The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (fictional)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Rendition of the Guide
First appearance	Fit the First (radio)
Last appearance	And Another Thing...
Created by	Douglas Adams
Portrayed by	Peter Jones (all save for following) William Franklyn (radio series 3–5) Stephen Fry (film)
Information
Nickname(s)	The Guide

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a fictional electronic guide book in the multimedia scifi/comedy series of the same name by Douglas Adams. The Guide serves as "the standard repository for all knowledge and wisdom" for many members of the series' galaxy-spanning civilization. Entries from the guidebook are used as comic narration to bridge events and provide background information in every version of the story. The guide is published by "Megadodo Publications", a publishing company on Ursa Minor Beta.

In the original radio scripts, the Guide's voice was called the "Narrator" and in the 2004–2005 series, "The Voice." For all of the radio series and the 1981 TV series, the role was credited as "The Book", though this was changed to "Narrator/The Guide" for the 2005 movie.

In the first two phases of the radio series, the LP album adaptations of the first radio series and in the television series, the Guide was voiced by British actor Peter Jones. During the 2004–2005 radio series, The Guide was voiced by William Franklyn. In the film version, it was voiced by Stephen Fry.

The Guide's numerous entries are quoted throughout the various incarnations of the Hitchhiker's Guide series. As well as offering background information, the Guide's entries often employ irony, sarcasm and subtle commentary on the action and on life in general. For instance, the entry on the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation describes their marketing division as "a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes", with a footnote to the effect that the editors would welcome applications from anyone interested in taking over the post of robotics correspondent. The entry on the villainous Vogons begins, "Here's what to do if you want to get a lift from a Vogon: forget it." The entry on "What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in the ground underneath a giant boulder you can't move, with no hope of rescue" suggests that first, you "consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely, consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer." Its advice on drunkenness is simply, "Go to it, and good luck", and according to the 2005 film, its entry on love is "Avoid it at all costs".