My version of 'Whip It'

[celiaequus.livejournal.com]

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Thoughts

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Time again for pondery ponderings from my brain. This is the "I'm kind of bored and killing time not to work" edition (normally I like my job, but this one project is SO BORING).

Maybe I'm retreading an old conversation that I just can't find, but - what if Rimmer had gone into stasis and Lister had died? Is Lister who Holly would've made a hologram to keep Rimmer ... as sane as Rimmer gets? How would the dynamics work? The way it is, Lister is a guy of action and able to physically back up his desire to act, while we know Rimmer is a coward who often avoids conflict - can you imagine Rimmer trying to avoid other ships, planets, etc., and Lister trying to talk him out of a runner without being able to force anything (at least in the first 5 seasons)? Or would Holly side with Lister more often than not and refuse to move the ship, give him holo-ciggies, or whatever?

And other relationships. Let's assume Lister was never caught but Frankie had her kittens anyway, so there's a Cat. How would that work with him and Rimmer as the only two alive? Especially, what about Kryten? He's shown he can take orders from both humans, but the living one usually wins out - what if his primary corporeal influence was Rimmer and not Lister? (We'll assume Rimmer did bring him on from the Nova 5, for housework if nothing else.) What about Ace? Would Rimmer be goaded into taking over for him if he's alive (or, more fascinating, would he be more "heroic" or confident on his own somehow and not feel he has to prove anything to Lister or himself)?

As for development, would either Lister or Rimmer have evolved differently, reversed? Rimmer, knowing he's the last man alive - has "beat out" everybody else for a change? Lister, not ambitious but suddenly in a position of being able to do little; might it actually rankle him into any ambition? What episodes would be different or moot? Would Bodyswap have happened if it were up to Lister to request or force the exchange? (Pobably not?)

And yes, assume this is after the bad drive plate repair and Lister was of no help - or more likely, Rimmer was trying to prove something and didn't ask for his help. That would be in character, IMO.