Question: Rimmer says he's been hiking through the diesel decks. Given they've been flying for 3 million years, wouldn't they have run out of diesel absolutely ages ago?
Answer: According to Rob Grant, Red Dwarf gets propulsion power from the giant rock in her underside and power for the lights comes from the solar panels (which are referenced in the episode 'Confidence and Paranoia'). The diesel engines are likely there for backup purposes.
Factual error: While it is true that lithium carbonate can be used to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders, it cannot be administered in gaseous form. It is a very stable salt and only starts to form vapour at 1,310 degress Celcius. Spraying it about as a 'mood stabliser' at that temperature, as Kryten does, is going to kill everyone on the spot.
Trivia: "Meltdown" was originally planned to be the first episode of Series IV of Red Dwarf. However, the militaristic tone of this episode - and in particular Dave Lister's strident anti-war speech near The End of the episode - meant it fell foul of the BBC censors. The original planned transmission date (Feb 14 1991) coincided with the outbreak of "Operation Desert Storm" - the Gulf War...and the BBC felt that an "anti-war" episode of Red Dwarf would be inappropriate for a country at war with Iraq.
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: It depends what the diesel is needed for. Holly would likely have switched off anything unnecessary during that time.
Andy Benham ★