reddwarf
This article is about the Red Dwarf character. For the Red Dwarf episode, see RD: Polymorph.


"Danger! Do not attempt to open this pod. The creature inside is extremely hostile. It feeds off the human psyche, seeks out the deranged, the unbalanced and the emotionally crippled."
―Genetic Waste Pod[src]

History

Origin

A polymorph in scuttling form ("", )

A polymorph in scuttling form ("Polymorph", Series III)

A polymorph is a shape-shifting organism that can change into anything it pleases, and lives by draining a person of a negative emotion. It was designed to be the perfect warrior, blending into any background, causing confusion and disarray amongst the enemy by playing with their emotions, but the creature mutated into something terrifying its creators couldn't control. One of the polymorph's forms appears somewhat similar to the xenomorph alien from the movie Alien. Rimmer, when he lost his anger to the creature, described it as "an eight foot armoured killing machine that salivates unspeakable slobber".

The Polymorph also appeared to have some form of sentience. Examples include where it speaks when excusing itself after a large burp. It also showed disgust at the sight of its own reflection and went through a number of shapes before settling on a fluffy white rabbit. Only then did it decide on a basketball because it had better mobility.

Reproduction

A deceased after depositing her eggs in an accepting host (""),

A deceased female polymorph after depositing her eggs in an accepting host ("Can of Worms"), Series XI

Female polymorphs lay their eggs in suitable humanoid hosts, through the use of a protruding tube out of their back that shoves its way down the mouth. Once inside these eggs grow into morphlings that eventually shoot out of any convenient orifice. Female polymorphs often die after successfully depositing their eggs. As a defence mechanism the morphlings will assume the shape of tumours when threatened by the risk of early extraction. Once born they try to become common household objects in order to blend in, and will also assume the shapes of cute animals when discovered. They also release an oxytocin hormone into the host's body in order to make them feel maternal. Due to their rapid development these defences only need to work for a short time before the morhplings become fully grown, often killing each other early on in order to reduce the competition between them.

Domestication

The with his pet in his on the ("Emohawk")

The Kinitawowi chief with his pet Emohawk in his watunga on the Kinitawowi moon ("Emohawk")

The Emohawk is a partially domesticated form of polymorph used by Kinitawowi GELFs. The Kinitawowi use the bird-like Emohawks to hunt and torment their enemies through space. ("Emohawk", Series VI)

List of Forms taken by Polymorphs

Polymorph

Can of Worms

The morphling children of and , becoming "cute" to avoid harm ("", )

The morphling children of Cat and Ankita, becoming "cute" to avoid harm ("Can of Worms", Series XI)

Second Polymorph

Polymorph-Epilogue

The remastered version of Series III's "Polymorph" replaces the second Lister scene with another shot of a bouncing red, white and blue basketball, with a caption explaining that the second Polymorph, which was much less intelligent than the first, stowed away in Lister's clean underpants drawer, but died of old age many years later.

According to Doug Naylor, the reason the ending was changed in the Remastered version was that he was getting tired of Red Dwarf fans asking him what happened to the second Polymorph.

Novels

The Grant Naylor novel Better Than Life provides a slightly different origin to the polymorphs. According to that book, the surviving GELFs of a great war were dumped on a garbage world, actually future Earth, and left to die. Most did die, except for those specifically suited to survive in such an environment. The polymorphs evolved from these organisms.

 Trivia