasses.

The top left corner of it doesn’t crease with his frown. Definitely looks like an overlay to me.

Ellard just Tweeted us this:

http://twitpic.com/8izt67

Definitely not added in post.

What did you expect a piece of black cloth glued to someone’s face to look like? How could it have looked not shit, in your opinion?

>What did you expect a piece of black cloth glued to someone’s face to look like? How could it have looked not shit, in your opinion?

Perhaps some Diamantes….the odd rhinesstone or two…anything to make it clear it was an eye patch.

I’ve been convinced (and am far from the only one so it would seem) that it was a just a crap effect to signify a huge hole in the face. I had also assumed that because it was so crap, it must have been deliberately so in an attempt at having it so crap it was funny. I now see I was wrong all along.

I wonder what else I’ve taken for granted and got wrong…next you’ll be telling me that Kryten and Lister weren’t lovers!

> Did they think we wouldn’t notice due to the godawful studio lighting in VIII?

PP3 I take back anything bad I’ve ever said about you.

> And he doesn’t say “Return my detailed model of half of my face”. He says “return my glass eye”. That’s it. He had a glass eye, it’s missing, but because the actor wasn’t also missing an eye

It’s got less meat on it than a chicken __nugget.