[twmiller]

The thing about Adams with regards to world building is that it was always story first. This is why he wrote four different versions of the actual Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy story. One for radio, one for the book, one for the television series, and one for the movie. There are differences, sometimes subtle, sometimes not, between all of those versions. Many of those tweaks were there to make the story fit the intended medium better.

He also wasn’t afraid to co-opt his universe and shoehorn in a story from a different source, if needed. I believe that the third book started life as a Doctor Who script.

[usrusr]

And one for Infocom?

I wonder how much remaining approachable for listeners who only jump in on nth episode was a driver of the creative process. "Story first" must have meant something very different from what we might effect today.

My first contact was hearing it on the radio some night, a German language radio version likely created long after the books became the defining version. Makes me wonder which original version it was closer to. Could have been a close translation of the original radio version, could have been a radio reboot based on the books.