Originally aired April 23, 1999
Teleplay by Bill Dial
Story by Marc Scott Zicree
Directed by Robert M. Williams, Jr.
With nearly a month until the vortex opens, the Sliders find themselves bored on a dull Earth. While the others get jobs, Rembrandt reads a sci-fi novel that he finds bears more than a resemblance to the Sliders' adventures. The Sliders track down the reclusive author, whom they discover came from Kromagg Prime.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Artifact Title: This episode was supposed to, get this, reveal something. The original story would've revealed the Sliders were pawns of a Kromagg plot to re-conquer their home Earth: that wasn't Earth Prime from the season opener, the microdots were forgeries, and Colin was an altered clone of Quinn note . This was all dropped due to both David Peckinpah disliking the overall idea and the producers expecting Jerry O'Connell to return for a fifth season.
- Different World, Different Movies: Chuck Norris is the star of the television series Touched by a Ranger.
- Fantastic Racism: On Kromagg Double Prime, Michael and Elizabeth Mallory developed an anti-Kromagg weapon, much like their doubles, Quinn and Colin's parents. The difference is that the Kromaggs of that world were docile and of sub-par intelligence in contrast to the violent, militaristic multiversal conquerors belonging to the Kromagg Dynasty. They were subjected to a biological weapon, described as the Final Solution to the Kromagg Problem and were placed in concentration camps where they were exposed to the virus.
- In Spite of a Nail: In spite of the presence of a second sentient species, the Kromaggs, on Kromagg Double Prime, human history otherwise followed a practically identical course to Earth Prime.
- Motive Decay: The group thinks they've finally arrived at Kromagg Prime, so Quinn decides to... settle down and completely forget that the whole point of finding this world was to find a way to liberate Earth Prime. While Rembrandt at least intends to go home and fight, he also forgets to ask for anything resembling an anti-Kromagg weapon.
- Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: Jackie Robinson was the first black man to be accepted as a saxophonist, which had previously been an all-white art form. He is the subject of the biography Bebop King: The Life of Jackie Robinson - The Greatest Saxophone Player This World Has Ever Seen.
- Tuckerization: The name Isaac Clarke is a tribute to sci-fi authors Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.
- With Friends Like These...: Quinn, Maggie and Colin essentially say, "Good luck driving the Kromaggs off Earth Prime by yourself, Rembrandt. We'll always remember you."
