When recording resumed, Drew was back behind the desk, with all four performers lined up in the performance area.

'Okay.' said Drew. It's time to end the show, with all the performers reading the credits. I'd like you to do it as if you're staff at a novelty ice cream factory! Goodnight, everybody, thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time!'

After the performers had finished attempting to read the credits, the disembodied voice from earlier announced the end of recording, and asked the audience to vacate their seats, ready for the next episode. As Tendi, Rutherford, Mariner and Boimler left the seating area, Rutherford instructed the computer to save and end the program, resulting in the people, and then the room, disappearing leaving the empty holodeck.

'Well, 'I don't know about you guys, said Mariner, as she walked towards the arch 'but I think that worked really well!'

'I suppose so,' replied Boimler, 'even with your crazy suggestions in that Scenes from a Hat round!'

'What makes you think they were mine?'

They must be,' said Boimler. 'No-one came round to collect requests before the episode started, so they must have been added while the program was being prepared. Rutherford and Tendi are far too sensible to come up with ideas like those, which only leaves you.'

'Gee, Boims, I don't know whether to feel flattered or insulted!'

While Rutherford quickly checked a readout in the arch. Boimler turned toward Tendi. 'Aren't you worried about it getting repetitive?'

'Nope!' said the Orion cheerfully, as the four of them walked through the arch, and entered the corridor. 'According to the archives, there were dozens of other performers that appeared on the show, and a whole list of other games!'

'Such as?'

'Well, there's Narrate,' said Rutherford. 'That has two performers, usually Colin and Ryan, enact a scene, based in an audience-suggested location, in a film noir style.'

'Oh,' said Boimler. 'What else?

'Two Line Vocabulary' said Mariner. 'That has three performers enact a scene, with two of them limited to using only two specific lines each, provided by the host along with the situation.'.

'And then' added Tendi. 'there's Film & Theatre Styles, where two performers begin a scene. After a while, the host stops the scene with a buzzer, and chooses a style, suggested by someone in the audience beforehand, for the performers to use as they continue. In the early UK episodes, they only accepted genres, but later expanded it to include specific films, shows and plays.'

On hearing this, Boimler raised his hand, a look of confusion on his face. 'UK episodes?'

'Oh, yeah,' said Rutherford, who looked down at his PADD, and checked another file. 'Apparently, the show began in audio only format, on old style radio from the British Broadcasting Corporation, then transferred to UK commercial television, before getting rebooted in the States.'

Before Boimler could respond, Ensign Taylor, the ship's K'z'inti crewmember approached them.

'Hey, Tails' said Mariner.

'Ah, Mariner!' groaned Taylor. 'Why do you keep using that ridiculous nickname?'

'Cause your name's Taylor, and you're a cat!' retorted Mariner.

'Oh, come on, Taylor.' said Tendi, in a consoling tone. 'It's better than being ignored, right?

'I suppose so,' signed the K'z'inti. 'Is the holodeck free?'

'Yeah,' said Boimler. 'We've just finished in there. Why do you ask?'

'Well, I've been reading some post apocalypse Earth stories, and noticed they all seemed to have biker gangs in charge!'

'Yeah, so?' asked Mariner, as Taylor walked towards the entrance.

'Well, I suddenly thought it would be interesting to see what would happen, if that kind of control was in the hands of a completely different group.'

'How different?' asked Rutherford.

'Ruthless, neatly dressed, accountants and clerks!'

'You don't really think that'll work, do you, Tails?' said Mariner.

'Only one way to find out!' scowled Taylor, before he stepped through the holodeck entrance, and began issuing instructions to the arch.

NOTES

Rutherford's simplified description of Whose Line is it Anyway's history is essentially correct. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 1988, it then appeared on UK Channel 4 Television, with former barrister Clive Anderson hosting both. After the programme's cancellation by Channel 4, Ryan Stiles introduced the format to fellow comedian Drew Carey, who took great interest and subsequently pitched an American version of the same name to the ABC TV network with great success. Hosted by Carey on ABC from 1998 to 2004) and then on ABC Family from 2005 to 2007, the show was revived on The CW in 2013, hosted by Aisha Tyler. There are also Israeli, Dutch and Australian versions.

The K'Z'inti ensign's identification as Taylor appeared in a Reddit discussion with Lower Decks dialogue editor Paul Mazzolta.

Taylor's suggestion of a post apocalyptic Earth run by ruthless, smartly dressed, accountants and clerks, was taken from the Radio Times review of the 1988 Australian movie Driving Force. The review is reproduced on page 120 of the Radio Times Guide to Science Fiction.