Red Dwarf/Dimension Jump

Dimension Jump
Season 4, Episode 5
Airdate	March 14, 1991
Written by	Rob Grant, Doug Naylor
Directed by	Ed Bye
← 4x04 White Hole	4x06 → Meltdown
Red Dwarf — Season Four

Dimension Jump is the fifth episode of the fourth season of Red Dwarf, and the twenty-third episode overall.

Guest Stars: Chris Barrie (Commander Arnold 'Ace' Rimmer), Craig Charles (Spanners), Danny John-Jules (Padre), Robert Llewellyn (Bongo), Hattie Hayridge (Mellie), Kalli Greenwood (Rimmer's Mum), Simon Gaffney (young Rimmer), Hetty Baynes (Cockpit Computer Voice)

Plot Overview

As the episode opens, we see 7-year-old Arnold Rimmer hanging upside down from a rope. His mother has a letter from the headmaster of his school. It is a decision on whether or not to keep him back a year in school. This event will prove to be a pivotal moment in Arnold Rimmer's life.

In an alternate reality: we see a flashy, supremely competent test pilot landing at a Space Corps test base on Mimas. It's Arnold Rimmer! In this reality, "Ace" Rimmer is a successful test pilot! He gets along with everyone, and everyone loves him.

Back in our universe, everyone has gone on a fishing excursion (to an ocean planet with no fish). They are approaching the planet when Holly issues a purple alert (it's worse than a blue alert, but not as bad as a red alert). Ace Rimmer's ship has just popped out of a space distortion of some sort. He collides with Starbug, sending it crashing onto the planet, where they land, teetering on a rocky shore.

Unless they fix the starboard engine in 40 minutes, they will begin to sink into the ocean. There is a 40 knot gale outside, that will make repairs difficult. That's when Ace comes aboard, full of bravado.

He immediately ingratiates himself with everyone. Everyone except Rimmer. Because Ace expects our Rimmer to be every bit as competent as he himself is, our Rimmer is repeatedly put on the spot and made to look quite worthless, because frankly, there really isn't anything he can do. A frustrated Rimmer starts to deride Ace and even gives him the finger (when his back is turned).

Outside in the gale, Lister helps Ace fix the starboard engine. To keep Lister's spirits up, Ace sings a Rasta Billy Skank song with Lister. What a guy! When the engine is finally fixed and they come back inside, they are the best of friends. Lister has even earned the handle "Skipper".

Although Ace is tired, he performs micro-surgery to save Cat's leg. Our Rimmer just can't stand how versatile and successful Ace is. His bitterness eventually leads him to set a booby trap for Ace, although it fails to activate.

Ace can't stand our Rimmer either, because he's such a pathetic loser, so he decides to take his ship and visit other dimensions. The show's epilogue tells us that:

• In the decades that followed, Ace Rimmer searched countless realities, and met thousands of different Rimmers, however he never met an Arnold Rimmer as deeply sad and worthless as the one he'd met aboard Red Dwarf ...

Arc Advancement

Characters

This episode introduces the character Ace Rimmer, Arnold Rimmer's unbelievably successful, parallel universe counterpart. Ace is successful in all the ways that Rimmer isn't. Ace's competence and success shed unwanted light upon (our) Arnold Rimmer's failings, and that irritates Rimmer all the more.

• At the test base on Mimas, Ace inquires about little Tommy, whose bed he had stayed beside for days and nights on end, holding his hand and reading him stories.
• When Kryten notices that Ace's left arm is broken in several places, he pulls Ace aside to tell him that he will not be allowed to go outside to work on Starbug's engine. Kryten will go in his place. At that, Ace punches Kryten, knocking him out.

At the age of seven, Ace Rimmer was kept back a year, Rimmer was not. According to Ace, being kept in Junior D another year was what made him; it changed him, made him strong. Being the tallest kid in class by a clear foot was not easy.

Each of the regulars on the show play a character in Ace Rimmer's parallel universe:

• Chris Barrie (Arnold J. Rimmer) is Commander "Ace" Rimmer.
• Craig Charles (Dave Lister) is Dave "Spanners" Lister, Flight Engineer.
• Danny John-Jules (the Cat) is Padre in the other universe.
• Hattie Hayridge (Holly) is Mellie, the base commander's secretary.
• Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) is Bongo, the base commander.

Back home Lister used to go down to the canal, which had no fish, and go condom fishing. He once caught a two-pound black-ribbed nobbler.

Referbacks

• Kalli Greenwood returns as Rimmer's Mum. She also appeared as his mother in the third series episode Polymorph.
• Simon Gaffney returns as the young Arnold Rimmer. He also appeared as the young Arnold Rimmer in the third series episodes Polymorph and Timeslides.

Trivia

The Show

• Moments after landing at the test base, Ace is invited to a party down in Engineering at 19:00.
• The music played with the credits at the end of this episode is not the normal Red Dwarf Theme Song, but a Hammond organ rendition, ostensively played by the scutters.

Memorable Moments

When Lister, Kryten, and the Cat try to sneak off for a three week fishing holiday, they accidentally wake up Rimmer. After a few moments of back-and-forth between Lister and Rimmer, Rimmer says:
Rimmer: Why didn't you just say "Dear Rimmer, we're going on a fishing holiday, and we don't want you to come?"
Cat: See! That's what I said we should say!

A moment later Holly appears, and upon seeing Rimmer, says "Oh, who woke him up?"

Quotes

• Ace Rimmer: Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast.
• Everyone (about Ace): What a guy!

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