Episode no. Series 2
Episode 4 | Directed by Ed Bye | |
Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor Original air date 27 September 1988 (1988-09-27) | ||
"Stasis Leak" is the fourth episode of the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series two and tenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 27 September 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the crew travelling back in time, before the accident had wiped out the crew of Red Dwarf. The episode was re-mastered, along with the rest of the first three series, in 1998.
Contents
Plot
3 million years earlier, Lister (Craig Charles) is reprimanded by the Captain for playing a joke on Rimmer (Chris Barrie) involving hallucinogenic mushrooms which resulted in Rimmer having a hallucinogenic fit and attacking 2 officers (believing them to be armed giraffes), however Rimmer gets worse after he complains Listers punishment isn't severe enough. When he gets back to his quarters, Rimmer is approached by the hologram Rimmer, and told he can be saved.
3 million years later, Lister discovers a wedding photo in Kristine Kochanski's quarters, with shows him to be the groom. Lister reads through Rimmers diary of the mushroom event, where it details that Rimmer had seen a hologram of himself emerge from a table and say that they had found a stasis leak, and realises it wasn't a hallucination. Because Holly (Norman Lovett) doesn't know what a stasis leak is, they investigate and discover in fact it's a passageway three million years through time.
Stepping through the leak transports the gang back into the past — three weeks before the accident that wiped out the crew. They bring back a bar of soap through the stasis leak but it dissolves. Lister's sure that the stasis leak is the best way for him to be with Kristine Kochanski. However, Rimmer is determined to save his own past-self. If his past-self went into stasis he wouldn't die and wouldn't be a hologram. Lister has the same idea for Kochanski, but there is only room for one in the remaining stasis booth.
The three of them go through the stasis leak, Lister and the Cat (Danny John-Jules) searching for Kochanski, and Rimmer searching for his past-self. When Lister tracks down Kochanski at a hotel he finds that she is already married — to himself from five years into the future. Rimmer also succeeds in tracking down his past self. However, he finds it hard to convince the past Rimmer that he's not a hallucination but a dead hologram of himself. The Captain in a chicken suit certainly doesn't help matters, and when three Rimmers, three Listers and a Cat are all in the same room at once, things get a little bit complicated.
Production
With its multiple views of the future, "Future Echoes" had been one of the better liked episodes from series I. With this in mind writers, Grant and Naylor, showed their desire to return to this story element with another sci-fi heavy story.
The "Crowne Plaza Midland Holiday Inn", in Manchester, was used as "The Ganymede Holiday Inn" where Lister and the Cat search for Kochanski. Grogan was released from the production without filming the final scene which involved her character Kochanski. Assistant floor manager Dona DiStefano stepped in to double as Kochanski, wearing a large hat to disguise the fact.
Returning pre-accident crew members include Mac McDonald as Captain Hollister, C. P. Grogan as Kochanski, Mark Williams as Petersen, and Sophie Doherty as Kochanski's friend. Morwenna Banks appears as the on-screen Lift Hostess, while Tony Hawks makes his third Red Dwarf guest appearance as the talking suitcase.
Reception
The episode was originally broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 4 October 1988 in the 9:00 pm evening slot. It received average television ratings. Fans considered the episode to be one of the better efforts from Series II, coming at 12th place overall in a Red Dwarf Smegazine readers' poll with 3.3% of the votes.
Remastering
The remastering of Series I to III was carried out during the late 1990s. Changes throughout the series included replacement of the opening credits, giving the picture a colour grade and filmising, computer generated special effects of Red Dwarf and many more visual and audio enhancements.
Changes made specific to "Stasis Leak" include the caption "Three million years earlier" has been removed from the opening flashback scenes. The stasis leak sound effects have been added. The split-screen wipe — with the older Lister shutting the door on his younger self — has been re-done frame by frame to remove previous errors.