Discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Discuss → TV Shows → The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy → General
Trillian vs Arthur
posted by KnixonSTAFFMOD on August 28, 2020 at 4:33 PM
In the last couple episodes, several points are made about Arthur having the question to the ultimate answer in his head, since he was part of the last generations of people on Earth. But so was Trillian. So why no discussion of dissecting HER brain?
Other than the obvious of course: she's hot, and Arthur isn't.
Reply by Marcintosh
on December 14, 2023 at 5:12 PM
If I recall correctly, her brain isn't "fresh enough." She left Earth six months before Arthur so her data is "incomplete."
Reply by Knixon
on December 14, 2023 at 8:35 PM
I guess, if that's in the book; been too long since I read it. Not sure that really holds up though, considering it would presumably be genetic and Arthur's genetics hadn't changed since he was born. Neither had Trillian's.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on December 15, 2023 at 10:29 AM
While DNA sequence in the genome stays the same as the biological organism ages, there is a continuous process of damage, repair, mutations and recombinations.
The data - memory formed and stored probably via DNA methylation - about Earth at that critical point in time, in Arthur's brain, is more recent (up to date) than that of Trillian.
So, Frankie and Benjy (Lunkwill and Fook) were interested in buying Arthur's brain, because Arthur was on Earth right before it went ka-blooey and his brain may hold the Ultimate Question that the computer was trying to find out.
Reply by Marcintosh
on December 15, 2023 at 10:53 AM
Actually, Trillian's brain is never mentioned in the book. I forget where I heard she was unacceptable. Trillian was an option in the radio show, but not in any subsequent versions. I suspect Douglas Adams left her out to focus the story back to Arthur.
Reply by Knixon
on December 15, 2023 at 2:03 PM
My overall point about all of this, though, is that apparently the Ultimate Question - even if they had gotten it right - was pointless.
"What do you get if you multiply six by nine?" was obviously pointless.
But the CORRECT question (to get 42), "What do you get if you multiply six by seven?" is also pointless.
Reply by Marcintosh
on December 15, 2023 at 2:04 PM
The pointlessness is the point.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on December 15, 2023 at 3:41 PM
Frankie: "No, no, too literal, too factual, wouldn’t sustain the punters’ interest."