Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There are many minor characters in the various versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. In fact, defining a major character is rather difficult. If the major characters are those the plot focuses on, they are Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Marvin and Trillian, with the possible inclusion of Slartibartfast, Prostentic Vogon Jeltz, Random Dent and Fenchurch. If they are defined as characters appearing in all the books, they are only Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent. In this case, the definition of major characters will be those in the series with major plot significance not appearing on this list.

Slartibartfast

Slartibartfast is a Magrathean, and a designer of planets. His favorite part of the job was creating coastlines. The most notable of his designs were the fjords found on the coast of Norway on planet Earth. Slartibartfast won an award for this coastal designwork. When Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect were on ancient Earth, they saw Slartibartfast's signature deep inside a glacier in ancient Norway.

Related Topics:
Magrathea - Coastlines - Fjord - Norway - Earth - Arthur Dent - Ford Prefect

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When Earth Mk. II was being made, Slartibartfast was assigned to the continent of Africa. He was unhappy about this, because he wanted to make more fjords, and fjords in Africa would be hard for him to explain without natural glacial movement.

Related Topics:
Africa - Glacial

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In the event, the new Earth was not required and, much to Slartibartfast's disgust, its owners suggested that he take a quick skiing holiday on his glaciers before dismantling them.

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In Life, the Universe, and Everything Slartibartfast has joined the Campaign for Real Time (or CamTim as the volunteers casually refer to it) which tries to preserve events as they happened before time travelling was invented. He picks up Arthur and Ford from the Lord's Cricket Ground with his Starship Bistromath, after which they head out to stop the robots of Krikkit from bringing together the pieces of the Wikkit Gate.

Related Topics:
Life, the Universe, and Everything - Time travel - Lord's Cricket Ground - Starship Bistromath - Krikkit - Wikkit Gate

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Douglas Adams writes in the notes accompanying that he wanted Slartibartfast's name to sound very rude, but still actually broadcastable. He therefore started with the name "Phartiphukborlz", and changed bits of it until it would be acceptable to the BBC. He came closer to achieving this aim the following episode, with the double-act Vroomfondel and Majikthise. He adds to this statement in "'", an analysis by Neil Gaiman.

Related Topics:
Vroomfondel and Majikthise - Neil Gaiman

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:"...One thing I don't think I explained in the script book was that I was also teasing the typist, Geoffrey's (Perkins) secretary, because ... she'd be typing out this long and extraordinary name which would be quite an effort to type and right at the beginning he says 'My name is not important, and I'm not going to tell you what it is'. I was just being mean to Geoffrey's secretary."

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:Douglas Adams

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He appears in the books The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Related Topics:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Life, the Universe, and Everything

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In the first radio series and on television, he was played by Richard Vernon. He appears in Fits the Third and Fourth on radio, and the corresponding Episodes Three and Episodes Four in the TV version.

Related Topics:
Richard Vernon - Fits the Third - Fourth - Episodes Three - Episodes Four

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In the third radio series, he is a major character and is voiced by Richard Griffiths (due to the death of Richard Vernon). In the 2005 theatrical movie, he is played by Bill Nighy.

Related Topics:
Third radio series - Richard Griffiths - Theatrical movie - Bill Nighy

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