Stasis Booths

Originally developed for extrasolar travel, the stasis booth (or "pod") allows its incumbent to survive journeys of extreme lengths without ageing a day.

"The stasis room creates a static field of time. See, just as X-rays can't pass through lead, time cannot penetrate a stasis field. So, although you exist, you no longer exist in time, and for you time itself does not exist. You see, although you're still a mass, you are no longer an event in space-time, you are a non-event mass with a quantum probability of zero."

- Lt. Cmdr Frank Todhunter, JMC

The concept of "stasis" was originally devised for interstellar travel for astros in search of extraterrestrial life, based on work done by Albert Einstein.

Einstein gave up on the theory after having an affair with Marilyn Monroe and spent the rest of his life having cold showers.

After those initial interstellar expeditions failed to find anything, human interest in space exploration waned.

Also, due to the use of the stasis field, many astros were now younger than their decedents, which made billions for the greeting cards industry.

Although the presence of a stasis booth on The Red Knight could now be regarded as rather archaic, it is a requirement under JMC guidelines as it can be used as a punishment for certain shipboard crimes where a miscreant is locked away for the duration, forfeiting his pay for that period.

Crewmen are also able to "rent" time in the pod, where they can spend an evening or so "not ageing".

It's also a good place to avoid ship-wide disasters.

NB. Captain Lister has his own, personal, booth in his cabin - which he uses to preserve food and drink.

Meet Your (Late) Captain

Prior to "the accident", the Captain's Office (adjacent to the Drive Room, on Level 147), was occupied by Captain David Lister.

A former technician on The Red Dwarf, he saved that ship and its crew through his discovery of a faulty drive plate, thus preventing a catastrophic Cadmium II radiation leak.

That brought the life-long London Jets fan to the attention of the JMC top brass and quicker than you can say "up the ziggurat lickedy-split", he was on a fast track to becoming captain.

Captain Lister

After several jags on The Red Dwarf, and now married to a exotic dancer, Crystal (who danced on table nine at The Multiverse strip club on Venus), he was offered the captaincy of the JMC's flagship miner: The Red Knight.

As part of his deal with JMC for saving The Red Dwarf, the mustachioed, cigar-smoking Lister refused the cash settlement he was offered and instead negotiated for shares.

No one could have foreseen that the Dwarf would soon stumble upon a planet rich in Helium-7*, making Lister a fortune.

After returning the Dwarf to Earth one final time, Lister took over the reins of The Red Knight for what would turn out to be a life-changing voyage for most of its crew (i.e. changing them from alive to dead!).

One aspect of his time on Red Dwarf that Captain Lister had transferred with him to the Red Knight was a personal stasis booth in his office, which he used to store food and drink, ensuring it was always fresh.

* Helium-7 is an extremely rare - and thus valuable - natural resource, highly prized by the Jupiter Mining Corporation. However, it was also highly combustible.