Skip to main content

the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy - Did the Doctor inspire Slartibartfast?


I've seen that Douglas Adams was a screenwriter for Doctor Who. In HHGG, Slartibartfast initially wouldn't tell his real name. Similarly, the Doctor won't tell his real name. Slartibartfast picks Arthur Dent and takes him on a trip to save the universe, just like in a Doctor Who episode with a companion and the Doctor.


Of course, there are some difference between the reason to not tell his name between these universes. While Slartibartfast wouldn't tell his name because its ridiculous, the Doctor won't tell his name because




silence will fall and The Doctor will die,



according to the last episode of season 6.


So: Was the Slartibartfast character inspired in some way by the Doctor?


So: is there any (out-of-universe) relation between Slartibartfast and the Doctor?



Answer



This is more or less the truth, although it wasn't an "inspiration" so much as a "reappropriation". As a matter of fact, Life, the Universe, and Everything was indeed adapted from a screenplay that Douglas Adams had written entitled "Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen".


As far as whether Slartibartfast was inspired by the Doctor, of course Slartibartfast was around prior to LtUaE. But multiple sources independently verify that in LtUaE Slartibartfast was "revamped" as the Doctor, and further that the TARDIS became the Bistromath:



This storyline was eventually used for the third Hitchhiker's Guide novel, Life, The Universe And Everything, with Slartibartfast as the Doctor and Arthur Dent replacing Sarah Jane Smith as the confused Earthling. - The Pocket Hitchhiker's Guide




Neil Gaiman et al. discuss this further in Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion "Appendix V: Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen".


The joke behind the name of Slartibartfast goes further than merely being a send-up of the Doctor's own unrevealed name:


1) Adams wanted a name that was nonsense but also vaguely obscene-sounding. It was originally "Phartiphukborlz".
2) He wanted to troll his typist, who was forced to repeatedly type the name even though the character only spoke it once.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more