Douglas Adams at the End of the Universe

Cambridge, UK

 

In Douglas Adams' second novel in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, the crew of the spaceship Heart Of Gold travel to the famous restaurant. Here Adams' scientific imaginings run riot, as diners at the restaurant watch the final, dying gasps of the universe. After each meal, the restaurant is maneuvered through time and space to allow the next group of diners to experience the end of everything all over again. Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian and Zaphod also meet the Norse god Thor there. It seems even the gods frequent this restaurant.

Afterward, Arthur and Ford end up on another spaceship crewed by people who love bureaucracy so much that they never actually accomplish anything. Along with the crew of the ship, who are constantly organizing committee meetings, Arthur and Ford land on Earth amid the prehistory of Man. There, no one aside from Arthur and Ford possess survival skills. But there are Hominids, and Arthur learns to communicate with them.

Sadly for dinosaur fans, but fortunately for Arthur and Ford, all the dinosaurs have been wiped out. I know, bummer, right? Who wouldn't like seeing Arthur and Ford being chased by dinosaurs?

 

Kings College, Cambridge, UK

 

It's an intriguing way to end the novel, with Arthur returned to Earth, and being in no danger of living to see the Vogons demolish Earth to make way for an interstellar bypass. Considered together, the two books also suggest a fear of abandonment, or getting stuck somewhere you don't belong. In the first novel, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Ford had gotten stuck on Earth for years until the Vogons arrived, and someone aboard ship kindly allowed him to hitch a ride. Now The Restaurant at the End of the Universe finishes with both trapped on prehistoric Earth, again with little hope of rescue. 

I guess that's one of the dangers of hitchhiking: getting stuck somewhere, and waiting a long time until you can get a ride somewhere else. You can certainly feel for Ford here. When he got stuck on 20th Century Earth, at least he had plenty to do to occupy his time. What's he going to do this time on prehistoric Earth?

To me, these two books feel like the halves of a complete story. Indeed, while the six-part BBC adaptation diverged greatly from these two books, this is where the miniseries ended.

Cambridge, UK

 

As I read these novels, I was reminded that Douglas Adams studied in Cambridge, and graduated from this prestigious university town. While Ford cannot call Earth his home planet, he continually reminisces throughout the series about arguing some topic with a group of British students or college professors. When I visited Cambridge a few years ago, I didn't attend any university parties, or join in a scientific discussion in a pub. Still, it was easy to imagine Adams doing that.

I wonder if there wasn't a lot of Ford Prefect in Douglas Adams.

Dragon Dave