Young Zaphod Plays it Safe is a short story by Douglas Adams set in his The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy universe. It doesn't appear as a standalone work, but is included with several collections. It first appeared in The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book (1986) which Adams also co-edited. It also appears in The Salmon of Doubt. The story does appear in some versions of the complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This article is in need of attention. ... Douglas Noël Adams in an undated publicity photograph Douglas Noël Adams (March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001), also known as Bop Ad or Bob (after his illegible signature) or by his initials DNA, was a British comic radio dramatist and author, most notably of The Hitchhikers Guide... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book was a fundraising book issued on behalf of Comic Relief in 1986. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Salmon of Doubt is a collection of previously-unpublished material by Douglas Adams, published after the authors death in 2001. ... The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy originated as a 1978 radio comedy series written by Douglas Adams. ...

The story is a prequel to the events in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and has the young Zaphod Beeblebrox working as a salvage ship operator. He guides some bureaucrats to a crashed spaceship which may be leaking some hazardous materials. The bureaucrats are determined to "make it safe". The comic asides in the story include some of the time travel paradoxes which are a common running theme in Adams' SF work, and plenty of material about lobsters. Throughout the story, it is emphasized that there is something particularly dangerous on board that ought to have been utterly destroyed, but is feared to have escaped. Ultimately, it is revealed that the something was actually three identical, dangerous entities with good intentions but incredible and devastating powers. The end of the story culminates with the revelation that one of the personalities has escaped and headed off into the galaxy. Though it does not state it specifically, the story implies that this unspeakably dangerous creation is now known to the planet Earth as then-President Ronald Reagan, a reflection of the author's antagonistic attitude toward the President which also surfaces in Mostly Harmless. Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, from the TV adaptation. ... A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the government. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... Robert Boyles self-flowing flask fills itself in this diagram, but perpetual motion machines do not exist. ... Seal of the President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Order: 40th President Vice President: George H.W. Bush Term of office: 20 January 1981 – 20 January 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: 6 February 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: 5 June 2004 Place of death: Bel-Air... The front cover of the US first hardcover edition of Mostly Harmless. ...