Just had a galaxy brain idea/head cannon …
So lister was confined to stasis for what was supposed to be the span of 18 months. I don’t think we actually have a time frame for when Rimmer failed to seal the drive plate and kill everyone.
So, Rimmer as the lowest rank on the ship is now left where the only person that tolerates him is in stasis. It’s easy to feel bad for Rimmer, and I’d like to think for that undetermined amount of time Lister was gone Rimmer started to miss him.
Little does he know he will be spending the rest of his life with this roommate he realizes he actually misses.
Ouhhhh guys on top of that what if he misses him and realizes his feelings. Assuming the ship updates everyone's hogram personality storage every time there's a change, or maybe it doing its own system maintenance.. Rimmer would be fond of Lister. Mad that he's gone. But fond and maybe even longing for his company. The ships personality chip for Rimmers hologram encapsulates this new shift. Everyone dies. The ship (holly) chooses a familiar companion for waking Lister up. Updated Rimmer comes to and is dealing with new feelings of enamored by Lister . Anddddd begin scene:
