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****************************************
T H E R E D D W A R F R E F E R E N C E S L I S T ( T V )
****************************************
A Who's Who, Where's Where, When was When and What's from What of
the TV series of RED DWARF.
Version 2.10, August 1996.
% Marks new since last version.
Edited by Annette (mcintosh@wehi.edu.au), just to prove that I really
*don't* have enough to do to occupy my time. :-)
==========================================================================
NOTICE: This document, its format, and all material contained herein are
protected by public copyright, except where it conflicts with the
copyright of Grant Naylor. This document *may* be distributed freely in
its entirety and posted at electronic sites where no fee is charged for
its viewing. It *may not* be sold or published for profit in any form.
==========================================================================
BOYZ FROM THE DWARF!
--------------------
The RDRL (TV) deals only with the television show of Red Dwarf,
its out-takes tapes, and the two pilots of Red Dwarf USA. To check up
on written Red Dwarf, go to the RDRL (BOOK) which deals with the four
Red Dwarf novels and the Red Dwarf Log No. 1996 (posted to a.tv.r-d on
the last Monday of every odd-numbered month).
SO WHAT IS IT?
--------------
The Red Dwarf References List (TV), or RDRL (TV), is a list of
explanations for those references made in the TV series of Red Dwarf to
things *outside* of Red Dwarf; eg. people, movies, books, historical
events, places of peculiar reputation, whatever. It *is not* an A-Z of
Red Dwarf...well, that's what the Programme Guide is for.
HEY, LET'S SEE WHAT WE GOT IN THE MAGIC BAG HERE...
---------------------------------------------------
The RDRL (TV) attempts to identify/explain references to movies,
books, songs, famous people, certain places, historical events, etc. The
reference can be direct, ie. named (eg. Mary, Queen of Scots); or indirect
or alluded to (eg. the singing of "See You Later Alligator").
Things which *generally* will not be counted (though there *will*
be a few exceptions) are: furnishings, decorations and possessions (unless
referring to one of the above listings); food (unless a proper name or
certain brand names); sayings or expressions (unless containing proper
names); *broad* religious parallels; scientific terminology (unless
containing proper names). As well, there are a very few things which are
self-explanatory in the context of the show; these are not included
as there is nothing left to add. Lastly, a few things must be so well-
known there's no need for explanation -- we all know who Jesus was, right?
;-)
PASS ME A 14-B.
---------------
The RDRL (TV) at the moment is incomplete and may also contain some
information which is downright wrong (eg. for a couple of things I've just
put two and two together, and *may* have ended up with five!). Anyone who
has a correction to existing information (though let's not split hairs),
I'd love to hear from you. Please EMAIL me with the substantiated
modification (something I can cross-check ideally, and definitely not a
"My friend heard on the radio that..."). Thanks.
Nearly all of the references are essentially complete as they are
now -- mostly I'll only have one to four sentences about each reference.
Any reference not containing a "[?]" will not be modified unless it is out
and out *wrong*, or there is an additional *definite* allusion that I have
missed. Not all things I've marked in this way will necessarily be true
external references; and I may not even have the spelling right in some
places.
*New* references will be gratefully accepted in the following
categories *ONLY* -- all forms of the entertainment media; famous people;
historical events; places of character.
SPACE CORPS DIRECTIVE 280360/MM CLEARLY STATES...
-------------------------------------------------
That the references contained within this document be true
references and *not* COINCIDENCES. For example, I haven't included
anything about the 'roadrunner act' mentioned in MAROONED, because it
is not specific enough to say for absolute (or very nearly) sure that
it's a reference to the Warner Brothers cartoon character. I will not
include something unless a definite (or *HIGHLY* likely) connection
can be established.
YOU CAN WORK OUT THE REST OF THE CONTROLS FOR YOURSELF.
-------------------------------------------------------
The actual references are divided into three sections.
1) MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCES.
a) Space.
A run down of the solar system's planets and their satellites. Whether
mentioned in the TV show or books.
b) Earth.
All of the countries, significant places, and major towns mentioned in
Red Dwarf. Whether from TV show or books.
2) COMMON REFERENCES.
Direct references (not already covered above) which are
mentioned in two or more episodes. Listed alphabetically.
3) THE TV SHOW.
Listed by episode for Series I to Series VI. Smeg Ups and
Smeg Outs are included, but only references from the actual out-takes
instances, and which have not previously been mentioned. Also, there is
a section for Red Dwarf USA. This small section deals with the few
references from the two American Red Dwarf pilots ('broadcast' scripts).
Only those references not previously or since mentioned in the BBC show.
Any reference which contains "[?]" means that I would like more
information pretty pretty please. The position of the "[?]" often gives a
good indication of the type of information I want, eg. (1926-[?]) means I
would like to know the year of death.
Anything new/modified from the previous version will be marked
with a "%" in the left margin.
HOPE THEY'VE GOT SOME SPARE ODDS 'N' SODS ON BOARD...
-----------------------------------------------------
The references are listed per episode as:
PARALLEL (where appropriate). 'Ideas/inspiration' for the episode.
Direct references. Listed in the order they appear in the episode.
Indirect references (**). Listed in the order they appear in the
episode.
* If a reference is not listed for a particular episode, check
the COMMON REFERENCES section. *
Biographies may be given for direct people references.
Birth/death year given for actors playing a character directly
mentioned.
The words 'recorded by' as applied to songs do not necessarily
indicate the original artist, just a well-known one.
Movie dates may be the year of production or year of release.
The term 'football' means the game of soccer unless otherwise
stated.
LET'S FLAG DOWN A BLACK CAB AND HEAD FOR REAL STREET HERE.
----------------------------------------------------------
To get a copy of the RDRL (TV):
a) Wait for it on the n/g alt.tv.red-dwarf (where it will be posted
on the last Monday of every even-numbered month),
b) For a start on the Web, try the following sites...
Friday's alt.tv.red-dwarf pages at
http://www.cobalt.demon.co.uk/alt.tv.red-dwarf/
Michael Nagy's Queeg pages at
http://www.queeg.crater.com/
ftp://ftp.queeg.crater.com/pub/red-dwarf/general/
Thanks guys! :-)
If you can get the RDRL (TV) by neither of the above means, email
me and I'll send you a text copy.
SMELLS LIKE YOUR MOON BOOTS, MAN.
---------------------------------
The nature of this document means that it is basically ONE BIG
SPOILER. For LOTS OF THINGS (in particular, for the movies "Casablanca"
and "Alien"). Consider this a spoiler warning -- read the RDRL (TV) at
your own risk.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
--------------------
Many many thanks to Grant Naylor, for all things Red Dwarf!
*Big* sloppy thanks to Tom Marwede (who really, really cares about
this sort of thing!), and also to Raz (my 'foreign' correspondent,
constructive critic, and Provider of the Logo!). ;-)
Thanks to Friday and Michael Nagy for giving the RDRL (TV) a home.
Thanks to Ang Rosin, for answering my mini-mini Scouse
questionnaire.
Thank you: Damone, Cma, Elliedra, Bette Llewellyn, FroggyGrem,
Andrew Hetherington, Jim Wraith, Phaedrus, John Coleman, Nadine SFWBWWWW,
Fraser, Kerry Galgano, Friday, Pat Berry, Paul Barnes, Laurence Jason
Koehn, George Rudy, Tracie Webster, Alsion Campbell, Richard Lockwood,
Steve Howell, Kay Annette Bristol, Alexander Lum, GenMelchit, Alan Moon,
Ian D. Jones, John Foster, Allan Jenney, Wendy Lynn O'Boyle, Gavrielle
Perry, Jim Shaw, Linda Stephens, Roadwart, Vicky Loebel, Urac Sigma,
Mat Page and Todd Pinarchick.
New contributions since version 2.00: Andrew Hetherington, Pat
Berry.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCES
========================
A) SPACE.
RED DWARF -- A red dwarf is a type of star. Red dwarf stars
are very long-lived and are probably the most abundant stars in the
universe. The closest star to Earth (besides its own Sun) is the red
dwarf star Proxima Centauri (magnitude 11, 4.3 light years away), a
companion to the binary star Alpha Centauri. The RED DWARF's shuttle
crafts' names (excepting Starbug) are also types of stars.
Mercury: The closest planet to your actual sun. Named after the
messenger to the Roman gods.
Venus: Second planet from the sun. Named after the Roman goddess of
love.
Mars: Fourth planet from the sun. Named after the Roman god of war.
Jupiter: Fifth from the sun and largest planet. Named after Jupiter,
chief of the Roman gods.
Satellites: Ganymede (named after the cupbearer of Zeus, Greek
equivalent of Jupiter), Io (named after a lover of Zeus), Europa
(named after another lover of Zeus), Callisto (surprise surprise,
yet another of Zeus's conquests).
Saturn: Ringed planet, sixth from the sun. Named after a Roman god of
agriculture.
Satellites: Titan (named for a race of primeval Greek gods),
Mimas, Tethys (named after a Titan sea-goddess), Dione (named
after a Greek earth-goddess), Rhea (named after a Titan mother-
goddess), Hyperion (named after a Titan sun-god), Phoebe (named
after a Titan moon-goddess).
Uranus: Seventh planet from the sun. Named after a Greek sky god,
father of the Titans.
Satellite: Miranda.
Neptune: Eighth or ninth planet from the sun. Named after the Roman
god of water.
Satellite: Triton (named after the merman son of Poseidon, the
Greek equivalent of Neptune).
Pluto: Eighth or ninth planet from the sun. Named after the Roman god
of the underworld.
B) EARTH.
Countries and regions of the world: Fiji, Denmark, Bermuda, Portugal,
Uruguay, India, Spain, The Vatican, Burma, Bulgaria, Bosnia,
France, Poland, Austria, England, Italy, USA, Macedonia, Turkey,
Bahamas, Czechoslovakia, Bolivia, Iran, Taiwan, Belgium, Estonia,
Egypt, Cuba, Japan, Greece, Great Britain, Mexico, Norway, Wales,
Albania, The Netherlands, China, Vietnam, Persia, South Africa,
Germany (and East), Russia, Soviet Union, Tibet, Luxembourg,
Scotland, Mongolia, Armenia, Australia, Syria, Korea, Sweden,
Tunisia, Tanzania, Morocco, Ireland, Canada, Cornwall, Prussia,
Alsace, Bali, Java, Malagasy Republic, Zanzibar, West Indies,
Flanders, Burgundy, Provence, Corsica, Texas, Oregon, Indiana,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Arizona, Alaska, New Mexico, Hawaii,
Kentucky, Yorkshire, Orange County.
World cities/towns: Washington, Chicago, Salzburg, Hilo, London, Paris,
Liverpool, Copenhagen, Helsinki, New York (Manhattan), Moscow, San
Francisco, Houston, Madras, Rome, Berlin, Turin, Florence,
Bangalore, Havana, Warsaw, Casablanca, Bonn, Tokyo, Oslo,
Newcastle, Acapulco, Boston, Birmingham, Laredo, Dallas, Gouda,
Venice, Marbella, Kiev, Lagos, Los Angeles (and Beverly Hills and
Hollywood), Detroit, Niagara Falls, Las Vegas, Gettysburg.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMON REFERENCES
=================
Bates, Norman: Character in Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Psycho" (1960).
Played by Anthony Perkins (1932-1992), Bates had killed his mother
and absorbed her persona into himself; in his insanity he kept his
mother's skeletal remains as part of his delusion that she was
still with him.
{Kryten, Back To Reality}
Bennett, Gordon: (1841-1918) James Gordon Bennett, Jr., American
newspaper magnate (whose father, James Gordon Bennett, founded the
New York Herald in 1835). Bennett was known for his extravagant
and capricious behaviour, and his name has become synonymous with
a feeling of exasperation such as he frequently caused in people.
{The End, Future Echoes, Thanks For The Memory}
Brando, Marlon: (1924- ) American actor. Best known roles in "A
Streetcar Named Desire" (1947), "The Wild One" (1954) and "On The
Waterfront" (1954), this last for which he won an Oscar. Recently
seen in "Don Juan De Marco" (1995) with Johnny Depp.
{Kryten, Camille}
Casablanca: (1942) Classic film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid
Bergman; love versus political principles in World War II Morocco.
Waiting to be definitively remade starring Peter Beardsley and
Myra Binglebat. ;-)
{Better Than Life, Camille}
Cat: Danny John-Jules has modelled the Cat in part on the American
singer James Brown (1928- ; for his 'screech'), the American
singer Little Richard (1935- ; for his bouffant hair) and the
American actor Richard Pryor (1940- ; for his facial mannerisms).
Citizen Kane: (1941) Movie written and directed by, and starring in
the title role, Orson Welles (1915-1985). A psychological study
of the life of a newspaper magnate (Charles Foster Kane), the
movie is much studied and is lauded as a cinematic masterpiece.
{Me^2, Timeslides}
Eastbourne: Town on the south coast of England with a popular
reputation as a retirement haven for older/elderly people.
{White Hole, Emohawk: Polymorph II}
Einstein, Albert: (1879-1955) Pretty famous physicist actually, and
the theory goes that Einstein = Mister Clever (too).
{Future Echoes, D.N.A., Holoship}
Esperanto: The second language of Red Dwarf, and one that Rimmer has
been trying unsuccessfully to learn for eight years. Esperanto is
an artificial, logical language incorporating principles/words
derived from major European languages. It was devised in 1887 by
Polish philologist Ludwig Zamenhof (1859-1917).
Frankenstein: Book by Mary Shelley, published 1818. A scientist
(Frankenstein) creates a monster by reanimating corpse tissue, and
then suffers the consequences. Apparently, truly stupid people
(and Cats) erroneously believe that it was the monster, not its
creator, who was called Frankenstein.
{The End, Future Echoes, Waiting For God, D.N.A., Justice,
Quarantine}
Goering, Hermann: (1893-1946) The 'bit dodgy, drug-crazed Nazi
transvestite' associate of Hitler. Established the Gestapo and
concentration camps. Committed suicide before he could be
executed for war crimes.
{Balance Of Power, Meltdown, Out Of Time}
Hitler, Adolf: (1889-1945) Leader of the runners-up (the nasty Nazis)
in World War II, and generally not a very nice person.
{Parallel Universe, Timeslides, Meltdown, Out Of Time}
Judas (Iscariot): The disciple of Jesus who betrayed Him to the
authorities for a reward of 30 pieces of silver. He later
renounced his reward and suicided in his remorse.
{Better Than Life, The Inquisitor, Rimmerworld}
Julius Caesar: (c.100-44 BC) Roman statesman, general and dictator.
{Me^2, Marooned}
Kryten: Kryten's name/character mimics that in the play "The Admirable
Crichton" (1902), by J.M. Barrie. The real Admirable Crichton
was a Scottish adventurer, James Crichton (1560-1593), famous
for his accomplishments and attainments.
Laurel, Stan: (1890-1965) Born in England as Arthur Stanley Jefferson.
Thin partner in the American comedy duo Laurel and Hardy (Oliver
Hardy was 'rotund'), who had great popular success in over 200
films during the late 1920s to mid-1940s. Hilarity came from how
they set one another off -- Stan was the worrier and bumbler,
Ollie the fastidious one with the slow-burning temper.
{White Hole, Meltdown}
McClure, Doug: (1935-1995) American actor. Leading man in over 20 B-
grade films, including "The King's Pirate" (1967), "The Land That
Time Forgot" (1975) and "The People That Time Forgot" (1977);
recently seen in "Maverick" (1994) with Mel Gibson. Also made
several TV series including "Checkmate", "The Virginian" and "Out
Of This World". He died of lung cancer aged 59.
{Backwards, Legion}
Monroe, Marilyn: (1926-1962) American actress and sex symbol. Best-
known films include "How To Marry A Millionaire" (1953),
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), "The Seven Year Itch" (1955)
and "Some Like It Hot" (1959).
{Better Than Life, The Last Day, Meltdown}
Moss Bro(ther)s: Clothing/suit hire establishment.
{Future Echoes, Emohawk: Polymorph II}
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: (1756-1791) Austrian genius composer, and
virtuoso piano and violin player.
{Balance Of Power, Confidence And Paranoia}
Munchkin: One of the little people in the American film "The Wizard
Of Oz" (1939) starring Judy Garland. From the novels by L. Frank
Baum.
{Confidence And Paranoia, Parallel Universe}
Napoleon (Bonaparte): (1769-1821) Born at Ajaccio on the island of
Corsica. General, dictator and Emperor of the French (as
Napoleon I; 1804-1814).
{Me^2, Better Than Life, Marooned, Meltdown}
Patton, George Smith: (1885-1945) American general during World War
II.
{Marooned, The Last Day, Legion}
Pythagoras: (c.580-500 BC) Greek philosopher and mathematician.
{The End, Meltdown}
Saint Francis of Assisi: (1182-1226) Founder of the Franciscan Friars.
All-round animal lover (healing the sick ones and taming the wild
ones) and patron saint of ecologists.
{Backwards, Meltdown, Holoship}
Samaritans: Telephone suicide counsellors (group established in Great
Britain in 1953). The name derives from the sect Samaritans,
inhabitants of the area of northern Israel called Samaria. See
also from the Bible, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke
10:25-37).
{The Last Day, The Inquisitor}
Sancerre: Dry white wine derived from Sauvignon Blanc.
{Marooned, Rimmerworld}
Sartre, Jean-Paul: (1905-1980) French writer/philosopher, apparently
with a penchant for poncing around in black polo-neck sweaters...
{Balance Of Power, Meltdown}
Shakespeare, William: (1564-1616) English dramatist (actor and
playwright) and poet.
{Waiting For God, Parallel Universe, Marooned, D.N.A.}
Sinclair ZX81: Computer named for Clive Sinclair (1940- ), inventive
British electronics engineer. Both the Sinclair ZX81 and ZX80
became available in 1980, and were the first sub-UKP100 computers.
{Stasis Leak, Psirens}
Taj Mahal: White marble mausoleum in Agra, India. Built in the mid-
1600s by Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife.
{Me^2, Justice}
Third Reich: Nazi Germany under Hitler's dictatorship.
{Backwards, Timeslides, Meltdown}
% Topic Bar: Chocolate bar with fondant and 'a hazelnut in every bite'
% (this phrase was used as an advertising slogan for Topics).
% {Stasis Leak, Marooned}
Wayne, John: (1907-1979) The Duke. American actor most popularly
known for his roles in Western films (winning an Oscar for "True
Grit", 1969).
{Better Than Life, Meltdown}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE TV SHOW
===========
THE END
-------
Mary, Queen of Scots: (1542-1587) Queen of Scotland 1542-1567.
Executed on the orders of Elizabeth I of England. Her son James
VI of Scotland later became James I of Great Britain.
Pythagoras Theorem: The square of the hypotenuse of a right-angle
triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of its other two
sides. You will be tested.
** The song Lister is humming at the beginning: "If I Only Had A
Brain" from the movie "The Wizard Of Oz" (1939), starring Judy
Garland.
** The flag on McIntyre's funeral canister: The flag of Wales -- the
Red Dragon of Cadwallader over a green and white background.
** The song played at McIntyre's funeral: "See You Later Alligator",
an early rock 'n' roll song (1956). Recorded by Bill Haley And
The Comets.
** The song the Cat is singing: "Me And My Shadow"; has been
performed by several artists over the years, including Frank
Sinatra and Judy Garland. Can be heard in the 1981 British
movie "Time Bandits", starring John Cleese and Sean Connery.
FUTURE ECHOES
-------------
Teasy-Weasy: A hairdresser, of course. Here's hoping they're better
at it than Holly is.
Filofax: Personal organiser. For those not important enough to warrant
having a secretary.
Lennon, John: (1940-1980) Singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist
with The Beatles.
McCartney, Paul: (1942- ) Singer, songwriter and rhythm/bass
guitarist with The Beatles.
Green Beret: Crack military group, Special Forces of the US Army. In
1961, the best of the Special Forces were granted the honorific
"Green Beret" by President Kennedy.
Shapiro, Helen: (1946- ) British singer and actress. Famous for
having a hit single at the age of 14, and for wearing bouffant
hair. ;-)
Ladybird Books: Information books on a level for children.
Starlight Ballroom: Club in Las Vegas.
** The song Lister is singing at the beginning: A spaced-up version of
"My Darling Clementine".
** The song Talkie Toaster is singing: "Fly Me To The Moon", recorded
by Frank Sinatra.
** The tune Rimmer is humming as he contemplates Lister's demise: The
"Death March Of Saul" (1738) by the German composer George
Frideric Handel.
** Rimmer's second hairstyle: Holly has made him into a Beatles
wannabe.
BALANCE OF POWER
----------------
Juno: Roman goddess of women and childbirth and wife of Jupiter, chief
of the gods.
Mendelssohn, Felix: (1809-1847) German composer, pianist and
conductor.
Motorhead: British heavy metal band.
Boyle, Robert: (1627-1691). British chemist who made quantitative
studies of gases, enabling him to formulate Boyle's Law of Gases.
Of course, he may also have made study of the dangers of eating
greasy food...
WAITING FOR GOD
---------------
PARALLEL -- The play "Waiting For Godot" (1952) by Samuel
Beckett, about two tramps trapped by delusion, ignorance and hope in
the form of waiting for a mysterious someone called Godot.
Hugo, Victor: (1802-1885) French novelist. Best-known books include
"Notre-Dame De Paris" (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame -- 1831) and
"Les Miserables" (1862).
Galileo (Galilei): (1564-1642) Italian physicist, mathematician,
astronomer and developer of the astronomical telescope.
Edison, Thomas Alva: (1847-1931) American scientist and prolific
inventor (inventions included the phonograph and the lightbulb).
Columbo: Scruffy detective played by Peter Falk (1927- ) in the
American TV series/movies of the same name. Not to be confused
with Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer who
discovered America (1492), and generally was believed to dress
quite nicely (except when portrayed in the movies by Gerard
Depardieu).
Bermuda Triangle: Area of the Atlantic Ocean (roughly bounded by the
southern USA coast, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles) in which
more than 70 ships and aeroplanes have allegedly disappeared.
Alien abductions constitute a favourite 'explanation' for these
supposed disappearances.
** "I toast, therefore I am.": Variation on the "I think, therefore
I am" principle by Rene Descartes.
** "You might get some squiggly, slimy thing stuck to your face!": In
the movie "Alien" (1979) starring Sigourney Weaver and John Hurt,
this is precisely what happened to Hurt's character Kane when he
went off investigating alien 'eggs'.
** The music that plays as Lister enters the Cat 'cathedral': Toccata
and Fugue in g minor, by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
CONFIDENCE AND PARANOIA
-----------------------
Keegan, Kevin: (1951- ) British (former) footballer; now manager of
the team Newcastle United.
Christie, Agatha: (1890-1976) British writer, author of more than 70
detective novels.
Poirot, Hercule: Belgian detective character in several Agatha Christie
novels.
Beethoven, Ludwig van: (1770-1827) German composer, conductor and
pianist; continued composing even after being afflicted with
deafness in 1801.
** Jim in the movie Lister is watching: Perhaps not surprisingly,
sounds very like the American actor James Stewart (1908- ), star
of the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946).
** "Hercule Poirot's just stepped off the steaming train. And if you
want my opinion, I think they all did it.": Holly is reading
Agatha Christie's "Murder On The Orient Express" (1934). The
Orient Express is the train in question. And Holly is on the case
and kicking bottom -- they *did* all do it.
** "In space, no one can hear you cha-cha-cha...": The movie "Alien"
(1979), starring Sigourney Weaver and John Hurt, had as its cinema
publicity tag "In space, no one can hear you scream."
ME^2
----
Kama-Sutra: Textbook on erotics and other forms of human pleasure.
Named after Indian god of love (Kama).
Blu-Tack: Sticky substance used for attaching posters to walls (for
those for whom chewing-gum doesn't quite do the trick).
G & E drawing: Geometric and Engineering Drawing. A GCSE subject, also
known as Technical Drawing (or Mechanical and Engineering Drawing
at "O" Level).
NorWEB: North West Electricity Board.
Welles, Orson: (1915-1985) American actor, director, writer and
producer. Notable works include the 1938 "War Of The Worlds"
radio broadcast, and the movie "Citizen Kane" (1941) which won
him an Oscar for Original Screenplay.
Pluto's moon: Charon. Named after the ferryman on the River Styx in
the underworld (Hades) in Greek mythology.
** Close-up of Rimmer's mouth as he utters his dying words "Gazpacho
soup!", his outstretched hand, and the breaking of the globe
containing Red Dwarf: Reminiscent of the opening scene of
"Citizen Kane" (1941) starring Orson Welles, in which Kane
(Welles) in close-up utters his dying words "Rose bud", then drops
from his outstretched hand a snow-globe which shatters on the
stairs.
** The gag glasses Holly is wearing: Patterned after Groucho Marx
(1890-1977), American comedy actor.
** The salute that Lister performs at the end: A Boy Scout salute.
KRYTEN
------
PARALLEL -- The play "The Admirable Crichton" (1902) by J.M.
Barrie. Made into a film (1957) starring Kenneth More. A nobleman and
his family are shipwrecked, and the manservant (Crichton) proves his
mettle.
Gwenlyn, Kylie: Producer and director of "Androids", whose surname is
also used by Lister as an insult. Named after a producer, and
former head of comedy at the BBC, Gareth Gwenlan. (See also
below.)
Champion The Wonder Horse: Champion was the horse of American cowboy
singer/actor Gene Autry. From 1955-1956 Champion was the star
of a CBS children's show called "The Adventures Of Champion".
This show starred Barry Curtis as 12 year old Ricky North, who
was always getting into serious scrapes and being rescued by his
Wonder Horse, Champion, and his faithful German shepherd dog
called Rebel.
Clive of India: Robert, Baron Clive of Passey (1725-1774). British
soldier/administrator who established British rule in India.
Governor of Bengal.
The Wild One: (1954) American film about hoodlum motorcyclists who
terrorise a small town. Starring Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin.
Easy Rider: (1969) American film about two drop-out motorcyclists.
Starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson.
Rebel Without A Cause: (1955) American film about a troubled/
troublesome poor little rich boy. Starring James Dean and
Natalie Wood.
** Androids: Parody of the Australian soap opera "Neighbours", which
starred for a time the Australian actress/singer *Kylie* Minogue
(recently seen in the movie "Streetfighter", 1995, with Jean-
Claude Van Damme). The lines "Androids, everybody needs good
androids" and "Androids have feelings too" of the "Androids" theme
song mimic the lines "Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours"
and "That's when good neighbours become good friends" of the
"Neighbours" theme song. One thing though -- if the androids are
supposed to have Australian accents, Ms. Gwenlyn went too far east
because they sound more like New Zealanders (though still wide of
that mark, too!) than Australians.
** The song the Cat sings when going off to prepare to meet the Nova 5
crew: Only two words "Twenty-four hours!" but definitely the
tune of "Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa". Recorded by Gene Pitney.
** The book Lister is reading in the Blue Midget cockpit: A
children's book from the "Spot" (a dog) series, by Eric Hill.
** "I serve, therefore I am.": Variation on "I think, therefore I am"
by Rene Descartes.
** Rimmer: "What are you rebelling against?"
Kryten: "Whaddya got?"
Lines from the movie "The Wild One" (1954) starring Marlon Brando
as Johnny, leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, and wearer
of leather (a la Kryten as he prepares to leave Red Dwarf on
Lister's space-bike).
Girl: "Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?"
Johnny: "Whaddya got?"
BETTER THAN LIFE
----------------
Berni Inn: A chain of steak-house restaurants.
Pinky and Perky: Two falsetto-voiced singing puppet piglets on the
1950s-1960s BBC (later ITV) children's show "Pinky And Perky"
(created by Jan and Vlasta Dalibor).
Blind Pew: Blind villain in the novel "Treasure Island" (1883) by
Robert Louis Stevenson.
Friday The Thirteenth: Nine movies to date, about this deathly date.
Horror movies in which teenagers meet their deaths in a variety of
ways at the hands of the unkillable Jason. It's just surprising
that in Lister's time they're only up to Part 1649.
Beardsley, Peter: (1961- ) British footballer, captain of Newcastle
United.
Philistines: A 12th century non-Semitic race of people. The name has
become synonymous with one who is uncivilised in artistic and
intellectual terms.
Venus: Armless statue of the Roman goddess of love. Currently in the
Louvre, Paris.
Shields, Brooke: (1965- ) American actress and former child model.
Best-known roles in "Pretty Baby" (1978), "The Blue Lagoon" (1980)
and "Endless Love" (1981).
Fitzgerald, (Francis) Scott: (1896-1940) American writer, author of
the novel "The Great Gatsby" (1925).
Outland Revenue: Presumably what the Inland Revenue Service will become
once humankind moves off into space.
Geldof: Presumably named after ("Sir") Bob Geldof (1954- ), lead singer
of the former band Boomtown Rats (best-known song "I Don't Like
Mondays"); later solo artist and sometime-actor. Also humanitarian,
co-organiser of Live Aid 1985, and Nobel Prize nominee.
Mount Sinai: Where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.
Mary Magdalene: Allegedly sinful woman, and follower of Jesus after she
was cured by Him of possession by evil spirits. The first person
to meet Jesus after the Resurrection.
Hefner, Hugh: (1926- ) American publisher, and founder of "Playboy"
magazine (1953).
** Holly: "Of all the space-bars in all the worlds, you had
to rematerialise in mine."
Line from the definitive version of "Casablanca" (starring Myra
Binglebat and Peter Beardsley) which mimics a line in the original
version (1942) starring Humphrey Bogart as Rick.
Rick: "Of all the gin-joints in all the towns in all the
world, she walks into mine."
** The motorcycle Lister wishes for in the game Better Than Life: A
Harley Davidson.
** Rimmer's cars in the game Better Than Life: In order of appearance,
a Reliant Robin, an E-Type Jaguar and a Morris Minor.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
---------------------
Shake 'N' Vac: A carpet-deodorising powder which is shaken onto a
carpet and which releases an odour-killing fragrance when the
carpet is vacuumed.
Odor Eaters: Shoe inserts which will absorb/eliminate foot odour or
your money back.
Osmond, (Little) Jimmy: (1963- ) Youngest of the singing Osmond
family from Utah, having a successful solo career at age nine.
Best-known song "Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool".
From Here To Eternity: (1953) American film about love and frustration
set in the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Starring Burt
Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. Contains the famous scene of
Lancaster and Kerr kissing on the beach (yes they are wearing
swimsuits) while the waves break over them.
Mantovani: (1905-1980) Italian-born violinist, composer and conductor.
Godzilla: Japanese movie monster, star of several "Godzilla Versus..."
movies.
Johnson's Baby Bud: A wad of cotton on a stick, the most romantic thing
that Rimmer has ever had in his ear.
** The song Rimmer is singing: "Someone To Watch Over Me" -- written
by George and Ira Gershwin; recently recorded by Linda Ronstadt.
** The music Rimmer is humming while exercising: "Peter And The Wolf"
(1936) by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.
** Lister: "Well play it, Sam."
In the movie "Casablanca" (1942), Sam (Dooley Wilson; 1894-1953) is
the piano player in Rick's (Humphrey Bogart) Cafe Americain. Rick
wants Sam to play the tune "As Time Goes By", and is often
erroneously 'quoted' as having said "Play it again, Sam."
Rick: "Play it!"
Alternatively (but less often mimicked), it may be Ingrid Bergman
(as Ilsa) that Lister is imitating. When Ilsa first comes to
Rick's cafe, she asks Sam to play the tune...
Ilsa: "Play it once Sam. <...> Play it Sam."
STASIS LEAK
-----------
Kendall, Felicity: (1946- ) British actress (seen in the sit-com
"The Good Life") having a much-admired derriere -- once voted Rear
Of The Year.
Planet Of The Apes: (1968) American movie about a futuristic Earth
society composed of highly-evolved apes. Starring Charlton Heston
and Roddy McDowall.
Gone With The Wind: (1939) American movie about love during the
American Civil War. Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. A
run-time of three hours and forty minutes.
Agoraphobia: Fear of open spaces.
Box of Daz: Heavy-duty clothes-washing powder.
Cartland, Barbara: (1904- ) British romantic novelist.
Purley: Part of London.
Come Jiving: Perhaps a later version of the dance competition "Come
Dancing".
Captain Paxo: Paxo is a British brand of chicken stuffing.
Newton-John, Olivia: (1948- ) British-born Australian singer and
actress. Best-known movie role as Sandy in "Grease" (1978) with
John Travolta. Songs include "Banks Of The Ohio", "You're The
One That I Want" (duet with John Travolta), "Magic" and
"Physical".
Run For Your Wife: 1980s play, written by Ray Cooney. Stars included
Jack Smethurst and David McCallum.
** Attack Of The Killer Gooseberries: Perhaps a future film to be made
in the style of "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes" (1978).
QUEEG
-----
PARALLEL -- From the novel "The Caine Mutiny" (1951) by Herman
Wouk. The book tells the story of the incompetent sea-captain, Phillip
Queeg, whose crew eventually mutinies and takes command from him. Made
into a film in 1954, starring Humphrey Bogart in the Oscar-nominated
role of Queeg.
Tess Of The D'Urbervilles: (1891) Novel about the seduction (and its
consequences) of a peasant girl. Written by Thomas Hardy.
Hardy, Robert: (1925- ) British actor, well-known for his portrayal
of Siegfried in the TV series "All Creatures Great And Small".
Deganwy: Region of Wales.
Tottenham Hotspur: English football club.
Butlins: A family holiday-camp establishment with a bit of a reputation
for being 'inadequate'.
Subbuteo: Mini table-football game.
** Rimmer cheering himself on during the draughts game: Imitative of
the style of English football supporters.
** Holly: "This is mutiny Mr. Queeg. I'll see you swing
from the highest yardarm in Titan Docking Port for this
day's work."
Parallel of lines attributed to Captain William Bligh of the HMS
Bounty; said to the master's mate Fletcher Christian, when
Christian led the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. Several versions
of the lines exist. From the book "Mutiny On The Bounty" (1932)
by Charles Nordhoff and James Hall...
Bligh (to Christian): "You mutinous dog! I'll see you
hung <..> I'll see you swinging from a yardarm before
two years have passed!"
From the film "Mutiny On The Bounty" (1935) starring Charles
Laughton as Bligh and Clark Gable as Christian...
Bligh (to Christian): "I'll live to see you -- all of
you -- hanging from the highest yardarm in the British
Fleet..."
** The song Holly sings as he goes to challenge Queeg: "High Noon (Do
Not Forsake Me)" recorded by Frankie Laine. Oscar-winning song
(aka "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin'") sung in the western "High
Noon" (1952; starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly) by Tex Ritter.
** The song Holly sings before he is 'erased': "Goodbye To Love",
recorded by The Carpenters.
PARALLEL UNIVERSE
-----------------
Mesmer, Friedrich Anton: (1734-1815) Austrian physician who
experimented with hypnosis (formerly called mesmerism).
Sandwich, (4th) Earl of (John Montagu): (1718-1792) British politician
who, in order not to interrupt his card-playing, developed the
habit of eating beef between two slices of toast, and thus
invented the sandwich.
Morse, Samuel: (1791-1872) American inventor who greatly improved the
electric telegraph and (with assistant Alexander Bain) invented
Morse code.
Plato: (c.428-347 BC) Ancient Greek philosopher.
Ringo (Starr): (1940- ) Drummer with the Beatles.
I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy: Song by vaudevillian George M. Cohan.
Miranda, Carmen: (1909-1955) Portuguese singer and dancer with a
penchant for extravagant costumes, most notably a headdress made
of fruit.
** Armstrong, Nellie: Female universe equivalent of Neil Armstrong
(1930- ), the first man on the moon (July 20, 1969).
** The Male Eunuch, by Jeremy Greer: The female universe equivalent
of "The Female Eunuch" (1970) by Germaine Greer (1939- ).
** Rachel III; The Taming Of The Shrimp -- both by Wilma Shakespeare:
Female universe equivalents of William Shakespeare's plays
"Richard III" and "The Taming Of The Shrew".
** "I'm off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!": Line
from the title song of the movie "The Wizard Of Oz" (1939)
starring Judy Garland.
BACKWARDS
---------
PARALLEL -- The opening scroll and its musical accompaniment,
akin to those in the movie "Star Wars" (1977) starring Mark Hamill,
Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
The Flintstones: Indisputably-classic cartoon from Hanna-Barbera,
about two Bedrock suburban couples (Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and
Barney and Betty Rubble).
Muggins: Slang meaning 'simpleton'.
Genghis Khan: (c.1167-1227) Mongol conqueror and great military
leader. Ruler of all Mongol peoples, across a vast empire ranging
from the Yellow Sea (China/Korea) to the Black Sea (south-east
Europe), from 1206.
ICI: Imperial Chemical Industries, one of the largest companies of
Britain.
** "Or a herd of flesh-eating dinosaurs feeding off the bones of Doug
McClure?": McClure made several 'dinosaur' movies, including
"The Land That Time Forgot" (1975) and its sequel, "The People
That Time Forgot" (1977).
** The man sucking smoke out of the air and putting it into his
cigarette: Is Rob Grant.
** The mask Kryten is wearing: Ronald Reagan (1911- ) Former
Hollywood actor, and 40th President (Republican) of the USA
(1981-1989).
MAROONED
--------
Sindy: Girls' doll, more middle-class than Barbie.
Birdseye: Frozen food company, products include frozen fish-fingers
and packets of small garden peas.
Newcastle Brown: Beer -- Newcastle Brown Ale.
Alexander The Great: (356-323 BC) King of Macedonia and conqueror of
the Persian Empire.
Shrove Tuesday (Christian): The day before the beginning of Lent.
Ascension (Sunday?): Ascension Thursday is the feast day commemorating
Christ's ascension into Heaven.
Pentecost (Christian): The day the Apostles experienced inspiration
by the Holy Spirit. Commemorated on Whit Sunday.
Lamb, Charles: (1775-1834) British essayist and critic.
Wouk, Herman: (1915- ) American novelist, and winner of the Pulitzer
Prize (1952) for "The Caine Mutiny" (1951); more recent novels
include "The Winds Of War" (1971) and "War And Remembrance"
(1978).
Bacon, Sir Francis: (1561-1626) English politician, philosopher and
essayist.
Lustbader, Eric (Van): ([?]- ) American novelist, and music
industry influence (eg. introduced Elton John to the American
music scene).
Pinter, Harold: (1930- ) British dramatist and former actor. Author
of "The Caretaker" (1960).
Richard, (Sir) Cliff: (1940- ) Enduring British pop singer and
sometime actor. And I still can't believe that "Wired For Sound"
only made it to No. 132 on the US charts. Philistines! ;-)
Bootle: Town near Liverpool, England.
Ryder Cup: Golf tournament for professional men's teams from the USA
and Europe; played biennially. Begun in 1926, and named after
Samuel Ryder ([?]).
Lewis': Department store. So we know Michelle Fisher was *beautiful*
enough to get a job behind the perfume counter, but was she also
vicious enough? I mean, that killer ability to leap out and
spray customers with perfume as they pass the counter...that can
only come from *instinct*, not training.
Biggles: Flying ace character in the books by Captain W.E. Johns.
West Side Story: American musical. Film (1961) starring Natalie Wood
and Richard Beymer. Based on William Shakespeare's play "Romeo
And Juliet" but transferred to the contemporary setting of gang
feuding in the New York docklands.
Lolita: (1955) Best-known novel of the Russian writer Vladimir
Nabokov, it tells the story of a middle-aged man's obsession with
a 12 year old girl.
Islington: Area of London.
Paul, Les: (1915-1995) American guitarist and inventor.
** The song Lister plays on his guitar: "She's Out Of My Life",
recorded by Michael Jackson.
** The tune Rimmer trumpets as his soldiers burn: The military send-
off "The Last Post".
** "Au revoir mes amis, a bientot.": Farewell my friends, see you
soon (French).
POLYMORPH
---------
The Three Musketeers: (1844) Novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas
(pere). The musketeers were Athos, Porthos and Aramis, with
D'Artagnan as a fourth.
Osmond family: Family of singing Mormons; the seven children all had
(have) successful singing careers for a time, especially Donny,
Marie and (Little) Jimmy. The Osmonds were recognised as much
for their big cheesy grins (with perfect teeth) as for their
music.
** The eight-foot tall, armour-plated killing machine: Bears an
*uncanny* resemblance to the creature from the movie "Alien"
(1979) starring Sigourney Weaver and John Hurt.
BODYSWAP
--------
Hitchcock, Alfred: (1899-1980) Producer/director lauded for his style
of movie-making, combining suspense, humour and romance. Films
include "The Thirty-Nine Steps" (1935), "Dial M For Murder" (1954)
and "The Birds" (1963). A portly man, Hitchcock also hosted an
anthology TV series called "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"; his
'trademark' was his body silhouette in profile.
Atlas, Charles: (1893-1972) American bodybuilder and founder of the
mail-order bodybuilding course. The original weakling who turned
to bodybuilding after a lifeguard kicked sand on him at the beach
and stole his girlfriend.
Goodyear: Tyre company known for floating advertising blimps over major
sporting events.
Mr. Spock: The half-Vulcan, half-human Science Officer on the Starship
Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" series; also appearing in
the later "Star Trek" movies. Played by Leonard Nimoy (1931- ).
I suppose the logical question to ask now is: Is his urine really
green? (How sad that I am asking that question. How much sadder
though that someone, somewhere, probably knows the answer!)
Super Bowl: Post-season championship game for American football.
Grimsby: Aptly-named, northern industrialised 'seaside' town by the
River Humber on the east coast of England.
** "I look like Captain Emerald!": Perhaps a descendant of Captain
Scarlet, title character from the British (Supermarionation) TV
series "Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons", done by Gerry Anderson
(of "Thunderbirds" and "Terrahawks" fame) in 1967-1968. Rimmer's
uniform (in particular, his hat) is strongly modelled on the
uniform of Captain Scarlet.
** The song Rimmer (in Lister's body) is humming as he prepares to go
to the toilet: "The Grand Old Duke Of York."
** The music playing as Rimmer (in Lister's body) leaves Red Dwarf in
Starbug: The "Light Cavalry Overture" (1866) by the Austro-
Italian composer Franz von Suppe.
** Lister: "Go ahead punks! Make my day!"
Parallel of lines spoken and terms used by Clint Eastwood as
Dirty Harry Callahan in eg. "Sudden Impact" (1983)...
Dirty Harry: "Go ahead. Make my day."
TIMESLIDES
----------
Nuremberg: German city, site of (1933-1938) the German Nazi Party
rallies, and of Nazi war criminal trials (1945-1946).
Stauffenberg, Claus von: (1907-1944) German colonel who attempted to
assassinate Hitler via a bomb planted in Hitler's headquarters'
conference room at Rastenburg in East Prussia, July 1944 (see
also the PIP). Hitler had von Stauffenberg executed for his
trouble.
Hoffman, Dustin: (1937- ) American stage and screen actor. Films
include "The Graduate" (1967), "Kramer Vs. Kramer" (1979),
"Tootsie" (1982) and "Rainman" (1988, for which he won his second
Best Actor Oscar). Stage/TV work includes "Death Of A Salesman".
Ishtar: (1987) Absolute bomb of a movie about two hapless singer/
songwriters, starring Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty.
Freemasons: Free and Accepted Masons. The largest worldwide secret
society, evolved from stonemasons and cathedral builders guilds
of the Middle Ages.
Buckingham Palace: The Queen's place.
Xanadu: Charles Foster Kane's mega-mansion in the movie "Citizen Kane"
(1941), starring Orson Welles as Kane.
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich: A 1960s UK beat group, originally
known as Dave Dee And The Bostons. The members were vocalist Dave
Dee (1943- ), bassist Trevor "Dozy" Davies (1944- ), rhythm
guitarist John "Beaky" Dymond (1944- ), drummer Mick Wilson
(1944- ) and lead guitarist Ian "Tich" Amey (1944- ). The group
had a Number One hit in 1966 with "Legend Of Xanadu".
Swiftian: Descriptive of the type of satire in which outrageous
statements are offered in a straight-faced manner. Named after
the Irish-born British satirist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), author
of "Gulliver's Travels" (1726).
** The music that Kryten is dancing to while developing his first lot
of photographs: "Bad News", a song written and performed by
Craig Charles (with his band, The Sons Of Gordon Gekko -- see
also below). This song does have lyrics, including "Bad news,
I got bad news; I said, I got no money for my fags and my booze"
with the instrumental bit heard either part of the lead break
between choruses (vocal version), or part of the instrumental
version.
** "We could go to Dallas, in November 1963, stand on the grassy knoll
and shout 'Duck!'.": Reference to the assassination of John
F(itzgerald) Kennedy, 35th President of the USA (1961-1963,
Democrat), who was shot and killed at this place and time, by
(officially accepted) Lee Harvey Oswald.
** Lifestyles Of The Disgustingly Rich And Famous: Obviously a TV show
for those who are just too well off to go on "Lifestyles Of The
Rich And Famous".
** The song playing as Lister arrives at Xanadu: "Cash" by Craig
Charles's band The Sons Of Gordon Gekko, named after Michael
Douglas's character in the movie "Wall Street" (1987).
** The music playing before Lister and Sabrina Mulholland-Jjones are
served their meals: From the concerto "Four Seasons (Spring)"
(c.1725) by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi.
** The song Rimmer sings after he leaves the photo of his boarding
school dormitory: "If I Were A Rich Man" from the stage musical
"Fiddler On The Roof" by Joseph Stein (movie, 1971, starring
Topol).
THE LAST DAY
------------
Brigitte Nielsen: (1963- ) Danish actress and singer more famous for
her breast implants, and for being the former wife of Sylvester
Stallone, than for her acting or singing. Movies include "Red
Sonja" (1985), "Cobra" (1986) and "Beverly Hills Cop 2" (1987).
Action Man: Boys' toy, a doll in the style of G.I. Joe.
Vimto: Brand of British soft drink, bought as a concentrate and diluted
with water. Also comes (less commonly) in carbonated form.
Eiffel Tower: Famous Parisian landmark named after and constructed by
the French engineer Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), for the Paris
Exhibition of 1889.
Montmartre: Area of Paris ville.
Pollock, Jackson: (1912-1956) American painter. Developer of the
painting style known as 'action painting' (1946). Also a pioneer
of Abstract Expressionism. (Or put more simply, paintings that
look like vomit.)
** "The iron shall lie down with the lamp.": Parallel of passages in
the Bible dealing with lions and lambs coexisting as friends and
not enemies. The wording of the passages varies depending on the
Bible version, but the relevant verses are Isaiah 11:6 and Isaiah
65:25.
** The music playing before 'the morning after': "Morning Mood" (from
"Peer Gynt", 1876) by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg.
** The song Hudzen 10 is singing: "Goodbyee" (composed by Weston/Lee).
Blackadder fans can hear a nice rendition of this song by Bob
Parkhurst (Gabrielle Glaister) in the episode "Major Star" of
"Blackadder Goes Forth". And that's probably the most gratuitous
sentence in this document, but what's one more, eh?
CAMILLE
-------
PARALLEL -- The movie "Casablanca" (1942). Rick (Humphrey
Bogart) must choose between holding on to the woman he loves (Ilsa,
played by Ingrid Bergman) or sending her away with her husband (Victor
Laszlo, played by Paul Henreid) for the ultimate good of both Ilsa and
Laszlo.
Nelson, Horatio: (1758-1805) British (naval, as opposed to Space
Corps!) admiral. During the French Revolutionary Wars he lost
the sight of his right eye (1794), and lost his right arm in 1797.
Tales Of The Riverbank: A Canadian series narrated by Johnny Morris,
this was a children's show about the adventures of a community
of animals living by a riverbank. The show put real animals
in highly anthropomorphised settings and situations. The
star of the original show was Hammy Hamster. Presumably the show
Lister was watching was a followup to the original "Tales", in
the style of "The Next Generation" (a la "Star Trek").
St. Elsewhere: American hospital drama series of the mid-to-late 1980s,
starring Denzel Washington and Ed Begley, Jr. Emphasis on realism
and not always a 'happy ever after' ending.
Spiderman: Comic and cartoon superhero, born when reporter Peter Parker
was bitten by a radioactive spider. Created by Stan Lee in the
early 1960s.
Valkyrie: One of the nine virgin semidivine priestesses of Freya
(goddess of love and beauty) in Norse mythology.
Malden, Karl: (1914- ) American actor with a distinctive bulbous
nose. Most famous roles include the movie "A Streetcar Named
Desire" (1951; for which he won an Oscar), the TV series "The
Streets Of San Francisco" (mid-1970s, first with Michael Douglas
and later with Richard Hatch), and the commercials for American
Express ("Don't leave home without it").
The Blob: (1958) American movie starring Steve McQueen, in which the
people of a small town are terrorised by an invading blob from
space.
McQueen, Steve: (1930-1980) American actor. Best known movie roles
in "The Blob" (1958), "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), "The Great
Escape" (1963), "Papillon" (1973) and "The Towering Inferno"
(1974).
** (Nelson) "I see no ships.": At the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801,
Nelson put a telescope up to his blind eye in order to avoid
seeing a signal from his commander (Sir Hyde Parker) telling him
to withdraw, which would have prevented Nelson from crippling
the Danish fleet.
Nelson's remark at the Battle: "I have only one eye --
I have a right to be blind sometimes...I really do
not see the signal."
** At the end of "Casablanca", Humphrey Bogart lies to Victor Laszlo
to protect Laszlo's feelings: Rick (Bogart) lies to Laszlo,
saying that Ilsa does not love him (Rick) any more, in order to
save Laszlo jealousy and heartache if he were to believe that his
wife did not love him.
** Parrot's Bar on G-Deck: Appears to have been modelled after the
Blue Parrot bar from "Casablanca", which had as decorations
parrot statuettes and live parrots on perches.
** The music playing as Kryten and Camille head out in Starbug: "The
Blue Danube" (1867), a waltz by Austrian composer Johann Strauss.
** The song playing when Kryten and Camille are in the cinema: They
are watching "Casablanca" and this song from it is called "As
Time Goes By".
** Hector, Camille's husband: The something-that-dropped-out-of-the-
Sphinx's-nose equivalent of Victor, Ilsa's husband, in
"Casablanca".
** Camille: "Why my bag, Kryten?"
Kryten: "Because you're getting on that craft with
Hector, where you belong."
Camille: "No, Kryten."
Kryten: "Now you've got to listen to me. Do you have
any idea what you've got to look forward to if you stay
here?"
Camille: "You're saying this only to make me go."
Kryten: "We both know you belong to Hector -- you're
part of his work, you're what keeps him going. If
you're not on that craft when it leaves the hangar,
you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow,
but soon, for the rest of your life."
Camille: "What about us?"
Kryten: "We'll always have Parrot's. <...> I'm no good
at being noble, kid, but it's pretty obvious the
problems of two blobs and a droid don't amount to a hill
of beans in this crazy cosmos."
Hector: "Are you ready, Camille?"
Camille: "I'm ready. Goodbye, Kryten. And bless you."
Lines from the airport scene in "Casablanca" where Rick is
convincing Ilsa to leave on the aeroplane with Victor.
Ilsa: "But, why my name Richard?"
Rick: "Because <...> you're getting on that plane with
Victor where you belong. <...>"
Ilsa: "But Richard no, I, I... <...>"
Rick: "Now you've got to listen to me. Do you have any
idea what you've got to look forward to if you stay
here? <...>"
Ilsa: "You're saying this only to make me go."
Rick: "<...> we both know you belong with Victor, you're
part of his work -- the thing that keeps him going. If
that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him,
you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow,
but soon and for the rest of your life."
Ilsa: "But what about us?"
Rick: "We'll always have Paris. <...> I'm no good at
being noble but it doesn't take much to see that the
problems of three little people don't amount to a hill
of beans in this crazy world. <...>"
Victor: "Are you ready, Ilsa?"
Ilsa: "Yes I'm ready. Goodbye Rick. God bless you."
** Lister: "Kryten, this could be the start of a beautiful
friendship."
This line, as Lister and Kryten walk away together at the end, is
from the final shot of "Casablanca", where Rick and the Prefect
of Police, Louis (Claude Rains), walk away together across the
airport ground.
Rick: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a
beautiful friendship."
D.N.A.
------
The Bride Of Frankenstein: (1935) American movie starring Elsa
Lanchester (1902-1986) as the Bride created for Frankenstein's
monster. Her hair was swept straight up stiffly a la the Cat's
here, though the Bride's also had a white wavy stripe up each
side.
Miller, Glenn: (1904-1944) American trombonist, and big band leader
and melody arranger. Hits included "Little Brown Jug",
"Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Moonlight Serenade", "Chattanooga Choo
Choo" and "In The Mood". On his way from England to France to
entertain troops during World War II, Miller's plane disappeared
without trace (probably ditched into the English Channel);
although a popular notion is that he was abducted by aliens with
a taste for swing music.
Quantel: Video effect whereby a sequence of footage is split into a
series of discrete single-image frames. Also, the manufacturers
of a high-quality 2D painting and animation software/hardware
package.
Como, Perry: (1912- ) American singer, and sometime actor and TV
variety show host. Hits included many songs from movies, such as
"Blue Moon" (from "Words And Music", 1958) and the No. 1 "Some
Enchanted Evening" (from "South Pacific", 1949). Although, my
hopelessly inadequate book fails utterly to mention what was
stashed in his slacks during the singing of "Memories Are Made Of
This".
Descartes, Rene: (1596-1650) French philosopher and mathematician.
Famous for "I think, therefore I am" which the Red Dwarf posse
like to adapt to *any* given situation.
Popeye: Created by E.C. Segar. Cartoon sailor who gets a strength
boost from the goodness of spinach. Also a bit of a philosopher
for his Popeye Principle "I am what I am." Frequently confused
with Descartes.
The Louvre: Objets d'art museum (former palace) in Paris, home to such
works as the "Mona Lisa" and the "Venus De Milo".
Nutkin: Character created by British author Beatrix Potter. Appearing
in her children's book "The Tale Of Squirrel Nutkin" (1903).
Lake Michigan: A poppadom the size of this American lake would be 58020
square kilometres in area (22395 square miles).
** Lister: "How can the same smeg happen to the same guy
twice?"
From the 1990 American movie "Die Hard 2: Die Harder", which had
as its cinema publicity tag "How can the same thing happen to the
same guy twice?!" Starring Bruce Willis as John McClane, who
muses aloud as he finds himself in another basement, another
elevator...
McClane: "How can the same shit happen to the same guy
twice?"
** The Chomp Thing: Not half man, half extra-hot Indian curry; but
half man, half plant -- this is the title character of the "Swamp
Thing" (1981 -- original idea from a comic book), an American film
starring Louis Jourdan and Adrienne Barbeau.
** The 'Man-Plus' Lister gets turned into: Looks *very* much like
the title character of the cyborg-policeman in the 1987 American
film "Robocop", starring Peter Weller (1947- ), as Robocop, and
Nancy Allen.
JUSTICE
-------
The Elephant Man: (1862-1890) Joseph (commonly erroneously referred
to as John) Merrick, a man with hideous deformities in the form of
huge masses of bulbous flesh, thought to be the result of a rare
disease called Proteus syndrome.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not: Newspaper feature, books, and TV show in
which fantastic and 'unbelievable' things and/or events are
presented to the eager public.
The Bengals: American-football team -- the Cincinnati Bengals -- whose
players wear orange-and-black striped helmets.
Iranian jird: A small cute member of the rodent family, more properly
called the Persian jird (Meriones persicus), this animal
nonetheless has more discretion than Cats because if Cat's
statement about its sex life is true, then the jird itself
certainly isn't telling.
Hess, Rudolf: (1894-1987) German Nazi leader -- former private
secretary, and later deputy Fuhrer, to Adolf Hitler. Captured in
England in 1941, and sentenced to life imprisonment after the
Nuremberg Trials, he died in Spandau Prison, Berlin.
Crunchie bars: Scrumdiddlyumptious chocolate-covered honeycomb bars,
made by Cadbury.
Long John Silver: One-legged, parrot-carrying, cook-wannabe pirate
character in Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure story "Treasure
Island" (1883).
** Florence Nightingdroid: Presumably the mechanoid equivalent of
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the British nurse who (during
the Crimean War) established nursing practices that led (along
with her later founding of a nursing school/home in London) to
the revolutionising of nursing as a profession.
** Barbra Bellini in her lead-lined pod: Very probably a reference
to a type of logic puzzle, in which a candidate must attempt
to discern the whereabouts or not of some object placed into
one of several caskets. The puzzles tell of two Renaissance
Florentine casket-makers, Bellini and Cellini. Whenever one
made a casket, he inscribed it with some clue to the puzzle --
the catch was that while Bellini's inscription *always* told
the truth, and Cellini's inscription *always* lied, the candidate
had no way of knowing which casket had been made by which
craftsman. The puzzles popularly involved choosing between a
gold, a silver and a lead casket -- reflecting the Cat's "What
a dilemma!" of Barbra or not in the lead(-lined) pod/casket.
So, are we now crying out for an example of this puzzle? Here
is the one that FroggyGrem sent to me (and which I'm relieved to
say I did figure out -- eventually! Whew!)...
Gold casket inscription: The dagger is in this casket.
Silver casket inscription: This casket is empty.
Lead casket inscription: At most, one of these three
caskets was fashioned by Bellini.
The puzzle: Avoid choosing the dagger!
** "Take the Fifth!": Meaning the broad interpretation of the Fifth
Amendment of the United States Constitution, which (among other
things) protects an individual against self-incrimination during
legal process. Commonly and simplistically put "I refuse to
answer, on the grounds that I may incriminate myself."
** Make my day: Written on the simulant's gun, this line is used by
Dirty Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), eg. in "Sudden Impact"
(1983).
WHITE HOLE
----------
Raison d'etre: Reason for being (French).
Ramses (or Rameses): Name shared by 11 kings of ancient Egypt.
Oates, Captain Laurence Edward Grace: (1880-1912) British Antarctic
explorer, one of the party accompanying Robert Falcon Scott on
the second expedition to the South Pole. After reaching the Pole
in January 1912, the party was trapped by extreme blizzards on
their return journey to their supply depot. Oates, suffering
from severe frostbite and believing that the others would have a
better chance of surviving if not held back by him, went out into
the storms for his 'legendary walk'. His last words were recorded
in Scott's diary (see below).
Scott, Robert Falcon: (1868-1912) British naval officer and explorer
who led the second expedition to reach the South Pole (success in
January, 1912). On the return journey all five members of the
party perished. Their bodies and records were found in November
of that year. Scott's diary, one of the surviving records,
contains the last words of Captain Oates, spoken as Oates left
the shelter for the last time. As noted by Scott in the diary,
entry 16-17 March 1912, Oates said "I am just going outside and
may be some time."
Stan and Ollie: The American comedy acting duo Stan Laurel and Oliver
Hardy.
Hardy, Oliver: (1892-1957) Rotund partner in the American comedy duo
Laurel and Hardy (Stan Laurel was thin), who had great popular
success in over 200 films during the late 1920s to mid-1940s.
Hilarity came from how they set one another off -- Stan was the
worrier and bumbler, Ollie the fastidious one with the slow-
burning temper.
Robeson, Paul: (1898-1976) American bass (called baritone) singer,
and sometime actor.
Aigburth Arms: A real pub, on Victoria Road, in Aigburth -- an area of
(and former village outside of) Liverpool. Though its pool table
allowed Lister to become the stuff of legend, this pub did not
always have this apparatus on which to be a Cinzano Bianco.
** "I toast, therefore I am.": Variation on the "I think, therefore
I am" principle by Rene Descartes.
DIMENSION JUMP
--------------
PARALLEL -- Music and 'heroic fighter pilot' type akin to the
music and theme of the movie "Top Gun" (1986), starring Tom Cruise and
Kelly McGillis. The music parallels the movie's love song "Take My
Breath Away", by Berlin.
Jaws: (1975) American movie about a man-eating shark which terrorises
a small Long Island community. Starring Roy Scheider, Robert
Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss.
Hammond organ: Electric organ invented in America in 1934 by Laurens
Hammond (1895-1973).
Morris dancing: English folk dancing involving dressing up in belled
costumes and being subjected to the clonk of wood on wood; the
dancers' faces may also sometimes be blacked. Possibly derived
from the Moresca/Morisco (meaning 'Moorish'; a 15th century
Spanish dance) or from other Moorish (morys) dances.
Delius, Frederick: (1862-1934) British composer. Works range from
opera and orchestral music, to chamber music and songs.
Wagner, Richard: (1813-1883) German opera composer. Works include
"Tristan Und Isolde" (1865) and "Parsifal" (1882).
** Condom fishing in the canal: Most likely Lister is talking about
the Leeds Liverpool Canal, which has recently been subjected to
a program of urban regeneration; including the reintroduction of
fish. Apparently they didn't take...
** "We could try and hire a dance band and get them to play 'Abide
With Me'.": Seeing as how Starbug is sinking, this is very
possibly a reference to the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the
North Atlantic Ocean on April 14-15, 1912, with the loss of over
1500 lives. The dance band played as the Titanic sank (and
perished along with the ship), although the hymn they are alleged
to have played at the last was actually "Nearer My God To Thee".
** "Kids' TV series about a boy and his bush kangaroo.": This would
be "Skippy" (1970s, starring Ed Devereaux and Tony Bonner) an
Australian kids' TV series about, amazingly enough, a boy and his
bush kangaroo. Skippy was 'our friend ever true' of the boy,
whose name was in fact Sonny (played by Garry Pankhurst) and
not Ace.
** Masonic handshake: Apparent secret handshake of the Freemasons (or
Free and Accepted Masons), the largest worldwide secret society
(evolved from stonemasons and cathedral-builders' guilds of the
Middle Ages).
MELTDOWN
--------
PARALLEL -- The movie "Westworld" (1973) starring Yul Brynner
and Richard Benjamin. The androids of a futuristic robot theme park
(with sections such as the Wild West and Ancient Rome) go against their
programming, running amok and killing the human guests.
Irkutsk: Province and city of east-central Russia.
Goebbels, Paul Josef: (1897-1945) German Nazi leader and minister of
propaganda from 1933. Poisoned himself when Berlin fell to the
Allies.
Presley, Elvis: (1935-1977) The King is (officially!) dead. Long live
the King!
Pope Gregory: [? that is, which *one* ?].
Tweety Pie: Cartoon canary character created by Warner Brothers
Studios for their Loony Tunes series of cartoons.
Capone, Al: (1898-1947) American (Chicago) gangster/mafia man, head
of a large criminal organisation which he had built up during the
time of Prohibition. Capone spent 1931-1939 in prison for tax
evasion. He eventually died of syphilis.
Mussolini, Benito: (1883-1945) Italian dictator and founder of the
Fascist Movement; ally of Hitler during World War II.
Richard III: (1452-1485) King of England 1483-1485. Last Plantagenet
king and last English king to die on the battlefield (defeated by
Henry Tudor at Bosworth Field). Most famous for allegedly
instigating the murder of his nephews (Edward V and his brother,
Richard of York -- 'The Princes in the Tower'), although
personally *I* believe that the villain was more likely to have
been, say, the Duke of Buckingham (but don't get me started on
this...).
Last, James: (1929- ) German-born cabaret/dance band leader and
musician. Big success in Europe. Albums such as "Polka Party"
and "Violins In Love" indicate both why Rimmer likes him so much
and why he's in with the cream of evil on Waxworld! ;-)
Winnie-the-Pooh: A bear of very little brain. Teddy bear character
created (1926) by the British writer A.A. Milne; Pooh and his
cohorts being based on the toys of Milne's son Christopher Robin.
Lincoln, Abraham: (1809-1865) "Honest Abe", 16th President of the USA
(1861-5, Republican). President during the time of the American
Civil War, he was concerned with preserving the Union and freeing
the slaves. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while
attending a play.
Sir Lancelot: Best fighting knight of the Round Table fellowship, in
the legend of King Arthur.
Joan Of Arc: (c.1412-1431) French girl who (after inspiration from
holy 'voices') led the French army in battles against the English,
to free France from English domination. Eventually captured by
the English, she was interrogated and tricked into admissions of
witchcraft; soon afterwards she was burned at the stake in Rouen.
She was canonised in 1920.
Day, Doris: (1924- ) American actress, singer and animal rights
activist. Movies include "Lullaby Of Broadway" (1951), "Calamity
Jane" (1953) and "The Pajama Game" (1957). Best-known song
probably "Que Sera Sera"; oh well, what will be will be!
Messalina: (c.22-48) Wife of Roman emperor Claudius I. Promiscuous
and conniving, Messalina manipulated Claudius into executing poor
unfortunates who had displeased her in some way. She eventually
received her come-uppance when she made a secret second marriage
while still married to Claudius (who naturally was not going to
stand for this, and so executed Messalina).
Caligula: (12-41) Gaius Caesar. Mentally unstable, cruel and depraved
Emperor of Rome (37-41). Besides the 'excesses' mentioned by
Lister in this episode, Caligula ('Little Boots') also made a
consul of his favourite horse Incitatus. Finally an officer of
the guard could stand this sort of rot no longer, and so Caligula
was assassinated.
Boston Strangler: (c.1931-1973) Mutilating rapist who murdered 13
women (aged 19-85) in Boston, Massachusetts, from June 1962 to
January 1964. His name came from his leaving of bows tied
around his victims' necks or legs. In 1965 Albert de Salvo
was arrested for lesser sexual offences; he later confessed to
being the Boston Strangler but due to a legal technicality was
never tried for these murders. He was sentenced to life
imprisonment for his lesser crimes, but died in jail of stab
wounds at the age of 42.
Boone, Pat: (1934- ) American singer. Songs include "Love Letters
In The Sand" and "Speedy Gonzales".
Rasputin, Grigory: (1871-1916) 'Holy' man whose rather-too-well-heeded
counsel to Tsarina Alexandra of Russia certainly did nothing to
hinder the inevitability of the Russian Revolution. His
debauchery and incredible political power could not be tolerated
by the Russian nobles, a group of whom murdered Rasputin by
poisoning him, shooting him, clubbing him on the head and then
throwing him into the river where he finally drowned.
Gandhi, Mohandas (Mahatma): (1869-1948) Pacifist Indian nationalist
leader, pushing for Indian independence from Britain, in a non-
violent way. He was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist after
the partition of the country into India and Pakistan.
Mother Teresa: (1910- ) Albanian-born Catholic nun, founder of a
Charity order dedicated to helping the poor and destitute of
India. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Dalai Lama: (1935- ) Self-exiled (as a protest against Chinese
oppression) spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet.
Victoria: (1819-1901) Queen of Great Britain 1837-1901. Longest-
reigning British monarch, and called 'Grandmother of Europe' by
virtue of the marriages of her nine children and their descendants
into the royal houses of Europe.
Coward, Noel: (1899-1973) British playwright, director, actor,
composer and producer. Well-known play -- "Private Lives" (1930).
The Dirty Dozen: (1967) American/Spanish movie set during World War
II, about a commando suicide squad recruited from lifer convicts
(starring Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson). Novel by E.M.
Nathanson.
% ** The monsters of Prehistoric World: The footage comes from a
% Japanese film called "Gappa -- The Triphibian Monster" (19[??]).
** Rimmer's abuse of his troops, and the training of 'Arnie's Army':
Are military ploys and training to get the most out of the troops
and weed out the incompetent individuals, as demonstrated in such
movies as "An Officer And A Gentleman" (1981) and "Full Metal
Jacket" (1987).
Rimmer: "There's only two kinds from Assisi -- steers
and queers. Which are you boy?"
Mimics for example lines from "An Officer And A Gentleman",
starring Richard Gere and Louis Gossett, Jr. (as Sergeant Foley).
Foley: "Only two things come out of Oklahoma (/Arizona)
-- steers and queers. Which one are you, boy?"
** The white-hooded waxdroid in the Third Reich building: A member of
the Ku Klux Klan, an American secret society (founded after the
American Civil War) dedicated to white supremacy.
** The motorbike Rimmer is 'riding': Apparently a Norton.
HOLOSHIP
--------
King Of Kings: It is likely that Lister, given his taste in films, is
talking about the Cecil B. de Mille version of the story of Jesus
(1927, silent; starring H.B. Warner) rather than the less
critically-accepted 1961 remake.
Pilate, Pontius: Roman governor of Judea (26-36) who condemned Jesus
to death. Gospels portray Pilate as reluctant to condemn Christ,
but succumbing to mass pressure and releasing the thief Barabbas
instead of Jesus.
Geronimo: (1829-1909) Chief and war leader of Chiricahua Apache
Indians, who fought against US federal troops and settlers
encroaching onto the Indian lands. Also the name popularly
shouted when parachuting or performing some other exciting
leap...
Camus, Albert: (1913-1960) French existentialist novelist; won the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957.
Euclid: (c.330-c.260 BC) Greek mathematician specialising in plane
and solid geometry, and in number theory.
Haiku: Form of Japanese verse, usually consisting of three lines, the
first and third having five syllables, the second line having
seven syllables.
Satsuma: A form of Japanese pottery, or a Japanese orange of the
tangerine family. Either way, Lister does not speak it.
** Crane, Nirvanah: In Buddhism, nirvana is the attainment of serenity
and enlightenment through the eradication of all desires.
THE INQUISITOR
--------------
PARALLEL -- The 1984 American movie "The Terminator" (starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn) about a cyborg
from the future, on a mission of termination. Sequel (1991) "Terminator
2: Judgment Day".
Virgil: (70-19 BC) Roman poet who wrote the "Aeneid", the epic poem
about the adventures of the hero Aeneas after the fall of Troy --
from his wandering the Mediterranean to his eventual settling/
founding of Rome. See also the PIP.
Agamemnon: Hero of Greek mythology (son of the King of Mycenae) who led
the capture of Troy. After receiving the prophetess Cassandra as
his prize, he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover
during his return home.
Helen of Troy: Most beautiful woman in Greek mythology, the daughter of
Leda and Zeus. Married to King Menelaus of Sparta, her abduction
by Prince Paris of Troy precipitated the Trojan War (after which
she returned to Sparta with her husband).
Taylor, A(lan) J(ohn) P(ercivale): (1906-1990) British historian and
TV lecturer, specialising in modern British and European history.
Sistine Chapel: Chapel in The Vatican, most famously decorated with
frescoes (by Michelangelo, done between 1508-1512) of scenes from
the Book of Genesis.
Archangel Gabriel: Angel close to God, and variously a trumpeter,
revealer, and foreteller of the births of John the Baptist (to
Zacharias) and Jesus (to the Virgin Mary).
Poitier, Sidney: (1924- ) American actor and director. Films include
"Lilies Of The Field" (1963, for which he won an Oscar), "Guess
Who's Coming To Dinner" (1967) and "To Sir, With Love" (1967).
Curtis, Tony: (1925- ) American actor. Films include "Some Like It
Hot" (1959), "Spartacus" (1960) and "The Great Race" (1965).
** Who's Nobody: Presumably the version of the book "Who's Who" that
deals with Nobodies rather than Somebodies.
** "They're chained together like Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis.": A
reference to the movie "The Defiant Ones" (1958) starring Poitier
and Curtis as respectively one black and one white convict chained
together, who escape custody and must deal not only with being on
the run but also with the issues of racism and their mutual
animosity towards one other.
TERRORFORM
----------
Gandalf, Master Wizard: Character created by British writer J.R.R.
Tolkien in the book "The Hobbit" (1937) and its following "The
Lord Of The Rings" (1954-1955). An adventure game of "The
Hobbit" was written for early 8-bit computers; however it appears
that the 'buying a potion from Gandalf' option doesn't exist...
well, no one said that the Cat was good at these games, and maybe
this is why...
** The muzak playing as Kryten off-lines after his accident: The song
"Copacabana" by American singer/songwriter Barry Manilow.
** Rimmer's journey to the dungeon of the Unspeakable One: The crown
-of-thorns headpiece and the attachment to the cross is akin to
Christ's last journey to His crucifixion.
** The Hooded Legions (with 'rather unconvincing red eyes'): Must be
related to the Jawas of Tatooine in the movie "Star Wars"
(1977), starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
** Rimmer's Self-Respect and Self-Confidence: Are musketeer-wannabes
-- all for one and one for all!
QUARANTINE
----------
Algarve: Historical coastal region of southern Portugal, with a
booming tourist trade.
Betty Boop: Early cartoon character created by Grim Natwick (who later
went on to animate for the Disney Studios). Recently seen in the
movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988), helping Eddie Valentine
(Bob Hoskins) to mind his manners.
Schopenhauer, Arthur: (1788-1860) German philosopher who saw the world
as a conflict of wills resulting in frustration and pain -- the
only purpose in life must be to escape 'will' and its accompanying
painful strivings.
Turner, Joseph Mallord William: (1775-1851) Prolific British artist
famed for his landscapes (and apparently seascapes which look like
the contents of Lister's nasal passages).
DEMONS AND ANGELS
-----------------
Nobel Prize: Prize awarded annually (began 1901) as recognition for
great achievements in several areas, including Peace, Literature
and Medicine. Named after their instigator, Alfred Nobel (1833-
1896), a Swedish engineer and chemist who invented dynamite
(1867).
** Toastie Toppers: Presumably an inferior Low version of the toast-
topping savoury snack made by Heinz; called, aptly enough, Toast
Toppers. These are tasty savoury snacks which come in a ring-pull
can, and are heated and eaten on toast. Simple.
BACK TO REALITY
---------------
The Wailing Wall: Aka Western Wall -- a Temple ruin in Jerusalem,
sacred site of pilgrimage, mourning and prayer for Jews. One way
to offer up prayer is to speak, or 'wail', the prayer aloud.
Salvation Army: An international Christian evangelical organisation
founded in Great Britain in 1865 by Methodist minister William
Booth.
PSIRENS
-------
PARALLEL -- The Greek legend (told by Homer) of the Sirens.
The Sirens were sisters, half bird and half woman, who lived on an
island near the Straits of Messina. The Sirens sang, and any sailor
hearing the song could not help but go to the island and be compelled
to listen to the singing until his dying day.
Hendrix, Jimi: (1942-1970) American singer and master guitar wizard.
Songs include "Hey Joe", "All Along The Watchtower" and "The
Star-Spangled Banner" (at Woodstock, 1969).
Yukon: Territory of Canada, settled during the gold rush of 1896-1910.
Liquid oxygen: The Cat is going to get *mighty* cold taking a shower in
this -- to the tune of colder than minus 183 degrees C (minus 298
degrees F).
King Kong: Giant ape character from the 1933 American movie of the same
name, starring Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray (also, a 1976 remake
with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange). King Kong is taken from his
island home to New York, where he causes much havoc before falling
to his death off the Empire State Building.
Ulysses: Roman name for the Greek mythological hero Odysseus. Hero of
the Trojan War, subject of Homer's "Odyssey" and also appearing in
his "Iliad".
Eiger: Mountain in the Swiss Alps, 3970 metres (about 13025 feet) high.
And that is one *big* pile of laundry.
** Cat: "There's an old Cat proverb -- 'It's better to live
one hour as a tiger, than a whole lifetime as a worm'."
Rimmer: "There's an old human proverb -- 'Whoever heard
of a worm-skin rug?'."
Lines from the second pilot of Red Dwarf USA.
Cat (Terry Farrell): "There's an old Cat proverb that
says it's better to live an hour as a tiger, than a
lifetime as a worm."
Rimmer (Anthony Fuscle): "There's an old human saying --
'Whoever heard of a worm-skin rug?'."
** The spaceship graveyard: One of the asteroids is home to a derelict
Eagle ship, from the 1970s TV series "Space: 1999", starring
Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Elsewhere there is also a ship
from the 1986 movie "Aliens" (starring Sigourney Weaver and
Michael Biehn), as well as a Klingon ship from "Star Trek".
** "Like with Ulysses in that ancient Turkish legend.": Lister is
twice confused. Firstly, as Kryten points out, the legend was
Greek. Secondly, the Greek legend speaks of the hero as Odysseus
(Ulysses is the Roman variation). Odysseus was a hero of the
Trojan War (the Trojan Horse strategy was his idea), mentioned by
Homer in both the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey". After the Trojan
War Odysseus journeys home to Ithaca; on the way he must pass the
Sirens' island. He fills the ears of his crew with wax, and
binds himself to the mast of his ship, in order that none can
hear or act upon the temptation of the Sirens' song.
** "This is Captain Tau of the SCS Pioneer.": Captain Tau was the
captain of the Red Dwarf in the first pilot of Red Dwarf USA
(and played by Lorraine Toussaint).
LEGION
------
PARALLEL -- The Bible, Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30. Around these
verses tells of the healing of a man possessed by demons. In both
stories the man gives his name as 'Legion', because many demons have
possessed him. See below.
Herman Munster: Character created by Fred Gwynne (1926-1993) for the
TV series "The Munsters" (also two spin-off films). Herman
Munster was a caricature of the Frankenstein's monster a la Boris
Karloff.
Jovian: Descriptive of the planet Jupiter.
Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi Da: (1573-1610) Italian baroque
painter. Of course it's one of his paintings that Rimmer is
contemplating, not the painter himself...
** "Like General George S. Patton, I believe in reincarnation.":
Patton believed that in a previous incarnation he was a foot-
soldier in Alexander The Great's army during the siege of Tyre
(in modern Lebanon) in 332 BC.
** "Some of the physicists involved -- Heidegger, Davro, Holder,
Quayle.": My one concession to pure speculation! Possibly these
physicists are descended from some famous people of these names.
Perhaps even Martin Heidegger (1889-1976; German philosopher),
Bobby Davro ([?]- ; British comedian/entertainer), Alfred
Theophil Holder (1840-1916; Austrian language scholar) and Dan
Quayle (1947- ; former American vice president -- here's hoping
that his descendant, with all his brilliance, knew how to spell
'potato').
** Legion: "My name is Legion, for we are many."
Line from the Bible (Mark 5:9, new King James Version)...
When Jesus asked the demon-possessed man his name, the
man replied: "My name is Legion; for we are many."
GUNMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
------------------------
PARALLEL -- From the Bible (Revelation 6), the Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse: War (on a red horse), Famine (on a black horse), Death
(on a pale horse) and Pestilence (on a white horse). These four were
given power 'over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger,
with death, and by the beasts of the earth'.
PARALLEL -- For the detective AR game Lister is playing, the
British movie "Gumshoe" (1971); starring Albert Finney as a Liverpudlian
who dreams himself as a private eye involved in a murder case.
Sing Sing: American prison having a well-used electric chair.
Wimbledon: Lawn-tennis tournament (and the name of the centre in England
at which the tournament is held).
Tarka Dall: Chick-pea-based Indian dish.
Bhindi Bhaji: Potato- or okra-based Indian dish.
Armageddon: The site of the final battle of nations that will lead to
the end of the world (the Bible, Revelation 16:16).
** The car in Gumshoe: A 1938 Bentley.
** "No, the last thing they'll be expecting is for us to turn into
ice-skating mongooses and dance the Bolero.": British ice-dancers
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Winter Olympic gold medals
(Sarajevo, 1984) with programmes that included their popular
routine danced to Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" (1928).
** Butch Accountant And The Yuppie Kid: Parody of the American movie
"Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" (1969) starring Paul Newman
and Robert Redford.
** "Senorita, tre tequilas por favore.": Miss, three tequilas please
(Spanish).
EMOHAWK: POLYMORPH II
---------------------
Cavaliers: During the English Civil War (1642-1651), supporter of
Charles I. The Cavaliers generally wore courtly dress and had
long hair. See below.
Roundheads: During the English Civil War (1642-1651), supporter of
Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarian cause. The Roundheads
wore their hair short as was typical of men of the lower classes.
See below.
** "One-nil to the pudding basins.": The conflict between Charles I
(1600-1649; King of Great Britain 1625-1649) and Parliament (led
by Oliver Cromwell, 1599-1658) resulted in the beheading of the
King in 1649, and the establishment of the Commonwealth (1649-
1660) with Cromwell as Protector (1653-1658). Monarchy was
restored in 1660 with Charles I's son Charles II (1630-1685; King
of Great Britain 1660-1685).
** The man behind the grassy knoll: 'Gunman' (besides Lee Harvey
Oswald) allegedly involved in the assassination of American
president John F. Kennedy in Dallas, November 1963.
** Victory for the home eleven: A reference to the marvellous game
of cricket, in which there are eleven standard playing members
per team.
RIMMERWORLD
-----------
Aneurysm: Often-congenital weakening of the wall of an artery, making
the blood vessel prone to rupture (which may prove fatal) at
any time.
Thirty Years' War: (1618-1648) Major European war beginning as a
religious conflict in Germany and shifting to a struggle for
power by the Hapsburgs.
Hundred Years' War: (1337-1453) Conflicts between England and France
over political alliances and English claims on the French throne.
Crusoe, Robinson: Shipwrecked title character of the novel (1719) by
Daniel Defoe. See below.
Jane: Companion of Tarzan of the Apes (character created by Edgar Rice
Burroughs, 1912).
** A two-storey home with running water and a balcony-stroke-sun patio:
The type of house built by victims of another shipwreck, "The
Swiss Family Robinson" (novel by Johann Wyss, 1812-1813; a
deliberate adaptation of Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe").
OUT OF TIME
-----------
Mogadon Cluster: Not in any of *my* astronomy books, but sure is a
handy group of tablets to have in an emergency!! ;-) The
sedative Nitrazepam, popularly taken by drug users to 'come down'.
Nixon, Richard Milhous: (1913-1994) 37th President (1969-74) of the
USA, a Republican. He resigned over scandals including his
involvement in the Watergate cover-up.
Hapsburgs: European royals, imperial family of Austria-Hungary.
Dating from the 10th century, the family members then came to
rule as kings of Germany and as Holy Roman Emperors. At the
height of their power the Hapsburg families ruled a large portion
of Europe. Several Hapsburg divisions occurred, the last line of
which ended rule early this century.
Borgias: 15th/16th century Italian (originally Spanish) noble family
who had great political power in Renaissance Italy, and whose
lifestyles were anything but sedate. The better-known members
were the corrupt Pope, Alexander VI, and his two illegitimate
children -- Cesare (cardinal and general) and Lucrezia (Duchess
of Ferrara and political intriguer, and alleged to have had
incestuous relationships with both her brother and father).
Louis XVI: (1754-1793) King of France 1774-1793. After the French
Revolution in 1789, Louis and his family lost power, but not
until 1792 were the Royal Family taken prisoner by the French
government. After being tried for treason, Louis was guillotined
in 1793.
** "Don't Nixon me, man!": Accusation of a cover-up, a la former
American President Richard Nixon's (1913-1994) cover-up relating
to the political scandal of Watergate.
** "His wife's an absolute cutie!": The wife of Louis XVI was Marie
Antoinette (1755-1793).
SMEG UPS
--------
Noel Edmonds (BACK TO REALITY): ([?]- ) British 'personality' and
practical joker. Star of his own show called "Noel's House
Party".
The Oakland (HOLOSHIP): A town in northern California which is home to
a sports stadium called the Oakland-Almeda County Coliseum.
"Eeeextraordinary!" (BACK TO REALITY etc): One of Chris Barrie's
impressions is of David Coleman (a British sportscaster, [?] - ;
that's him talking to Lester Piggott at Wembley in the later
MELTDOWN piece), in which he uses the word 'extraordinary' a lot.
The Red Dwarf cast have now taken to doing an impression of Chris
Barrie doing an impression of David Coleman.
Billy The Kid (JUSTICE): Nickname of American outlaw William Bonney
(1859-1881) who had allegedly killed over 20 men (the first at
age 12) by the time he died.
Kenneth Williams (MELTDOWN etc): (1926-1988) British actor best known
for his roles in the "Carry On" series of movies (also starring
for the most part Sid James and Joan Sims), eg. "Carry On Henry"
(1971), "Carry On Matron" (1972).
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (Unidentified): (1961) American
movie about a futuristic undersea odyssey in an atomic submarine.
Starred Walter Pidgeon and Joan Fontaine, and spawned a TV series.
It is actually the TV series (1964-1967, starring Richard Basehart
and David Hedison) that Craig Charles and Robert Llewellyn would
be taking off -- the schlock 'special effects' are trademark of
Irwin Allen, the producer/director responsible for both the movie
and the series; and whose other notable projects include the TV
series "Land Of The Giants" and "Lost In Space", and the movies
"The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) and "The Towering Inferno" (1974).
Fiennes, Sir Ranulph (RIMMERWORLD): (1944- ) British explorer who
made the first surface journey around the world's polar
circumference.
Wembley (MELTDOWN): Sports stadium in London at which the FA (Football
Association) Cup Final is held every year (since 1923).
Piggott, Lester (MELTDOWN): (1935- ) Champion British jockey;
imprisoned in 1987 for tax evasion (returned to racing 1990).
Vat '69 (MELTDOWN): VAT is value added tax, Vat '69 is a type of
whiskey.
** One of the model shots of Starbug leaving the Red Dwarf: Shows
the blue police box TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In
Space) that is the transport vehicle for Doctor Who (in the
British time-travel science-fiction show of the same name). All
right yes I know we all know that, but it's just included for
completeness' sake, okay?
SMEG OUTS
---------
"Just pretend it's scrumpy." (MAROONED): Scrumpy is an alcoholic apple
cider, most particularly from the West Country of England.
"Who's the most unpopular man at a Borussia Munchengladbach match?"
(Unidentified): A German football team.
RED DWARF USA -- PILOT ONE
--------------------------
Weenies: An American name for hot-dog sausages or frankfurters.
Amish: Most insular and conservative faction of Mennonites, a
Protestant religious group who reject worldliness (eg. in the
form of using no modern technology and wearing no modern
clothing styles) and live simple lives in emulation of early
Christians. The main American community is in Pennsylvania.
** "We saw this Cuban guy who kept hitting bongo drums and calling for
'Lucy!'.": Apparently the ship was picking up transmissions of
the 1950s TV show "I Love Lucy", starring Lucille Ball (1911-1989)
and her then-husband, Desi Arnaz (1917-1986), a Cuban conga
musician, singer, and later actor.
RED DWARF USA -- PILOT TWO
--------------------------
** The scroll format and lettering "Not so long ago, in a universe not
so very far away...": Mimics the eventual scroll format and the
initial words from the 1977 American movie "Star Wars" (starring
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford) -- "A long time ago
in a galaxy far, far away...."
** "What if they're...the kind [aliens] that want to enter your bodily
orifices and then burst out at inappropriate moments?": A
reference to the 1979 British movie "Alien", starring Sigourney
Weaver and John Hurt. In the movie, Hurt's character Kane has
an alien 'embryo' deposited in his digestive system via an
ovipositoral insertion through his mouth. The 'embryo' then
chooses to burst out of Kane's upper abdomen during the Nostromo
crew's meal, killing Kane and effectively ruining the appetites
of the remaining, living diners. Most inappropriate indeed, and
certainly not covered by Emily Post.
** Green, acid-filled butts: Another reference to the abovementioned
movie "Alien". 'Green' is probably a matter of opinion, but the
aliens in the movie (and its sequels) certainly had concentrated
acid for 'blood'.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...
;-)
