The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Difference between revisions

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'''Don't Panic!'''
'''Don't Panic!'''


A franchise of different media, all telling variations on the same story by [[Douglas Adams]].
'''''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''''' is a franchise of different media, all telling variations on the same story by [[Douglas Adams]].


To boil it down to the essentials, Arthur Dent, a fairly normal if feckless Earthling, wakes up one Thursday and, after a series of confusing events, is spirited away from Earth by his friend, Ford Prefect, right before [[Earthshattering Kaboom|the planet is destroyed]]. He then hooks up with Zaphod Beeblebrox, former President of the Galaxy, current fugitive, and all-around cool guy; Marvin the Paranoid Android, a sarcastic and chronically depressed AI; and Tricia McMillian, AKA Trillian, [[The Chick]] and the only other human being left. Zaphod is on a quest to find The Truth, and everyone else gets pulled along for the ride.
To boil it down to the essentials, Arthur Dent, a fairly normal if feckless Earthling, wakes up one Thursday and, after a series of confusing events, is spirited away from Earth by his friend, Ford Prefect, right before [[Earthshattering Kaboom|the planet is destroyed]]. He then hooks up with Zaphod Beeblebrox, former President of the Galaxy, current fugitive, and all-around cool guy; Marvin the Paranoid Android, a sarcastic and chronically depressed AI; and Tricia McMillian, AKA Trillian, [[The Chick]] and the only other human being left. Zaphod is on a quest to find The Truth, and everyone else gets pulled along for the ride.
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The first version was the radio series, ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]''. The first series was broadcast on [[The BBC|BBC Radio]] in 1978, with another series coming not long after, and a Christmas episode linking them. This material went on to become the foundation of the first two books. However, it has several bits not seen in any later version, including the full-length "Shoe Event Horizon" story. After Adams's death, three more series were broadcast, adapting the plots of the last three books.
The first version was the radio series, ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]''. The first series was broadcast on [[The BBC|BBC Radio]] in 1978, with another series coming not long after, and a Christmas episode linking them. This material went on to become the foundation of the first two books. However, it has several bits not seen in any later version, including the full-length "Shoe Event Horizon" story. After Adams's death, three more series were broadcast, adapting the plots of the last three books.


Next came the book series, ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy (novel)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'', probably the best-known version. Originally, it adapted the plots from the radio series, but took off afterwards, becoming five novels in all. The novels vary widely in tone and subject matter, and the fifth book in particular didn't seem to please anyone, [[Creator Backlash|even its own author]]. Adams said near the end of his life that he wanted to do a sixth which might round things out more nicely, but this was [[Author Existence Failure|cut short by his sudden death]]. Specifically, he was believed to have been [[Retool|retooling]] an in-progress [[Dirk Gently]] novel into a new Hitchhiker's story; a few reconstructed chapters were published as part of the ''Salmon Of Doubt'' anthology book. A sixth book by [[Eoin Colfer]], entitled ''And Another Thing'' (not to be confused by [[And Another Thing|a character dispensing important info just as they're about to leave]]) was published on October 12, 2009.
Next came the book series, ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy (novel)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'', probably the best-known version. Originally, it adapted the plots from the radio series, but took off afterwards, becoming five novels in all. The novels vary widely in tone and subject matter, and the fifth book in particular didn't seem to please anyone, [[Creator Backlash|even its own author]]. Adams said near the end of his life that he wanted to do a sixth which might round things out more nicely, but this was [[Author Existence Failure|cut short by his sudden death]]. Specifically, he was believed to have been [[Retool|retooling]] an in-progress [[Dirk Gently]] novel into a new Hitchhiker's story; a few reconstructed chapters were published as part of the ''Salmon Of Doubt'' anthology book. A sixth book by [[Eoin Colfer]], entitled ''And Another Thing...'' (not to be confused by [[And Another Thing|a character dispensing important info just as they're about to leave]]) was published on October 12, 2009.


The books, in order, are:
The books, in order, are:


* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy|The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy|The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/The Restaurant At The End of The Universe|The Restaurant At The End of The Universe]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/The Restaurant At The End of The Universe|The Restaurant at the End of the Universe]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Life, The Universe And Everything|Life The Universe And Everything]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Life, The Universe And Everything|Life, The Universe, and Everything]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish|So Long And Thanks For All The Fish]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish|So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish]]''
* ''[[Young Zaphod Plays It Safe]]'' (short story)
* ''[[Young Zaphod Plays It Safe]]'' (short story)
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Mostly Harmless|Mostly Harmless]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Mostly Harmless|Mostly Harmless]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/And Another Thing|And Another Thing]]''
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/And Another Thing|And Another Thing...]]''




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{{franchisetropes}}
{{tropelist|This whole bunch of stuff provides examples of:}}
* [[Absolute Xenophobe]]: The Krikkiters, who on becoming aware that there was a universe outside their dust cloud decided that it all had to go.
* [[Absolute Xenophobe]]: The Krikkiters, who on becoming aware that there was a universe outside their dust cloud decided that it all had to go.
* [[The Ace]]: Zaphod, [[Zig-Zagging Trope]].
* [[The Ace]]: Zaphod, [[Zig-Zagging Trope]].
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{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Cult Classic]]
[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Notable Quotables]]
[[Category:Notable Quotables]]
[[Category:Trope Overdosed]]
[[Category:Trope Overdosed]]
[[Category:index]]
[[Category:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]
[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Cult Classic]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The}}