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

I switched onto Beetlejuice late last night and noticed that in the film Beetlejuices' name is spelt "Betegeuse".

I was wondering if anyone knew why the films title and the characters name are spelt differently?

Right, the premise of the film is that in order to invoke Beetlejuice you have to say his name three times.

How would you say Betelgeuse?

See his problem?

That's always annoyed me. Maybe they thought that no one would know how to pronounce Betelguese

I can' remember from the film if there's any mention of the star. If the character was just named Beetlejuice because it sounded cool then I suppose it can be spelt any way they like.

Doesn't make it right though.

It was spelt Betelguise on his gravestone I think.

Ah, that puts a different slant on things. Still, I suppose MJ's right.

And I reckon a lot more people would go to see a film called Beetlejuice than Betelgeuse. Sad but true.

Then why not just call the character "Beetlejuice"?

In the film there's an advert that the husband and wife are watching, it flashes up on the screen to say "Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse"

It also relies on the fact that Betelgeuse *is* pronounced Beetlejuice

Not when I went to school it wasn't.

Malus

Is it baytooljoice?

No. I learnt it as *bet el gerze* (lame attempt at phonetic spelling). When I took up astronomy as a hobby people said it many ways but generally smiled patronisingly at the Beetlejuice pronounciation.

Malus

Sir Patrick Moore calls "Betelgeuse", which is the second brightest star in the constellation Orion, is a red supergiant, and one of the physically largest stars known, *Bet El-gerze* - and that's good enough for me

If Betelgeuse was placed at the center of our Solar System, the Earth would be engulfed and would be inside it!

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That's so cool

I have a star chart up in my bedroom with a post it note next to Betelgeuse with an arrow and "next stop" written on it!



I've always wanted to travel in space... I wish I'd been born (willan be-born) in the future.

It was my first love too.

Cool star so to speak and a cool constellation too!

Malus