General Red Dwarf Questions

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Is it kosher to ask for a little help with questions about the series in regards to fic writing? Or is that just seen as cheating?

Since I haven't had years to watch the show and fully marinate myself in the loveliness that is Red Dwarf, I still find myself a bit stuck from time to time when I try to get the technical details right when writing about the show. I've read a lot of the behind the scenes information on the official website which has helped a lot, but not as much as having every episode memorized nearly word-for-word would. :)

In my current fic (the super long one... well long for ME anyway), it takes place on Starbug and I'm finding myself confused about the location of the medibay. Clearly they used the same set to represent both Lister's bunk area and the medibay, but I've never been quite sure whether we're supposed to think they literally are the same room being repurposed for two things, or if we were supposed to just ignore the fact that it was the same set and pretend it was two separate rooms. The fic takes place during series VI which I believe is before they expanded Starbug and it suddenly became a much larger ship than it had before (that was in series VII, right?). I believe that the Red Dwarf wiki states that the one room doubled for both uses, but I just want to be sure I have my facts straight.

Due to personal reasons my Red Dwarf watching has been hampered lately so I don't have a lot of time to re-watch episodes looking for little details and throwaway bits of dialogue that would probably clear things up. :-\

Comments

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, the only thing I'd personally see as cheating would be lifting wholesale chunks from someone else's fic and just changing a few words like a certain regrettably successful published author. :p And no-one around here would do anything like that. ;)

Actually, Starbug expanded twice, once in VI and once in VII, but it was more noticeable the second time. The VI booklet suggests that Kryten rebuilt it during the two centuries of deep sleep which Lister and Cat wake up from in "Psirens". Some here have theorised that that's why Lister's apparently sharing with Cat rather than Rimmer - because Kryten's jealousy was developing and he sensed the growing bond between them, so assigned them separate rooms. Or it could be that they simply got on each other's nerves too much in the cramped confines of Starbug.

Regarding your question, I think we're supposed to believe that the medibay is a different room, but I couldn't say for sure.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I treat Starbug and Wildfire like I did the Black Pearl or any other ship in the POTC fandom, like it's the TARDIS or Hogwarts. It has what I need when I need it, within reason.

As for cheating, I think that ship sailed when we decided to swipe other writers' toys and start playing with them in our own writing, LOL .....

[leyosura.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think you can do what you like with Starbug. RD has never been particularly hot on continuity, so if you want to change things I don't think it's a big deal. Just write it the way you see it in your head.

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Touché! (in regards to the cheating comment) :)

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Oh interesting, I definitely missed that they had expanded it for series VI as well.

I find it hilarious that Rimmer and Lister kept bunking together after the rest of the crew were killed when there must have been hundreds of free rooms. Honestly, that combined with low Rimmer blatantly saying he wanted to have Lister, combined with the kiss from Blue, sometimes I really wonder if the sexual undertones were deliberate on the writer's parts, whether subconsciously or otherwise. Although can something be deliberate if it's subconscious? Bah you know what I'm trying to say.

I think too much about this show. :D

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

It works both ways - you can interpret it as needing companionship and in Lister's case, irritation to keep him from sliding into depression. That's perfectly believable.

But of course the slashy explanation is more fun and doesn't negate the first one anyway. ;)

Don't forget the Highs - a lot subtler but can also be read as in love, platonically or otherwise.

[rosecathy1.livejournal.com]

My opinion is that we're supposed to believe they're two different rooms, but as others have said...who knows! Red Dwarf doesn't continuity very well. I think as long as you don't go too wild and, I don't know, put a discotheque in Blue Midget or something, it'll be believable.

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Ha! Sounds like one of Cat's dreams!

[kronette.livejournal.com]

Best thing I use as a resource? http://www.ladyofthecake.com/reddwarf/html/scripts.html It only goes through part of series 8, but when I'm stuck on what they've called each other or the technical term for some doohicky, I go there.

I've fudged the Medibay location lots of times. Unless you need to specifically count the steps or time from one part of the ship to the other, I don't sweat it. I make up levels and number of floors all the time :)

[laurenthemself]

OMG yes, please ask. I want everyone to know that's totally one of the functions of this community -- to help each other out however we can!

Also, I would ignore the set and assume it was meant to be two rooms, myself.

[laurenthemself]

Smeg that author. Smeg her so hard.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Heh. She's not THAT successful. The movie tanked. LOL

[felineranger.livejournal.com]

I've always treated it as two separate rooms (due to the fact that I'm an arsehole, Lister has spent a lot of time there in my fics). You can write pretty much whatever you want to fit the story. With so many continuity issues and taking account dimensional differences, you're pretty much covered whatever you decide to do. :-)

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

This fic I'm working on takes place immediately after an episode so I'm trying to make it as accurate as I can. I'm kind of a stickler for details, probably annoyingly so! This will probably be the longest, most involved fic I ever write, so I'm being particularly careful with it. :D