Kristine Kochanski
Kristine Kochanski | |
---|---|
Red Dwarf character | |
![]() Chloë Annett as Kochanski | |
First appearance | "The End" |
Last appearance | "Red Dwarf: Back to Earth (Part Three)" |
Portrayed by | Clare Grogan (Series 1–2, 6) Chloë Annett (Series 7–9) Holly Earl (young, Season 8) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Human |
Gender | Female |
Significant other | David Lister |
Children | David Lister |
Kristine Z. Kochanski
Fictional history
Television
1980s
Kochanski (played by Clare Grogan) briefly appears in "The End" (1988). Later in the episode, after Dave Lister (Craig Charles) is released from three million years in stasis, Holly (Norman Lovett) confirms to Lister that Kochanski is dead following a radiation leak caused by a drive plate aboard the spaceship Red Dwarf being repaired inefficiently. Lister tells Holly that she was going to come with him as part of his plan to buy a farm in Fiji, but Lister never got round to telling her.[3]
In the first two series, it becomes apparent that Lister lusted after Kochanski from a distance and occasionally flirted with her but never had a relationship with her, never having had the courage to ask her out. Indeed, in "Balance of Power" (1988), Holly tells Lister that he had shared a total of 173 words with her, fewer words than he had shared with his rubber plant. In the same episode, Lister mentions that he had always been crazy about Kochanski but never acted on his feelings, and is also insecure enough to believe Arnold Rimmer, posing as Kochanski (again played by Grogan), when Rimmer tells him, "I just don't like you." The Kochanski Rimmer also asks Lister why he didn't tell Kochanski about his feelings for her while she was still alive, and Lister, upon realising that "Kochanski" is in fact Rimmer in disguise, tells Rimmer that Lister and Kochanski "never made love". When Lister is revived from stasis, one of the first things he wants to do is revive Kochanski's hologram. But as the ship can only officially generate one hologram at a time, Rimmer (played by Chris Barrie) refuses to allow it, and goes so far as to hide Kochanski's personality disc.[4]
In "
In a possible future seen in the episode "Stasis Leak" (1988), Lister finds out that his future self from five years hence has gone back in time and married Kochanski three weeks before the accident which causes Red Dwarf to leave the Solar System; their wedding and honeymoon taking place while Kochanski is on planet leave at the Ganymede Holiday Inn.[6] This version of Lister's future has still yet to be portrayed outside of "Stasis Leak" as of 2024.
1990s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Kochanskicamille.jpg/220px-Kochanskicamille.jpg)
Lister's fantasy of his perfect companion in "Camille" (1991) was initially intended to be Kochanski (played by Clare Grogan once again), but it was felt that the inexplicable and implausible re-appearance of Lister's true love (or at least enduring obsession) would tip him off too early as to the true nature of the creature that Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) rescues in the episode. The character was changed in clothing and attitude to more or less a female version of Lister, played by Suzanne Rhatigan; however, the fact that Rhatigan bore a physical resemblance to Grogan still allowed her to be identified as playing "Kochanski Camille" in the credits.[7] A line of dialogue by Lister explicitly referencing their resemblance was ultimately cut from the broadcast episode, and later included in deleted scenes on the Series IV DVD.
Kochanski's previously established history with Lister where she barely interacted with him is retconned in "DNA" (1991), when Lister mentions Kochanski having "finished with [him]" back before the accident that killed her. Following this break up, he recalls going for a walk in the botanical gardens and looking at a squirrel, thinking, "You lucky little sod. You like your job, you're your own boss and you've got no woman trouble, so you'll never feel as bad as I feel now." This affected Lister enough for him to tell the crew of Red Dwarf that for a split second, he would have given anything to swap places with the squirrel.[8]
In "Dimension Jump" (1991), a Kochanski from a dimension where Lister is more successful is mentioned but not seen as being married to that dimension's Lister "Spanners" (also played by Craig Charles), with twin boys, Jim and Bexley.[9]
In "Psirens" (1993), while rejogging Lister's memory following Lister awakening from two hundred years of deep sleep, Kryten explicitly explains to Lister that Kochanski dated Lister for three weeks before "discard[ing]" him for a catering officer. Grogan returns in this episode, portraying an illusion of Kochanski created by the genetically engineered lifeforms the Psirens to tempt Lister.[10]
In "
Back in the present, the original Lister is shown coming to the realisation that the parallel Lister had to have died in the radiation leak that wiped out Red Dwarf, and the parallel Lister explains that he was brought back as a
The linkway between universes is shown breaking apart being fired upon by a GELF spaceship, with Kochanski subsequently being left stranded on board Starbug in the original Lister's universe. Kochanski asks the living Lister to fill an in-vitro tube which already has Kochanski's DNA inside with his own, as Kochanski, the last known human from her universe, wishes to have children some day. Lister also realises that the in-vitro tube with Kochanski and Lister's genetic information is Lister himself, creating a
After being trapped with the "Dwarfers" in their universe, the alternate Kochanski adds something of a new dynamic to the show. Much of the humour in her scenes comes from the difference between her frame of reference and that of the others.
In "Epideme" (1997), Lister is infected by the Epideme virus (voiced by Gary Martin) after it transfers from the corpse of one of Red Dwarf's old crewmembers, Caroline Carmen (Nicky Leatherbarrow), into Lister's body. Kryten attempts to isolate the virus and amputate Lister's left arm in an attempt to stop the virus from killing him, but this still does not work because Kochanski makes a mistake, and as a result they are forced to amputate Lister's right arm instead. Kochanski then temporarily stops Lister's heart, and tricks the virus into jumping to Caroline's arm, which Kochanski had injected with adrenaline and blood, by making the virus think it was Kochanski's. Subsequently, Kryten restarts Lister's heart.[14]
In "
In "Only the Good..." (1999), a corrosive and chameleonic microbe is shown eating apart Red Dwarf. After Rimmer tries and fails to obtain the formula for an antidote from a "mirror universe" and not being able to find anyone on Red Dwarf, a vending machine (voiced by Tony Slattery) informs Rimmer that everyone had crossed back into the mirror universe. The machine opening the way to the mirror universe is shown to have been destroyed by the microbe, leaving Rimmer stranded and the only crew member aboard Red Dwarf in his universe.[18]
2000s
In Red Dwarf: Back to Earth (2009), Lister believes Kochanski to be dead, but a conversation between Lister and two children (played by Charlie Kenyon and Nina Southworth) in a hallucination caused by a female version of the despair squid, which causes joy rather than despair, reveals that her death is a cover story and that in truth she dumped Lister by fleeing Red Dwarf in a Blue Midget shuttle and that Kryten hid the truth by claiming she was sucked out of an airlock. This is later confirmed by Kryten. Annett appears briefly in the special, as a hallucination of Kochanski created by Lister's desire to be reunited with her. In the end Lister rejects the hallucination, in the hope of one day finding the real Kochanski again.[19][20]
2010s
In "
Novels
The backstory with Kochanski is different in the novel Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers (1989). In the book, she seems somewhat more intelligent and witty, is learning Japanese in her spare time, and holds her own against arrogant young officers. Lister has a brief but intense relationship with her, spending most of the time in her quarters making love and watching It's a Wonderful Life, their favourite movie. Kochanski, however, reveals she is still hooked on her ex-and-future boyfriend Tim, a catering officer. She was dating Lister on the rebound, and goes back to Tim, leaving Lister heartbroken. It is Kochanski's rejection of him that leads Lister to his plan to be caught with his cat Frankenstein and be sent to stasis for the rest of the trip, resulting in Lister being the sole survivor of the radiation leak.[24]
Kochanski also appears prominently in the Red Dwarf novel Last Human (1995), written by Doug Naylor. In the novel, following being reunited with Lister as an aged couple in a world where time runs backwards (following the death of Dave Lister in the "real" universe), Kochanski and Lister have entered into a loving relationship with each other. Now part of the Red Dwarf crew, Kochanski is in a clear position of authority as the highest-ranking member of the crew – a fact that Rimmer clearly resents (having been robbed of what minuscule authority he could claim in that position), although the others either appreciate or at least do not mind due to her clear intelligence and competence. The novel ends with Kochanski and Lister, stranded on an idyllic world in an unknown parallel universe, attempting to start a family with help from the Luck virus.[25]
Casting and development
Liverpudlian actress
Chloë Annett had auditioned for a role on the second series of The 10%ers. Although she didn't get the part, she was kept in mind when a new actor for Kochanski was sought after for series VII, after "[i]t was felt that Clare Grogan was more of a 'presenter' now, and perhaps wasn't right to play the part as a regular character." According to the official Red Dwarf website, the Red Dwarf movie was "more likely to go ahead" at the time with the introduction of a female character, and Kochanski's inclusion "had been likely to happen" even if Chris Barrie's character of Arnold Rimmer didn't leave Red Dwarf around the same time Annett had joined the show.[27] Annett's portrayal of Kochanski was more explicitly posh.[28]
In the Series 8 episode Pete: Part 1 a young Kochanski was played by Holly Earl.[29]
In the unaired pilot for the American version of Red Dwarf, Christine Kochanski was played by Elizabeth Morehead.[30][31]
Notes
- ^ The spelling of Kochanski's full name is shown on her memorial during part one of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth (2009).[1]
References
- ^ Naylor, Doug (writer/director) (10 April 2009). "Part One". Red Dwarf: Back to Earth. Dave.
- ^ "How Clare survived 25 years in showbiz".
- BBC2.
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- ^ "Chloe Annett | Red Dwarf Cast | Red Dwarf | Dave Channel".
- BBC2.
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- ^ Naylor, Doug (writer); Bye, Ed (director) (18 February – 4 March 1999). Back in the Red. Red Dwarf. BBC. BBC Two.
- ^ Naylor, Doug (writer); Bye, Ed (director) (7 March 1999). "Cassandra". Red Dwarf. Series VIII. Episode 4. PBS.
- ^ Naylor, Doug (writer); Bye, Ed (director) (7 March 1999). "Only the Good...". Red Dwarf. Series VIII. Episode 8. PBS.
- ^ "Red Alert". SFX (#181): 8. April 2009.
- ^ Naylor, Doug (writer/director) (10–12 April 2009). Red Dwarf: Back to Earth. Dave.
- .
- ^ Naylor, Doug (writer/director) (25 October 2012). "Entangled". Red Dwarf. Series X. Episode 4. Dave.
- ^ Behind the Scenes - Series X - Writing Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, www.reddwarf.co.uk, retrieved 17 February 2013
- ISBN 0-14-012437-3.
- Viking Books.
- ^ "Series I: Casting". Red Dwarf - The Official Website. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "Series VII: Casting". Red Dwarf - The Official Website. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ Cook, John R.; Wright, Peter, eds. (2006). British science fiction television: a hitchhiker's guide. I.B.Tauris. p. 241.
- ^ "Pete: Part 1". IMDb. 7 March 1999. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "Dwarf USA". Red Dwarf - The Official Website. 19 July 2002. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "Red Dwarf (1992) (TV)". IMDb. 9 August 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2009.