Ep 6. Out of Time

The show Red Dwarf Season 6 Episode 6, "Out of Time," is a science-fiction comedy that follows the lives of the last human being alive, Dave Lister, his hologram friend Rimmer, the evolved cat-man The Cat, and the service and repair droid Kryten as they zoom through time and space in a creaky old spaceship, the titular Red Dwarf.

In this episode, the crew of the Red Dwarf find themselves in a bit of a sticky situation when they run into their future selves. Two Red Dwarfs exist in the same timeline, and the space-time continuum is struggling to reconcile it. Inevitably, chaos ensues when the two ships come into contact, and the two sets of crew members start swapping places with each other, leading to some hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings.

The future crew are not what Lister and the others expect - they are arrogant, selfish versions of themselves, who are all dead set on exploiting the present in order to secure their own futures. The future versions of the crew reveal that they fabricated a prophecy that Lister would be the savior of their race, and that he will return to save them from destruction. Convinced that they can't fail, the future selves plan to create a laser out of the ship's engines, with the goal of harnessing the power of a supernova - even if it means destroying the present-day Red Dwarf and killing the crew in the process.

The present-day Lister and crew are appalled by their selfishness and refuse to work with them, causing a dangerous rift to form between the two groups. With only a short amount of time before the two ships implode, Lister must try to find a way to convince his future self to abandon their plans, lest they all face dire consequences.

As the Red Dwarf races towards its inevitable collision, Lister is forced to face some insecurities about his own abilities and his place in the world. He struggles to confront the realities of a future where he can't seem to do anything right and is constantly criticized by his "heroic" future self. Meanwhile, Rimmer is forced to confront his obsession with rank and superiority, as his future self taunts him about his continued disappointment.

The episode is a tense, action-packed adventure, with plenty of sci-fi gadgets and gags to keep viewers entertained. While the overall tone of Red Dwarf is always lighthearted and whimsical, "Out of Time" manages to weave in some genuinely touching moments of character growth and introspection alongside the silly jokes and slapstick.

All in all, "Out of Time" is a great episode for fans of the Red Dwarf series, offering viewers a chance to delve deeper into the characters and explore some rather complex moral and philosophical questions. With plenty of laughs and a few unexpected twists and turns along the way, this episode is definitely not to be missed.