The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Created | Updated Nov 7, 2002
Introduction
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was created by Douglas Adams. It first began as a radio series, however, because of it's popularity, Douglas Adams went on to write a book of the story, and a television series. Douglas Adams went on to write four more books on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to make The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (a trilogy in 5 parts), before he tragically died in May 2001.
H2G2 is a website started by Douglas Adams, and it was his vision that it would become the Earth Edition of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Now, if you have no idea what the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is, and have never heard of it before, then here is a quote from Douglas Adams first Hitchhiker's book, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy':
[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is] a wholly remarkable book.
In fact it was probably the most remarkable book ever to come out of the great publishing houses of Ursa Minor - of which no Earthman had ever heard either.
Not only is it a wholly remarkable book, it is also a highly successful one - more popular than the Celestial Home Care Omnibus, better selling than Fifty More Things to do in Zero Gravity, and more controversial than Oolon Colluphid's trilogy of philosophical blockbusters Where God Went Wrong, Some More of God's Greatest Mistakes and Who is this God Person Anyway?
For a more simple explanation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then look at A5815.
Main Characters
Arthur Dent - A normal human male. At the start of the story he is very angry as some people are trying to knock his house down to make space for a bypass. He becomes even angrier once a group of aliens called the Vogons destroy the Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass.
Ford Prefect - An alien from a planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse, and a researcher for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy. Came to Earth for a week and got stuck there for 15 years. Chose the name Ford Prefect as he thought it would be inconspicuous. Friend of Arthur Dent.
Zaphod Beeblebrox - Former President of the Imperial Galactic Government. Inventor of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Stole the starship Heart of Gold to find the lost planet of Magrathea. Has three arms and two heads. Is Ford Prefect's semi-cousin.
Trillian - Real name Tricia McMillian. A human with a degree in Maths and another in Astrophysics. Arthur once tried to chat her up, but wasn't doing very well when Zaphod Beeblebrox came up to her and said "Hey doll, is this guy boring you? Why don't you talk to me instead? I'm from a different planet."
Marvin - A manically depressed robot. A prototype from the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, with a Genuine People Personality. Has a brain the size of a planet.
The Book - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Provides the narration throughout the story and also provides inserts from the guide itself.
The Radio Series
The first radio series was first aired in 1978 and consisted of six episodes that were approximately 30 minutes long. After the success of the first radio series, a second radio series and a television series were made and a book was written. The second radio series also consisted of six episodes approximately 30 minutes long, and was first aired in 1980.
The TV Series
After the success of the radio series and book, a TV series was made. Only one TV series of six episodes was ever made. It was first aired in 1981. Some of the same actors from the radio series stayed on for the TV series, and others were altered.
Actors
Below is a list of the main characters and who played them in the radio series and TV series.
| Character | Radio Series | TV Series |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Dent | Simon Jones | Simon Jones |
| Ford Prefect | Geoffrey McGiven | David Dixon |
| Zaphod Beeblebrox | Mark Wing-Davey | Mark Wing-Davey |
| Trillian | Susan Sheridan | Sandra Dickinson |
| Marvin | Stephen Moore | Stephen Moore and David Learner1 |
| The Book (Narrator) | Peter Jones | Peter Jones |
The Books
Five books make up what is now known as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy2. The first book was written after the success of the first radio series. They are all written by Douglas Adams, and their titles and the dates they were first published appear below:
Part 1: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
Part 2: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
Part 3: Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
Part 4: So Long and Thanks For All the Fish (1984)
Part 5: Mostly Harmless (1992)
Plot
The plot of the radio series, the TV series and the books can be explained simply by Douglas Adams in the first Hitchhiker's book, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy':
[This] is the story of that terrible stupid catastrophe and some of its consequences.
It is also the story of a book, a book called The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - not an Earth book, never published on Earth, and until the terrible catastrophe occurred, never seen or heard of by any Earthman.
The radio series, TV series, and books, all follow the adventures of the main characters in an interesting, exciting, and funny way.
The story begins with Arthur Dent trying to stop his house being demolished to make way for a bypass. However, this is the least of his worries once Earth is demolished by a race of aliens called the Vogons to make way for a hyperspace bypass, and Arthur ends up with Ford Prefect on a vogon spaceship.
From there on, the story just gets wackier and wackier.
The Guide
In the story, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a popular encyclopaedia. The popularity of the Guide is explained in the first book:
In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitch Hiker's Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects.
First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words Don't Panic inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.
The popularity is also mentioned in the first radio series and the TV series.
Earth
In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy there is an entry on Earth. Arthur Dent is mad when he discovers what the original entry was, and even madder when he discovers what the new entry for Earth is, written by his friend Ford prefect.
Original Version
Harmless
Revised Version by Ford Prefect
The entry Ford Prefect wrote on Earth was actually a lot more detailed, and according to the book it included lots of information including "Yoghurt on Greek Islands", "Restaurants to avoid in Los Angeles" and "Tips for aliens in New York". Unfortunately, the editor of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "had to trim it a bit" and "Mostly Harmless" was the final result.
The Answer To The Ultimate Question Of Life, The Universe, And Everything
In the story, the characters discover that millions of years ago, a race of hyper intelligent pan-dimensional beings built a stupendous super computer called Deep Thought to give them the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Deep Thought took seven and a half million years to come up with the answer...
42
So Long and Thanks...
Whether you like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or not, it is an undeniable fact that without the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Douglas Adams, then H2G2 would not exist.
