An excellent first episode, that not only succinctly introduced the characters and the setting, but is also quite hilarious, and stands the test of time. Perhaps the highlight of the episode is the underscoring that this series is not about the best and the brightest, but the opposite: those in the bottom rank of the crew.

I've marked it down 1/2 a star, because while it is one of those rare, excellent first episodes, it is fundamentally not about what this show is truly about: 4 misfit castaways, displaced in time and space.

This episode is full of memorable moments. It plays with the idea of receiving visions from the future, and how this crew of less-than-the-brightest react to them, and use them to take the mickey out of each other. In the process, it also strongly develops the characters, as well as underscoring the bonds that are growing between them.

The highlight would have to be Chris Barrie (Rimmer) when he acts out the same scene twice: once cold in a future echo against Craig Charles (Lister), and then again in the 'present'—and it works perfectly both times! Nevertheless, it leaves the viewer with one of the biggest mysteries of the show: where did the babies come from?!?

This episode plays to the heart of the series: the emotional cost from the loneliness of being the last human. On the other hand, it has a great complimentary story of Lister's struggle to improve his lot—culminating with one of the best emotional payoffs in the series.

The B-story with the cat is also memorable. Cat is somewhat underused this episode, but the performance is spot on.

A great episode, and surprisingly, the one that stayed with me the most from the 1st series (in addition to ep. 1, that is). I really like how they delve into the cat species and its religious history. In one sense, it's very "Life Of Brian"—with people's misquotes being turned into scripture, but without the religious controversy of that film. On the other hand, it is utterly fascinating, answering such questions as "how would cats write?"

Alas, the production team never came back to revisit the cat species, and ultimately forget that they had a couple million year's worth of civilization building inside the Red Dwarf Spaceship...

While the concept of being able to interact with the confidence and doubt aspects of your personality is an intriguing idea, it is less than spectacularly manifested in this episode. Ultimately, aside from a few outstanding moments ("Oxygen's for losers!"), it's rather easy to forget this episode.

Cat, on the other hand, steals EVERY scene that he appears in, and is a pure joy to watch.

The first series ends on a high note. Not only does this episode continue from the developments of the preceding episode, we get to see Rimmer getting a full-on dose of his own medicine. On the other hand, Lister truly shines as he is finally freed from the compromises he has made in bunking with Rimmer, and we also get a sense of his comradeship with his crew mates, as well as his sense of justice.

The episode does leave one dangling question: why was the copy Rimmer so over the top? It's easy to dismiss it as the effects of being a copy or solar radiation from being stored outside. But is it possible that "our" Rimmer has grown and matured after living with Lister, and the copy is the original, immature Rimmer?