"Red Dwarf" was DEFINITELY not a knock off of "Star Trek." It's sort of an "Odd Couple" in space with Rimmer and Lister and there was no real "crew" as all of them had died. Also, the show premised that there was no life outside of Earth. Sure, they come across some strange creatures like the GELFs (Genetically Engineered Life Form) but they all had their origins from Earth. So no Vulcans, no alien life forms. Even in deep space, everything came from Earth.
People, I think we can safely conclude that Sir Patrick was jesting with his remark about calling his lawyer. But, if he had called a lawyer, he probably would have suffered supreme embarrassment. I suspect the Red Dwarf episode he saw was Thanks for the Memory, first aired 29 September 1988. Its plot is VERY similar to the ST TNG episode Clues, first aired 11 February 1991. Notice the air date for each episode. Usually, the alleged plagiarist is the one who “creates” his/her work second. Messrs Grant and Naylor, call your lawyers.
I can understand him being caught out temporarily. The first time I saw 'The Office', and I started part way through, I was lured into thinking it was genuine documentary to start with, until at one point I thought, "Eh?? What kind of company is this??" and a couple of minutes later it dawned on me.
Red Dwarf aired before TNG and had total immersion video simulations as a plot device from the start. Yes he's joking, but the lawyers for RD should have had an easier ride.
Unfortunately i have no trouble believing Dtewart really is this anal. These are the same over privileged "superstars" who seriously thought of suing the creaters of The Orville". Such arrogance. Star Trek: Next Generation is to science fiction what Bold and the Beautiful is to Shakespeare. More of a futuristic soap opera.
What's interesting is season 1 of Red Dwarf would've started and finished airing about half way through Star Trek The Next Generation's series 1 broadcast. I'm not totally clued in on the logistics of what went into the set building or even the makeup of Red Dwarf (beyond Rimmer's iconic "H") but if they genuinely intended to parody TNG they must've done it bloody fast!
I assume he is in talks with his lawyers again after The Orville. Never knew he personally owned the patent on any TV show set in space, he must be rich.
I remember that on the evening that Red Dwarf premiered, I saw what was yet another SciFi based program and didn't watch because I thought it would be another rip-off. I did watch the second episode and was completely hooked. I was only sorry that I missed Norman Lovett's 'Dead Dave' speech.
The thing was that Brent Spiner was 'the comedian' of the TNG crew. Only they edited out all the pranks that Brent pulled on his fellow actors because they were trying to be serious. There's a story told that when the actors first got together they were a rowdy lot with lots of humor and joking about on set. So much so that they didn't think that an acclaimed Shakespearean actor like Sir Patrick would think that they were taking the job seriously. It turned out that he enjoyed the comedic aspect of the work and bonded with his crewmates exceptionally well. I still believe that the close family relationship of the TNG actors was the reason that the show has such longevity, much as Babylon 5 and Stargate SG1 did too.
1:19 In the recent season of Star Trek: Picard, there was a scene with Picard and Riker sharing a bunk which reminded me of the bunk scenes with Rimmer and Lister😄
Well as it showed a snippet from Series VI "Gunmen of the Apocalypse" at the end there, I imagine that was probably it. Patrick said it was round 1993/94 when he first came across Red Dwarf after returning home to the UK. Series VI aired in 1993. What's also interesting is "Gunmen" and the Star Trek TNG episode "A Fistful of Datas" (which Patrick directed) are both set in a virtual reality/holographic western setting lol
Computer, formulate a theoretical vector that might explain how repeated exposure to this Red Dwarf programme might cause the tensing of facial muscles, higher endorphin levels and involuntary bouts of that strange repeated sound emanating from the mouth, and what measures can one take to avoid such symptoms?
My dad introduced me to Red Dwarf. I have watched every single episode (including of the newer series that came out a while back), more than 10 times each. I still remember me and him sitting down with some pizza and drinks and binging it together. Good times.
Which Doctor would it be? I'd love it if it were the 4th Doctor cuz of his eccentric personality. Or even 3rd or 2nd as they're respectively a dandy and a clown lol Though I know that'd be impossible as Troughton and Pertwee are both dead now and Tom Baker's getting quite frail.
