The Intergalactic Journey Continues

Many of us grew up fascinated by the worlds beyond. At a young age, our imagination was piqued by the sphere above us. This sphere is brimming with mystery. This further tickled our interest in outer space, the Milky Way, the Solar System, and even their simplest representations, the stars. Many of us want to explore these worlds, to reach for the proverbial stars. It is no wonder that man has continuously found ways to understand these mysteries. Even in ancient times, this vast world was an object of fascination and study. We have tried to find ways to get closer to the stars or at least find ways to study them. The invention of the telescope in the 16th century was a starting point. Centuries later, humanity entered the Space Age which brought only more questions than answers.

Despite the burgeoning questions that the venture into outer space has instigated, one thing, is for sure: the world beyond is boundless and so are the possibilities. It comes as no surprise that this fascination has trickled into various facets of popular culture. Movies and television series such as Star Trek and Star Wars are cult classics that have transcended time and even generations. The outer space and its peripherals are also ubiquitous in the world of literature. The advent of science fiction further consolidated the presence of galaxies and outer space in the ambit of literature. Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series (1942-1993), H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds (1898), Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)  are prime examples. They are literary classics that also served as precursors for succeeding works of the same ilk.

Making waves in this section of the literary world is Douglas Adams. His comedy science fiction series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has long been regarded as a literary classic. An exploration of the world of science fiction would not be complete without an encounter with this popular series which commenced with the destruction of Earth by the Vogons, an alien race, in the series’ first installment which carried the series title. An Englishman, Arthur Dent, managed to survive this cataclysmic event after he was rescued by Ford Prefect; Ford is also an alien and an interplanetary travel writer. Together with a motley crew comprised of other alien beings – Arthur was the only Earthling – they got wrapped up in an unexpected adventure that took them across the universe.

“In the end, it was the Sunday afternoons he couldn’t cope with, and that terrible listlessness which starts to set in at about 2:55, when you know that you’ve had all the baths you can usefully have that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the papers you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul.”

~ Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything

The success of the first book paved the way for more intergalactic adventures. Originally published in 1982, Life, the Universe and Everything is the third installment in the series and reintroduces the same cast of characters from the first and second installments. Toward the end of the second book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980), Arthur and Ford find themselves on an Ark full of alien beings. These beings left their planets because of rumors of the end of the world. The Ark crashed on what Arthur and Ford realized was a prehistoric version of Earth. It was at this critical juncture of Arthur’s intergalactic adventures that the third book commences.

At the start of Life, the Universe and Everything, Arthur found himself living alone in a prehistoric cave. Ford, meanwhile, was living on another part of the planet but an unexpected reunion brought the friends together. Reunited, the pair was then whisked through time and space. Their time travel placed them on a velvet paisley couch. After sitting on the couch, they found themselves in the middle of a cricket match in London two days before the destruction of Earth. However, the match was disrupted by the sudden appearance of a spaceship full of white-clad robots who stole the cricket trophy just won by England. The robots also started killing the spectators. Fortunately, Arthur and Ford were able to escape the melee.

Coming to the aid of the pair was a group of alien beings aboard a spaceship commanded by Slartibartfast. Slartibartfast, cognizant that Arthur and Ford were seasoned intergalactic travelers, enlisted their help in preventing a galactic war. The pair reluctantly agreed. Apparently, the cricket trophy is no ordinary trophy. It is one of the key elements needed to build the Wikkit Gate. The Wikkit Gate was a device created by the xenophobic residents of the planet Krikkit; they planned to use the device to destroy the universe. However, they were defeated and placed inside a “Slo Mo” envelope. For their plan to destroy the universe, they were essentially frozen in time. The Wikkit Gate, once assembled, can free them from the time warp they were trapped in. The robots were programmed to locate the parts of the Gate.

“The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a trillion it is much simpler and more effective just to take the thing away and do without it.”

~ Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything

In their quest to stop the robots, Arthur and Ford reunited with the crew of The Heart of Gold ship which, as fate would have it. Slartibartifast’s next destination. Toward the end of the second book, Marvin teleported Zaphod and Trillian to the ship. It was a pleasant coincidence as The Heart of Gold‘s Infinite Improbability Drive happens to be the last critical piece needed to assemble the Wikkit Gate. Unfortunately, Arthur, Ford, and Slartibartifast were a little too late to stop the robots from obtaining the Drive. Nevertheless, Arthur and Ford were finally reunited with their friends. This then sets them up for the final act of the book. In order to stop the denizens of Krikkit from destroying the universe, the crew must travel to the planet and tackle the robots head-on. Will they be able to save the Universe from being destroyed?

As always, Douglas fascinated the readers with the intergalactic adventure of Arthur and his alien friends. The character’s quest for the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything continues with the third book; interestingly, Adams referred to it as a Trilogy prior to the publication of two more books that comprised the series. It seemed like a culmination of some sort. However, compared to the first two books in the series which were more episodic in structure, Life, the Universe and Everything followed a more consistently philosophical plot. Nevertheless, the titular Guide remains central to the story. Interestingly, Life, the Universe and Everything was the first book in the series that was originally written as a book; the first two were first adapted into radio before they were published as books.

Despite this palpable change, Adams has not lost his humorous touch. His trademark wit was ubiquitous; after all, the entire series is a work of satire. As such, it comes as no surprise that unexpected elements occasionally spring out. One seemingly odd element of the story was the integration of the sport cricket. Often considered the most English of sports, cricket is believed to have begun as early as the 13th century. The sport has spread across the world because of British colonization; former British colonies have excelled in the sport. This is a nod to the subject of colonialism which was subtly interspersed across the series. After all, space exploration was a major theme of the series.

“The game you know as cricket is just one of those curious freaks of racial memory that can keep images alive in the mind aeons after their true significance has been lost in the mists of time. Of all the races of the Galaxy, only the English could possibly revive the memory of the most horrific wars ever to sunder the Universe and transform it into what I am afraid is generally regarded as an incomprehensibly dull and pointless game.”

~ Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything

Beyond colonialization and the quest for the Ultimate Question, the novel prominently echoed anti-war sentiments; this makes the novel, despite the passage of time, a timely reminder of the atrocities of war. Interestingly, it is believed that cricket – from which Krikkit derived its name – was an unintentional battle reenactment. Adams probed into the factors that create war. At times, wars start because of the battle for resources. In Adams’ intergalactic world, war stems from a deeper emotional core: the arbitrary hatred and conceit for a different group of people due to misconceptions and the inherent fear of things we don’t understand. Some were even manipulated into a similar kind of thinking. History is riddled with several examples of this. This mob mentality demonstrates our irrational preoccupation with violence, the desire to inflict pain and worse, even death on others.

The novel’s darker overtones belied its humor and wit, both constants in Adams’ magnum opus. Nevertheless, the story reverberated with a hopeful tone. Adams also diverted attention from the main plotline through comic scenes. One such comic relief is the story of the alien being named Agrajag. He created the Cathedral of Hate and planned to kill Arthur as revenge. Agjarag has been reincarnated several times in different forms – life, and death were familiar presences in the story and the series – but Arthur killed him in each life. On top of these familiar subjects, the novel again featured time manipulation and continuum.

Life, the Universe and Everything builds on the momentum established by the first two books in the series. Adams wove into the novel familiar elements that made the first two books soar. Humor, wit, and cynicism were again prevalent in the story while new elements and characters further enriched an already lush landscape. Under this vast ambit – as vast as the universe it seems – are subjects and themes related to time and space travel, life, and death. It also underscored xenophobia, colonialism, and our preoccupation with violence, a precursor to the novel’s anti-war sentiments. Life, the Universe and Everything is an interesting addition to one of the world’s most recognized works of science fiction.

“In the end, it was the Sunday afternoons he couldn’t cope with, and that terrible listlessness which starts to set in at about 2:55, when you know that you’ve had all the baths you can usefully have that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the papers you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul.”

~ Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything
Book Specs

Author: Douglas Adams
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publishing Date: 1985 (1982)
No. of Pages: 227
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure

Synopsis

Go to the end-of-the-world party, bring your pink towel, and find out if potatoes are the answer to… Life, the Universe and Everything.

Join Arthur Dent, earthling, “jerk,” kneebiter and time-traveler; sexy space cadet Trillian; mad alien Ford Prefect; unflappable Slartibartfast; two-eaded, three-armed ex-head Honcho of the Universe Zaphod Beeblebrox… and learn to fly.

Is it the end? With Douglas Adams, it’s always up in the air.

About the Author

To learn more about Douglas Adams, click here.