Arnold Rimmer's alto ego 'Ace Rimmer', an inspirational character

In the sc-fi comedy series 'Red dwarf', Chris Barrie plays a holographic character called 'Arnold Judas Rimmer'.

Who is Arnold Rimmer?

He's a selfish, cowardly weasel, in all -- a basket-case.

He experienced a miserable childhood, suffering bullying and torment predominantly from his older and more successful brothers.

He regularly suffers from 'delusions of grandeur' and an inflated ego, this perhaps is a coping mechanism for dealing with his own life failings.

His ambition - to join the space academy and become a officer, both of which he was unsuccessful.

Silver Lining - Ace Rimmer - A Renaissance Man

In the episode 'Dimension Jump', we get to see Rimmer's Heroic alter-ego 'Ace Rimmer'.

Coming from a parallel universe, Ace Rimmer is his polar opposite - a supremely confident, courageous, flamboyant, larger than life character. Simply put, he's a dashing James bond style hero.

Everyone loves him, women desire him, he's essentially the perfect version of himself.

The Divergence

Their lives were identical up and till a certain point, in which a single decision was made causing them to go different ways. We discover that while at school it was surprisingly Ace and not Arnold who was kept back a year.

A pivotal moment, as Ace said: 'the humiliation changed me, made me buckle-down and fight back and I've been fighting back ever since'

The dimension theory of reality

In this episode, it is explained as: 'There is an infinite number of parallel universes where every possibility exist. For every decision that's made, the alternative decision is played out in an alternative reality'.

In Aces reality, he succeeded at everything where Rimmer has not. Ace became the successful test pilot for the space corps.

This resonates with me, as we all endeavor to become the 'best or ace version of our-self'. And in one universe that possibility will be played out, I intend it to be this one.

A tribute to Ace

Ace's catch phrase: 'smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast' 

What other characters say about Ace: 'What a guy'