What would Red Dwarf be like without Lister?

[Rushy]

In series 7, we lost Rimmer, and it changed the show’s tone and dynamics dramatically. 

But what if it was Craig Charles who had left in 1997?

Presumably, Doug would have tried to push on regardless. So what kind of storyline do you think he would have written to conclude Lister’s storyline, and who would be the new fourth member of the crew? 

Topic

[Warbodog]

No idea, so instead I tried to work out which episodes both characters feel like they have the least presence or relevance in.

Lister-lite:

Possibly Holoship (has the classic Binks scene and some others, but more passive in events than usual)

Only the Good (pranks Kryten and gets pissed, then tags along)

Rimmer-lite:

The Last Day (Uncle Frank story and some quips)

Tikka to Ride (could be swapped for Kochanski for the most part)

Lister is more vital anyway.

[Nick R]

Series VII survived the loss of Rimmer, but if it had been Lister who left instead, I think it would be harder to justify continuing the series without him. As much as we like the other characters, would we want to continue to follow them on adventures without the last human?

The obvious idea way to work around Craig deciding to leave is to just follow the way Kochanski gets brought into the series, and replace Lister with an alternate version of him from another universe/timeline. Maybe bring back Angela Bruce? Or Craig Bierko? (It’s not as if he was up to much in 1996…)

Or come up with another excuse to have Lister played by a different actor, like have him mind-swapped into a different body.

[Flap Jack]

Potentially Ouroboros would have been reworked as a Lister send off. He reunites with Kochanski and discovers the truth about his lineage, but instead of dropping his baby self in the past and returning, he goes back permanently – justified as a limitation of the time drive. “It can take you back to Earth when you were found, but it can only carry 2 adults, and it’s only good for one trip”, something like that.

I don’t have any strong ideas about the new 4th crew member, but if they kept the idea of Kochanski coming from a parallel universe, then maybe an extra crewmember could have survived the radiation leak. Let’s say in that universe Yvonne McGruder was in stasis for committing a crime that was a bit more serious than pet smuggling, and also that she never had a thing with that universe’s Rimmer.

[Warbodog]

replace Lister with an alternate version of him from another universe/timeline.

Introduce Emile Charles as Lister’s brother like when Jerry O’Connell’s brother took over in Sliders when no one was watching any more.

[Technopeasant]

As much as we like the other characters, would we want to continue to follow them on adventures without the last human?

[Rushy]

Series VII survived the loss of Rimmer, but if it had been Lister who left instead, I think it would be harder to justify continuing the series without him. As much as we like the other characters, would we want to continue to follow them on adventures without the last human? 

Counter-argument: 

[Asclepius]

I don’t think it’d make the best TV to be honest.

Scene: Stasis booths

LISTER: Is this going to hurt?

TODHUNTER: Haven’t you ever travelled interstellar?

LISTER: No.

TODHUNTER: Oh, you don’t feel a thing. The stasis room creates a static field of time. See, just as X-rays can’t pass through lead, time cannot penetrate a stasis field. So, although you exist, you no longer exists in time, and for you time itself does not exist. You see, although you’re still a mass, you are no longer an event in space-time, you are a non-event mass with a quantum probability of zero.

LISTER: Oh. Simple as that, eh?

TODHUNTER opens the door, and LISTER steps inside.

LISTER: OK, I’m ready.

TODHUNTER: See you in 18 months.

TODHUNTER closes the door

TODHUNTER: (To HOLLY) Holly, activate the stasis field.

HOLLY (distracted): Spit on her wrist?

TODHUNTER walks off, not having heard.

We see LISTER waving through a window in the door. He continues to wave.

SET: Drive Room

Captain HOLLISTER is yelling at RIMMER who is standing at attention. A few random officers stand in the back.

HOLLISTER:  Look, it was your job to fix it, Rimmer! You can’t do sloppy work on the drive plate!

RIMMER: I know, sir, and I accept full responsibility for *any* consequences. (Executes a Full-Rimmer salute.)

A blinding white light glares and everyone is blown across the room by a tremendous wind. The white light rushes through the rest of the ship, including the stasis booths, none of which were activated.

HOLLY: Emergency. There’s an emergency going on. It’s still going on. Will Arnold J. Rimmer please hurry to white corridor 159. This is an emergency announcement.

We see RIMMER as he is thrown against a wall, screaming

RIMMER: aaaaiiiiiiiuuuuurrrrghhhhh… Gazpacho soup.

RIMMER is blown out of shot until only his arm is visible which falls into the shattered remains of a snow flurry paperweight (echoes of “Citizen Kane”).

CAPTION: 3,000,000 years later

An air vent falls off the wall, and a guy dressed in a pink suit climbs out of the duct.  This is the CAT.  He does a somersault and three twirls.

CAT: Aaahhh, ooowww, eee!  How am I looking?  (He pulls out a small mirror.) Looking nice.  No, wait a minute.  I’m looking better than nice.  I’m looking dangerous.  Aaaoooww, dangerous!  Aaaooowww!  Hey, what’s that?  Oh, it’s my shadow.  Hey, even my shadow’s looking  nice!  I’m looking nice, my shadow’s looking nice — what a team!  We are unbelievable!  OK, team, this way.  (He points in one direction and then changes his mind) No, this way.  Aaaooowww, yeah.  (He reaches an intersection) This way!

Another corridor.

The CAT spins into view.

Suddenly the CAT enters the bunkroom room, twirling and howling.

CAT: Aaahhh, ooohhh, yeah– (Freezing as he notices a crease

CAT: (Noticing something on his sleeve) Whoa!  Crease!

CAT pulls out a small steam iron and runs it over the sleeve.

CREDITS ROLL.

[Warbodog]

CAT: (Noticing something on his sleeve) Whoa!  Crease!

CAT pulls out a small steam iron and runs it over the sleeve.

CREDITS ROLL.

Cat settles down with the Nova 5 crew without anyone to cock block his necrophilia while Kryten serves them and watches Androids. Kryten obediently dismantles himself before Hudzen arrives, then Hudzen kills Cat anyway. The Inquisitor eventually shows up and Hudzen gets off through insanity. Meanwhile, on the pointlessly orbiting Red Dwarf, some cats show up looking for Lister and get disillusioned.

[Warbodog]

Correction: Just remembered they only met Kryten because Lister told Holly to head in the direction of Earth at the end of episode 1. So it would actually be quite different.

[clem]

If everyone including Lister was killed in the radiation leak presumably Holly would revive Hollister as a hologram, who could decide to head for Earth and so you could still have Kryten as well as Cat, Holly and Hollister.

As for what the OP actually asked, simply write out Lister after Tikka where he gets beaten to death by the other three at the end.

[Nick R]

As for what the OP actually asked, simply write out Lister after Tikka where he gets beaten to death by the other three at the end.

[Asclepius]

If everyone including Lister was killed in the radiation leak presumably Holly would revive Hollister as a hologram, who could decide to head for Earth and so you could still have Kryten as well as Cat, Holly and Hollister.
As for what the OP actually asked, simply write out Lister after Tikka where he gets beaten to death by the other three at the end.

I don’t think Holly would/does do that though. He only resurrects Rimmer shortly before/after Lister, doesn’t he? I know it’s not stated specifically in the series, but in the book Rimmet comes ‘back’ a few weeks after Dave.

Hollister doesn’t seem to have been something that Holly ever considered.

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

[tombow]

I wondered at the time why they didn’t replace Rimmer with another similar hologram nerd. Say Don Warrington or someone – let’s forget Holoship canon and say he was a science officer who Kochanski briefly dated and dumped for being too dull. And imagine if CC left but they just replaced him with a similar likable slob – someone like Simon Pegg, Kris Marshall or Dylan Moran who was known for that kind of “relatable guy” comedy role. Some guy they find who is stranded in space who was left in stasis on his own. Could that have worked?

[Author]

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