Out of Time (Red Dwarf)

"Out of Time" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VI and the 36th in the programmes run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 11 November 1993. Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and directed by Andy de Emmony, it was the first Red Dwarf series finale to end on a cliffhanger (discounting Lister's pregnancy in the Series II finale, "Parallel Universe"). It is the final episode with contirbutions from Rob Grant.

Things are grim aboard Starbug, as the crew have now lost all trace of Red Dwarf. Rimmer decides to conduct a "morale meeting" and appoints himself "morale officer". However the morale meeting turns out to be nothing more than an excuse for Rimmer to vent his feelings about how much he hates everyone. The rest of the crew discuss the bleak lives they're now leading, but the conversation is stopped when Starbug flies into a region of space populated by unreality pockets, a security measure around a top-secret Space Corps test ship. Eager to find what has been protected so elaborately, the crew fly in but more of these unreality pockets occur, causing very strong hallucinations. During one of these Kryten becomes convinced that Lister is a 3000 series android (an unsuccessful model, due to its hyper-realistic appearance), after which he is forced to obey orders from Kryten, a 4000 series. Everyone is about to give up when Kryten suggests the crew go into Deep Sleep.

Once awoken, the crew board the derelict ship and find a device capable of time travel. They learn the derelict ship's crew contracted an influenza virus in the 20th century, 800 years before the ship's origin: presumably the virus had long been dead and the human body, through years of evolution, had no natural defenses against it. They all soon died, and their last act was to pilot the ship into deep space and generate the mine-field to drive off looters. The crew test the device, but as it only allows Starbug to travel through time, not space, it is of no use at the moment; however, if a faster-than-light drive can be found, then the time machine will allow them to travel to any time and place they desire.