Scene 5. Int. Spaceship
[The sound of a spaceship in trouble. Under the noise we hear our heroes]
ARTHUR:
Basically what youre trying to say is that you cant control it.
FORD:
Im not trying to say that, the whole bloody ship is!
ZAPHOD:
Its the wild colour scheme that freaks me. I mean, when you try an operate one of these weird black controls which are labelled in black on a black background, a small black light lights up black to tell you youve done it. What is this? Some kind of intergalactic hyper-hearse?
TRILLIAN:
Well perhaps it is.
ARTHUR:
Isnt there anyway you can control it? Youre making me feel space sick.
FORD:
Time sick. Were plummeting backwards through time.
ARTHUR:
Oh god! Now I think I really am going to be ill.
ZAPHOD:
Go ahead, we could do with a little colour around the place.
TRILLIAN:
Oh for gods sake Zaphod! Go easy will you? Already today weve had to sit through the end of the universe, and before that we were blasted five-hundred-and-seventy-six-thousand years through time by an exploding computer.
MARVIN:
Its alright for you, I had to go the long way round.
ARTHUR:
How did that happen anyway? How does an exploding computer push you through time?
MARVIN:
Very simple. It wasnt a computer it was a hyper-spatial field generator.
ARTHUR:
Silly, I should have recognised it at once.
MARVIN:
As it overheated it blew a hole through the space-time continuum and you dropped through like a stone through a wet paper bag
. I hate wet paper bags.
TRILLIAN:
Hey, that sounds better! Have you managed to make some sense of the controls?
FORD:
No, we just stopped fiddling with them. I think this ship has a far better idea of where its going than we do.
ARTHUR:
Well that sounds quite sensible to me.
ZAPHOD:
What do you know about it ape-man?
ARTHUR:
Well Look! If whoever owns this ship travelled forward in time to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe then presumably he must have programmed the ship in advance to return him to the exact point he originally left. Doesnt that make sense?
FORD:
Thats quite a good thought you know. Particularly if he was anticipating having a good time. Drunk in charge of a time ship is a pretty serious offence. They tend to lock you away in some planets stone age and tell you to evolve into a more responsible life-form.
TRILLIAN:
So theres nothing to do but sit back and see where we turn up. Well what do we do in the meantime?
ARTHUR:
Ive got a Pocket-Scrabble set.
ZAPHOD:
Go play with a nut.
ARTHUR:
Well if thats your attitude!
ZAPHOD:
Hey look Earthman, youve got a job to do remember? The Question to the Ultimate Answer right? I mean theres a lot of money tied up in that head thing of yours, I mean, just think of the merchandising: Ultimate Question T-shirts, Ultimate Question Biscuits
ARTHUR:
Well, yes!
ARTHUR:
But where do we start?! I dont know! The Ultimate Answer so-called is Forty-Two! Well whats the question? How am I supposed to know?! Could be anything! I mean, Whats six times seven?
FORD, ZAPHOD and TRILLIAN:
Er
Forty-two!
ARTHUR:
Yes, I know that! Im just saying the question could be anything! How should I know?
FORD:
Because you and Trillian are the last generation products of the Earth computer matrix, You must know!
MARVIN:
I know.
FORD:
Shut up, Marvin, this is organism talk.
MARVIN:
Its printed in the Earthmans brainwave patterns, but I dont suppose youll be very interested in knowing that.
ARTHUR:
You mean you can see into my mind?
MARVIN:
Yes.
ARTHUR:
And?
MARVIN:
It amazes me how you manage to live in anything that small.
ARTHUR:
Ah. Abuse!
MARVIN:
Yes.
ZAPHOD:
Oh, ignore him, hes only making it up.
MARVIN:
Making it up? What should I want to make anything up? Lifes bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it.
TRILLIAN:
Marvin if you knew what it was all along why didnt you tell us?
MARVIN:
You didnt ask.
FORD:
Well were asking you now, metal-man, Whats the question!?
MARVIN:
The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything?
FORD, ARTHUR, ZAPHOD and TRILLIAN:
MARVIN:
To which the answer is forty-two?
FORD, ZAPHOD and TRILLIAN:
MARVIN:
I can tell that youre not really interested.
FORD:
Will you just tell us you motorised maniac!?
[Electronic noise]
ARTHUR:
Oh, look the control panels lighting up! We mustve arrived!
ZAPHOD:
Hey yeah, weve zapped back into real space.
MARVIN:
I knew you werent really interested.
FORD:
The controls wont respond. Its still going its own way. Isnt there anyway we can introduce this ship to the concept of democracy?!
TRILLIAN:
Can we at least find out where we are?
ARTHUR:
The vision screens are all blank, cant we turn them on?
FORD:
They are on.
ARTHUR:
Why cant we see any stars?
ZAPHOD:
Hey, ya know, I think we must be outside the galaxy.
FORD:
Were picking up speed! Were heading out into intergalactic space! Arthur, check out the rear screens will you?
TRILLIAN:
I feel cold, all alone in this infinite void.
ARTHUR:
Apart from the fleet of black battle cruisers behind us.
TRILLIAN:
What?
FORD:
What fleet?
ZAPHOD:
Uhmmm, er, which, er, particular fleet of black battle cruisers is that Earthman?
ARTHUR:
Oh! The ones on the rear screens. Sorry, I though youd noticed them. There are about a hundred-thousand. Is that wrong?
MARVIN:
No. What do you expect if you steal the flagship of an admiral of the space fleet?
ZAPHOD:
Marvin! W-what makes you think this is an admirals flagship?
MARVIN:
I know it is, I parked it for him.
ZAPHOD:
[Yells] Then why the planet of hell didnt you tell us?!
MARVIN:
You didnt ask.
FORD:
You know what weve done? Weve dropped ourselves into the vanguard of a major intergalactic war.
{Dramatic cord}
NARRATOR:
Will our heroes ever have a chance to find out what the Ultimate Question is? Will they be too busy dealing with a hundred thousand horribly beweaponed battle cruisers to have a chance to have a sympathetic chat with Marvin, the paranoid android? Will they eventually have to settle down and lead normal lives as account executives or management consultants? Will life ever be the same again after next weeks last and - reasonably exciting - instalment of The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy?