Red Dwarf Favorites: Dimension Jump

Welcome back Dwarfers to Day 4 Red Dwarf Favorites and as before I am jumping ahead to now Series 4.  Lister, Rimmer, The Cat and Kryten together with the ship's A.I. are up to no good as per usual.  They find themselves in a bit of a pickle when their transport shuttle Starbug has a collision and drops in an oceanic moon.  With this ragtag of misfits flailing about who can save them from their soon-to-be gruesome fate of drowning and suffocation?  This is Dimension Jump.

Drink it in, ladies.

Mellie: What are you doing lunch time?
Ace Rimmer: Not sure, why?
Mellie: Because if you're interested, I'll be in my quarters, covered in maple syrup.
Ace Rimmer: I'm sorry Mellie, I don't spoil with the staff.
Mellie: I resign.
Ace Rimmer: I'll be there at 1300.


This episode opens with a flashback sequence of young Arnold Rimmer (Simon Gaffney of Red Dwarf) at age seven and how it is very likely he will be held back a year due to poor grades. His mother (Kali Greenwood of It's a Hudd Hudd World and Red Dwarf) informs him this letter she has received may alter the very course of his life and ruin his chances of getting into the Space Corps.

We cut to twenty years later as a sleek space fighter prototype is being tested on its maiden voyage and Commander Arnold "Ace" Rimmer has successfully navigated it back in when a salute from the fellas.  Running into the best engineer in the business David "Spanners" Lister gives him a greeting of return and offers a hug and handshake.  The two are impressed how the lightship handled and feel confident that she is ready for service.  Moseying on his Exo's office, Ace chats up the lovely secretary Mellie and proceeds to see the boss, not before his is offered a tantalizing lunch from Mellie.  A rather provocative lunch.  Bongo, his boss tells Ace of a vehicle that has just been created that can break the dimension barrier but there is no coming back.    Being the bravo fellow he is, Ace preps the craft for jump and heads into the unknown.

Kryten engages "guilt mode".

At that same time in another dimension; Lister, The Cat and Kryten are heading to an oceanic moon for a fishing holiday...  without Rimmer.  Rimmer wakes up and catches them red handed.  With a round of whining and typical sniveling the crew agrees to allow Rimmer to join them on this relaxing endeavor.   Much to their utter disappointment he agrees and readies for a bit of fun.
Kryten at the helm ends up in a collision crash with an unknown object or ship and the Starbug pummels like a stone through a wet paper bag.  With the starboard engine damaged, The Cat's leg broken and Kryten not being waterproof to deal with the weather, the crew looks done for.
Will Ace be able to save the Dwarfers in time or will they succumb to their watery fate?

The idea for this episode came from Chris Barrie asking both creators/writers/producers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor if he could have the chance to play someone heroic.  Barrie had been playing an arrogant git on The Brittas Empire and he said he was suffering from "git overload".    Ace Rimmer's mannerisms, voice and aimable attitude was based on Sean Connery's James Bond.
Dimension Jump is said to be Chris Barrie's favorite episode given the ability to play both Ace and smeghead Rimmer at equally as they are completely separate men, in spite of being the same man.

When Rimmers collide.