RD: Holoship

Holoship
Series	Series V
Written By	Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
Director	Juliet May
Guest Star(s)	Matthew Marsh as Captain Hercule Platini Jane Horrocks as Nirvannah Crane
Episode Chronology
Overall Episode No.	Episode 501
Previous	Meltdown
Next	The Inquisitor

Overview

Rimmer's dreams are nearly made reality as he is abducted by an incredibly snobby Holocrew who test Rimmer's mettle to see if he's worthy of joining the crew. He uses a risky procedure to make him smart enough to overcome the challenge, but when he learns that the woman he loves will be deactivated so he can serve aboard the ship, he instead chooses to sacrifice his dream for a woman he'll never see again.

Summary

It's another normal day around Red Dwarf when Starbug finds a ship that reads no mass or density, a Holoship called the Enlightenment, and it abducts Rimmer. The ship is like a dream-come-true for Rimmer. As an entirely hologrammatic vessel, everything aboard can be touched and tasted by Rimmer. The crew are arrogant geniuses. The women are beautiful and eager to have recreational sex. He befriends one of female crew, named Nirvanah Crane, and has sex with her and they fall in love. When Rimmer asks to join the crew he learns that there's only one way aboard: "Dead man's boots" – he'll have defeat one of the current crew in a challenge of wits.

Since everyone aboard the Enlightenment is a genius, Rimmer takes drastic measures to cheat his way aboard. He asks Kryten to give him a Mind Patch, a risky procedure that could either make Rimmer a genius or a dribbling wreck. Luckily for Rimmer, it makes him a genius and he returns to the Enlightenment to face the challenge. His chances of victory look so strong that the other Dwarfers begin looking for a replacement hologram. In the midst of it, Rimmer's Mind Patch wears off and he runs back to Red Dwarf to have another one done, but Kryten says that it would be impossible. Rimmer believes all is lost. However, unknown to him is that his opponent is Nirvanah, who quits the challenge and concedes to Rimmer, probably because she loves him and knows his great desire to serve aboard the Enlightenment. When Rimmer learns that he's replaced Nirvanah on the ship, he instead chooses to remain on Red Dwarf so that Nirvanah can be reinstated.

Notes

When a member of the Enlightenment's crew boards Red Dwarf to survey it, he recognizes the Cat as a Felis sapiens. This suggests, if continuity is followed (a big if in this series), that the holoship may have previously encountered the second cat ark mentioned in the first season or perhaps a colony (as mentioned in the cut story of Season VII "Identity Within").

Plot Inconsistency

• One notable goof, or plot inconsistency in this episode to note is that there were two holograms in the sleeping quarters when Rimmer comes running in as the others are interviewing Sam. It was stated in previous episodes, and in the later episode "Quarantine", that Red Dwarf can only sustain one hologram at a time.
• If Rimmer was leaving and Lister and the crew now had access to the whole crews' Holodisks, then why doesn't Lister insist on doing the one thing he's always wanted, bringing back Kochanski?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Kryten: They've taken Mr. Rimmer!.
  Cat: Quick, let's get out of here before they bring him back!
• Rimmer talking about his sex on the holoship: I hardly said anything apart from "Geronimo!"
• The Cat: What? Am I the only sane person here? Why don't we drop the defensive shields?
  Kryten: A superb suggestion, sir, with just two minor flaws. One: we don't have any defensive shields. And two: we don't have any defensive shields. Now, I realise that technically that's only one flaw but I thought it was such a big one, it was worth mentioning twice.
  Cat: Good point, well made.
• Rimmer: It wasn't in the least bit upliftinging, it was totally unbelievable. Why would he give everything up for a woman he's never going to see again?

Background Information

• Originally the Holoship was going to "fold up" at two points to convert it from its straight line to a Z shape, but the clip of it changing was left on the cutting room floor. The ship is seen in both forms on in the episode.

Guest Stars

• Matthew Marsh as Captain Hercule Platini
• Jane Horrocks as Nirvannah Crane

References

Sam Murry: Briefly revived in this episode, it came as a surprise that Sam was male. In the original pilot script - and Series I's deleted funeral scene - deceased crew member 'Sam Murray' is said to be dating 'Rick Thesen'. Possibly Red Dwarf's first gay couple?

The uniforms worn by the Holoship crew strongly resemble those worn by Starfleet officers from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan to Star Trek Generations.