Agrajag

Agrajag is a fictional character, who constantly interacts with Arthur Dent, the hapless protagonist of the comic science fiction series "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.

Agrajag is a piteous creature that is continually reincarnated and subsequently killed unknowingly by Arthur Dent each time. Technically, Agrajag first appears in the series as a falling bowl of petunias and also identifies the Sperm whale as his spirit brother, although he is not identified as such until a later book. In another incarnation, he was a prehistoric rabbit who was killed by Arthur for breakfast and whose skin was fashioned into a pouch, which is then used to swat a fly who also happened to be Agrajag. In yet another, he dies of a heart attack after seeing Arthur and Ford materialise, seated on a Chesterfield sofa, in the midst of a cricket match at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Eventually, Agrajag becomes aware of his many past incarnations and wishes to take revenge on Arthur Dent and he diverts Arthur's teleportation to the Cathedral of Hate for revenge. However, in the process of explaining his reasons for hating Arthur he mentions “Stavromula Beta”, where Arthur ducks to avoid a shot fired by an assassin, which then hits Agrajag instead. Arthur, never having been to Stavromula Beta, has no idea what Agrajag is talking about, and Agrajag realises that he’s brought Arthur to the Cathedral too early. Thus, any attempt by Agrajag to kill Arthur would be logically impossible. He tries to kill Arthur anyway, and once again dies at Arthur's hands, but not before setting off the explosives intended to kill Arthur by triggering a massive rockfall. Because of cause and effect and the laws of time and the universe (not to mention dramatic necessity), Arthur escapes the rockfall unharmed.

For the next few years Arthur travels the universe, secure in his knowledge that, no matter what happens, he cannot die at least until after he survives his assassination attempt at Stavromula Beta. In “Mostly Harmless” Arthur’s daughter Random Frequent Flyer Dent holds him hostage in a New York club. When she fires her weapon Arthur dodges, causing the bolt to pass over his head and hit the man standing behind him. As the man falls dead he drops a book of matches, which reveals him to be Stavro Mueller, owner of the Beta club. Thus, what Arthur believed to be the name of a planet was actually the name of a nightclub, and Agrajag has died once again. Because of this, Arthur is now able to die as well, which, due to the Vogons, he does a few seconds later.

In the 2004/2005 BBC Radio series versions of the last three books of Adams' series, Douglas Adams plays Agrajag, having recorded the part for an audiobook version of "Life, the Universe and Everything". Producer Dirk Maggs added a suitable voice treatment, and Simon Jones as Arthur Dent recorded his lines opposite the pre-recorded Adams. Adams was thus able to "reincarnate" to participate in the new series.

Appearances

*"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (named only as "bowl of petunias")
*"Life, the Universe and Everything"
*"Mostly Harmless"