10 Best One-Time Characters In Red Dwarf

Three-million years into deep space, these characters were a welcome sight.

Red Dwarf Legion
BBC

The hit BBC sci-fi comedy series, Red Dwarf, with all its thought-provoking concepts, is built around one central theme: how do you cope when trapped somewhere with people you hate? It's British humour at its finest, and the show's first two seasons explore the sheer emptiness of deep space with hilarious ingenuity.

And while the hapless crew of Red Dwarf never encounter any real alien species, the third season onwards has them run into quite a collection of stranded survivors or man-made atrocities, from the hideous polymorph to the dimension-hopping hero Ace Rimmer.

Given their endless futile goal of returning to Earth, the four-man team never stay in one place very long, so most of the beings they come across have but one episode in the limelight. For some, that's enough, and for some, it would've been nice to see them again - but in both cases, many of these one-off faces left a lasting impression on both the characters and the audience alike.

As hard as it is to narrow it down, the following 10 one-time characters are the top picks for the best appearances in the series.

10. Lister's Confidence

Red Dwarf Legion
BBC

When Dave Lister contracts a unique form of pneumonia, the mutated virus causes hallucinations that physically appear all over the ship. Among these is the spontaneously combusting Mayor of Warsaw, leading Rimmer to cynically remark, "it really is going to be one of those days, isn't it..."

But the real pièce de résistance of Lister's creations are the corporeal embodiments of his confidence and paranoia. Confidence is smooth-talking and charismatic with a garish chequered suit, taking the form of a game show host Lister associates with confidence. Paranoia, on the other hand, is gaunt, miserable and spiteful.

As Lister bonds with the former of the two, their shenanigans take them outside the ship for some space dancing. Confidence then reveals that he killed Paranoia and smashed the medical unit to prevent Lister from receiving treatment (and erasing him from existence).

He then dares Lister to take his helmet off, and when Lister refuses, he casually goes first to demonstrate - which results in him blowing up.

Played by Craig Ferguson, Confidence is an unprecedented burst of energy in the series's first season, and likely paved the way for the equally memorable guest appearances in the future.

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Graduate composer, on-and-off session musician, aspiring novelist, professional nerd. Where procrastination and cynicism intertwine, Lee Clarke can be found.