5. Answers To THAT Burning Question...
In spite of there having been two full series (well, one and a half...) and 16 years since VIII's now infamous cliffhanger ending, Naylor has still avoided answering the question of how the crew managed to escape from the collapsing Red Dwarf at that season's conclusion. Whether this has been done deliberately to troll fans of the show or is simply reflective of the fact that he wrote himself into a hole is unclear, but fans are still clamouring to know exactly what happened after Rimmer kneed the Grim Reaper in his boney cojones. With the crew trapped in a parallel universe and their only means of return destroyed, it is left up to Rimmer to rescue the burning ship and his crew-mates. Aside from preventing Death from ever having children (if, indeed, that was possible anyway), though, little has been revealed about what happened. In fact, Back To Earth was deliberately NOT named Series IX in order to avoid having to answer that question, while X basically ignored it for the majority of the season. However, there were a few little hints that suggest Naylor may one day reveal the events that ensued, including an enigmatic remark at Series X's conclusion by Rimmer that he rescued everyone (undercut by Lister's suggestion that it was a fluke). Perhaps Series XI will offer the answers that fans desire? Don't count on it though!