Foundation Season One Sets in Motion Psychohistory

Psychohistory. The Genetic Dynasty. The Robot Wars. These are concepts long inscribed in the annals of Isaac Asimov’s written work. The Foundation series, and its related books spans millenia of intergalactic lore. Now, courtesy of our friends from Apple TV, we are able to enjoy a cerebral adaptation of this highly anticipated science fiction series. To my mind, ‘Foundation’ does the story justice for your viewing pleasure.

I’ll emphasize this here: we are lucky to live in a time where we can watch both ‘Foundation’ and ‘Dune’ in the same year. I’m more of a fantasy story viewer, but science fiction is also one of those writing genres close to my heart. In the 21st Century, we have been blessed more with a lot more fantasy properties than science fiction. It puts a smile on my face that ‘Foundation’ has brought us an excellent adaptation of Asimov’s work, and shows us what can be done if science fiction writings are adapted properly.

‘Foundation’ is told through the recollections of Gaal Dornick, one of the main characters of the story. As narrator, Gaal guides us through the world of the Cleonic Empire, and the outer reaches. The story centers around the threat of the Empire crumbling as predicted by psychohiistory. The concept of psychohistory was coined by another main character in the story,, Hari Seldon.

Hari makes a bold prediction of the collapse of the current Cleonic Empire. This sets a chain of events that lead to his banishment along with Gaal and the rest of his followers to set up a foundation on the outer reach world of Terminus. Here in exile, Hari’s foundation will do its work far from the influence of the Empire, and yet just within peeking sight.

On Terminus, Salvor Hardin is born. She serves as the warden/guardian of the Foundation colony on Terminus, and has her own special gifts. The mystery behind her powers serves as an integral part of the series storytelling, and the success of the Foundation itself. Without her, the connection between past, present, and future of the Foundation would be disjointed. Though there is more mystery to her than her powers, and ‘Foundation’ reveals these in turn throughout season one.

There’s a lot to be said about the high-end math equations and interpretations found in the book series. These might tend to turn away viewers who are just not into that sort of detail. Though ‘Foundation’ is still based on the core concept of psychohistory which is based on mathematical principles, it does not carry the brunt of the storytelling. Instead, the series focuses on the effects of psychohistory, and how it affects the lives of the individuals intertwined in it. This approach makes ‘Foundation’ more palatable to a larger audience.

I can understand this approach to the storytelling. I’m a longtime role-playing game enthusiast, and I’ve been through the different editions of Dungeons and Dragons. The early editions of the classic RPG was very detailed to a fault that it had a tendency to alienate people from it except the most inanely geeky (not derogatory) player. The latest edition made the game more accessible to players with its streamlined rules. Though, its success might be also attributed in no small part to that upside down series.

In any case, the similarity in approach to the ‘Foundation’ series has made it a brilliant combination of science fiction, philosophy, and history. The math is still there, but only as relish to the overall main course that is ‘Foundation’. And, that manner of storytelling has ensured a better visual representation of the story’s psychohistory.

If you’re looking for a great science fiction series, try ‘Foundation’ out. The story is paced well, and is not bogged down by too much exptrapolation nor mindless action. Enjoy the trip through psychohistory with this masterfully plotted series.