The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1980 film)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a 1980 American made-for-television science fiction comedy film directed by and  with a screenplay by James Snider, and based on the  by.

Produced by Belisarius Productions and Glen Larson Productions for, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was broadcast in the United States on on April 15, 1980.

Plot
One Thursday morning, Arthur Dent discovers that his house is to be immediately demolished to make way for a bypass. He tries delaying the bulldozers by lying down in front of them. Ford Prefect, a friend of Arthur's, convinces him to go to a pub with him. Over several pints of beer, Ford explains that he is an alien from the vicinity of Betelgeuse, and a journalist working on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a universal guide book. Ford warns that the Earth is to be demolished later that day by a race called Vogons, to make way for a hyperspace bypass.

As the Vogon fleet arrives in orbit to destroy Earth, Ford rescues Arthur by stowing them aboard one of the Vogon ships. The pair are shortly discovered and thrown out an airlock, only to be picked up by the starship Heart of Gold. They find Ford's "semi-cousin" Zaphod Beeblebrox, the newly elected president of the Galaxy. He has stolen the ship along with Tricia "Trillian" McMillan, an Earth woman whom Arthur had met previously, and Marvin the Paranoid Android, a clinically depressed robot.

Zaphod seeks the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything to match the disappointing answer given by the supercomputer Deep Thought: "42". He believes that the answer lies on the planet Magrathea, only accessible using the Heart of Gold 's improbability drives through trial and error.

On one attempt, they arrive at Viltvodle VI, where Zaphod's opponent, Humma Kavula, resides. Kavula offers the coordinates for Magrathea in exchange for Zaphod recovering the Point-of-View gun, a gun created by Deep Thought that makes anyone it blasts temporarily see things from the shooter's perspective. Trillian is captured by the Vogons as they depart, and the three mount a rescue effort on the Vogon homeworld. Before her rescue, Trillian learns that Zaphod signed the order for the destruction of Earth, thinking that the Vogon with the permission form just wanted his autograph.

The group escapes the Vogons, followed by Galactic Vice-President Questular Rontok and the Vogons. They arrive at Magrathea but trigger its automated missile defense systems. Arthur re-activates the improbability drive to transform the missiles into a bowl of petunias and a whale, allowing them to land safely on the planet. Zaphod, Ford, and Trillian enter a portal to arrive at Deep Thought, though Arthur and Marvin are stranded outside the portal. They learn from Deep Thought that after coming up with the Answer "42", its creators had Deep Thought design another computer to come up with the Question, that being Earth. They recover the Point-of-View gun, though Trillian uses it on Zaphod to show him her resentment for his accidental destruction of the Earth. They are captured by unknown entities.

Meanwhile, on Magrathea, Arthur is met by Slartibartfast, one of the planet builders. Slartibartfast takes Arthur to a pocket dimension inside the planet where he shows that a new version of Earth is near completion. Slartibartfast takes Arthur to his recreated home, where inside, the others are enjoying a feast provided by the pan-dimensional beings who commissioned Arthur's original Earth, and who resembles a pair of mice. With Arthur, who was on Earth up until the last minutes, the mice think they can discover the Question by removing his brain. Arthur manages to escape and crush the mice under a teapot; they disappear without a trace.

Suddenly, Questular and the Vogons arrive outside the home and open fire. The group takes shelter in a caravan, but Marvin, left alone, uses the Point-of-View gun to make the entire Vogon force too depressed to continue fighting, making both of them to break down. The Vogons are taken away, while Zaphod reunites with Questular. Arthur decides to explore the galaxy with Ford and Trillian, allowing Slartibartfast to finalize the new Earth without him. The Heart of Gold crew decides to visit.

Cast

 * as, the President of the Galaxy
 * as, the "semi-cousin" of Zaphod
 * Isla Wood as, an Earth woman
 * as, a man who gets roped into Zaphod's quest
 * as, a planet builder
 * as the voice of, an android who is clinically depressed
 * as Questular, the Vice-President of the Galaxy
 * as the voice of Deep Thought, a super-computer
 * as Humma Kavula, Zaphod's opponent from the planet Vildvodle VI
 * as the Narrator
 * Edward Wadsworth as the voice of the whale
 * as the voice of Eddie the Shipboard Computer
 * as the voice of Kwaltz
 * as the voice of Jeltz

, who portrayed Arthur Dent in the BBC radio adaptation of Hitchhiker's, makes a cameo appearance as the Ghostly Image.