The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
“I sort of laid down on the ground and stared up at the stars, and it occurred to me
then that somebody ought to write a hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.”
– Douglas Adams1
Summary
When Arthur Dent woke up one Thursday morning, he didn’t think that his best
friend would be an alien who would help him escape Vogans, who destroy the
Earth to build a hyperspatial express route, by hitchhiking onto their spaceship.
Nor did he expect that he would soon join his friend’s sort of cousin and his
cousin’s girlfriend on a quest to find a mythical planet. But then again, what was
so predictable about Thursdays anyway?
About the Author
Douglas Adams (1952-2001) was a British author best known for The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy series. Before becoming a popular comic writer, Adams received an education from
Cambridge where he wrote for the Cambridge Footlights.2 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy started
as a concept for a radio series for the British Broadcasting Company in 1978 before being relaunched in
various media formats such as a novel series, television series, and film. Besides his Hitchhiker series,
Adams was also known for his writing for the popular British science fiction television series Doctor
Who.2
Discussion Questions
1. What role does miscommunication have in the story?
2. What role does humor have in the story?
3. What are some of the technologies that Adams predicted?
4. If you had access to a Babble Fish, what language(s) would you like to understand?
5. Why do you think Adams made a towel the most essential thing for hitchhiker’s to own?
Activities
1. Write an entry for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for any
character or event presented for which Adams has not already created an entry.
a. “Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the
bowl of petunias as it fell was Oh no, not again.”3 Present an explanation for
this quote using any creative means.
Suggested Reading
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (consists of the complete
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series) by Douglas Adams
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne
