Jake Bullet was an alter-ego of Kryten, who was part of a hallucination brought about by the Despair Squid.
History[]
While exploring SSS Esperanto, the Dwarfers encountered a hallucinogenic substance that made all life forms that come into contact with it commit suicide. The substance was produced by a large and dangerous creature named the Despair Squid. Moments later, Kryten, as well as the other Dwarfers (excluding Holly), began having a group hallucination in which they believed their lives aboard Red Dwarf were actually part of a Total Immersion Video Game that they had been playing for several years.
In this hallucinated reality, Kryten was actually a part-human detective named Jake Bullet in the Cybernautic Division of the Police Department. At first he imagined his new personality to be a reflection of his incredibly macho name, however Arnold Rimmer pointed out that Cybernautics could very well be traffic control. Nevertheless, Kryten continued to act with a newfound authority among his peers. They were assured by the people running the game that their memories and personalities would eventually return, but this never happened.
After the alter-ego Dwarfers left the video game complex, they discovered that this reality was incredibly bleak with a fascist government in total control for decades. In the car park they had a run in with a police officer who was in pursuit of a child charged with stealing an apple. The officer confirms that Jake Bullet's Cybernautics Division was in charge of traffic control. The officer raised his gun, apparently to execute the escaping child, but Jake shot and killed the officer first.
In reality, Holly was watching the Dwarfers act all this out on Starbug and tried to get them to snap out of their group hallucination. Back in the hallucination, Jake and the others fled the police and found a dark alley to hide in. Jake was distraught that he had killed a human, even to save another human, something Kryten would never do and attempted to commit suicide. Cat, Rimmer, and Lister were equally distraught at their circumstances and all wanted to die together. In reality, Kryten was holding a harpoon gun and pointing it at their heads, lined up in a row. Finally, Holly was able to communicate with Kryten by using a higher frequency. He then opened a valve that released Lithium Carbonate into the air that ended the hallucination for the Dwarfers.
Personality[]
Jake's "true" personality was never actually seen. While in the hallucination the Dwarfers noted that they still retained their Red Dwarf personalities and memories. So Jake acted like Kryten would act if Kryten were put into his shoes. He acted with more authority than usual, probably taking the opportunity to free himself from Kryten's more servile existence in reality.
Skills[]
Jake has a gun and a badge, but mentally he's still just Kryten.
Quotes[]
- Jake Bullet: Jake Bullet, Cybernautic Detective. I like that! That sounds like the kind of hard-living flat foot who gets the job done by cutting corners and bucking authority. And if those pen-pushers up at City Hall don't like it, well they can park their overpaid, fat asses on this mid-digit and swivel – swivel 'til they squeal like pigs on a honeymoon.
Billy Doyle: On the other hand, Mr Bullet, perhaps the Cybernautics Division is in charge of traffic control and you just happen to have a rather silly macho name.
Trivia[]
- Jake's line about pigs squealing is a reference to the film Deliverance, in which a backcountry hick infamously tells his male victim to squeal like a pig while he rapes him.
- Jake Bullet appears as a real character in the comic book Red Dwarf Smegazine.