infinite-improbability-drive
A spaceship propulsion system that operates on highly improbable events, allowing for seemingly impossible rescues and occurrences.
2 chapters across 1 book
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)Douglas Adams
In this chapter, a brief and improbable hole appears in the galaxy, triggering the origin of life through an improbable event. Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent find themselves on a surreal, shifting version of Southend before realizing they have been rescued by the Starship Heart of Gold, powered by the Infinite Improbability Drive. The chapter ends with the absurd image of infinite monkeys wanting to discuss their Hamlet script, highlighting the chaotic and improbable nature of their rescue.
This chapter explains the discovery and development of the Infinite Improbability Drive, a revolutionary propulsion system enabling instantaneous interstellar travel by exploiting improbability. It recounts how a student, through unconventional reasoning, created the drive by treating the impossible as a finite improbability, leading to its invention and subsequent backlash from traditional physicists. The narrative combines scientific parody with a critique of academic rigidity and the celebration of accidental genius.