Dave Lister is the only remaining human being in the universe. And if you know Dave Lister at all, you'll realize what a sad statement that truly is.
Lister is not exactly Starfleet material. In fact, he was barely Red Dwarf material, but managed to get aboard the mining ship heading for Earth. Lister also smuggled his pregnant cat Frankenstein aboard, despite the strict quarantine regulations. Inevitably, he's caught and thrown into stasis for punishment -- just as he'd planned.
Click the pic for a Lister quote.
Meanwhile, Arnold Rimmer, who is also significantly below Starfleet standards, fails to complete his Officer's exam and is caught in an accident which vaporizes everyone aboard the ship. (Critical mass in a cadmium II core tends to do that, I'm told.) But not even death can stop this man from making a complete nuisance of himself.
Click the pic for a Rimmer quote.
So, the crew is dead, Lister is in stasis, there is a nuclear type explosion in the ship's core and the resultant radiation filters through the ship. Frankenstein and her kittens are exposed to the radiation...
Holly, the ship's super-computer, can't release Dave from stasis until the radiation has dissipated... some three million years later. Holly activates the holographic program, bringing Rimmer back as a hologram -- hence the big H on his forehead. Rimmer is supposed to keep Dave sane on an empty ship, but we all know better than that, don't we?! Rimmer couldn't keep himself sane, much less any one else...
Click the pic for a Holly quote. (This is the Holly I prefer. There was a female incarnation, but I like this guy much better!)
Lister and Rimmer are not alone, however. During those three million years, Frankenstein's kittens bred, and their kittens bred, and their kittens bred and... With the help of the radiation, the kitties evolved into the lifeform you see here. The cat civilization experienced wars, famine, and diseases. Most of the cats escaped the ship in search of their promised land. This one remained.
Click the pic for a Cat quote.
No crew is complete without an android counterpart. The surviving members have good old Kryten, whose housekeeping duty could put Martha Stewart to shame. Kryten's not the most brilliant android you could find, nor is he the most self-confident. But he's a perfect fit with this crew!
Click the pic for a Kryten quote.
If you don't have the luxury of watching the TV series, pick up one of the books by Grant Naylor. So far, there are three: Red Dwarf, Better Than Life, and The Last Human.
Red Dwarf is the funniest sci-fi show I've seen in a long time. If you like British humour, you won't go wrong with the show. And if you like humour at all, you'll love the books!
Visit this fantastic place: Kreeg's Red Dwarf Site
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