10 Best One-Time Characters In Red Dwarf
4. Epideme
Despite being three-million years into deep space, Lister just happens to run into someone he used to know in the season VII episode, 'Epideme'.
On the crashed ship, the Leviathan, he finds Caroline Carmen, encased in ice and still alive according to the scanner. She miraculously thaws out overnight and attacks Lister in his sleep, promptly dying afterward. In reality, she was never alive, but simply reanimated by a highly intelligent virus name Epideme in order to find a new host.
The crew find a way of communicating with Epideme, who, with a simultaneously charming and maniacal personality, taunts Lister endlessly. It persuades the crew to go to the Delta VII research base, where they learn that an entire planet was destroyed with the intention of getting rid of the Epideme virus, to no avail.
Several extreme attempts are made to cure Lister, including amputating his right arm, but he remains infected. Eventually, Epideme is tricked into biting Caroline Carmen's dead arm, which is then amputated and disposed of.
It's Gary Martin's stellar voice acting that gives Epideme the infuriatingly tacky personality that makes it so memorable. Though the virus was dealt with in a satisfying manner, it's almost a shame his role had to be over so soon.