In the story, Zaphod and Gag Halfrunt (as leader of a group of psychiatrists) are in cahoots to discover who or what is really running the universe. Because the Earth is really a giant computer built to determine the very same thing, the psychiatrists cannot afford to have the answer revealed, because this would put them out of a job (on the rather weak premise that if the answer becomes known, everyone would suddenly start leading happy and productive lives, rendering shrinks unnecessary). Therefore they hire the Vogons to destroy the Earth to prevent the answer being discovered. Later the Vogons also try (under Gag's direction) to destroy the starship Heart of Gold because it is carrying Arthur Dent, who may have the answer buried in his brain somewhere. All of this is unknown to Zaphod because he has brainwashed himself to forget about the collusion (though again this seems to be more of a device to explain why it only becomes clear towards the end of the second series and hasn't been mentioned before). In the end Zaphod "remembers" and does in fact, discover who is really running things - some guy in a shed.
However, because Hactar has the property that the individual parts act like the whole, each individual part thinks about it for a long time, and Hactar eventually decides that computers should obey people and regrets not building the bomb correctly. Hactar then proceeds to use his powers to cloak a planet -- the planet Krikkit -- in dust so that its future inhabitants will not know about other life in the universe. Hactar then builds a fake spaceship and crashes it into Krikkit; this causes the Krikkiters to realize that the universe does not fit into their world view, so they try to fit it in by trying to destroy it. Hactar then proceeds to give the Krikkiters the supernova bomb. The Krikkiters are fortunately pacified by Trillian and other characters in the nick of time.
When Earth 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.
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.
Douglas Adams writes in the notes accompanying the published volume of original radio scripts that he wanted Slartibartfast's name to sound very rude, but still actually broadcastable. His first attempt was "Phartiphukborlz".
The Trillian instant messaging software was named after this character.
Exactly what Zarquon taught is unclear; most of the Zarquon mythos centres around a prophecied Second Coming of the Great Prophet Zarquon, although this is often invoked in the sense of "never" (like, "when hell freezes over"). Zarquon's second coming does actually occur--at The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Since the said restaurant occurs an infinite number of times at the end of the universe, due to a specially created time-loop, Zarquon's impossible appearance at the restaurant became finitely improbable, and therefore happens just before the universe ends.
The second coming is not particularly spectacular, and Zarquon turns out to be a bit distracted and hurried when he arrives. He had a lot of things to do, and apologizes for being late, but disappears before he can say much because the Universe ends.
"Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish" is an expletive phrase used, but not explained, by Zaphod Beeblebrox when he faces extreme danger.
Eddie
Eddie is the shipboard computer on the Heart of Gold, with an over-excitable, over-enthused, extremely irritating personality. He is only found in the first two books of the series.Frankie
Frankie is one of the twin-mice that Arthur (et. al) encounter on Magrathea. Frankie, along with Benji, wish to extract the final readout data from Arthur's brain to get the ultimate question to life, the universe, and everything. (Frankie and Benji are, after all, part of the pan-dimensional race that created the Earth as a supercomputer successor to Deep Thought in order to find out the question to which the answer was: 42)Gag Halfrunt
In the series, Gag Halfrunt is the private braincare specialist of Zaphod Beeblebrox, and is not a major character in terms of the amount of dialogue or prominence he gets. However, he is major in the sense that the entire plot loosely revolves around him (at least in the radio series version of HHGG); this may be in part due to the fact that large parts of the series were made up by Adams as he went along, and some of the plot developments and explanations were more a way to tie up some of the glaring loose ends than part of a predetermined master plan.Hactar
Hactar was the first computer in which the individual parts could serve the same purpose as the whole. It was therefore brainlike in this respect. Hactar is first mentioned in connection with the Silastic Armorfiends, a race in the books. At one point, the Silastic Armorfiends ask Hactar to build a machine that will connect every point in the universe to every other point, causing every star to go supernova. Hactar is shocked -- thereby becoming the first computer ever to be shocked -- and refuses until the Armorfiends threaten it. Hactar builds the supernova bomb, but deliberately includes a small defect in it. When the Armorfiends find out, they are so incensed that they pulverize Hactar.Hotblack Desiato
Hotblack Desiato is the lead singer of the rock group Disaster Area. At the time when the main characters meet him, Hotblack is spending a year dead "for tax reasons". The character is named after an estate agency in Islington, North London.Majikthise and Vroomfondel
Majikthise and Vroomfondel are philosophers (though, since they insist on rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty, they may not be). They make their appearance as representatives of the Amalgamated Union of Philosophers, Luminaries, Sages and other Professional Thinking Persons in order to protest against a computer, Deep Thought, being invoked to determine the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. In a contemporary, satirical, reference to the industrial relations problems that culminated in the Winter of Discontent, they maintain that the search for ultimate truth is the inalienable prerogative of your working thinkers. Since that time, chess players objecting to competition with computers have been compared with AUPLSPTP activists, for example by Raymond Keene.Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
The ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal is a creature that hails from the planet of Traal, and will eat anything. If you are to encounter one, the Guide tells you that it's impossible to slay, so you should wrap a towel around your head. The beast is so stupid that, if you wrap a towel around your head, it will assume that since you can't see it, it can't see you.Slartibartfast
Slartibartfast is a Magratheann, and a designer of planets, most notably the fjords found on the coast of Norway on planet Earth. Slartibartfast won an award for his coastal design. When Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect were on ancient Earth, they saw this award (and Slartibartfast's signature) deep inside a glacier in ancient Norway.Telephone sanitiser
The telephone sanitiser is a fictitious profession invented for humourous effect for the Golgafrincham plot thread in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.Trillian
Trillian is an Earth woman who is picked up by Zaphod Beeblebrox. The character's Earth-name was Tricia McMillan. The nickname "Trillian" was given to her by Zaphod.Zarniwoop
Zarniwoop works in the offices of the Guide, on Ursa Minor Beta. When Zaphod travels to Ursa Minor Beta to meet with Zarniwoop, he is informed that Zarniwoop is unavailable. He is in his office, but he's on an intergalactic cruise. Zaphod subsequently discovers that Zarniwoop's intergalactic cruise has been spending 900 years on Frogstar B, waiting for its complement of small lemon-soaked paper napkins, and every single passenger has aged considerably. Only one person, who was not a passenger, but who hid himself on the spaceship, has not aged -- Zarniwoop. Zaphod subsequently learns that, before he sealed part of his brain, he was collaborating with Zarniwoop to find out who rules the universe.Zarquon
Zarquon is a legendary prophet. He is apparently worshipped or held in some religious significance by one or more of the Galaxy's major religions. His name, like that of Jesus on Earth, is frequently invoked as an expletive of surprise, anger, or awe. An apparently short form, Zark, and various compounds (What in the name of zarking fardwarks...) is also frequently used in the books.External links