Arthur Dent is the protagonist of the 2005 movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The character was created by Douglas Adams.
Book description[]
- “[Arthur] was about thirty as well, tall, dark-haired and never quite at ease with himself. The thing that used to worry him most was the fact that people always used to ask him what he was looking so worried about. He worked in local radio which he always used to tell his friends was a lot more interesting than they probably thought. It was too—most of his friends worked in advertising.”
- ―The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Background[]
Arthur Dent met Tricia McMillan at a party one night where they appeared to click. After she suggested that they leave right away to Madagascar, Arthur chickened out and watched as another man came and took her away. He had since regretted that moment and had become quite unhappy. Sometime later, Arthur awoke one morning to see an entire construction crew preparing to tear his house down due to inconveniently placed plans for it. He is "saved" by his friend Ford Prefect who takes him to a bar for some beers and informs him that not only is he an alien from the vicinity of Betelgeuse, but that Earth is about to be destroyed. This proves true as Ford rescues Arthur just as the planet is blown up.
Arthur and Ford end up on a Vogon ship, but are captured, forced to listen to terrible Vogon poetry and kicked out into space. Luckily, they are rescued by the Heart of Gold which just so happens to have Tricia, now going by Trillian, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the president of the galaxy, Ford's cousin and the man that took Trillian away, and Marvin the Paranoid Android. Arthur and Ford learn that Zaphod plans to find the ultimate question to the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything: 42. As Arthur reconnects with Trillian, Zaphod threatens him with telling her about the Earth's destruction.
The group end up on Viltvodle VI where they manage to acquire the the coordinates to Magrathea, though in the process Zaphod loses his second head. As they leave, Trillian is captured by the Vogons and Arthur leads Ford, Marvin and a disoriented Zaphod to go to their home planet to rescue her. After going through the complex network of the Vogons' bureaucracy, they manage to rescue Trillian who is upset to find out that Earth was destroyed by Zaphod after thinking that someone wanted his autograph, and that Arthur never told her. Later, Arthur and Trillian make up as they continue their journey to Magrathea.
Upon arriving on the desolate planet, Trillian, Ford and Zaphod travel through a portal while Arthur gets left behind with Marvin, due to his cowardice. He immediately runs into the enigmatic Slartibartfast who takes him through another portal and reveals to him the destruction of Earth was a mistake and is building the Earth mk II. Arthur sees his house rebuilt and reunites with his friends, only to be captured by the masterminds behind the whole ordeal, Lunkwill and Fook, who plan to remove his brain to get the ultimate question. Arthur kills them, rescues his friends, but run into the Vogons who plan to kill them. Luckily, they are rescued by Marvin who uses the Point of View gun on them.
Having overcome his insecurities, Arthur decides to leave Earth so that he can continue his travels with Trillian and their friends, deciding to make a stop at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
Personality[]
Arthur is a rational human being with a low tolerance for all the surreal and often ludicrous things that happen when traveling through space. He is somewhat cowardly and afraid to step into the unknown which will sometimes lead to him, ironically, getting into even more danger. However, he has a strong connection to his allies, specifically Trillian, and will go out of his way to gather everyone in order to come up with a solution. Arthur ultimately wants to do the right thing and is a good person at heart.
Physical appearance[]
Arthur is described as "a 5'8" ape descendent" and is always seen in his morning clothes which consist of white undershirt, grey t-shirt, red and mahogany stripped pants, brown slippers, and a long green bathrobe.
Trivia[]
- Prior to Martin Freeman being cast, other actors considered included Hugh Laurie, Jack Davenport, Hugh Grant and Tim Roth.
- Arthur was previously played by Simon Jones in the 1981 BBC television series. Jones appears in the film as the Magrathea defense system.
Gallery[]
External links[]
Arthur Dent on Wikipedia- Arthur Dent at the Hitchhikers Wiki
v - e - d  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|