The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
| Abbreviation(s): | THHGTTG, HHGG, H2G2, HG2G, HHG |
| Creator: | Douglas Adams |
| Date(s): | 1978- |
| Medium: | Radio series, stage, novel, television series, computer game, graphic novels, movie |
| Country of Origin: | United Kingdom |
| External Links: | BBC radio series, BBC television series, movie, Douglas Adams official site The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a popular radio/book series by Douglas Adams, which straddles science fiction, fantasy & humour genres. It has been adapted to stage, graphic novels, television and film. It is notable for including extracts from a fictional encyclopaedia for galactic hitchhikers.
Incarnations
The content of the different incarnations of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mostly overlaps and partially contradicts itself. Most fan writers tend to pick one incarnation to use as canon, and disregard the rest.
The Radio Series
The original two radio series, first broadcast in 1978 & 1980, formed the basis for the novels.[1] Subsequent radio series (2003–5) were based on the books.[2]
The Books: A Trilogy (in Five and a Bit Parts)
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
- Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
- Mostly Harmless (1992)
- The Salmon of Doubt - a collection of previously uncollected material, including the short story Young Zaphod Plays it Safe[3] (2001) and drafts of the opening chapters to the abandoned third Dirk Gently novel, from which the collection takes it's name.
The Television Series
The Computer Games
The Movie
Fandom
This article or section needs expansion. |
Many otherwise mundane people are decidedly fannish about HHGG, with wide recognition of 'pan-galactic gargle blasters', 'mostly harmless', '42', 'don't panic' & other HHGGisms outside conventionally fannish circles. Fans have celebrated Towel Day annually on 25 May since Adams' death in 2001.[4]
Although considered required reading in many geek circles, as a fanworks fandom, HHGG is fairly small, often considered rarelit despite the precedence of the radio plays. It has been in and out of Yuletide eligibility over the years. Both gen and m/m slash are common. Many works attempt some degree of pastiche, with many containing extracts from the Guide. The predominant pairing is Arthur/Ford; a common trope is Ford trying to understand Earth's sexual/courting mores, or vice versa. Gen often explores their relationship too; backstories for Ford or sometimes Zaphod are also fairly common. Most fanfiction adopts the humorous tone of the source and crackfic is common. HHGG is common fodder for crossovers, particularly with science fiction sources, and occurs in many Five Universes X Visited stories.
Example Fanfiction
- The Galactic Miscellany by Rheanna -- early Yuletide story (2003)
- In This Galaxy, Nothing Can Be Said To Be Certain by Makesmewannadie -- another Yuletide story (2006)
- A Wisdom to Offer by specialrhino -- crack crossover with 12th century RPF (2013)
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanmade Objects
Altairian currency by Edwina Harvey, for inclusion in convention goodie bags
Sue Pears (left) as Zaphod Beeblebrox at Medtrek (con) #1 (1982)
Gary Armstrong's Marvin the Paranoid Android costume at the Conquest masquerade, 1991
