When Lister and Kryten developed the triplicator to increase their supplies, they accidently copied the entire ship and then caused it to explode. Two versions of Red Dwarf were created and the Dwarfers had to seek out whichever ship was the superior, so that they could find a working triplicator and reverse the procedure. They only had an hour to do this, as that was how long triplicated material could exist before disintegrating. They took the triplicator, which the Lows had no use for, and set it up.