Red Dwarf Slash

I think Rimmer just wants to be worth something to anyone. I think that being in a relationship with Lister would be hard for Rimmer because, in a nutshell, Lister calls him on his bullshit - he won't let Rimmer hide behind his upbringing, or the advantages that other people had, or anything of the like. Excuses are Rimmer's natural defense, and Lister strips him of them. So while I think that Rimmer could tolerate a run-of-the-mill petname were he in a relationship (I think he'd tolerate almost anything to be in a relationship, honestly) so long as he could maintain the illusion that he was a strong and brave and worthwhile person, in a relationship where he was forced to recognise who he is and all of his weaknesses, I do think that he would need a symbol to justify his worth in the eyes of his partner. If he can't be special in his own eyes, he would need to be special in someone else's.