Skipper (Red Dwarf)

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"Skipper"
Red Dwarf episode
Episode no.Series 12
Episode 6
Directed by Doug Naylor
Written by Doug Naylor
Original air date16 November 2017 (2017-11-16)
Guest appearances
  • Norman Lovett as Holly
  • Mac McDonald as Captain Hollister
  • Richard Brimblecombe as Bradley
  • Tina Harris as Parkinson
  • Hayley-Marie Axe as Calm Woman (Voice)
Episode chronology
 Previous
"M-Corp"
Next 
"The Promised Land"
List of episodes

"Skipper" is the sixth episode of Red Dwarf XII and the 73rd in the series run. Originally broadcast on the British television channel Dave on 16 November 2017, it was made available early on 9 November 2017 on UKTV Play.

Contents

Kryten invents a new device, coined the "quantum skipper", which Rimmer uses in an attempt to find a universe where he is more successful.

Synopsis

The crew look through Captain Hollister's files on the crew, where he derides both Lister and Rimmer as terrible employees. While Lister shows little care over it, Rimmer is angered and insults the other three, claiming he should've surrounded himself with people more successful than him (with them pointing-out that they are). Later in the day, Kryten notices a strange phenomenon on the monitors, which turns out to be a disruption in spacetime that reverts their timeline to one where their actions are or aren't taken. Such as switching from the timeline where Cat doesn't cook Lister breakfast to the one where it does.

After regrouping, the crew discover it was Kryten's new invention, the quantum skipper, which caused the error in time. After fixing his mistake, Rimmer requests he use the quantum skipper to traverse realities to find a better universe to live in compared to the one he's living in now. Kryten agrees, and the three see him off as Rimmer unceremoniously takes off. The first universe Rimmer travels to sees him on Red Dwarf pre-radiation leak; here, Rimmer is a hologram, unlike in his reality where he was alive before it occurred. After meeting-up with that universe's Holly and Captain Hollister, who was attempting a futile escape on a jammed escape pod, Rimmer escapes to a new universe. In the next one, Rimmer meets a more distinguished version of the crew, only for this universe's Cat to instead be a human-sized rat, known as Mr. Rat, alongside an entire race of rats who, unlike Cat's species, never left Red Dwarf. Rimmer decidedly leaves that one, and travels across several others, all he loathes.

Finally, he reaches one where he is an officer on Red Dwarf, is married, and has four boys — all of which Rimmer has always wanted. When reporting to the captain, however, he discovers Lister is the captain, having been the one to prevent the initial radiation leak and becoming immensely rich off Red Dwarf stocks when it discovered a valuable gas moon. Despite all his successes, Rimmer decides to abandon that universe, unable to cope with Lister being more successful than him. He returns to his original universe and joins the crew for a game of cards, with Lister remarking even with infinite universes at Rimmer's disposal, "infinite clearly wasn't enough".

Production

With the returns of Holly and Captain Hollister, "Skipper" marks the return of Norman Lovett and Mac McDonald respectively to the show after their last appearance 18 years previously in the Series VIII finale, "Only the Good...". McDonald's scene was prerecorded and shown to the studio audience on monitors, whilst Lovett's scene was filmed live. [1]

Reception

"Skipper" received positive reviews from critics [2] and fans. [3] Writing for Cultbox, Sophie Davies summed up her feelings on the episode, "Next year will mark 30 years since Red Dwarf first appeared on our screens, and unless Dave commissions some sort of anniversary special sharpish, 'Skipper' functions perfectly well as a celebration of the show. This series finale full of nods to the past is sure to please the long-term fans, but overall it's more than simple fan service because there are plenty of new ideas in the mix too." [4] In a 2018 poll conducted by Red Dwarf fansite, Ganymede & Titan, "Skipper" ranked the highest of both Series XII and the entire revival series since Back to Earth , coming in at 31 out of 73 episodes. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Lister</span> Fictional character in Red Dwarf

David Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles.

"Back in the Red" is the opening three-part episode of series VIII of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf. Part 1 was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 18 February 1999 followed by Part 2 on 25 February and Part 3 on 4 March.

"Only the Good..." is the final episode in the eighth series and the original run of the British science fiction series Red Dwarf. It was first shown in the UK on 5 April 1999 in the 9:00 pm BBC2 time slot, and was written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye. The episode also marks the final regular appearance of Chloë Annett as Kochanski and Norman Lovett as Holly. Both characters would reappear in a guest capacity in later episodes. This would be the last series of Red Dwarf to broadcast on BBC2. Red Dwarf: Back to Earth would be the next instalment of the series.

"Kryten" is the seventh episode from science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, the first from series two, and was first broadcast on BBC2 on 6 September 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, this episode introduced the mechanoid character Kryten. The episode was re-mastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.

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"Marooned" is the second episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series III, and the fourteenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 21 November 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the story is about Lister and Rimmer being marooned together on a bleak ice planet. The episode was re-mastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.

"Rimmerworld" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series VI and the 35th in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 4 November 1993, was written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and was directed by Andy de Emmony.

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"Timewave" is the third episode of Red Dwarf XII and the 70th in the series run. Originally broadcast on the British television channel Dave on 26 October 2017, it was made available early on 19 October 2017 on UKTV Play.

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"Give & Take" is the third episode of Red Dwarf XI and the 64th in the series run. Originally broadcast on the British television channel Dave on 6 October 2016, it was made available early on 30 September 2016 on UKTV Play.

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References

  1. "Skipper", reddwarf.co.uk
  2. Mark Harrison (16 November 2017), Red Dwarf XII episode 6 review: Skipper, Den of Geek
  3. Ian Symes (14 November 2017), Red Dwarf XII: Skipper Review, Ganymede & Titan
  4. Sophie Davies (16 November 2017), Red Dwarf XII episode 6 review: Skipper, Cultbox
  5. Ian Symes (15 February 2018), The Pearl Poll Results, Ganymede & Titan