h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My favorite moment in Hitchhiker?
It's hard to choose from so many.
And, as the years have gone by, I have finally
gotten the point of some of the more obscure jokes.

I like the scene in the pub in which Ford says to Arthur,
"What would you say if I told you I wasn't from this planet...?
And Arthur says, "Why is that the sort of thing you
feel you're likely to say?"
When Arthur finally realizes what is really going on he says,
"This must be a Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays."

But my favorite is the moment in "restaurant at the End
of the Universe" when Max Quordlepleen, spinning a homily
about lifeforms going back to their home planets and raising
families and fighting terrible war wars, concludes by saying,
"It gives you hope for the future of all lifekind, except, of course,
as we know, it hasn't got one."

Now, as for my favorite character: I *almost* chose Ford,
because he mistook the dominant form of life on the planet
earth--well, nobody's perfect. But in fact, I identify with
Arthur Dent. He gets more than his share of the good lines,
which means that Douglas Adams was fond of him, too.
He wanders the galaxy trying to find a good cup of tea.
Well, I can relate to that, though my beverage of choice would
be coffee. Simple pleasures are very, very important in this
life. Wealth, fame, and even love can abandon you in the
twinkling of an eye, and it is your simple pleasures that
will be all that you have left. Let Arthur have his tea,
and make it *good* tea. Arthur is one of the few survivors
of earth, and there's no one he can sue for damages. For
Zarquon's sake, let him have his tea!

I think Ford is way cooler than Zaphod.

I don't think anyone sane would want to have to choose between
being the captain of a vogon constructor fleet and a dentrassi.
I suppose I would choose the dentrassi, but the pay had
better be excellent!

I agree,Ford is definatly way cooler than zaphod, although zaphod is obnoxiously amusing, but more of in an out of touch with reality type fog lingering over him, or radiating about him or something to that effect.. And Arthur, has got to be the greatest character ever! His reactions are beyond priceless! My absolute favorite was the way he responded to first seeing and then realizing what the bulldozer was doing in his yard. That first impression of his character was etched deep into the recesses of my imagination 19 years ago, and has been responsible for my Douglas Adams addiction ever since.

Arthur: "I finally had to go to the basement."
Prosser: "That's the display department."
Arthur: "It was dark."
Prosser: "Well, the lights had probably gone."
Arthur: "So had the stairs."
Prosser: "But you found the notice, didn't you."
Arthur: "Yes, it was on "display" in a locked filing cabinet in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "BEWARE OF THE LEOPARD"."

Ford: "How do you feel?"
Arthur: "Like a military academy. Bits of me keep on passing out."

Actually, I wasn't putting down Zaphod.
I've known several people like that, so the
character rings true. And the worst part is,
such people with their bloated egos never seem
to get the comeuppance they so richly deserve.
If you or I had stolen the Heart of Gold, we would
be serving several life terms in the galactic
penitentiary, which is probably on a par with the
prison in "Harry Potter."

I have one I so loved at first impression. It was in the restaurant at the end of the universe when the cow came out to offer different bits of his still very much alive carcass.And then offered to do himself in so they could all eat. I was reading it in school for the first time and I was so caught off guard by the whole ordeal I sank down in my chair unable to straighten up or breath from laughing. The intensity of the initial shocking humor has worn a little, but is still one of my favorites.