"I am alive!"
Rimmer's last words... ("Timeslides", Series III)
Explosives were part of the mining equipment in the cargo bays of the JMC mining spaceship Red Dwarf, along with bazookoids and holo-saws.
They were used to blow apart asteroids to obtain the ore within. Larger scale explosives could be used at a safe distance in the form of mining torpedoes.
Appearances[]
Series III[]
Three million years into the future, Arnold Rimmer attempted to mess around with the timeline through the use of timeslides to give himself a break. His initial goal (that he never joined Red Dwarf) was unsuccessful, but as he bemoaned his bad luck, Holly realised an unexpected consequence was that Rimmer was no longer a hologram who died in the radiation leak, but was once again human, alive and whole.
Elated, Rimmer took a bite from Adolf Hitler's banana sandwich, and called for Kryten to unpack Rachael and get out the puncture repair kit. The others didn't hear Rimmer's cries of joy as they walked off down a corridor in the cargo bays. Rimmer followed them, fondling supply crates and thumping them. Rimmer eventually brought his fists down on two crates marked "explosives", which immediately blew Rimmer to smithereens. The others dismissed the bang, and whatever Rimmer had been shouting about, and continued walking. ("Timeslides", Series III)
The next episode, Rimmer was once again a hologram.
Series IV[]
The Dwarfers used an experimental thermonuclear device fired from a launcher on Starbug into a nearby star to create a massive solar flare. This in turn knocked some planets around, eventually blocking up a White Hole with one of the planets. Lister referred to this as "playing pool with planets". ("White Hole", Series IV)
Series V[]
A "sparkling welcome orb" ("Demons & Angels", Series V)
A few years later, two copies of Red Dwarf were formed by the Triplicator. Entering the cargo bays of the Low Red Dwarf, the Boys from the Dwarf and the Highs came under bazookoid fire. High Kryten and High Cat were shot numerous times, exclaiming that it must have been an accident, and that they loved their attackers. The Lows then threw some makeshift grenades that they had crafted from the mining explosives. High Kryten and High Cat believed it to be a "sparkling welcome orb", admiring it as the others ran away. It exploded, killing the highs. ("Demons & Angels", Series V)
When under the surface of an ocean moon, Holly was a able to use limpet mines from Starbug to destroy a Despair Squid which threatened the ship, whilst the rest of the Dwarfers were disabled due to being under the influence of the squid's hallucinogenic ink. The destruction of the squid happens off-screen, however. ("Back to Reality", Series V)
Series VI[]
Using garbage bombs filled with nitro to explode rogue asteroids ("Psirens", Series VI)
When the Dwarfers lost Red Dwarf and were stranded on Starbug, they were forced to chase down their mothership and attempt to take a short cut through an asteroid belt. Since this was before Starbug had acquired laser cannons, Starbug used balls of garbage ejected from the waste disposal units to blow up wayward asteroids that would have otherwise threatened Starbug. The garbage balls were filled with thermo nitroglycerin. ("Psirens", Series VI)
The scouter of Starbug contained cutting devices and small explosive charges which it used for entering derelict spaceships. ("Psirens", Series VI)
Later Appearances[]
- The Groinal Exploder which was placed on Dave Lister by the BEGGs contained explosives, but was disarmed with the help of Irene Edgington. ("Entangled", Series X)
- The Dwarfers used Helium-7-rich sand scraped from the boom of Lister's boots (picked up on the surface of Planet Rimmer) as a makeshift explosive device to escape a prison cell aboard SS Enconium. ("Timewave", Series XII)
- Under the orders of Rodon, the Feral Cats left a massive, timed bomb on G Deck of Red Dwarf. Given that the digital readouts on the bomb were in English it is possible that it was one of the Dwarf's own mining torpedoes. Rimmer, supercharged by the Anubis Stone into a Diamond-Light Hologram named "The Mighty Light", used his powers to take the bomb out to a safe distance away from the ship, where it exploded harmlessly. (The Promised Land)
See Also[]