Dave Lister under the influence of Perception Filter Software and sleeping on his now-invisible sofa
Perception Filter Software was an advanced technology used by the ruthless M-Corp to ensure brand loyalty among its customers, whether they be willing or unwilling customers.
Description[]
It is unclear exactly how Perception Filter Software worked, although it could be installed inside spaceships as software updates and them beamed around the vessel. Alternatively, it could even infect humans themselves in a virus-like form, albeit a synthetic one, and by hacking the brain like a computer virus.
Those unfortunate enough to be affected by Perception Filter Software could only see goods and products that had been manufactured by M-Corp, or were owned by M-Corp. Any other goods from another organisation would become invisible to the affected. Also, those affected would not be able to see or hear any individuals not employed by M-Corp.
Lister as Victim[]
Three million years later, the Jupiter Mining Corporation spaceship Red Dwarf was still drifting around the Galaxy, and containing the last human in existence, Dave Lister. When Lister and his crewmates installed some long-belayed software updates, they discovered that their parent company the JMC had been bought out by another company, M-Corp. A teleporter appeared, and then the ship began to fill with M-Corp goods and products.
Lister first realised that something was wrong when Cat opened a can of Leopard Lager, spraying Lister in the face with it - only the can was invisible to Lister. Going to Kryten for an explanation, Kryten explained his theory that Lister had been affected by Perception Filter Software. Kryten soon proved this theory with some simple tests involving holding up M-Corp products and non-M-Corp products in front of Lister. Lister could not see the latter; thankfully one of which he hoped was a vibrating electric toothbrush. When Lister said that he could not hear Arnold Rimmer, Cat said that it was a blessing. Before long, Kryten, Cat and Rimmer had all become mute and invisible to Lister.
Lister was seen sleeping on his now-invisible sofa, brushing his teeth with an invisible toothbrush, and painstakingly cooking breakfast with invisible utensils. Lonely and desperate, Lister accepted an invitation by the M-Corp avatar Aniter to join her in the M-Corp World. However, she broke his will by tormenting him relentlessly. Forcing him to make endless purchases, Aniter began to charge Lister in time itself when he ran out of DollarPounds.
Eventually, Lister's crewmates were able to discover the location of the M-Corp World by tracking an electronic medical implant named Chippy which was still inside Lister. Kryten defeated Aniter and removed her power over the M-Corp World by purchasing a malicious computer virus, which disabled her and restored Lister to his former age and appearance.
The gang returned to Red Dwarf, where the Dwarfers had removed the influence of the M-Corp update by performing a ship-wide factory reset, but discovered that Lister could still not see them. Kryten contacted Lister through the Chippy implant inside him, telling him that the Perception Filter Software was still inside Lister's brain - and that he needed informed consent to wipe his brain to remove the virus. Lister agreed, and the wipe was performed, with Lister's brain reinstalled from a backup made when he was 23. Kryten explained that it would take a month to restore Lister's full profile using footage from the security cameras. ("M-Corp", Series XII)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
to be completed