The Inquisitor (Red Dwarf episode)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Dwarf episode
"The Inquisitor"
The Inquisitor visits Red Dwarf to assess if they are worthy of their existence
Episode № 2
Airdate February 27, 1992
Writer(s) Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
Director Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
Guest star(s) John Docherty
James Cormack
Jake Abraham
Series V
February 20 – March 26, 1992
  1. Holoship
  2. The Inquisitor
  3. Terrorform
  4. Quarantine
  5. Demons and Angels
  6. Back to Reality
List of all Red Dwarf episodes...

"The Inquisitor" is the second episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V[1] and the twenty sixth in the series run.[2] It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 27 February 1992.[3] Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor, and directed by Juliet May & Grant Naylor.[4] The episode's plot deals with a time travelling simulant who visits Red Dwarf to assess if they are worthy of their existence.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Starbug is taken under control by a being called The Inquisitor and returned to Red Dwarf. The Inquisitor is a self-repairing simulant who survived until the end of time and, coming to the conclusion that there is no God and no afterlife, decided that the only point of life was to live a worthwhile life. He is on a journey through time, seeking out the worthless and erasing them from existence, allowing a different person to exist in their place — the person who would have been conceived.

Each crew member comes up for judgement, Rimmer makes it through; so too does Cat. But Kryten and Lister are not so fortunate - they both had the potential to make something of themselves, but failed to do so. The Inquisitor decides they'll have to go, but thanks to the assistance of Kryten's future self, Lister and the mechanoid manage to escape before their physical forms are deleted.

The Inquisitor, however, has altered the time-lines and created replacements for the two escapees. Now the two fugitives not only have a very irritated simulant to contend with but they all get a hostile reception from their old shipmates who no longer recognise them. All is not lost, however, and with the Inquisitor's stolen power-glove and a secret password from Kryten's future incarnation ('enig'), Lister manages to save the day.

[edit] Production

"The Inquisitor", which was the second episode to be filmed,[5] was considered by Grant and Naylor to lead the series, but as it was heavily science fiction influenced the casual viewer friendly Holoship was chosen to go out first instead.[6]

With the show returning to Stage G for filming, new director, Juliet May decided to shoot "Demons and Angels" first over "The Inquisitor". "Holoship" had been put back in the filming schedule because of guest star availability and "The Inquisitor" was passed on by the new director as she was still trying to make sense of the script.[7]

John Docherty played The Inquisitor, James Cormack played Thomas Allman and Jake Abraham played the alternate Lister.[4]

[edit] Cultural references

At the start of the episode, Kryten observes that Lister is reading a comic-book version of Virgil’s Aeneid: “The epic tale of Agamemnon’s pursuit of Helen of Troy." In fact, although the Trojan horse is referred to in the Aeneid, the work as a whole is not about Agamemnon or Helen (who both feature more prominently in Homer's Iliad). Kryten and Lister chained together and on the run references The Defiant Ones.[8]

[edit] Reception

The episode was originally broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 27 February 1992 in the 9:00pm evening time slot,[3] and received a mixed reaction from viewers.[9] Although the episode was viewed by over 5 million viewers,[10] the episode has been regarded as very Sci-Fi,[11] and some people found the ending of the episode confusing, and the time travel aspect had added to the confusion.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ British Sitcom Guide - Red Dwarf - Series 5. www.sitcom.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  2. ^ TV.com - The Inquisitor summary. www.tv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  3. ^ a b BBC - Programme Catalogue - RED DWARF V - THE INQUISITOR. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
  4. ^ a b The Inquisitor cast and crew. www.imdb.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  5. ^ Series V Preview, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 1, March 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn 0965-5603
  6. ^ a b Grant and Naylor Look Back, Red Dwarf Smegazine, issue 11, January 1993, Fleetway Editions Ltd, issn 0965-5603
  7. ^ Red Dwarf Series V Production. www.reddwarf.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
  8. ^ The Inquisitor movie connections. www.imdb.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
  9. ^ Red Dwarf Smegazine: Survey Results, issue 10, December 1992, Fleetway Editions Ltd, ISSN 0965-5603
  10. ^ Red Dwarf Series V Aftermath. www.reddwarf.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
  11. ^ Series V review by Gavrielle. www.reviewsbygavrielle.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: