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.

Wowbagger, the Infinitely Prolonged

Wowbagger is an alien who became immortal due to a strange accident involving an irrational particle accelerator, a liquid lunch and a pair of rubber bands. After becoming immortal, he did everything one can do in life, several times, becoming terribly bored of everything. Due to his unnatural immortality, he was unable to handle his condition, and so he became extremely revolted with everything in the universe, especially all the living beings on it. He then made a plan that, despite being rather impossible and foolish (and he'd be the first to admit it) would at least keep him busy. The plan was: he was going to insult, personally, all the living beings in the universe, in alphabetical order. To this end, he builds a special space ship and computer capable of tracking exactly what life-forms exist in the universe (including all births and deaths) in real time. He appears in the third book, Life, the Universe and Everything, while insulting Arthur Dent with the phrase: "Dent, you're a jerk... A complete asshole." (In the US-edition of the book, the insult is changed to "...complete kneebiter".) At the end of the book, he almost insults Dent a second time, since the first time Dent was on Earth at 2 million years BCE, and Wowbagger's second encounter with Dent was on the planet Krikkit two million years later.

Related Topics:
Alien - Immortal - Particle accelerator - Space ship - Computer - Life, the Universe and Everything - Arthur Dent

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Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged is described as having "pale grey-green alien skin which has about it that lustrous sheen that most grey-green faces can only acquire with plenty of exercise and very expensive soap."

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Besides appearing in the Hitchhiker-series, Wowbagger is present in The Private Life of Genghis Khanhttp://www.douglasadams.com/dna/980707-07-s.html, an independent short story by Douglas Adams. Wowbagger insults Genghis Khan, provoking him to burn down large segments of Asia.

Related Topics:
Short story - Douglas Adams - Genghis Khan - Asia

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In the new radio series, he is voiced by Toby Longworth. In the Quintessential Phase, he finally reaches the end of his list of people to insult and insults the Great Prophet Zarquon, who insults him back and removes his immortality, killing him (to great applause).

Related Topics:
Toby Longworth - Zarquon

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Appears in:

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• Life, the Universe, and Everything