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

I have never found any reference to the "Haganengnons", mentioned on the radio series of h2g2, in any of Douglas Adams's books. He himself does mention "inconsistencies" in the story line in the radio, record and book formats. The story in the books even contradicts itself apparently. Quite a feat.
However, the second radio series mentioned, I believe, a horribly aggressive mutating life form (phonetically pronounced as) Haganengnons. If I can remember that far back, the Book (played by the late great Peter Jones) said on this:-

"Most life forms are contents to pass on their genetic structure to their children. Nervously hazarding a new nostril here, disposing of an atrophied finger there. But the Haganengnons would do for Charles Darwin what a squadron of Acturan stunt apples would do for Sir Isaac Newton. There DNA is based on the quadruple-sterated-octo-helix and is so cronically unstable that far from passing on there genetic code to their offspring they will frequently mutate several times over lunch.
For example, seated at a table and unable to reach the coffee spoon they would without a moments hesitation mutate into something with far longer arms but which was quite incapable of drinking the coffee.
They resent other life forms, reasoning that since they have been almost anyone you can think of they are in a very good position to appreciate all their weak points.
This instability caused them to resent all stable life forms, or "Filthy, rotten, stinking same-lings" as they call them. This resentment is military in nature and usually from the heavily beweaponed gun-decks of their death flotillas.
Experience has shown the best way to deal with any Haganengnon you may meet, is to run away, terribly quickly."

This is from memory, so may not be either complete or exact. But can anyone (DNA himself?) tell me, was anything ever written on these aggressive shape changers?

TTFN

Freddie

gee...i have no clue....i know the book does contridict itself several times...but not where one otices it the first time through....but that sound almost exactly the style the books are written in...especially the beweoponed part...and minor details that dont matter but are funny when they hapen to show up...

I have in book form the radio-show scripts. I think it is actually funnier than the original books, from which it diverges pretty quickly. I remember the H. from there.

Message to jqr.
Any chance of a copy of the radio scripts please?
I would dearly like to re-visit some of the original humour from the radio series, which I consider infinately better than the subsequent books, good as they are.
Please reply

TTFN Freddie.

I have it at home; I'll get the publ information for you and post it tomorrow.

Better yet, thanks to the advances in technology you can buy C.D's of the original radio plays themselves over at the Douglas Adams shop. The internet address is on the front page. Just click the funny swirlly double h-g thing, top left.

I remember the HAGANENGNONS, it was just after they had left the restauant at the end of the Universe stolen the ultra-black ship. and reappeared at the head of the HAGANENGNONS attack fleet. Arthur, Ford and Zaphod kept awapping places to look like they were 'evolving'.

In the book this became the bit were the ship crashes into the Sun and causes a super-nova with a Mega-Death concert on the planet below. Or something like that. This is just before Arthur and Ford jump into the shower room teleporters and find themselves in the cryo-chambers of the Golgafrinchan 'B' Ship with all of the frozen telephone hygenists and the Captain in the bath right before they crash onto the Earth. The book makes no mention of the HAGANENGNONS.

Clive