This phase also introduced the idea of the towel being the most important equipment a hitchhiker can carry with them, which is such a big part of the mythology of this series. It's interesting to think that Douglas Adams only just thought of it (or maybe he thought of it and couldn't include it in the Primary Phase). But I am proud to say that I do know where my towel is.
Douglas Adams enjoys lampooning bureaucracy, because it features memorably in the absurd, hilarious moments in this series. You still can't get away from it - it exists in all of space. But it makes it easy to relate to all the problems the characters go through!
I have one favorite scene in this where Arthur Dent is trying to get a cup of tea from the Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser which analyzes your taste buds and neuropathways to come up with a drink that you would like. And it comes up with a disgusting version of tea for Arthur. And his refusal to give up, and his pointless attempts to get the machines to understand him goes from trying to tell them what tea is, to trying to explain why he likes dried leaves in boiling water. The point is, machines can't do everything and they can also be a pain in the butt, which is a universal concept but made hilarious. And maybe wasn't such a prevalent idea in the 1970s? I wonder if people were more in awe of cutting-edge technology at that time, which is why Douglas makes a point of including it in this series. And that scene also features an awesome song that is the company song for Sirius Cybernetics:
Share and Enjoy
Share and Enjoy
Journey through life
With a plastic boy
Or Girl by your side
Let your pal be your guide
And when it breaks down
Or starts to annoy
Or grinds when it moves
And gives you no joy
Cos it's eaten your hat
Or had sex with your cat
Bled oil on your floor
Or ripped off your door
You get to the point
You can't stand any more
Bring it to us, we won't give a fig
We'll tell you, 'Go stick your head in a pig'.
Robots aren't looking that great now. By the way, I love singing this song randomly to myself.
The absurdity and wonder of this world that Douglas Adams created continues to grow in this phase. There are many more interesting concepts in this (like the total perspective vortex - where if you can actually see your place in relation to the whole universe, you would go mad and elevators that can seen into the future so you don't have to press the button and make awkward small talk with the people who are also waiting for it). This phase ends on another thought-provoking concept - who should rule if anyone who wants to rule isn't fit for it. And apparently the ruler of the universe is a very frustrating person with ADHD. It's sort of an open ending for this phase, which is surprising as the Tertiary phase comes 24 years after this!
My posts on:
The Primary Phase | The Secondary Phase | The Tertiary Phase | The Quandary Phase
