Meanwhile, while working in the ship's darkroom, Kryten discovers that a mutated batch of developing fluid produces photographs that are windows to the past, and slide projections that one can step into (albeit only within the confines of the photo). After a quick trip to Frank Rimmer's wedding and to an Adolf Hitler speech, Lister goes back in time and changes history by giving Thickie Holden's invention to his 17-year-old self. This creates unforeseen changes in the present; Cat and Kryten disappear, leaving Arnold Rimmer alone with Holly. Rimmer visits Lister, hoping to persuade him to come back to Red Dwarf; Lister, however – now living in a mansion with a supermodel – fails to recognise him, and tells the butler to throw him out.
Rimmer then decides to go still further back in time to give the idea for the tension sheet to his childhood self first. Rimmer's plan is foiled when Thickie Holden overhears Rimmer's conversation with his younger self, and takes the invention for himself. Upon returning to the present, everything is put back exactly the way it was - with the sole exception that Rimmer is now alive, not a hologram. Delighted, he rushes out into a corridor and accidentally blows himself up.
Memorable Quote
Rimmer contemplates returning to the past to retrieve Lister from his new life of luxury as the inventor of the Tension Sheet.
Rimmer: I'm going in to rescue him.
Holly: (blankly) Rescue him.
Rimmer: It's my duty. . .my duty as a complete and utter bastard.
Production Notes
- Craig Charles wrote, produced and performed three musical numbers in this episode: "Bad News" (the instrumental to which Kryten is dancing), "Cash" and the infamous "Om" song.
- "Om", played by Lister's old band, Smeg and the Heads, featured Jeff Walker and Bill Steer of the grindcore band Carcass (Charles wrongly thought they were members of Napalm Death, according to the Series III commentary).
- Charles's brother, Emile Charles, portrayed the young Lister in this episode.
- Kryten refers to going to 1963 Dallas for the Kennedy assassination. This relates to the future episode in Series VII, "Tikka to Ride".
- Graham Chapman agreed to play a guest role as a television presenter in this episode, but died before filming began; Ruby Wax took the part instead.
Plot inconsistencies
- There is no explanation, nor does it make sense, for Rimmer to be alive after he changes history. There is a fan theory that due to seeing a future version of himself as a hologram when he was a child when he went back in time in the earlier episode Stasis Leak he believed the story and put himself into stasis however that is not confirmed anywhere in the series.
- There is no reason for Rimmer to remain after Lister escapes into an alternate life; Holly originally brought him back to keep Lister sane, so he should disappear, like Cat and Kryten.
- When the crew is in Lister's past, Kryten doesn't seem to know what a pub is until it registers. In Backwards, a few episodes before, Kryten knew what a pub was.
- Kryten doesn't look like his previous self in his birthday picture which is presumably taken aboard the Nova 5, where three women are dancing behind him (presumably Miss Jane, Miss Tracy, and Miss Anne, from the "Kryten" episode).
- There is also no reason for Rimmer to remember Lister and the others after they disappear, as he never met any of them.
