Slartibartfast
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| Slartibartfast | |
|---|---|
 Richard Vernon as Slartibartfast in the 1981 TV series. Vernon first played the character on radio in 1978 and on the subsequent LP rerecording. |
|
| First appearance | Fit the Third (radio) |
| Created by | Douglas Adams |
| Portrayed by | Richard Vernon (radio and TV) Richard Griffiths (radio) Bill Nighy (film) |
| Information | |
| Species | Magrathean |
| Gender | Male |
Slartibartfast is a character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy/science fiction series created by Douglas Adams. The character appears in the first and third novels, the first and third radio series (and the LP adaptation of the first radio series), the 1981 television series and the 2005 feature film. The character was modeled after actor John Le Mesurier.[1]
[edit] The character
Slartibartfast is a Magrathean, and a designer of planets.[2] His favourite part of the job was creating coastlines, the most notable of which were the fjords found on the coast of Norway on planet Earth,[3] for which he won an award. While Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect were on ancient Earth, they saw Slartibartfast's signature deep inside a glacier in ancient Norway.
When Earth Mk. II was being made, Slartibartfast was assigned to the continent of Africa. He was unhappy about this, because he wanted to make more fjords (arguing that they give a continent a baroque feel), and fjords in Africa would be hard for him to explain without natural glacial movement.
In any 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.
In Life, the Universe and Everything Slartibartfast has joined the Campaign for Real Time (or CamTim as the volunteers casually refer to it, a reference to CAMRA which is largely lost on foreign audiences) which tries to preserve events as they happened before time travelling was invented. He picks up Arthur and Ford from Lord's Cricket Ground with his Starship Bistromath, after which they head out to stop the robots of Krikkit from bringing together the pieces of the Wikkit Gate.
[edit] The rude name that is hard to type
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 be broadcastable. He therefore started with the name "Phartiphukborlz", and changed bits of it until it would be acceptable to the BBC. He came closer to achieving this goal in the following episode, with the double-act Vroomfondel and Majikthise. He adds to this statement in "Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion", an analysis by Neil Gaiman.
| “ | ...One thing I don't think I explained in the script book was that I was also teasing the typist, Geoffrey [Perkins]'s secretary, because ... she'd be typing out this long and extraordinary name which would be quite an effort to type and right at the beginning he says 'My name is not important, and I'm not going to tell you what it is'. I was just being mean to Geoffrey's secretary.[4] | ” |
He appears in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Life, the Universe and Everything.
In the first radio series and on television, he was played by Richard Vernon. He appears in Fits the Third and Fourth on radio, and the corresponding Episodes Three and Four in the TV version.
In the third radio series, he is a major character and is voiced by Richard Griffiths (due to the death of Richard Vernon). In the 2005 theatrical movie, he is played by Bill Nighy.
[edit] References
- ^ Cook, John R. (2006). British Science Fiction Television: A Hitchhiker's Guide. I.B. Tauris, 231. ISBN 184511048X.
- ^ Schlegel, Christian (2007). Religion and Atheism in Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". GRIN Verlag, 15. ISBN 3638862518.
- ^ Yaffeth, Glenn (2005). The Anthology at the End of the Universe: Leading Science Fiction Authors on Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. BenBella Books, 190. ISBN 1932100563.
- ^ Neil Gaiman (1987). DON'T PANIC - the official Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion. Titan Books. ISBN 1852860138.
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