How does Rimmer keep Lister sane?
His annoyances?
shareIt’s been a long time. Rimmer is the hologram guy? Just like you said. By irritating him & causing problems, he forces Lister to think & act. It keeps him from just wasting away.
Just a guess.
Yeah, I'd go with that.
If Lister had one of his friends as a hologram, chances are they'd just sit around and get drunk all the time and never really do anything. Rimmer annoyed him, but if you're annoyed at something it still gives you something to care about. It might've motivated Lister initially in his attempt to get home, and move to Fiji. If for no other reason than to prove Rimmer wrong. Also, some of his frustration at being locked up in the middle of space with nowhere to go could be let out on Rimmer. They might be quibbling, but it could've distracted them both from what was going on around them.
Also, didn't Holly once say that Rimmer was the person that Lister had spoken to the most in the whole crew? He was the guy Lister knew best.