Tongue Tied
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The Infinity Patrol, also called the Infinity Fleet and the Space Corps Super Infinity Fleet, were an elite, time-traveling agency branch of the Space Corps Deep Space military.

Appearances[]

Series III[]

The Infinity Patrol were included in the script for "Dad", the unproduced first episode of Series III, which was eventually replaced by "Backwards".

However, various segments of "Dad" were reconstructed in story-board form for inclusion in The Bodysnatcher Collection. These include a scene which features agents of the Infinity Patrol, and one segment where they are further mentioned as being integral to the events of "Dad".

Infinity Patrol

Rimmer encounters two agents of the Infinity Patrol.
"Dad", The Bodysnatcher Collection

Arnold Rimmer meets two agents of the agency who come aboard Red Dwarf. The agents claim to have been steering human civilization from the beginning, but all they do is irritate Rimmer, repeatedly asking if he knows someone called Bill who was also from the 22nd-century like Rimmer.

The agents explain that their primary task of the agency is to safeguard the continuation of the human race, whereas their secondary objective is repairing damage to the time-line and stopping paradoxes, and their third objective is the exploration of space and time. They claim to be behind many of mankind's greatest discoveries - Penicillin, the silicon chip, the Theory of Relativity." They also claim invention of deely boppers.

It was the temporal agents who had rectified the aftermath of Dave Lister's pregnancy (with Lister having become pregnant at the last episode of Series II, "Parallel Universe"). They also enabled Lister to briefly return to his favourite watering hole, the Aigburth Arms.

The agents also enabled the Dwarfers to use Timeslides, which feature prominently in a later episode of Series III, and which ultimately does indeed result in a new, straitened-out timeline.

Possible Appearances[]

Bongo

Bongo, Admiral of "The Fleet"

Although not explicitly stated, it is seems plausible the hologrammatical spaceship Enlightenment, seen in the first episode of Series V, is a part of the Infinity Patrol. It is said to contain the cream of the Space Corps, and the holo-ship does indeed explore both space and time, through the use of wormholes.

It is also possible that the dimension-hopping Wildfire, driven by Ace Rimmer from a test base on Mimas, was part of the Infinity Fleet. Or perhaps a precursor to its development.

Series X[]

Space Corps Super Infinity Fleet Badge

Howard Rimmer's Super Infinity Fleet Badge
"Trojan", Series X

Rimmer meets his high-flying brother Howard Rimmer in the first episode of Series X, who the Dwarfers rescue from the doomed Columbus 3.

Columbus 3 had been part of the "Space Corps Super Infinity Fleet" using quantum rods to transport across space and time. Another vessel in the episode, SS Trojan, commandeered by the Dwarfers, was also part of The Fleet.

The Dwarfers pretended to be the crew of SS Trojan and part of The Fleet in an attempt to impress Rimmer's brother, who thought Arnold "had gone down with that rust bucket".

After dying of injuries sustained by Sim Crawford, Howard was in fact only the vending machine repairman of Columbus 3, like Arnold, and was only pretending to be a "ripped and pipped space marine."

Series XI[]

When a massive, unknown spacecraft is headed towards Starbug, Rimmer suggests that it possibly contained self-appointed time marines from the future who journey though history hunting down those who have committed great crimes. Cat say that this must mean the guy who invented dungarees. Rimmer suggests that they will be after him due to some never-forgotten, insignificant slight he committed in his youth. Lister suggests that it would be more likely to be because of the accident in which Rimmer wiped out the Red Dwarf crew. ("Twentica" deleted scenes, Series XI)

Trivia[]

  • The likelihood that the "Infinity Patrol" seen in Series III and the "Space Corps Super Infinity Fleet" seen in Series X are the same agency is high, given a number of similar factors, including moderus operandi, and down to the Infinity badges worn by the agents described in the script for in "Dad" are the same as Howard Rimmer's in "Trojan".
  • SS Manny Celeste, Enlightenment, and Gemini 12 were all time travelling craft and so possibly part of the Infinity Fleet.



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