Mundane observation dome

[Warbodog]

Do you have any miscellaneous insights on the series that may be worth contemplating for a few seconds before moving on with our lives? Here are some of mine.

1. The four regulars have names that can work any way around, though this would have been more obvious if David Ross had stayed and wouldn’t work if Chris Barrie used his real name.

2. The series’ lax attitude to continuity extends to the setting. Outside of Holly’s distress calls, I don’t think three million years is mentioned all that much after series I and before VI (not sure about later years). Instead, we get the extremely fudged “dead for centuries” and “travelling for thousands of years” – not actual retcons, but suggesting a more conventional setting for casual viewers tuning in and the sort of stories they’re telling. It’s only millions when they need it to be.

3. 200 years of stasis between series V and VI means that the earlier series took place in their equivalent of the early 19th century by comparison (e.g. Blackadder the Third). Since they didn’t run into a long-lived Camille or one of her great-great-etc grandchildren, it didn’t come up.

4. Although Lister is routinely slagged off in the series, he’s spared the level of seemingly authoritative character assassination that Rimmer gets, because the audience is aligned with Lister’s viewpoint most of the time. For example, we see Kochanski Camille belittling Rimmer’s interests, but we don’t get the equivalent of Hologram Camille reacting to Lister’s pickup lines, we’re left to form our own opinions on those. This flimsy point has not been considered much beyond this single example.

5. Cat’s costumes are overwhelmingly referenced more than anyone else’s in the series, but the least discussed by fans.

6. Ace Rimmer and Duane Dibbley were so seemingly ubiquitous in canon and tie-in merchandise through the 90s (Smegazine strips, T-shirts) that they still feel overused today, even though it’s been over 20 years since they appeared. Maybe they’re allowed back after all.

7. Only series III & V and maybe XI & XII (not as familiar with those) don’t have any sense of an arc whatsoever (though IV’s minor Kryten disobedience arc was already fucked up by episode shuffling). Series III is just about the only series where no episode directly references any previous episode, but it still has the Backwards scrolling text and general references to Rimmer having died and stuff.

8. One of the series’ most famous and quoted scenes – everybody’s dead, Dave – is a straight-up 2001: A Space Odyssey homage and would have been received that way at the time, but doesn’t work like that for most people coming to the episode later on or new viewers who are young or don’t watch old films.

9. Sometimes dismissed as lightweight and gimmicky today, Backwards was designed as an innovative interactive experience to reward extracurricular effort. As well as inviting fans to work out the backwards events and filming logistics, Arthur Smith’s eugolonom is teasingly long and “you scoundrels” is clearly a cleaned-up translation gag even before you’ve heard it. Unfortunately, by the time technology caught up with the intent and the ability to reverse media files properly on home computers became commonplace, Backwards Forwards came out and everyone just cheated with the walkthrough.

Imagine the quality of the musings I left out!

Topic

[Technopeasant]

Kerry Shale reads for every one of the Knuckles clan in a racist impression of whatever the hell a Mayan accent sounds like.

See last week’s Futurama

[tombow]

I also saw that and thought of this thread

[loadoftottnumb]

I was today years old and all that, when I realised that one of the scousers in the Harry Enfield sketches (Gary Bleasdale) played ‘Frank’ in Red Dwarf. 

Not that Frank, nor that one. The other one, no the Scouse one. 

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

https://reddwarf.co.uk/features/interviews/gary-bleasdale/

Mr Flibble asked about HARRY ENFIELD – why didn’t Red Dwarf fans recognise you from The Scousers do you think?

Probably because I wasn’t wearing a wig and a moustache in Red Dwarf! Every job I’ve done since Harry Enfield has been wearing a wig and a moustache! Very strange…

[Rudolph]

Bloody parents forcing us to learn life-saving skills. I only went through with it to get the promised Garfield Annual.

Exactly the same, but for me it was a Power Rangers pencil case.

[Stephen Abootman]

Slow news day? https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/red-dwarf-fans-spot-major-33424275

[Technopeasant]

So what did lazy journalists do before social media?

This shite also showed up in my news feed…

https://screenrant.com/patrick-stewart-loves-red-dwarf-star-trek-tng-ripoff/

Red Dwarf A-Z was about to ring up their lawyer…

[Warbodog]

This shite also showed up in my news feed…
https://screenrant.com/patrick-stewart-loves-red-dwarf-star-trek-tng-ripoff/

[Warbodog]

[Podey]

Exactly the same, but for me it was a Power Rangers pencil case.

Might be an appropriate moment to share what I made in Primary School…. 

I distinctly remember stealing this logo design (ie the style of the lettering and how everything is placed) from one that was drawn for a comic submitted to BTL. 

I actually used this when I took an arts degree in my late twenties….

[Warbodog]

I distinctly remember stealing this logo design (ie the style of the lettering and how everything is placed) from one that was drawn for a comic submitted to BTL.

You can see the progression of the ‘ringed planet’ idea in the Smegazine logos, but arty fans could have followed a similar thought process independently.

[Podey]

I know, but there was a specific one in a comic that I was copying. I’ll have to see if I can find it.

[loadoftottnumb]

Hmmmmm, I just wonder you know. 

Red Dwarf ‘news’ popping up out of the blue, for no apparent reason? 

I wonder if there is a PR agency involved who have been tasked with warming up the market. 

[International Debris]

Speaking of Smegazines, aren’t we massively overdue a Dwarfcast?

[Dave]

I wonder if there is a PR agency involved who have been tasked with warming up the market. 

If this is the case then there’s a real danger they’ve started too big. I mean, how do you top a bombshell like “Rimmer changed costume in Series III”?

[Ben Saunders]

Might be an appropriate moment to share what I made in Primary School….

Very cool.

[Stabbim the Skutter]

As someone who discovered the show during the Wilderness Years, I find it interesting that they continued with the Starbug setting for Series VII. At the time the show had come back from its longest hiatus yet, and so many status quo details were changed from Series VI. So you have these two series that feel worlds apart in many different ways, yet they share this one unique setting.

Those who were there in 1997; was it agonising that Red Dwarf was back, but there was STILL no Red Dwarf? I imagine the ending of Nanarchy must have been quite exciting, especially with the return of Norm as Holly too.

[Podey]

I loved them being on Starbug and very much didn’t want them to go back on the mothership.

In fact, when I was looking through BTLs earlier for that comic I saw an “end of Series 7” questionnaire that I had filled in but not sent. The last question was how you felt about the crew finding RD again at the end and if you preferred them being on the small rouge one or Starbug, I answered the latter. 

[Dave]

Those who were there in 1997; was it agonising that Red Dwarf was back, but there was STILL no Red Dwarf? I imagine the ending of Nanarchy must have been quite exciting, especially with the return of Norm as Holly too.

My memory is of not being particularly bothered about the setting, it was more jarring that the feel of the show was so different. And eventually getting Red Dwarf back in Series VIII didn’t change that.

[International Debris]

I think at that time, VI was the only series I had on video, so although I’d seen most of the earlier episodes, Starbug was kind of a natural home at that time. That said, I loved the Red Dwarf model and wanted to see more of it, so was happy they were back in the red at the end. Sadly we all know how that ended.

[Technopeasant]

 I mean, how do you top a bombshell like “Rimmer changed costume in Series III”?

Just imagine what the press will say when they catch up to Series VII!

[tombow]

I was just thinking that Series X was the first “normal” series (set on the main ship, not very experimental or upheaval-affected) since V, which was 20 years gap (1992-2012).

[Ian Symes]

Hmmmmm, I just wonder you know. 

Red Dwarf ‘news’ popping up out of the blue, for no apparent reason? 

I wonder if there is a PR agency involved who have been tasked with warming up the market. 

As someone who works for a television PR agency, this would be a really fucking weird and unprecedented tactic, if so. Mainly because you’d normally want to keep your powder dry until you’ve got actual news so that it makes more impact, but also if this was a bold new tactic, then there’s way better things to be seeding than this. Where’s the articles based on whether or not Rimmer was shocked by Lister’s penis because of its size or the state of its hygiene, you cowards?

[Ian Symes]

Speaking of Smegazines, aren’t we massively overdue a Dwarfcast?

Danny’s computer broke, but it’s better now.

[loadoftottnumb]

Hmmmmm, I just wonder you know. 
Red Dwarf ‘news’ popping up out of the blue, for no apparent reason? 
I wonder if there is a PR agency involved who have been tasked with warming up the market. 
As someone who works for a television PR agency, this would be a really fucking weird and unprecedented tactic, if so. Mainly because you’d normally want to keep your powder dry until you’ve got actual news so that it makes more impact, but also if this was a bold new tactic, then there’s way better things to be seeding than this. Where’s the articles based on whether or not Rimmer was shocked by Lister’s penis because of its size or the state of its hygiene, you cowards?

Yep you’re probably right, I was just trying to make sense of two random RD articles appearing so close together, out of the blue (new special title?) for no apparent reason. 

[Technopeasant]

In fairness, Screen Rant pumps this stuff out all the time, and the hook was more Patrick Stewart than Red Dwarf.

Most amusing was this one which I almost suspect was written by AI…

https://screenrant.com/longest-running-tv-show-franchises/

“Doctor Who first aired all the way back in 1963, and went up until 1989. It later returned in 2005, and now is still releasing new episodes. It has a total of 26 seasons and 883 episodes so far and about seven different variations of the Doctor over the years.”

[Unrumble]

In fairness, Screen Rant pumps this stuff out all the time, and the hook was more Patrick Stewart than Red Dwarf.

Most amusing was this one which I almost suspect was written by AI…

https://screenrant.com/longest-running-tv-show-franchises/

“Doctor Who first aired all the way back in 1963, and went up until 1989. It later returned in 2005, and now is still releasing new episodes. It has a total of 26 seasons and 883 episodes so far and about seven different variations of the Doctor over the years.”

It’s not like it’s inaccurate (though “‘went up’ until 1989” is amusing) until you get to the very end, when it suddenly gives off the air of someone relaying a half-remembered Wiki article.

[Flap Jack]

Discussion around this new Alien film coming out made me realise – thanks to later films in the series revealing that the Xenomorph is actually evolved from man-made creations, it would be perfectly compatible with Red Dwarf’s “no aliens” rule. Despite the fact the franchise is literally called “Alien”.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

New thread – Things from other things that Red Dwarf parodied, that other things subsequently revealed to be closer to the parody than the original concept 

[Unrumble]

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

[Nick R]

New thread – Things from other things that Red Dwarf parodied, that other things subsequently revealed to be closer to the parody than the original concept 

I loved the bit in Blade Runner 2049 where K ends up the set of The Mickey Mouse Club and meets Ryan Gosling.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

Corrie really took a turn when they decided to reveal the characters were all actually playing a computer game on a space ship in the future 

[Dave]

Discussion around this new Alien film coming out made me realise – thanks to later films in the series revealing that the Xenomorph is actually evolved from man-made creations, it would be perfectly compatible with Red Dwarf’s “no aliens” rule. Despite the fact the franchise is literally called “Alien”.

Alternatively, given that Prometheus shows the extraterrestrial Engineers creating the human race in the first place, everyone in it is an alien.

[Unrumble]

Alternatively, given that Prometheus shows the extraterrestrial Engineers creating the human race in the first place, everyone in it is an alien.

[Nick R]

DIS EVERYONE MUST BE A ALIEN OR SUTIN

[Warbodog]

According to the script for ‘Psirens,’ Lister’s fingernails in the opening scene are about 6 inches long.

According to The Usborne Big Book of the Body*, fingernails grow about 4 cm (1.5 inches) per year.

To take the completely literal interpretation that’s always encouraged with Red Dwarf, Lister physically aged around 4 years (give or take an existing fingernail) while in deep sleep, meaning the unit was operating at around 98% efficiency.

* 

[Dave]

[Nick R]

[Warbodog]

[Nick R]

[Warbodog]

[Technopeasant]

Discussion around this new Alien film coming out made me realise – thanks to later films in the series revealing that the Xenomorph is actually evolved from man-made creations, it would be perfectly compatible with Red Dwarf’s “no aliens” rule. Despite the fact the franchise is literally called “Alien”.

I mean, they also reveal that WE are alien made, so…

But then…

[Technopeasant]

To take the completely literal interpretation that’s always encouraged with Red Dwarf, Lister physically aged around 4 years (give or take an existing fingernail) while in deep sleep, meaning the unit was operating at around 98% efficiency.
* 

[Technopeasant]

[Flap Jack]

He never said the stupid planet with intelligent life he created was Earth.

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

He never said the stupid planet with intelligent life he created was Earth.

[Technopeasant]

So as you can see…

Me, I’m still waiting for Prometheus Infinity to reveal the Engineers are hyper-evolved humans going back in time to fulfill the time loop.

Someone really shoulda told Ridley that Mary Shelly copyrighted the modern prometheous in 1818…

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

What if the Engineers are really hyper evolved Xenomorphs???

I don’t know what’s going on. Nothing beyond Aliens exists to me. And that’s touch and go sometimes. 

[Future Producer of Series IX – aaaaany day now]

Or what if Xenomorphs, humans and Engineers are all different evolutionary stages of the same basic organism?

Actually, Chris Bidmead might want royalties for that.

[Author]

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