#This is probably really rambly and incoherent it's past 1:00 AM and I've had a long day

[odo-apologist]

Having Thoughts about the Lister from Kochanski's universe. He's implied to be more, well, I guess "put together," with his outfit that's a bit more subdued, more like a uniform, and the hints we get from Kochanski that he- along with her other crewmates- was into literature, theater, opera, etc. And all of this despite the fact that he seems like our Lister in the flashback to Kochanski finding out about Frankenstein. Did he choose to change for Kochanski, become that version of himself because it was the kind of company she needed (or at least he thought she needed), the kind of person to keep her sane? Perhaps Kochanski interpreting Rimmer's behavior prior to her arrival as him making sacrifices for Lister's happiness is grounded in how she feels about what her Lister did. Or did she influence Lister more directly encouraging him, and the others, to pursue and invest in interests she enjoyed? In a way, this positions her as the center, the unspoken leader, of her crew in the same way our Lister is for his.

And I know she claims she was joking when she claimed her Lister was gay, and I know we're likely supposed to take her word for that, but I also can't help but be intrigued by the potential of reversal at play if she wasn't. Like, our Lister thinks he's straight, he pines for his Kochanski while Rimmer is with him, then Rimmer leaves and he's forced to confront Feelings for him and- oh, maybe he's not completely straight. If Kochanski's Lister believes he's gay (maybe gay/pining for Rimmer) while she's around and she leaves...well, maybe he dreams of her like the other Lister dreams of Rimmer. Here, Kochanski mirrors Rimmer, and in the show's main universe, she parallels him a lot, obviously taking on his role and filling the gap he left both metatextually and in universe.

Is Lister still waiting for her? Does he hold out a hope of seeing her again just as Lister still thinks they may come across her in the Dave era series? Has he been shut off, or shut himself off?