42

Douglas Adams created the best world for fans of science fiction, technology and the changes that come with it, and the unknown. He also did so with a very healthy sense of British humour (the best there is).

I have thought long and longer about this and realized that I could not pick Tolkien’s creations, or Rowling’s, or even the ever-growing worlds of Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek or any other moneymaker that Hollywood is still learning to exploit. And as much as I admire the keen mind and stimulating adventure of the Gallifreyan dropout, recent episodes of Doctor Who have not filled me with the hope that it will continue to be the great inspiration and science-fiction zenith that it once was.

It had to be Mr. Adams and the wonderful tales of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series.

Now, by this point, most people who take an interest in science fiction have an understanding of why the number 42 is so important (the meaning of life, folks). They may even understand that they should always travel with a towel (a very practical tool). Even Babelfish is now used in the world of computer-operating systems for translation. But what makes Adams’ world so fantastic is that none of this even matters. You do not need to know any of the above to be considered a fan. You just need the books.

Yes, the books… I am sitting here typing these out with my first edition Pan paperbacks, strenuously avoiding the temptation to read them again. Many of us who were not the most devoted readers of sci-fi or fantasy found that the Hitch Hiker books were a fantastic entry into a world that we had never seen before. Yes, Star Wars had the movies; Star Trek had the television series (and plenty of overlap exists between the formats in both worlds), but Hitch Hiker exists mainly in books and in our imaginations.

We have the most compelling reasons to be fans.

The attempts to mold and craft the tales in other formats has sucked.

The television series, most notable for the cartoon graphics and voiceover work, is now a dated relic. And that film? Please. I still think that Adams is laughing at us for even thinking that we could get away with such an atrocity (and the box office numbers would support this response). There is nothing that unites people more than failure, especially if it is a failure that never touches the love that still exists for the tales.

Need more reasons to see it as the perfect fandom?

1. No uniforms (the one thing that always bothered me about Star Trek, along with the useless “Prime Directive,” was that you knew who was in charge by what they wore; and a red uniform often guaranteed that your contract was not about to be renewed).

2. No toys (as I said, you just need the books; some of the worst memories of my childhood involve being asked why I did not have certain spaceships or action figures when I went over to play with friends).

3. Just books (I am repeating myself, but still…).

There is one problem that I know some of you fellow fans might recognize: how do we recognize fellow fans of such a unique world?

Well, DON’T PANIC (real fans will understand what I just did there)!

It is a private world and should remain so. Look at the humiliations and insults that get thrown at people with too much interest in science fiction and the worlds therein (better to be devoted to Adams - or Adamsiana, as I read recently - than to spend your life being a Whovian or a Trekker who cannot shake the label). We set our own rules.

There is also the other problem that many devotees keep in mind: it all started on the radio.

Fine by me. It is just another way for us to use our imagination. This may also be the great strength of the series. I first heard it as an audio book that came on a set of tape cassettes. I was forced to use my imagination and fill in several blanks around people and places like Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox and just what a book like The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would look like as a digital product (someone at Apple Computers definitely paid attention). The book did not let itself ruin our imaginations and segregate ourselves from other fandoms; it made us establish private ones of our own. No one else’s fingerprints disturb it.

Even the titles draw you in:

1) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: the first book sounds like a real travel guide (some strange combination of Lonely Planet – Lonely Universe? – and Arthur C. Clarke).

2) The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: this second one sounds like the name of a restaurant I would boast about eating in for the rest of my life, or as long as I could (and wouldn’t you want to eat there at least once, at least for the floor show?)

3) Life, the Universe, and Everything: the third one feels like a cleanup job, taking a line from the first book that sees philosophers turn to technology for answers (but it still entertains).

4) So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish: you’re welcome, my favourite mammals (maybe we should listen a little bit harder).

5) Mostly Harmless: again, a cleanup job, but one that I think we all needed.

6) The Salmon of Doubt: finally, the fish of confusion book. This is also a cleanup job that adds very little to the Hitchhiker material, but a great deal to the legend of the late Mr. Adams (parts of it are truly laugh-out loud and embarrass yourself funny).

When you have a fandom where the plot is secondary to the general themes and mood of the books, you have something special. The fact that he died so suddenly at my own age (late-forties and still full of energy) makes the loss of what could have been balance out what we do have. We are all lucky that we had this great guide to the cosmos who could see what was ahead of us and what we should never forget.

Now, I need to find that towel…

Thank you for reading!

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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