What is red dwarf: Definition and 17 Discussions

Red Dwarf is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. The series follows low-ranking technician Dave Lister, who awakens after being in suspended animation for three million years to find that he is the last living human, and that he is alone on the mining spacecraft Red Dwarf—save for a hologram of his deceased bunkmate Arnold Rimmer and "Cat", a life form which evolved from Lister's pregnant cat.
As of 2020, the cast includes Chris Barrie as Rimmer, Craig Charles as Lister, Danny John-Jules as Cat, Robert Llewellyn as the sanitation droid Kryten, and Norman Lovett as the ship's computer, Holly.
To date, twelve series of the show have aired, (including one miniseries), in addition to a feature-length special The Promised Land. Four novels were published from 1989 to 1996. Two pilot episodes of an American version of the show were produced but never aired. The magazine The Red Dwarf Smegazine was published from 1992 to 1994.
One of the series' highest accolades came in 1994 when an episode from the sixth series, "Gunmen of the Apocalypse", won an International Emmy Award in the Popular Arts category. In the same year, the series was also awarded "Best BBC Comedy Series" at the British Comedy Awards. The series attracted its highest ratings, of more than eight million viewers, during the eighth series in 1999.The revived series on Dave has consistently delivered some of the highest ratings for non-Public Service Broadcasting commissions in the UK. Series XI was voted "Best Returning TV Sitcom" and "Comedy of the Year" for 2016 by readers for the British Comedy Guide. In a 2019 ranking by Empire, Red Dwarf came 80th on a list of the 100 best TV shows of all time.

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  1. Algr

    Red Dwarf companion at Sunset?

    If our star, (or one just like it) had a red dwarf companion, what would it look like? I've got this about 1 million miles away from the sun. I understand that red dwarfs are not really red like a stoplight, but are more like the color of a dimmed incandescent lightbulb. But our sun in...
  2. Strato Incendus

    Tidally-locked planets flipping around their axes

    Recently, I’ve heard from Anton Petrov on YouTube that some tidally-locked planets around red-dwarf stars (such as TRAPPIST-1) have been suspected to flip around their own axis every once in a while — so that the former day side becomes the night side, and vice versa. This is presumed to happen...
  3. Lren Zvsm

    Sapient Life Indigenous to a Planet Orbiting a Red Dwarf

    I am considering writing a story that features aliens indigenous to a planet orbiting a red dwarf star. Even so, because of its proximity to the red dwarf, the planet's surface receives much more radiation than Earth's surface does. What is more, the planet has no moon to stabilize its...
  4. S

    I If humamoids lived around a flare red dwarf, would the flare kill them?

    I was reading about how red dwarf stars are typically flare stars. So if there were humanoids that were like us on an Earth-like planet in a such red dwarf system - i.e., and were accustomed to the temperature of Earth, etc. - would the flare heat up the planet to be too hot for life...
  5. Cerenkov

    Stargazing What is the brightest red dwarf star seen from the Earth?

    Hello. I was wondering if the any astronomers, professional or amateur, could help me with a few questions about red dwarf stars. The main query I have is the one heading this thread - what (or which) is the brightest red dwarf that can be seen from here on Earth? Associated questions on this...
  6. A

    B Red Dwarf Stars - Planet Habitability around "Flare Stars"

    I've been doing some thinking on a sci-fi story about a colony around a Red Dwarf Star. I understand that most planets around Red Dwarf Stars, at least in the habitable zone, would be tidally locked. I created another thread to ask about ways to maintain a planetary rotation. My main question...
  7. A

    B Question about Preventing Tidal Locking around Red Dwarf Stars

    All, A couple of questions about planets around Red Dwarf Stars: I'm imagining a planet around a Red Dwarf Star...think Trappist-1...and want to know how I can prevent tidal locking for an Earth-sized terrestrial planet in such a star's habitable zone...say, 1/50th to 1/20th of an AU from the...
  8. bbbl67

    I Red Dwarfs: Is 100% Hydrogen Conversion Practically True?

    Now, it's been said that red dwarfs are completely convective, therefore they can convert 100% of their hydrogen supply into helium. However, is this really practically true? One would think that at some point in its lifespan that there simply won't be enough hydrogen left to sustain a practical...
  9. J

    I Why don't red dwarf stars emit white light like the Sun?

    Blackbody radiation spectra of hot light sources ( stars in this case) should have the full visible light spectrum and still stars less massive than the Sun emit reddish light while stars more massive than the Sun emit blue light. How is the blackbody radiation spectrum altered by the star mass?
  10. C

    B Super-Earth Found in Habitable Zone of Nearby Red Dwarf

    The interview: John Batchelor Show The scientific paper: https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v544/n7650/full/nature22055.html[/PLAIN] ]Nature and ArXiv The basic facts: Star Name: LHS 1140 Constellation: Cetus the Whale Distance from Sun: 41 light-years Star type: Red dwarf (much...
  11. A

    Planetary tidal locking of Close Binary Red Dwarf Stars

    Hi, I'm new to the forum and have an idea for a novel. I can't find anything on this question so I thought I'd sign up for a forum to ask. I'm not a scientist and lack much of the higher technical knowledge. Here's my question: Most planets in close orbits (they'd have to be to support liquid...
  12. Tish62

    A What happens to the red dwarf during a classical nova?

    As a red dwarf star is donating material to a white dwarf until there is a nova. What happens to the red dwarf during the nova? Is there an increase in nucleosynthesis within the red dwarf due to its close proximity? If so, how would that change the periodicity and type of later novas? If you...
  13. A

    Staring at a Red Dwarf harmful?

    If we lived in a solar system with a red dwarf, and it had the same apparent size as the Sun, would it be harmful for our eyes to look at? If not, then how much closer would you have to get? Just curious, and I might use this info for fiction.
  14. C

    Stability of a moon of hot jupiter in red dwarf system

    I was trying to calculate possible orbit of a potential exomoon of a hot Jupiter within habitable zone of a red dwarf. Everything (heat absorbed, reasonably within Hill sphere, far from Roche limit) seamed reasonable. However, I encountered one problem - hot Jupiter should be tidally locked. It...
  15. N

    Tidal Locked to a Red Dwarf? What Would the Calendar Look Like?

    Okay, I'm nervous. I feel a bit like I'm standing in front of an auditorium and am about to make a speech... I'm a fiction writer... Wait! Don't go yet! I'm one of these hillbilies who *needs* some help! I'm working on a science fiction bit and I do believe in research. I'm always...
  16. TrickyDicky

    New red dwarf count and He-4 abundance

    Does the new estimate on the number of red dwarf stars in the universe suggest a different proportion of He/H? (current helium abundance estimate is 24%) Would it be lower since more mass would be tied up in low-mass stars (like red dwarfs) in which He/H<0.24.? If not, how many more times should...
  17. G

    Life evolving on a planet revolving a red dwarf?

    Could it happen or is it very unlikely?
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