Meltdown story
Kryten uses a prototype "matter paddle" to teleport the crew to a nearby planet with an S3 (or Earth-like) atmosphere. They discover the planet has been visited by humans years previously, who populated the planet with "wax droids" – animated waxworks of famous characters from Earth's history including Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Gandhi, Winnie the Pooh, Mother Teresa and Elvis Presley, who have now gone berserk, and are at war. Directed by: Ed Bye. Story by: Rob Grant & Doug Naylor.
20 total · 9 major · 11 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| android | major | The crew went to a planet populated by waxwork android copies of both exalted and reviled figures from Earth history. |
| felinoid being | major | The cat-man Cat. |
| good vs. evil | major | The animated waxwork copies of some of the most revered figures from Earth history were pitted against their Hitler-led evil counterparts in a war of mutual annihilation. |
| historical figure | major | While exploring an Earth-like planet, the crew encounter animated waxwork versions of such historical figures as Hitler, Elvis, some or another pope, Al Capone, Mussolini, Richard III, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Einstein, Pythagoras, Caligula, Rasputin, Ghandi, Saint Francis of Assisi, John Paul Sartre, and Mother Teresa. An animated waxwork copy of Hitler led the evil faction in the war that was taking place on the planet S3. |
| humanoid robot | major | The humanoid robot Kryten. |
| teleportation device | major | Kryten discovered a prototype, hand-held "matter paddle" that was subsequently used to teleport the crew to the nearest planet with a breathable atmosphere. |
| virtual person | major | The Rimmer hologram. |
| war of mutual annihilation | major | The war on planet S3 ended with both factions wiping each other out down to the last man hanks to Rimmer. |
| what if I met an historical figure | major | While exploring an Earth-like planet, the crew encounter animated waxwork versions of such historical figures as Hitler, Elvis, some or another pope, Al Capone, Mussolini, Richard III, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Einstein, Pythagoras, Caligula, Rasputin, Ghandi, Saint Francis of Assisi, John Paul Sartre, and Mother Teresa. |
| boredom | minor | An exasperated Lister confronted Rimmer about Rimmer's annoying habit of telling tedious personal anecdotes to the crew. |