Hitchhiking Across the Galaxy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Magrathea

In the radio and TV adaptations, while on Magrathea, the characters are caught in a massive explosion caused by the Galactic Police shooting at a computer console they are hiding behind. The explosion rips a hole in the fabric of space-time through which they are transported through time to the foyer of Milliways, which they initially mistake for the afterlife.

In the novel ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), the confrontation with the police ends when the cops shooting at them asphyxiate after the shipboard computer controlling their life-support system commits suicide after talking to Marvin the Paranoid Android.

In the novel, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"), they travel to Milliways after Zaphod tells the Heart of Gold computer to take them to the nearest place to eat, which in the novel is built on the Frogstar World B.

This latter planet is where Zaphod amazingly survived his encounter with the Total Perspective Vortex. In the radio series, a leaflet advertising the Frogstar World B describes it as "Sun, sand, and suffering in the most totally evil place in the galaxy." In the film version, the characters announce at the end of the film that they are going to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, i.e., Milliways, but this place is not actually depicted onscreen.

Answer: "After this, things can only get better."

This scene occurs at the end of episode 4 of the TV series. As the cops are shooting, Zaphod says, "Well that just about wraps it up for this lifetime, I guess." Ford says, "Well, it's really been nice running into you again, Zaphod." They then sing the anthem, while shaking hands. Bizarrely, the anthem is sung to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The equivalent scene in episode 4 of the radio series has the characters saying goodbye to each other, but no anthem is sung, although the script is otherwise very similar up to this point.

In the equivalent scene in the novel, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," the characters don't even have time to say goodbye. The film has no comparable scene.

Answer: A 15-mile high statue of himself

The radio series is the only adaptation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" to feature the planet Brontitall or the 15-mile high statue of Arthur Dent. The latter depicts Arthur throwing a styrofoam coffee cup. Amazingly, the cup is suspended 13 miles up with nothing supporting it but "the power of art." The residents of the planet explain to Arthur that their ancestors built the statue centuries ago when a time warp opened and showed them a scene of Arthur throwing a cup of liquid at a Nutrimatic drink dispenser.

This inspired them to turn against the robots that had come to wield too much influence on their society. Also unique to the radio series are the three characters named Lintilla who are all identical clones. It is later explained that the Lintilla clones were produced by a cloning machine that, due to a malfunction, became out of phase with itself, so that every time it produced a new clone it was halfway through producing another.

As a result, it was impossible to turn the machine off without committing murder. For this reason, more than half a million Lintilla clones had already been produced with more still coming.

Although the novels do not mention the planet Brontitall, some of the plot elements, such as the shoe event horizon that destroyed the planet's civilization, and the human/bird hybrids who inhabit the place are merged into the description of Frogstar World B, which Zaphod travels to in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe." The airborne party that has been going on for decades and the ultra-luxury hotels and casinos that have been formed by the natural erosion of wind and rain appear in "Life, the Universe, and Everything." The super-intelligent shade of the colour blue (called a Hooloovoo) is mentioned in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" novel.

Answer: Stranded on prehistoric earth

In the radio, TV, and novel (specifically, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe") adaptations, Zaphod and Ford decide to steal a remarkable ship that is completely black because they think it looks cool. Arthur, Trillian, and Marvin come with them.

They are unable to control the ship as it is on autopilot. In the radio series, the ship belongs to the admiral of an alien fleet that is invading another galaxy. In the TV series and novel, the ship belongs to the rock band "Disaster Area" and is pre-programmed to crash into an alien sun as part of the band's spectacular stage show.

In all three versions, Marvin knew all this information but neglected to tell anyone because "nobody asked." Desperate to escape, the travellers instruct Marvin to randomly teleport them off the ship, while he is forced to stay behind to operate the teleport control. Ford and Arthur are both transported onto a colony ship that is heading for a primitive planet that they subsequently discover is the prehistoric earth two million years in the past.

The TV series ends with them stranded there with no apparent hope of rescue. Arthur is particularly despondent as he knows that the earth will be destroyed in two million years and there is nothing he can do to stop it. In the Radio series, the pair are eventually rescued when Zaphod finds the fossilised remains of Ford's towel in the rubble of the earth and travels back in time to pick them up. In the novels, specifically, "Life, the Universe, and Everything," Ford detects an eddy in the time stream that causes a sofa to mysteriously appear floating in the air. Ford and Arthur jump on the sofa and are transported in time to Lord's Cricket Ground, two days before the earth is scheduled to be demolished. There they re-encounter Slartibartfast, an engineer from Magrathea they met in the first novel, who takes them aboard his ship.

Answer: Zaphod ordered the destruction of the earth

In both the radio series and the books, it is explained that Zaphod became president of the galaxy so that he would have an opportunity to steal the Heart of Gold spaceship as part of a secret plan concocted with a character named Zarniwoop to find the man who secretly rules the galaxy and find out what is really going on.

As part of this plan, Zaphod had to block out parts of his memory so that he could pass the necessary brain scans required for becoming president without alerting the authorities to his intentions.

Hence, in the radio series, when he and Zarniwoop, along with Ford and Arthur, finally go to meet the secret ruler of the galaxy he is rather unprepared for what he discovers. Specifically, the strange old man, who claims not to know about anything but what he can immediately experience, mentions that the men who come to see him from time to time to ask him questions told him that Zaphod Beeblebrox was in financial collusion with a consortium of high-powered psychiatrists who wanted him to order the destruction of a planet called the earth because of "some sort of experiment." When Arthur hears this, he is naturally furious, storms out of the room, and takes the Heart of Gold with him, leaving the others stranded there. Ford asks Zaphod if what the old man said was true. Zaphod's reply is "Aw, what is truth man? You heard the weirdo." In "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe," Zaphod and his companions, along with Zarniwoop, do meet the old man, but he makes no revelations about Zaphod or the destruction of the earth. Zaphod does not like Zarniwoop very much and takes off without him, leaving him stranded in the rain outside the old man's shack.

The old man is not mentioned in the film, but it is revealed that Zaphod signed the order allowing the Vogons to destroy the earth. He claims that he thought at the time that the person who gave him the form to sign just wanted his autograph.

Answer: Genghis Khan

The book ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") notes that, because of intervening generations and racial mixing, Prosser had no discernible Mongol features, and he is no great warrior. Indeed, the only vestiges of "his mighty ancestry were a pronounced stoutness about the tum and a predilection for little fur hats." He is also frequently bothered by violent visions and after a frustrating exchange with Arthur walks off "wondering why his brain was filled with a thousand hairy horsemen all shouting at him."

Oolon Colluphid is a fictional author mentioned in various adaptations, who has written several bestselling books, including "Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Sex But Have Been Forced to Find Out."

Answer: False

Douglas Adams wrote an initial script for the film and submitted a final draft just before his death from a heart attack in 2001. Karey Kirkpatrick, an American screenwriter, film director, and producer, was then brought in to complete the script using Adams' notes. According to Robbie Stamp, one of the film's executive producers, the final script was based heavily on the last draft that Douglas wrote. Additionally, Stamp stated that the new characters and concepts in the film were written especially for the movie by Adams himself, who had long been willing to reinvent the original material for new adaptations.

Answer: Viltvodle VI

Viltvodle VI was first mentioned in the novel "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" and is home to the Jatravartid people who have the unusual belief that the entire Universe was sneezed out of the nose of a being called the Great Green Arkleseizure, and who live in perpetual fear of the time they call The Coming of The Great White Handkerchief.

These details are mentioned in the film, which also introduces the completely new character of Humma Kavula, who was Zaphod's rival when he ran for president. Humma Kavula has a low opinion of Zaphod and his campaign slogan was "Don't vote for stupid." Zaphod soon learns that the reason the ship brought him to Viltvodle VI is because Kavula has the coordinates to Magrathea that Zaphod needs to get there.

In return for the coordinates, Kavula wants Zaphod to bring him the point-of-view gun, which can be found on Magrathea. This device, which is unique to the film, is exactly what it sounds like: when fired at someone, the target immediately understand the wielder's point-of-view.

It was designed by the supercomputer Deep Thought and commissioned by a consortium of angry housewives who were sick of ending arguments with their husbands with the phrase, "you just don't get it, do you." Additionally, To ensure that Zaphod returns, Kavula removes one of Zaphod's heads (he has two) as a surety.

Answer: Questular Rontok

Questular Rontok is the Vice-President of the galaxy. After Zaphod steals the Heart of Gold, she orders the Vogon fleet to capture him, although it eventually becomes clear that she is actually in love with him. At the beginning of the film, Zaphod is romantically involved with Trillian, as in previous adaptations, although unlike previous adaptations, it is later revealed that she is in love with Arthur. By the end of the film, Zaphod sorts out his differences with Questular Rontok and they end up leaving together.

Eccentrica Galumbits, the triple breasted whore of Eroticon Six, is mentioned several times in the novels, radio and TV series. Lady Cynthia Fitzmelton appears briefly and only in episode 1 of the radio series when she gives a pompous speech outside of Arthur Dent's house about the new bypass that was scheduled to be constructed. Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings is mentioned in several adaptations as the person who wrote the worst poetry in the universe. This latter fictional character was actually based on a real person, Paul Neil Milne Johnstone, whom Adams knew while at school.

Answer: One of the novels

Specifically, Hactar appears in "Life, the Universe, and Everything," and is revealed to be the instigator of the Krikkit Wars that ravaged the galaxy ten billion years ago. Hactar's ultimate weapon, if activated would "connect the heart of every major sun with the heart of every other major sun simultaneously and thus turn the entire Universe in to one gigantic hyperspatial supernova." Hactar initially refused to arm the weapon, as he was shocked by the idea of destroying the universe. in retaliation, his makers beat him into dust.

However, his consciousness survived, and he eventually recanted his eventual disloyalty and decided that it was his duty to follow his makers' original command. "Life, the Universe, and Everything" was written after the radio show and TV series, and unlike the two preceding novels, did not incorporate any material from the radio scripts.

The novel was adapted from a film treatment that Adams wrote called "Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen," which was never used (Adams was a script editor for Doctor Who at the time). One of the jokes in the novel is that the English game of Cricket was inspired by an unconscious racial memory of the terrible Krikkit Wars in which countless billions of people were killed.

The rest of the galaxy considers this in poor taste and for this reason the earth has been largely shunned by alien civilizations.