Arthur Dent - Arthur is a young man who becomes incredibly distraught one morning when a man comes by intent on bulldozing Arthur's house. Convinced by Ford Prefect that there are more pressing matters, he goes to a local pub for a pint. Eventually, he is brought aboard the starship Heart of Gold moments before earth's destruction. he travels the known universe all while still dressed in his nightgown. Arthur is often the voice of reality while Tricia may sometimes be the voice of reason. He often points out the ridiculousness of certain situations and serves as the book's straight man. He has shown an apparent fondness for tea and regrets the difficulty of obtaining it in outer space. Being of mild manners and a normally calm and reasonable demeanor, his journey along with Ford, Zaphod, and the others is an eye opening and life changing experience for him.
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Marvin the Paranoid Android - Marvin is a failed prototype android produced by the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation's GPP (Genuine People Personalities) technology division. In an attempt to create more realistic interactions between customers and their robotic servants, the people at Sirius Cybernetics sought to create advanced service machines with lifelike emotions. This resulted in Marvin having "a brain the size of a planet" but also being afflicted with severe depression. Though nearly immortal and possessing computing power great enough to solve nearly any problem, Marvin is extremely apathetic. He often remarks upon how dull and boring his life is, how no one respects or appreciates him, and has several times exhibited suicidal tendencies.
Tricia McMillan aka Trillian Astra - Tricia McMillan is a mathematician and astrophysicist who Arthur Dent once met at a party in Islington. She is one of the two remaining humans alive after the destruction of earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass. She is quick-witted and reasonable. She is easily the most capable of the bunch.
Ford Prefect - Ford is an alien who came to earth in order to research The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. However, due to his lack of beforehand research he decided that the name Ford Prefect would be "nicely inconspicuous". Ford serves as Arthur's friend and guide throughout the novel and exhibits a broad understanding of the universe coupled with a dark sense of humor. Ford is about two hundred years old when he meets Arthur on earth.
Zaphod Beeblebrox - Zaphod is an extraterrestrial with two heads and three arms. He is somehow related to Ford due to "an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine". He is Trillian's main love interest. He is also President of the Galaxy. However, he is merely a figurehead as the position holds no real power. Nonetheless, he uses his influence to steal the Heart of Gold starship at its unveiling. He has been voted "Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Known Universe" seven consecutive times and invented a drink called Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. He is narcissistic, irresponsible, and reckless but appears to show genuine affection at times for Trillian.
Deep Thought is a computer that was created by a pan-dimensional, hyper-intelligent species of beings (who appear to us as white mice) to come up with the Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Deep Thought is the size of a small city. After 7.5 million years of deliberation, it determines the answer to be 42. In response to the mice's confusion, Deep Thought suggests that although they have received the proper answer they have not asked the right question. The earth is then created in order to compute the correct question.