Is Arnold Rimmer a tragic hero?

[flanl3]

The more times I watch Red Dwarf, the more I seem to feel sorry for Rimmer instead of just hating him, to the point that when, for school, I was asked to find elements of Greek tragic heroes in different cases from modern times, I managed to fill every single element in with an example of none other from Arnie himself. So, the question follows, is Arnold Judas Rimmer a tragic hero who gets our sympathy for his flaws despite his wish to be great, or am I just a piece-of-garbage human being glad to have my kind represented in the media?

Topic

[Pete Tranter’s Sister]

He’s a product of his upbringing, as we all are, but from those beginnings, he had a choice to makem as he grew up.

Do you let what has come before define you, turn you into a creature of habit and excuses like Arnold, or do you break free of the negatives, knuckle down and reshape who you wish to be, both in yourself and as presented to the world at large, like Ace.

He’s not a bad man. In fact, he’s a very clever, heroic, noble man at times.

At times.

He could be so much more, he knows it and something inside him, something half-glimpsed stops that.

[RamesesNiblickTheThird]

After seeing Officer Rimmer showcasing he is a still vain idiot and loves power – that got me wondering would he still be happy to abandon the crew like in Rimmerworld?

[Ridley]

There are extenuating circumstances for Rimmerworld (and Meltdown (and Back to Earth)) though.

[srmcd1]

I don’t think he’d straight up abandon them. I mean, he did *try* to save Lister and Cat in Give & Take. And he’s shown a lot more concern for their well-being across XI. I just think Rob and Doug set it up that once a series, they need to have a “Rimmer is an arsehole” episode (Bodyswap, Meltdown, Quarantine, Rimmerworld, Blue, Back in the Red, Trojan, Officer Rimmer)

[flanl3]

I just think Rob and Doug set it up that once a series, they need to have a “Rimmer is an arsehole” episode (Bodyswap, Meltdown, Quarantine, Rimmerworld, Blue, Back in the Red, Trojan, Officer Rimmer)

Me^2, The Literal Entire Of Series II

[srmcd1]

I think Rimmer’s just a straight up antagonist in Series I, and Series II, he’s less of a bastard in Better Than Life, and hardly a bastard in Thanks for the Memory.

[Author]

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