A malfunctioning skutter starts rewiring Red Dwarf, resulting in a malfunctioning everything, including the self-destruct system which could be connected to anything by now. As it so happens, the destruct system starts counting down when Lister orders a candy bar from the vending machine. Using a “mind swap” to load the personality of one of the ship’s long-dead senior officers doesn’t work, which is just as well – the destruct system countdown was activated by the vending machine, but not the explosive device itself. Rimmer later gets the idea of using the same procedure – the one with the mind swap, not the bomb – so he could occupy a physical form for a brief period, promising to get Lister’s body into shape before returning it to its rightful owner. As it turns out, Rimmer has been missing all the excesses of the flesh that holograms don’t get to enjoy, and when Lister demands his body back, Rimmer isn’t quite ready to return it.
written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
directed by Ed Bye
music by Howard GoodallGuest Cast: none
LogBook entry by Earl Green