Movie Wednesday: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
by Amy Frantz, Brave Writer alum
After the planet Earth is destroyed by Vogons to make way for an intergalactic bypass, Arthur Dent, the last surviving human man, hitchhikes to safety along with his alien friend, Ford, aboard the Vogon ship. Soon afterwards, they are dumped into space by the Vogons, where they once again hitchhike aboard the ship of Trillian (the last human woman) and the President of the Galaxy (who also happens to have two heads), Zaphod Beeblebrox, and they become immediately swept up into the quest to find the ultimate question of the universe.
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Originally a radio comedy series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams was published in 1979 and has become a science fiction classic.
In 2005 a major motion picture adaptation was released with a screenplay co-written by Douglas Adams, who sadly passed away before the film was completed.
Under the guise of absurdist humor, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy deals with themes of bureaucracy, callousness, whether life has meaning, and seeing things from someone else’s point of view.
Discussion Questions
- Arthur Dent is the Every Man, meant to stand in for the audience members. But if you were in Arthur Dent’s position as one of the last surviving humans, how do you think you would react? Would you react like Arthur or in some other way?
- Trillian is the only female member of the main cast. How do you think the story might change if more of the characters were women?
- If you could custom build a planet as we see in the film, what would your planet be like?
- If you were to write a chapter on yourself in the Hitchhiker’s Guide, what would it say?
Additional Resources
DIY Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Towel Bag (YouTube video)
Brave Writer’s FREE movie discussion guide
Brave Writer’s January 2020 Book/Movie Duo online class (recommended for ages 11-14) will explore the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!
Learn language arts with the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Boomerang!
The Boomerang is a monthly digital downloadable product that features copywork and dictation passages from a specific read aloud novel. It is geared toward 8th to 10th graders (ages 12—advanced, 13-15) and is the indispensable tool for Brave Writer parents who want to teach language arts in a natural, literature-bathed context.
