Teal, Henderson and York, about to make a new enemy for all of mankind.
"That thing is eating my crew!"
"Only the slow ones. She's picking them off, doing exactly what I'd do. I almost love her."
Henderson and York, A Gift From The Glish
Attention all crew: nutrition advice. Lager is not a meal in itself. Eat food with your lager.
Hyperdrive is a 2006 Sci-Fi Brit Com that aired on BBC Two starring Nick Frost, Kevin Eldon, and Miranda Hart. It ran for two series.
Set in the year 2151, the show follows the crew of HMS Camden Lock, a British "Wendover-class" ship headed by the eager, yet hopelessly naive Commander Michael Henderson. His crew is made up of the psychopathic Eduardo York, the shy and timid Chloe Teal, the neurotic Dave Vine, the disobedient Karl Jeffers and Robot Girl Sandstrom, who is in charge of flying the ship. They are charged with the mission of exploring new worlds and protecting Britain's interests in the galaxy, but because of how hilariously incompetent all of the characters are, they usually end up making their problems bigger until they go away.
The show frequently parodies its source material, lampshading and making fun of many tropes and conventions that are a part of Speculative Fiction.
Contains examples of:
- Alien Arts Are Appreciated: Lallakki song "Kill the Humans", by Jeffers. Henderson was not amused.
- Aliens Speaking English: Lampshaded, "...their language is amazingly similar to English, which is jolly helpful..." Every alien language in the show is either English or English being spoken in a weird voice.
- Blood Knight: Again, York. See the page quote.
- Boldly Coming: Spoofed in the compulsory Instructional Film the crew has to watch before a First Contact mission. We don't see it (fortunately) but the crews' reactions to what they are watching indicate it would make even Captain Kirk think twice."Let's learn about another Alien Sex Disease. This crewmember had intercourse with a Glygonthian octopoid. Let's take a close look at his genitals. Pustules have developed, and on the pustules: warts. Soon, his entire groin explodes, leaving five baby octopoids, each with his face. Remember, Alien Sex is Danger Sex."
- Bolivian Army Ending: Both seasons. First: they are about to get gunned down by the Space Force after going rogue (turns out that Chloe's father stepped in). Second: Henderson gives everyone (including those keeping the air circulating and power on) the day off, leaving them with a few minutes' worth of air...
- Brainwashed (and arguably crazy): Henderson in the season two finale
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Possibly not Chloe.
- Crazy Cultural Comparison: The alien races thrive on this.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Sandstrom.
- Cyborg Helmsman: Sandstrom.
- Deadly Game: A reality TV program no less.
- Disintegrator Ray: Lampooned with the Queppunian Doom Ray. It only works if the target stays perfectly still for three days, and has a recharge time of 1 week.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: Averted for Rule of Funny, but there is no realistic way York's clone could have survived shunting Shuttle 3 through the Pride Of Glenrothes' ramscoop to save the Camden Lock.
- Funny Background Event: York and Teal nuking Queppu behind Henderson's back while he's busy giving his Patrick Stewart Speech.
- Future Imperfect: "When he first discovered France, did Charles Dickens feel as I do now?"
- Mildly Military: The Camden Lock is ostensibly a warship, but discipline is nearly nonexistent. And while there's a definite chain of command, rank is rarely (if ever) mentioned.
- Mook Chivalry: Lampshaded and then subverted; the Shiny Red Robots of Vortis behave this way, until Henderson points it out.
- No OSHA Compliance: Lampshaded when the Commander and York find themselves on a narrow, rail-less walkway suspended hundreds of feet above a Swirly Energy Thingy.Cmdr Henderson: Why would anything on this ship have to be so high?
- Patrick Stewart Speech: Given by Henderson after their disastrous First Contact with Queppu. His crew decide that Deus ex Nukina is a better response.
- Planar Shockwave: The Superweapon in Convoy issues one of these when it's destroyed.
- Rubber-Forehead Aliens: Played straight, but to the point that it is hilarious (the aliens look really silly, especially the Queppunians, but this is never commented upon.)
- Shout-Out: The ship has a resemblance to the BT Tower. Its registration number, XH558, is that of an Avro Vulcan bomber that was recently restored to flying condition.
- Show Within a Show: Captain Helix, a narmy Space Opera with buxom space babes and faithful Tin-Can Robot that bears no relationship to the actual life of a space captain. It's also responsible for the aforementioned brainwashing.
- Single Tear: An oily tear is shed by the robot in Captain Helix.
- Sociopathic Hero: York. Well, sometimes he is heroic, or at least on the right side.
- Spaceship Girl: Sandstrom, who used to be a ordinary human but volunteered to undergo cybernetic enhancement (including the removal of her memories and sentient thoughts) in order to pay off her college debts. Somehow they could put Sandstrom's mind back once her contracted tour of duty was over.
- The way that this came out in the show proves that they can put her back the way she was: In one episode she malfunctioned and reverted to her pre-conversion personality and memories, including being told that afterwards she would be restored to being a normal human.
- Technobabble: Also played straight until it looks utterly daft.
- Unusual User Interface: Ships are piloted by cyborg "Enhanced Humans". This seems to involve dancing in an alcove full of coloured lights. The plot of the first episode comes about, in part, because two bored bridge crew members try to come up with a sequence of manoeuvres that will make the cyborg fall out of her alcove.
- Villain Song: Lallakki song Kill the Humans.
- Zany Scheme: Season 1, Episode 3.
