Epideme story
The crew come across a frozen supply ship, the Leviathan, with one survivor: Caroline Carmen, one of Lister's former crushes. She revives in the middle of the night, as a zombie; she has been dead for a long time, and infects Lister with the dreaded Epideme virus. Lister tries talking with the virus directly through a communication link (Epideme is a sentient, self-aware organism) but Epideme refuses to let Lister live. Drastic action must be taken if Lister is to survive. Directed by: Ed Bye. Story by: Paul Alexander & Doug Naylor.
13 total · 4 major · 9 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| bioengineered human pathogen | major | The story centered around Lister becoming infected with the wise-cracking Epideme virus. This virus had been developed by humans to replace the nicotine patch. |
| coping with a terminal illness | major | Lister got a virus-cum-parasite, Epideme, that was going to absorb his knowledge and turn him into a zombie in 48 hours. |
| felinoid being | major | The cat-man Cat is a main character. |
| humanoid robot | major | The humanoid robot Kryten is a main character. |
| coping with unwelcome romantic attention | minor | Kochanski belted Lister for making a pass at her. |
| jealousy | minor | Kryten whined to Lister about Lister liking Kochanski more than him. |
| sacrificing one's self to stop a contagion | minor | Lister was going to blow himself up in order to destroy the Epideme virus. We briefly though Kochanski severed her own arm for the same reason. |
| sentient rights | minor | The sentient Epideme virus asked what gave Lister more right to exist than it. |
| sexual harassment | minor | Lister jokingly complained about being sexually harassed by the zombie. |
| speculative spaceship | minor | The story is largely set aboard the futuristic spaceship Starbug. |