Comparing The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

In the midst of the 20th century and the burgeoning space race, a new subgenre of science fiction began to blossom out of the seeds of pulp fiction, a genre insultingly deemed space opera (after the ever popular soap opera, which shares its taste for melodrama). Corny, ham-fisted, and oftentimes cliche, the beginnings of the genre were anything but pretty, yet there’s something undeniably entertaining about it. I recently rewatched Flash Gordon (the one with Queen in it) and it was an experience. In almost every respect, it's terrible -- poor acting, cheesy special effects, and laughable fight scenes --, but I was having an absolute blast. However clumsily, Flash Gordon managed to feed into the awe-inspiring appeal of a space opera. Over the years, as the space opera began

For this, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the best example. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide protagonist Arthur Dent, a boring, everyday man, is miraculously spirited away by his alien friend Ford Prefect, seconds before Earth is demolished for a hyperspace bypass. In space, Arthur and Ford learn that a supercomputer was made to calculate the answer to the Ultimate Question. After centuries of calculations, the computer found the answer to be “42”. The story then follows Arthur and Ford, as they attempt to find the question to that answer. Being totally honest, this plot sounds like utter nonsense, but that's the beauty of it. The movie knows it doesn't make sense and plays off of that constantly. There's a plot device they use, called the improbability drive, which literally makes random stuff happen. That's it's purpose, and it's hilarious. A level of self-awareness, although not necessary for a space opera, is certainly helpful in mitigating some of the more ridiculing aspects of the genre. We're dealing with space travel and aliens here; it's nice to have a bit of a lighter