Something I've been thinking about concerning "Entangled"

[zara2148.livejournal.com]

Alright, I'm a fairly new to the Red Dwarf fandom, but don't hold that against me. Anyway, my mind has been pondering on and off concerning Kryten's quick infodump in "Entangled" to Rimmer, and I'd thought it could make a good discussion (roughly paraphrased from memory):

"Have you forgotten? If Mister Lister dies, then the computer automatically shuts you down."

Now here's what I'm wondering (and let's pretend for a moment Naylor is not most likely making this up as he goes) - did Rimmer really already know about this, or was it something he was 'conveniently' never told. And if he was told about it at some point, how does this revelation change the previous nine and half series worth of Rimmer/Lister interaction?

Personally, I can see it as perfectly reasonable for Holly to not mention this little detail to Rimmer (assuming the automatic shut-down isn't brought on by a lack of Holly, who might have been able to stop it if s/he wanted to). Not to overly project, but if I was told my life was dependent on someone who shows all the self-preservational skills of a lemming practicing amateur cliff-jumping, I'd be tempted to lock that person in a room indefinitely. So Rimmer's ignorance could have been necessary for the as-normal-as-possible interaction needed to keep Lister sane.

I also have difficulty reading too many mercenary intentions into his previous shows of concerns - Rimmer may be a goit, but he's fairly open about being one. He rarely bothers masking any less-than-savory intentions - actually, if he knew his life was tied to Lister's, I can't see him not complaining about it at some point (aka "You're endangering your life deliberately, aren't you? You want to see me dead that badly?").

Comments

[kronette.livejournal.com]

I'm torn on whether Rimmer knew or not. If he didn't, I suspect Holly kept it from him, for reasons you state. If he did know, he's done an amazing job of hiding that fact from Lister and pretending everything was tickety-boo.

And if he was told about it at some point, how does this revelation change the previous nine and half series worth of Rimmer/Lister interaction?

If Rimmer knew and never said anything, to me it shows that he had a much deeper connection to Lister than we'd previously been led to believe (canon-wise), and wasn't the goited bastard we know and love. That makes his putdowns and arguments and all-around smegginess a deflection from the truth. If he'd truly wanted Lister to know, there's no way he wouldn't have thrown it in Lister's face during one of their hundreds of arguments over the years. The fact that he didn't, shows that he understands how it would affect Lister, and made the choice to keep it secret. What would Lister do, if he knew his life was the catalyst for another? With Lister being so set on family and kids (as has continued through X), you know he wants that close connection. Maybe Rimmer knows that, and keeps their entanglement from Lister for just that reason? Keep Lister at arm's length at all costs, even if it means Rimmer's own life. And if all of that is the case, then Rimmer is the bigger man, unselfish and brave.

What annoyed me more about the whole mess was that Kryten knew it, but didn't say anything until that moment. I know he's not fond of Rimmer (understatement, I know). Maybe it's part of Kryten's programming to not let holograms know of their death circumstances? Or is Rimmer special because he was only brought back for Lister? It really bugs me we don't have Holly but do have this 'on board JMC computer' that still dictates their lives, even when the rest of the human race is long gone. I know it was needed for the plot devices, but in reality, I guess some computer is needed to run the ship.

You're endangering your life deliberately, aren't you? You want to see me dead that badly?

It is so scary that I heard that in his voice, with inflections and a nose wrinkle of annoyance.

Now I want to see Lister wake up one morning, completely encased in bubble wrap or a bubble, and Rimmer declaring that he will live to be 4000 years old or he'll know what-for :)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I feel like this is something Rimmer didn't know, and neither did Lister - or if they were aware of it, it was relatively recent news in canon. All you have to do is look back at "Stoke Me A Clipper," when Rimmer leaves to be Ace - how could he do that unless he could operate independently?

Now of course, this Rimmer could be a different hologram than Series 7 Rimmer (I choose to think it's the same, but canon may not back me up, and we just don't know for sure). So the same rules may not hold. But I don't see why Rimmer's existence would depend on Lister anyway, at least not from a power conservation POV. The ship can scoop in all the free energy it ever needs from space, and having one less person on board would, in fact, free up a little more energy to devote to other life forms, wouldn't it?

[fantasysci5.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying this discussion very much, but I don't think Rimmer knew, or else he would have been making comments about it everytime Lister did something brave and stupid. Because he's changed a lot, I admit it, but I still think he would freak out and say things to Lister about it if he knew.