Rating : - Red Dwarf VI--or is that Starbug I?
I say that because following the Red Dwarf crew's tangle with the Despair Squid in "Back To Reality", the crew have lost what the Cat describes as the giant red trash can with no brakes and 3 million years on the clock, and have been chasing the ship's vapour trail. Result, the green Starbug becomes their chief craft and roving home. However, they encounter Psirens, temptresses who lure unwary space travelers onto asteroids and suck their brains out with a straw, "just like Odysseus and that Turkish legend... in some country where they wear curly shoes and humus."

The opening scene with Lister, whose hair makes Jerry Garcia look bald, and has to clip his toenails with a pencil sharpener, is a standout. Later, in his amnesiac state, he describes himself as "an animal, a tasteless, uncouth, mindless, tone-deaf, randy, bloke-ish, semi-literate space bum." We also learn here that his favourite breakfast is corn flakes with grilled raw onions, and cold curry sauce to drink. Maybe I should try that sometime. The Cat and Rimmer exchange proverbs: "There's an old Cat proverb: it's better to live an hour as a tiger, than a lifetime as a worm." Rimmer: "There's an old human proverb: whoever heard of a wormskin rug?"

Trivia notes: This is Claire Grogan's final appearance as Christine Kochanski, Dave's old girlfriend. Next season, Kochanski would return, albeit with a different face. Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music plays the fiery guitar solo by Lister. Of the guest stars, hot blonde Samantha Robson really burns up the screen as Pete Tranter's sister, a girl Lister lusted after throughout his puberty.

It's a "swirly thing alert" in "Legion", where the crew meet the title alien, who lives aboard a space station full of highest class art, and the apex in technology. His intentions seem noble, as he saves Lister from peritonitis and converts Rimmer's light-bee projection unit into hard-light, which means he has physical form. The crew are completely bowled over by his scientific intellect, genius, and culture. But why is Legion so intent on making everyone happy? The dinner with Mamosian anti-matter chopsticks is a highlight. A famous continuity error occurs, as in the second season episode "Thanks For The Memory", Lister had his appendix taken out. Well, maybe Lister had a rare condition in which he had two appendices, who know? Funny line from Rimmer to Kryten. "You can't serve space weevil ... not even Lister will eat insectoid vermin. With him, it's practically cannibalism."

The fun "Gunmen Of The Apocalypse" is the episode that earned the series an International Emmy award. After a battle with a Simulant (xenophobic killer android) battlecruiser, Red Dwarf's navi-computer contracts an Armageddon virus sent by the Simulant. Kryten absorbs the virus into himself and tries to find a Dove Program to eliminate the virus, but he is losing. They use one of the Cat's rare great suggestions: they use the AR program Streets Of Laredo to link up with the mechanoid's dreams, and find themselves in a Wild West town. Lister is knife thrower Brett Riverboat, Rimmer is Dangerous Dan McGrew, expert at fisticuffs, and the Cat is the crack shot, Riviera Kid. However, they face Kryten's enemies, the Apocalypse Boys, Death, Famine, War, and Pestilence. Veteran TV actor Denis Lill appears as the Simulant Captain. Liz Heckling would reprise her role as the Simulant lieutenant in "Rimmerworld." The piano in the saloon plays the theme tune and for a real laugh, check out the members of the "Vindalooan people."

The special effects are superlative throughout these stories. Another gag is Rimmer misquoting Space Corps directives, to be corrected by Kryten, which he does in these stories and for the rest of the season.