Found an existing OA article that is a Red Dwarf parady

[stevebowers]

Another way to look at it is that Red Dwarf may represent a persistent trope in fiction, even in the far future. Just as the story of the Seven Samurai has been reinterpreted in many different forms over time (Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars), so might a ship's crew of four with a group of representative clades might also become a common theme.