Some Trojan notices + Rimmer's class background

[saylee.livejournal.com]

I was rewatching Trojan the other night, and caught a few things I hadn't noticed before and that I don't think I've seen mentioned here. First off, when Rimmer's complaining about the lateral thinking questions, Lister asking him to lay a question on him seems like a genuine offer to help, at least until he hears about the moose and can't resist taking the smeg. Then, when Rimmer has the resentment attack, it's Lister (not, say, Kryten) who protests that they shouldn't draw on him. Okay. he caves to temptation, but still, he tried. Last, when Crawford fires on Lister, is it just me, or in the split second before Howard jumps in front of the blast, does Rimmer look terrified?

Oh a completely unrelated note, I'm having a difficult time trying to figure out Rimmer's class background. On the one hand, in the 1st series he complains about not having the right parents and the right nobby background, and about how someone like Todhunter would have been raised on gazpacho soup and champagne. On the other hand, in The Beginning, the Rimmers are apparently decended from princes (do I have that right? I can't check right now), and they're clearly well-off and have what seems to be a full-time gardener. I admit I'm not familiar with the nuances of the British class system, so I appreciate any clarification. I also wonder if the colonization of the solar system has any effect on this. Thoughts?