The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: How to Retcon a Happy Ending
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- Опубликовано: 15 мар 2023
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. And a wholly remarkable TV show. And movie. And radio series. And comic book, and video game...
When the late great Douglas Adams sat down to write a new radio series for the BBC in 1977, he created a captivating story that would stand the test of time. Unfortunately, his depressive outlook and cynism (which usually fueled his comedy) would end up taking his characters to some surprisingly dark places. And ever since Adams passed on to the restaurant at the end of the universe, other writers and studios have been poised and ready to adapt, add onto, and/or bastardize his beloved creation.
How did the sixth Hitchhiker's Guide novel, written by Artemis Fowl's Eoin Colfer, stand up to the original five? How faithfully did the BBC adapt the third, fourth, and fifth novels into the third, fourth, and fifth radio series? And what lies ahead for the most influential comic sci-fi series of all time? Tune in next time...well, I guess, tune in this time. Right here. It's all in this video.
(Note - I am aware that Star Wars came out in 1977, not 1978. I was referencing when the Primary Phase first debuted, and that Adams started writing it in 1977, but I realize now in context I should have said 1977 as the beginning of his time with the franchise. Please don’t report me to Star Wars Twitter.)
(Note #2 - You may have found it ironic that I showed a clip of CGI Hayden Christensen in Return of the Jedi while talking about why happy endings should remain untouched. The Special Editions are a whole other debate, but I was specifically talking about not making sequels that overwrite the happy ending.)
SOURCES
Pixabay
• Reading: Creat Huang
• Cloud world: Christian Bodhi
• Turntable: Matthias_Groeneveld
• Typewriter: Antonio
• MacBook: life-of-vids
• Typing, headphones 2: Coverr-free-footage
• Clock: Mike MARK
• Reels: FlanelKamerasFilm
• Math: DistillVideos
• Handshake: chideng hu
• Reading 2, library: svklimkin
• Smart phone: Activedia
• Microphone: Bastien86
• Headphones: AboutNenya
• Crying: AbrahamSuna
• Snow dog: AndyFaeth
• Thumbs up: ManishKapoor
• Teacher: chayka1270
• Talking: Life-of-Vids
Other
• Adams headstone: Ethan Doyle White, Wikimedia
• Adams headstone 2: Fin Fahey, Flickr
• Adams gaming documentary: BBC Archive
• Wowbagger art: zombie-pengwen, DeviantArt
• Side-by-side comparison: Matt Skuta
• Avatar article: www.whats-on-netflix.com/news...
#film #videoessay #scifi #scifimovies 
Развлечения
I'm sorry you were at 42 likes and I didn't notice it until I also clicked like. I'm a dick.
lmaooo
I just finished mostly harmless and just knew that wasn’t how he meant for it to end. thank you
There were two video games developed by Douglas Adams in the 80s, one obviously riffing off the existing material (Hitchhikers text adventure) and one that was completely original called "Bureaucracy"'. If you played either you would never have guessed that Adams barely wrote a word of them, and that they were mostly written by Steve Meretzky. I would argue that unlike Eoin, he may have done a reasonable job of emulating Adams's style.
It was said that Eron Culfer and another thing... Used materials Adams had been working on so I'd put it next to the movie as far as closeness to the original material.
8:58 ooh I enjoyed that very low-key allusion to the two authors’ names being similar - well done, sir
Dude you have no idea how And Another Thing felt to me 😭 I was in the middle of a depressive episode and H2G2 was a comfort to me, but then I finished Mostly Harmless. I was very put off by the indication that Arthur was better off dead than going through life in an uncaring universe and it lowkey felt like i was being told that I was better off dead myself, and that everyone is. So I was hopeful for And Another Thing. Didn't care much for most of it but I was just happy that they were all alive and sorta happy at the end... but I couldn't even have that in my novel length fanfiction bro 😭🙏 bawled my eyes out at the audacity, because even though Mostly Harmless is bleak, at least it was written by DA. It was still a good book and now that I'm past my depression over it, I can appreciate how well it was weaved together. It really was well crafted even if it ended badly. But And Another Thing doesn't have that. The ending wasn't carefully woven into the story, it was literally just the author saying "AND ANOTHER THING... fuck you! you wanted Arthur to be happy? 🤣 nah"
Oh my god I knowwwww, like wasn't the point of AAT to change the tragic ending of MH? Not that anyone else should have tried to overwrite Adams but the least he could have done was fulfilled the purpose of a sixth book and given them a satisfying conclusion.
the sixth season of the radio show had a slightly nicer ending than the book, Arthur did end up back on the beach but Fenchurch and Marvin were there.
I haven't read And Another Thing, but I'm not against the "it was all a simulation" angle. I remember it bothering me that in book two that Zaphod entered a virtual universe by leaving an office through a window instead of the door but I'm pretty sure he never actually climbed back through that window again to exit it. He also had the rest of the crew in a miniturised heart of gold in his pocket so noone but Zaphod was aware they all entered a virtual universe.
It should be noted that John Lloyd co-wrote episodes five and six of the original radio series. (He also narrated the Hexagonal Phase.) Douglas later decided to remove and rewrite that material for the novels and other adaptations, but considering that the radio series was the original version and that was the version the great Dirk Maggs expanded upon, it feels like John Lloyd's contributions should still be recognized. Personally, I would rather hear a continuation of the Dirk Gently radio series that Dirk Maggs was working on before he was unceremoniously removed from the project. The thing about fictional work like H2G2 is that it isn't so much a matter of should an adaptation or continuation happen, it's when. Someday the work will enter the public domain, and they won't even need permission from anyone to do what they want with the story. How good they are and how well they're remembered will be up to the audience. I think a Hulu adaptation that follows the revisions made by Dirk Maggs could work. I don't hate the 2005 film, but I think H2G2 is at its best when things are able to play out at a slower, more episodic pace. A Hulu series could mimic elements of the other versions in ways the film couldn't, simply because the narrative doesn't need to be wrapped up in one sit for a period under two hours. I think that Arthur's Earth should probably remain in the late 70s or early 80s period. I don't think a version of Arthur that lives in the present would be nearly as impressed by Ford's electronic book.
The only way The Guide could work with modern technology is for it to be an app. Ford would have to download it into Arthur's phone and "Don't Panic" would be on the thumbnail.
I think keeping the 70s setting is probably a better idea.
Love your style! 🤗 Some real funny parts and great video in general.
I'll wait for the DouglasAdamsAI 😄
What a captivating video! Loved this.
I always found those who struggled to resist the ending we got in Mostly Harmless to just be stupid
I feel as though I'm in the minority when I find the ending of Mostly Harmless the best way to have tied things up. Of course I miss Douglas Adams, and of course, had he been around to continue the story himself, I would have been thrilled to have it, but there's part of me, even so, which wonders whether even in his hands, it might have felt forced. There IS a certain peace in everything finally coming full circle for Arthur.
I was introduced to the world of HHGTTG when visiting cousins in England in, I guess it would have been 1978 or 1979 - the TV series had just come out, and even though I only got to see the first couple of episodes at the time, I was entranced, and bought the book(s) (I believe there were two of them at the time, though it might only have been the original) right away, accumulating the sequels as they were released. I was completely smitten and obsessed with them to the point that pretty much everything in my life somehow found a way to connect with some quote, plot twist, or other aspect of the books.
I never read And Another Thing, as the whole concept just felt wrong, so I appreciate the spoiler - I tend to have a very visceral reaction to things which are set up to be something other than what they turn out to be, so it would have devastated me.
Anyway, point being that while I can't say that I didn't find the ending of Mostly Harmless a bit depressing (as was a lot of the entire book, in all honesty), it really grew on me in multiple reads. I can't resist re-reading most things a number of times, and Douglas Adams' use of language makes it as much of a joy to revisit his books as it is to listen to a beloved piece of music time and time again. And while it is undeniably much darker in tone than the previous books, that doesn't necessarily detract from its value. Music written in a minor key may have even more impact than something upbeat. The ending just feel right to me.
I agree! I read the books when I was around 12 and when I finished them I was desperate to find some alternate ending to Mostly Harmless (eventually I found the radio show) so I was pretty excited about And Another Thing, even if I objected to its existence. But before I read it I caught myself thinking that the best way for Arthur's story to wrap up in AAT would be for him to just die and be at peace. It took me a minute to realize I was actively asking for the ending that had already happened, which I hated. That's when I realized that Mostly Harmless wasn't such a bad ending after all. I still think it's a pretty logical way to end Arthur's story, but I'm glad we also have the radio show for a shot of pure satisfying sappiness
Starship Titanic itself denies the canonicity link, with a specific-as-it-gets purpose-built rejection when you make an inquiry to the chat bot about the other universe’s builder of the ship. It’s absolutely tongue in cheek, but it’s also absolutely unequivocal.
You could still try to draw the parallels, due to the vague fun similarities of Douglas Adams’s creations. And that’s fine. But in-universe, the name is the same and that’s all. It has about the same level of link as the Kylie Minogue episode of Doctor Who with the Titantic spaceship. Same vibes, but that’s all.
Totally. I mean on the most basic level, Earth wasn't destroyed in Starship Titanic
The Quintessential phase ending is what I consider to be the “canon” one lol. I don’t think the 6th book fit very much with the rest of the books and the characterizations were off (especially of Zaphod and Ford), but it was still fun to listen to most of the original cast play it in the Hexagonal phase haha. It felt like fanfiction and when I read it that’s what I considered it to be, but hey a novel length fanfiction is pretty good.
For the question at the end- My main issue with adaptations is the possibility that they would overshadow the original like the movie did. Most people who are familiar with thhgttg have only watched the movie and the story and themes just don’t fit into the Hollywood format no matter what you do honestly. (Though when I meet someone who only knows the movie I always take the opportunity to introduce them to the radio series and books lol)
Though I kind of like that not many people know about it and it makes it more meaningful when you do find other fans. I’m kind of hoping the series was cancelled but at the same time I don’t want the hitchhikers guide to be lost to new generations. I guess the question is are we willing to sacrifice it for new adaptations that likely won’t capture what Adams did, or are we willing to let it die away as the the story falls more into obscurity.
Part of me does want people to write more books in the series because I’m so sad it’s over. Its one of my autistic special interests and I love anything related to it even if it isn’t the same. Maybe we should leave that to actual fanfiction writers though because they don’t claim theirs to be part of the actual series.
The Quintessential Phase ending was absolutely perfect, and best of all, it was mapped out by Adams himself. I do hope Hulu never makes their show and it's sad that fewer people know about Hitchhiker's as the years go on, but it doesn't have to compete with major pop culture franchises. We can just let it be a classic book series (and radio show, for those who know) and I think (hope) future generations will find and enjoy it just like any other older series.
I think something about the idea that Mostly Harmless isn't really the true ending and was planned to be expanded upon lends itself to fanfiction pretty well. It is really sad that that expansion was never made but at least it still has life
The shorts stories could be worked into episodes.
I discovered Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy through the TV series all the way back in 1982. I was in the Air Force on a base in Mississippi. It lead me to the books and I became one of those rabid fans waiting for the next installment. I read about the radio show in some kind of science fiction fanzine whose name I can't remember, but never got a hold of it until a comic convention in 1998. And I didn't know about "And Another Thing" until I discovered this video which came across my feed today. Here's the thing. I don't really care if other writers took on these characters. If it's good great. If it isn't, well the writer isn't Douglas Adams. Oh, and I'm not a fan of the movie. While it deviated from the books and radio show, the problem for me was it didn't present itself in a way for the non-fans to get it. I saw it with my best friend who is not a science fiction reader nor barely heard of Hitchhiker's Guide, and I could tell some of the references in the movie confused him. Because Hitchhikers is a very specific thing. My feeling for any future projects is this - The books will always exist. The TV show is available and will always exist. The radio series will always exist. Nothing can change that. Nothing can take away from that. They are a very singular experience that Douglas Adams fans will understand, and still available for future Douglas Fans. So let any writer who thinks they can make future stories based on these characters do what they will. Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will always live exactly as they are, and that my friends, is AWESOME to the MAX. By the way, no one has written fan fiction based on Hitchhiker's? That pretty weird. I thought there was a sort of rule 34 about these sort of things when it comes of fan fiction. Or in the case of Hitchhiker's, a rule 42.
Doug did have a very particular view of the world.
Incredibly intellectual, and slightly depressed.
Almost Shakespearian in the bending of words and their root meanings. or inverse meanings.
No one else could really see that flying is really just throwing oneself at the ground and missing. It takes a deep understanding of physics and gravity and matter density to see how true that really is.
I haven't and probably won't listen to the 6th series. I shed tears at the end of the 5th, having had THHGTTG as a part of my life since I was a kid 40 years ago. The 1st series was for me one of those things that kids watch or listen to on repeat.
I think the mistake that was made was to take the last story out of the Hitchhiker's family. It isn't strictly true to say that Adams was the only writer. Simon Jones said that they got through the firstt series without a finished script, scribbling lines on bits of paper and John Lloyd is credited as a writer on some episodes. It seems to me that a more fitting end would have been to get Jones, Lloyd, and his other Cambridge mates to finish repurposing Adams' last book, as he'd intended.
definitely would've been better than letting a whole new author take the reins for sure. Personally I would've preferred no sixth book at all after Adams died. The sixth series is better than the sixth book because it does a better job of respecting the originals but it does totally bulldoze the perfect ending of the fifth.
As a long time fan of THHGTTG (over 40 years), having been introduced to it by a good friend who's birthday was March 11, 1954 (Douglas Adams 2nd birthday), I have read over again the five original novels, plus "And Another Thing." I have also watched several times over the BBC TV series, plus listened to the record (or was it the recorded radio version) with my afore mentioned friend. I've never seen the movie version, though.
When I read "And Another Thing" one thing I kept in mind was that wasn't written by Adams. I gave the author the opportunity to build the story his way, which I think was better than if he tried to copy Adams style. As a result, I was able to enjoy the novel despite it not being in the style of Adams.
Do I want to see further adaptations of the series, I don't know. Sometimes it's best to let things end where they are. Look at the attempts to restart the Pink Panther movies without Peter Sellers. He was Inspector Clouseau, and seeing another actor trying to portray that character just reminds me that it isn't him. The same thing can be said about future attempts with THHGTTG. It'll never be the same without having Douglas Adams behind it, no matter how well meaning the author wants to be.
Well said. I like the 2005 movie but even written by Adams it didn't have the same heart to it. Very American and very streamlined. I would love a faithful film series but it would have to be perfect. A bit issue is you can't do better than Simon Jones for Arthur, since Arthur was literally based on him.
@@ricotalksI personally think any film adaptation is doomed to fail. I say this because THHGTG doesn’t really fit into a conventional three act structure. It’s more a series of more or less connected adventures. It has a concrete beginning and end, but no one narrative throughline filling in the middle. And I think that’s what helps make it so special and engaging, but it does not translate as an 90-minute adaptation at all. At this point, the series really should be left to rest on its own. I think people forget there’s already SO many hitchhiker adaptations. The books, the radio show, the tv series, the movie, the comic book, and the video game. Remaking any of those things would be essentially redundant.
A well thought through piece.👍 Having only really read the books, after the number of other occasions Arthur and Company were in danger and the Babel fish did nothing to save them (how inconsiderate!), even the new ending to the Fifth instalment seemed a leap too far, but could explain how they survived the exploding computer on Magrathea in the first Radio series, again by landing up at Milliways?🤔
Haven't read or heard the Sixth installment, not yet anyway (I'd read a plot synposis already, you didn't give away anything I didn't already know!), but I don't rellish the idea of it either.😕
if you need more Hitchhiker's in your life, you might give And Another Thing a try. Eoin Colfer at least has some shade of the original Adams humor. I just can't get over the audacity of its existence.
And good point, did they ever mention why an exploding computer sent them forward in time?
I want a RUclips video (preferably from you - you’re good) that follows the long bow of canon between Dirk Gently and Class (Doctor Who), via Oolon Coluphid and The Timeless Child. They are opposite corners of a fictional universe that nevertheless exists in a “primary” timeline or canon that is defined as on-screen or on TV.
(I could never make it through the newer American version of Dirk Gently and wouldn’t mind having you spoil that for me so I can go back and watch it maybe)
(I suppose the same holds true for the Australian K-9 series but I tried, I really tried)
“Douglian spin” haha
I've never seen Class, is there really a Hitchhiker's nod? That's awesome
let me just,…
insert,…
a liiiiitle more…
engagement.
Riiight here, I think.
Thanks!!
I feel as though the origional ending while it was regrettable, did a good job of telling not the story itsself but the story of Douglas Adams. Re-reading it and being dissatisfied is what pushed me to delve deeper and learn more about a series I loved for years but just never thought to look deeper into. If more is made, and it is respectfully and well made by someone like Hulu whoever then I feel that it is a fulfillment of that wish Adam's had to give it a better ending and I'm sure if he were still around he would be happy knowing that his fans are getting what they want and are happy without his treasured work being a burden on him. I loved the 2005 movie and the Radio play production and so if Hulu does right I'll be happy too and will still always have those origional stories that evoked so many questions that gave my brain something to chew on.
I think so much of the radio show and novels were influenced by Adams's particular strain of clinical depression that it would be hard to recreate the same general vibe in the modern day with modern creators, but if this Hulu thing is really happening all we can do is hope that they're true to his original feelings
Everybody can write new Sherlock Holmes stuff--- just wait 50 more years until the copyrights run out, then who knows how much new Hitchhiker tales with proliferate.
I can only imagine...
Great video. I am very confused. (I've only watched part of the TV show and i havent read the books, only listened and not rlly paying attention and I now need more information... This is going to be a BIG rabbit hole, isn't it
Love hitch hikers guide to the galaxy? Looking for something that is just as crazy, surreal, off the wall & SF comedy? I highly recommend the german TV show: “ Ijon Tichy: Raumpilot” which is based on Star dairies and other books by Stanislaw Lem!
I Can’t express how brilliant it is, it’s more hitch hikers than hitch hikers itself ! Stanislaw Lem is a genius with these crazy SF comedy tall stories, I’d argue Ijon Tichy is better, And should be more known in the west. 😎😎😎👍👍👍👍
I'm not sure I agree with the idea that "And Another Thing" shouldn't exist without Adams even if he wrote an identical story. I did find "And Another Thing" to be heavier on the plot, but I also struggled through some of the later Hitchikers books with the extra focus on romance and the loss of characters: it felt like it all got quite 'muddy' and of course had a downbeat ending. The Radio series are much more enjoyable for me, and hearing more of their adventures will always be a positive. The question about more stories for me is: can it still continue and be funny? I struggled with the film as I felt Arthur wasn't sarcastic enough, and it skipped a lot of what I enjoyed from the radio series and early books. It was quite disappointing for me to learn that it was closely based on Adam's screenplay. The combination of Adams and Dirk Maggs seems to be the sweet spot, tempering the many convoluted events into a more solid plot while keeping the comedic feel, meaning my favourite interpretation is based on a story by the author but heavily filtered through the adapter!
My opinion: art stops belonging to the artist as soon as it leaves their head and enters the physical world. In fact, art shouldn't belong to anyone, not the creator's family, not the rights holders, not even the fans, it should be free, monetarily AND spiritually.
In an age of internet, there is no reason to pay for digitally reproducible media like novels or radio plays. The creators should get money, sure, but that should come from donations not a paywall. In similar sense, no work should ever be the creator's work. Everyone should be able to make sequels and retellings for anything.
What people truly love or hate isn't the creator's vision for their world, it's often different from what actually makes it to the page, but the reader's own interpretation of the incomplete version of that vision, which is why the original creator doesn't matter; we ourselves are the co-creators of any media we consume by us interpreting the events and filling in the blanks, which is why you can't watch the same movie twice: it will be a slightly different movie each time you watch it.
According to Pew research, print books still outsell digital by 4-1.
A bad take. Authorial voice is significant because the care of craft is unique and provides a direct connection between the author and the reader. To devalue that connection is to devalue both the intimacy of the author/reader relationship and the worth of craft, the actual shaping of narrative which makes it meaningful. If you blow out an IP to its characters and setting, you're refusing to see the forest because it's full of all these neato trees.
Terry Jones mimicked Adams' writing style pretty well, but still not as clever and funny.
I liked that book, but it didn't feel quite the same. I think Jones tried to write in his own voice which I prefer to Colfer directly mimicking Adams
Hard fact, Americans *cannot* make media out of true British comedy! Many countless examples of this, like the American version of red dwarf! An American version will always be a disappointing disaster!! 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤯🤯🤯🤯🤡🤡🤡🤡🌍🌍🌍🌍
The Office?
@@dontpickonme the American office is nothing like the British version! 🤯🤯🤯