Holoship

"Holoship" is the first episode of series 5 of the science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V^[2] and the twenty fifth in the series run.^[3] It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 20 February 1992.^[4] Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Juliet May.^[5] The episode, which was the third filmed,^[6] was brought forward to open the series.^[7]

Plot

Aboard Starbug, the crew finish watching a movie. While Lister is left in tears and Cat has lost interest after the cartoon that preceded the film, Rimmer is disgusted at the plotline. Rimmer tells everyone that he finds it unbelievable that a man would give up his dreams for a woman he loves even though he'll never see her again. The discussion is halted when Starbug comes into contact with another craft that doesn't show up on the monitors. It is a Holoship called the Enlightenment, consisting of a vessel and crew that are entirely computer-generated holograms. What is more, the crew are holograms of Space Corps elite personnel. The fact that the ship's regulations impose sex twice a day is an added bonus. Rimmer falls in love with one of the Enlightenment's crew members, Commander Nirvanah Crane. With an existence where he can eat, drink, touch, feel and taste, Rimmer feels that the Enlightenment is his true spiritual home.

However one obstacle stands in Rimmer's way: Enlightenment already has a full crew and new members can only join on a dead-man's-boots basis. If Rimmer succeeds in an intelligence contest it will be at the expense of a fellow hologram's existence. Rimmer might not be excessively bright but he is shrewd and furthermore he's got a perfect plan — he'll cheat. With the assistance of a reluctant Kryten, Rimmer uses a mind-patching operation to significantly increase his IQ. But during the contest the mind-patch fails, as his mind rejects it. Despite this, he is assigned to the Enlightenment when his opponent suddenly withdraws from the challenge. Rimmer bids farewell to his acquaintances on Red Dwarf.

Rimmer arrives on the Enlightenment and is given Nirvanah Crane's quarters. Rimmer didn't realise that Crane was his opponent in the intelligence contest — she had sacrificed herself so that he could live the life of his dreams. Going back on his earlier statement that career would always come before love, Rimmer resigns his new commission and returns to Red Dwarf, so that Nirvanah can be re-instated.

Production

Although "Holoship" was filmed third,^[6] it was chosen to lead off the series as it was felt that it would draw in viewers the same way as "Camille" had done the previous series. It worked in the sense that the viewing figures increased as the series progressed.^[7]

The Holoship model was built by Paul McGuiness. The transparent perspex miniature was a casualty of the editing cut.^[8] One of the cut scenes showed the ship changing shape.^[9] Besides the holoship special effects, other scenes and lines were cut out or trimmed down, including many holoship crew scenes and Holly's unhelpful speech to Rimmer.^[10]

Guest stars included Jane Horrocks as Cdr. Nirvanah Crane, Matthew Marsh as Capt. Hercule Platini, Don Warrington as Cdr. Binks, Simon Paisley Day as Cdr. Randy Navarro - Number Two, Jane Montgomery as Cdr. Natalina Pushkin - Number One, and Lucy Briers as Harrison.^[5] The two (uncredited) actors heard in the film at the beginning of the episode were Kate Robbins and Steve Steen.^[5]

Cultural references

• The King of Kings, the story of Jesus, is mentioned by Lister as a film that Rimmer stated as unrealistic.
• Kryten references Albert Einstein in trying to convince Rimmer that you are not merely your job.
• Rimmer suggests that St. Francis of Assisi said "Never give a sucker an even break". Kryten states that if so it must have been strictly off the record.

Reception

The episode was originally broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 20 February 1992 in the 9:00pm evening time slot.^[4] Despite going out first the episode was considered the worst in this series, gaining 0.2% in the Red Dwarf Smegazine poll.^[11] With its injection of pathos towards the end, Sci-Fi Dimensions described it as "less like Red Dwarf and more like a rejected Star Trek episode."^[12]

Continuity Goof

Rimmer runs back onto Red Dwarf in the midst of his examination aboard The Enlightenment. When he does this, he runs back to the sleeping quarters where there is another hologram (to be used as Rimmer's replacement). This proves a continuity goof in that Red Dwarf is capable of sustaining one hologram (this is further noted in the "Quarantine" episode later in this season), and there are more than one in the room. However, the last episodes of season 1, which showed the ship having 2 Rimmers, explain that with non-essential systems turned off Red Dwarf can sustain 2 holograms.

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Holoship

• "Holoship" at BBC Programmes
• "Holoship" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Holoship" at TV.com
• Series V episode guide at www.reddwarf.co.uk