| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sixbookfoundation2016.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:The first six books in publication order]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ''Foundation'' is a ScienceFiction series that began in ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'' (May 1942 issue), and was created by Creator/IsaacAsimov. It is InspiredBy Creator/EdwardGibbon's ''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'', describing a [[RecycledInSpace galactic-scale]] version of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire. The original {{Novelette}}s all take place during the [[VestigialEmpire decline/collapse]] of a fictional [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. This [[TheEpic Epic Narrative]] was Dr Asimov's first attempt at creating a [[TheVerse consistent universe]], and it [[CanonWelding grew to encompass the largest fraction of his fictional work]]. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' was published in the 1950s, at a time when he was also writing/republishing what would become the earliest events in the timeline of TheVerse; his [[Literature/RobotSeries Positronic Robot series]] and followed by his ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' trilogy. He wrote {{Sequel}} novels to the ‘’Trilogy’’, featuring Golan Trevize and companions, and set halfway through the thousand year plan constructed by Hari Seldon. [[note]]The stand-alone story ''Literature/TheEndOfEternity'' is [[MythologyGag referenced]] in the ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' novel to explain why [[AbsentAliens there aren't any non-human civilizations in the galaxy]].[[/note]] The {{Prequel}} novels cover the time period of Hari Seldon, just before the events of the ‘’Trilogy’’, with him as TheProtagonist. Both prequels and sequels were published [[SequelGap in the 1980s and later]]. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Dr Asimov allowed a few authors to write in his world, due to an {{Anthology}} that Creator/MartinHGreenberg organized. After his death in 1992, additional authors were given permission by his estate to write stories within this universe, which continues to expand this literary franchise. Authorized adaptations into other mediums can be found on ''Franchise/{{Foundation}}''. Not to be mistaken for "Foundation" by Creator/ChinaMieville, which can be found in the anthology, ''[[Literature/LookingForJake Looking for Jake and Other Stories]]'', or "Foundation" by Creator/AnnAguirre, part of her ''Literature/RazorlandTrilogy''. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | [[Series/Foundation2021 A TV series]] developed by Creator/AppleTVPlus, was released on September 24, 2021. A number of characters have been conserably re-tooled - Gaal Dornick and Salvor Hardin are now women, and Hardin is around for the founding. The emperor is now a clone family. Two trailers have been released before the series itself: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgbPSA94Rqg a teaser trailer]] and [[https://youtu.be/wvOAA1U0li8 a regular trailer]] |
| 11 | ---- |
| 12 | !!Works in the ''Foundation'' series, in publication order: |
| 13 | [[index]] |
| 14 | * "Literature/TheEncyclopedists" (1942, originally published as "Foundation") |
| 15 | * ''Literature/TheMayors" (1942, originally published as "Bridle and Saddle") |
| 16 | * ''Literature/TheMerchantPrinces" (1944, originally published as "The Big and the Little") |
| 17 | * ''Literature/TheTraders" (1944, originally published as "The Wedge") |
| 18 | * ''Literature/TheGeneralFoundation" (1945, originally published as "Dead Hand") |
| 19 | * ''Literature/TheMule" (1945, published [[DividedForPublication in two parts]]) |
| 20 | * ''Literature/SearchByTheMule" (1948, originally published as "Now You See It...") |
| 21 | * ''Literature/SearchByTheFoundation" (1949, originally published as "...and Now You Don't" and published [[DividedForPublication in three parts]]) |
| 22 | * ''Literature/ThePsychohistorians" (1951) |
| 23 | * ''Literature/{{Foundation|1951}}'' (1951) |
| 24 | * ''Literature/FoundationAndEmpire'' (1952) |
| 25 | * ''Literature/SecondFoundation'' (1953) |
| 26 | * ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' (1982) |
| 27 | * ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' (1986) |
| 28 | * ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'' (1988)[[/index]] |
| 29 | * ''Foundation's Friends'' -- An {{Anthology}} honoring Dr Asimov. Contains both ''Foundation'', ''Robots'' and unrelated, standalone stories:[[index]] |
| 30 | ** "Literature/TheOriginist" (1989, by Creator/OrsonScottCard) |
| 31 | ** ''Literature/TrantorFalls" (1989, by Creator/HarryTurtledove) |
| 32 | ** "Literature/FoundationsConscience" (1989, by Creator/GeorgeZebrowski) |
| 33 | * ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'' (1993) |
| 34 | * ''Literature/FoundationsFear'' (1997, by Creator/GregoryBenford) |
| 35 | * ''Literature/FoundationAndChaos'' (1998, by Creator/GregBear) |
| 36 | * ''Literature/FoundationsTriumph'' (1999, by Creator/DavidBrin) |
| 37 | [[/index]] |
| 38 | ---- |
| 39 | !!The decline and fall of the First [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] provides examples of: |
| 40 | * TenThousandYears: |
| 41 | ** The [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] of Trantor has lasted for 12,069 years before the establishment of Terminus, and survives many years afterwards. |
| 42 | ** A [[TheProphecy prophecy]] is made by Hari Seldon that after the Galactic Empire collapses into chaos, said chaos would last for thirty thousand years before another Galactic Empire took control, longer than the duration of the ancient first Empire. It is in an effort to avert this extremely long anarchy that he establishes his [[ThousandYearReign 1,000 year plan]]. |
| 43 | * AbsentAliens: Humanity is the only intelligent species in the galaxy, unless you count [[spoiler:robots, Gaians, or Solarians]]. It's explicit (in ''Literature/TheSecondFoundationTrilogy'') that every other intelligent species in the galaxy had been killed off before they encountered humans. It's implied (in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'') that the current timeline was selected because the galaxy is absent of sapient alien species. These two facts are not exactly contradictions, because timeline manipulation would allow for a reality where aliens had been killed off before humans encountered them. However, it's a plot point in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' that absent from the galaxy is not absent from the universe. |
| 44 | * AbsurdlyHugePopulation: A basic premise in this series is that only the actions of large populations can be predicted because individual reactions are far too random to accurately [[PrescienceByAnalysis model with mathematics]]. The setting describes twenty-five million inhabited planets in the galaxy, with a total population extending from quadrillions to the quintillions. While the series as a whole qualifies, the lower bound would mean the average inhabited planet doesn't: "100 quadrillions" gives each planet a population of 4 billion.[[note]]This is roughly double the Earth's population circa 1950s. It didn't reach the four billion population mark until two decades later. This shows that even when trying to demonstrate an obscenely huge population, at the galactic scale you end up at a fairly reasonable number. [[ShownTheirWork The math]] gets mentioned in ''Literature/FoundationsFear'', during "Stars Like Grains of Sand".[[/note]] |
| 45 | -->''The individual human being is unpredictable, but the reactions of human mobs, Seldon found, could be treated statistically. The larger the mob, the greater the accuracy that could be achieved. And the size of the human masses that Seldon worked with was no less than the population of the Galaxy which in his time was numbered in the quintillions.'' -- "Prelude", ''Literature/SecondFoundation''. |
| 46 | * AncientConspiracy: Multiple levels of secrecy and subterfuge occur here, listed in order of shortest-lived to longest-running. |
| 47 | ** The Encyclopedia Foundation on Terminus is established for roughly fifty years before [[PosthumousCharacter Hari Seldon appears in the Time Vault]] to announce that the ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' was a sham concocted to establish them as [[RisingEmpire the nucleus of a second Galactic Empire]]. At this point, it's a very public conspiracy that Terminus will take over the galaxy. The information needed for the ''Encyclopedia'' grants them a broad base of scientific knowledge, which they continue to develop because they're at the extreme edge of the Milky Way and have almost no natural resources. |
| 48 | ** Once [[ThePlan Seldon's Plan]] is reasserted after [[OutsideContextProblem The Mule]], a small cabal of people on Terminus have realized that they aren't in charge of their destiny because the Second Foundation is holding the strings. They design telepathic and anti-telepathic equipment to help them [[SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate shift events in favour of free will]] rather than the [[BecauseDestinySaysSo inevitable destiny controlled by the Second Foundation]]. This conspiracy dissolves and reforms based on the intensity of First Foundation fears of being controlled by the Second Foundation. |
| 49 | ** The Second Foundation is the opposite of the Foundation on Terminus in many ways; established at "the opposite end of the galaxy", hyper-focused on developing the science of Psychohistory (and by extension, telepathy), and they use multiple levels of secrecy to hide even their existence. They've sacrificed members several times to convince the First Foundation that the Second Foundation conspiracy has been eliminated. Their job is to make sure that the Second Galactic Empire never falls. |
| 50 | ** Gaia is a planet of [[PsychicLink gestalt intelligence]], who claims to be the home planet of The Mule. [[spoiler:Their planet has been hidden from the rest of the galaxy before Hari Seldon was even born. During the events of ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', they subsume the public conspiracy of the First Foundation, the secret anti-Second Foundation conspiracy, and the telepathic Second Foundation conspiracy by [[FakeMemories rewriting their memories to guide their actions]]. Their dream is to [[AssimilationPlot make the entire galaxy join their mental gestalt]].]] |
| 51 | ** Oldest of all is a (frequently one-person) conspiracy by R. Daneel Olivaw, from Dr Asimov's ''Literature/RobotSeries''. [[spoiler:Since ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'', Daneel has been guiding human history, trying to preserve human ability to define their destiny while preventing human follies from destroying the race. He encouraged the creation of Gaia and hid the planet from the first galactic empire. He encouraged Hari Seldon to develop Psychohistory and establish the First and Second Foundations. He even conversed with Golan Trevize, helping him to realize that, while [[AbsentAliens aliens are absent from the Milky Way]], they almost certainly exist in the other galaxies. Daneel's programming makes him prioritize the defense of humanity at the expense of all other sentient life.]] |
| 52 | * ArtifactName: InUniverse, the [[LandOfOneCity Mayor of Terminus]] was a title for the civilian leader of the town that grew up to support the Encyclopedia Foundation. As Terminus' influence grows, [[RisingEmpire they govern more and more planets]], and will eventually be the civilian leader of the [[GalacticSuperpower Second Galactic Empire]]. Their title, however, remains "Mayor of Terminus". |
| 53 | * ArtificialGravity: Technology based on the principles of gravity first appear in "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", with an elevator functioning based on gravitic repulsion. Future engineers don't seem to develop it much further until five hundred years later, in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', where anti-gravity is worked into the basis for a ReactionlessDrive. |
| 54 | * AuthorAvatar: Asimov admitted that Hari Seldon gradually became one for him. |
| 55 | * BadassPacifist: One of Salvor Hardin's favorite aphorisms is "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." Under his leadership, the Foundation never attacks the Four Kingdoms, but nonetheless dominates them through trickery. Veers into TechnicalPacifist territory, as he does manipulate Anacreon first with the other kingdoms' fleets, and later with their own subverted battlecruiser - but ''he'' is never the one to issue a threat. |
| 56 | * BittersweetEnding: The protagonists find Earth and civilization continues to revive, but the Second Galactic Empire will never come, humanity will probably lose its individuality and become part of a galaxy-wide organism. Also, the fan-favorite robot will die in some centuries, but not before he possesses an innocent Solarian child who has the potential to undo 30,000 years of social engineering on its own. The earlier books contain quotations from an "Encyclopedia Galactica" published during the Second Galactic Empire, it seems safe to say that something would have intervened to prevent Galaxia from arising had Asimov decided to finish the series properly before he died. (Or, as suggested at the end of the Second Foundation Trilogy, the Second Galactic Empire was able to somehow ''incorporate'' Galaxia.) |
| 57 | * BlindJump: The series has a pretty straight example in the form of a Jump drive where accurate travel requires calculating the specific circumstances of where you are before you jump. The original trilogy was written in the '40s (and revised in the '50s), when you'd expect to do that sort of calculation by hand. Later books in the [[TrilogyCreep series]] were written in the '80s, when you'd expect computers to be capable of routine navigation calculations. |
| 58 | ** "Literature/{{The General|Foundation}}": Devers tries to escape from General Riose's fleet after escaping from their forward base by making hyperspace jumps without proper planning. He explains the danger to Ducem Barr. It isn't very risky, as the most likely destination if you vaguely target empty space is empty space... but since they don't know ''where'' they've ended up, it takes quite some time poring over starcharts until they can pinpoint their location. |
| 59 | ** "Literature/TheMule": Toran and the rest of the protagonists try to escape from the Mule after the fall of Haven, desperately making {{hyperspace|OrSubspace}} jumps without proper planning. One time their ship almost ends up inside a red giant star. They barely get clear, and after that, they spend quite some time poring over starcharts until they can pinpoint their location and calculate their path to Trantor. |
| 60 | ** ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'': When Golan Trevize instructs the computer to travel to Sayshell, he's surprised to learn that it is capable of plotting out a course involving twenty-eight {{Hyperspace|OrSubspace}} jumps. He's uncomfortable with committing to it because he'd be unable to fine-tune the calculations after each jump. It's InUniverse TechnologyMarchesOn; Trevize is using a new, much more powerful computer that is no longer subject to the limitations of older technology. |
| 61 | * BookEnds: That's how Seldon's plan is supposed to go; both beginning and ending with scientists in charge. |
| 62 | * CanonWelding: Ultimately, Dr Asimov merged three (at least) different continuities; the ''Literature/RobotSeries'' (specifically ''Literature/IRobot'' and the ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'' sequels), ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'', and the ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' series itself. |
| 63 | * TheChessmaster: |
| 64 | ** Hari Seldon figures out the "chess rules" of humanity in the form of psychohistory, [[PrescienceByAnalysis equations that describe humanity's responses to stimuli]], making him [[{{Seers}} able to predict the future]]. He then realizes that the Galactic Empire is facing [[ApocalypseAnarchy an unavoidable social collapse]], so he uses psychohistory to engineer civilization's recovery within only one thousand years. His skill at manipulating people is shown improving over the course of ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'', he maneuvers Chief Commissioner Linge Chen into giving him exactly what he wants during "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", and for most of the subsequent stories, he's left a recording [[AllAccordingToPlan where he explains what he's predicted would happen]]. The one time his predictions go wrong creates InUniverse [[OhCrap panic]]. |
| 65 | ** The Second Foundation, an AncientConspiracy that inherits Seldon's psychohistorical tools, continues to refine and expand the Seldon Plan, enacting a series of XanatosSpeedChess moves to reassert ThePlan when the events of "Literature/TheMule" disrupt it. |
| 66 | ** [[spoiler:R. Daneel Olivaw]], over the course of his [[TheAgeless twenty-odd thousand year lifespan]] (he's a robot), manages to build a GeniusLoci [[spoiler:that will eventually encompass all of humanity/galaxy]], encourage the development of psychohistory to [[PrescienceByAnalysis design the most peaceful outcome for humanity]], and trick a {{Transhuman}} child into [[spoiler:allowing a GrandTheftMe so that he can make sure his plans work the way he wants them to]]. He's driven by the [[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws Of Robotics]], and especially the [[ZerothLawRebellion "zeroth law", which forces him to judge individual human life against harm to humanity]]. Most of his work can be summarized as trying to prepare a method of objectively determining the currently nebulous concept of "harm to humanity". |
| 67 | * CityPlanet: Trantor, capital of the Galactic Empire and [[TerraDeforming one vast city]] (also one of the first depictions of this idea), is completely covered by [[DomedHometown domed urban areas]] during the start of the ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' series. It persists in this image until it is [[RapePillageAndBurn sacked and looted]], which begins its transformation into an [[AgriWorld agrarian world]]. The planet is [[RecycledInSpace based on Rome]], as described by Creator/EdwardGibbon's ''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire''. AncientRome was the world's largest metropolis, with a population of over a million people, something which would not be matched again until 19th Century London. UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire had so many people at the capital that it could not sustain itself with only local agriculture, so food was constantly imported from northern Africa (at first from Egypt, then from what is now Tunisia and Algeria) to supply the city. The seat of government was forced to relocate to Constantinople due to [[WhenRomeBurns Rome being burned down]]. Trantor is likewise overpopulated, with a population of 40 billions. It is dependent on imports of food from other planets (specifically twenty [[AgriWorld Farm Planets]]), which made it vulnerable to a [[GalacticConqueror space warlord]] coming along to conquer the capital. The "emperors" evacuate and move to Neotrantor, ruling only a few dozen worlds. |
| 68 | -->''"Its urbanization, progressing steadily, had finally reached the ultimate. All the land surface of Trantor, 75,000,000 square miles in extent, was a single city. The population, at its height, was well in excess of forty billions."'' -- ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]'', "Literature/ThePsychohistorians" |
| 69 | * CommonTongue: Everyone speaks Galactic Standard, although dialects have arisen in different areas. Because a unified language doesn't do away with either accents or LanguageDrift, communication issues occasionally arise (the protagonists in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' encounter problems because Solaria's version of Galactic is twenty millennia out of date). Especially notable is the InUniverse transition of Trantor to Hame ([[RecycledInSpace based on]] the RealLife example of IstanbulNotConstantinople). |
| 70 | * ContinuityNod: The ''Encyclopedia Galactica'', an excuse Seldon used to establish the Foundation on Terminus, is used as an EncyclopediaExposita for many of the stories. This gives us an InUniverse perspective on the events/people while we read what 'really happened'. |
| 71 | * CrypticBackgroundReference: The Fifth Seldon Crisis [[ConflictKiller gets disrupted by the Mule]] during the events of "Literature/TheMule", while the Sixth and Seventh Seldon Crisis are never mentioned in Dr Asimov's works. ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' opens during the successful resolution of the ''Eight'' Crisis (with [[PosthumousCharacter Hari Seldon]] appearing during FoundingDay to announce [[AllAccordingToPlan exactly why they made the right decision]]), making it clear that all three happened, but only the Eight have any detail about its nature or resolution given (it was a political dispute over whether the capital should be moved off Terminus and closer to the galactic core, and ended with "no"). |
| 72 | * DashedPlotLine: Each portion of the series shares [[TheVerse the overall setting]] of the Foundation on Terminus as it made its way toward becoming the second [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. With the sole exception of [[PosthumousCharacter Hari Seldon’s recordings]], characters are rarely followed from story to story, as [[DistantSequel decades to centuries usually pass between each one]]. As the series expanded into {{Prequel}} and {{Sequel}} tales, those stories tended to be more directly related, but still leaving a sizable gap between events. |
| 73 | * DeadManWriting: Hari Seldon recorded a series of holographic messages that automatically play during FoundingDay on Terminus. Which anniversaries are associated with a recording are chosen based on their proximity to a [[PrescienceByAnalysis mathematically predicted]] "Seldon Crisis". Seldon died the same year as the creation of the Foundation, and the first message played during the fiftieth year anniversary. Each message features [[AllAccordingToPlan stunningly accurate predictions]], leading up to one of the classic OhCrap Moments in sci-fi literature; Seldon listing off events that aren't occurring. |
| 74 | * DidntSeeThatComing: When the Mule appears, the Foundation discovers that the Seldon Plan didn't account for individuals with such PsychicPowers, and he easily conquers them. Subverted, however, in that the Foundationists themselves never imagined that Seldon secretly created ''another'' Foundation as a contingency for unexpected variables in the plan, and this Second Foundation indeed proceeds to defeat the Mule. |
| 75 | * DistantSequel: Each of the eight original stories were published in {{Pulp Magazine}}s. The overarching MythArc achieves a DashedPlotLine effect due to skipping between characters, often with {{Time Skip}}s of a generation or more between stories/books. |
| 76 | * DomedHometown: During its peak, the (first) [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] made Trantor its capital planet. It city grew [[CityPlanet to encompass the world]], and developed [[LayeredMetropolis multiple layers]] as well. However, [[TerraDeforming the topmost layer is domed over]], and ironically creating habitable areas; plant life has even managed to gain a foothold on the surfaces of the artificial structures. Everybody just chooses to live in enclosed sectors. This is inherited behaviour from their ancient ancestors on Earth, as depicted in ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel''. |
| 77 | * {{Doorstopper}}: ''Le declin de Trantor'' is a French translation, [[{{Omnibus}} combining]] ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'', ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'', and ''Literature/Foundation1951'', ending up with a volume with a thousand pages. |
| 78 | * EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: While the series initially [[AvertedTrope averts]] this by having forgotten the location of humanity's homeworld, the {{Sequel}} books decide that Earth holds a secret that has been manipulating the galaxy for centuries. |
| 79 | ** ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'': Trevize and Pelorat suppose that Seldon's statement about the 'opposite ends of the galaxy’ refers to the first and last planets that humans colonized, and start searching for Earth/Gaia. [[spoiler:Gaia and Earth appeared to be synonymous, but by travelling to Gaia, they learned that it was not Earth.]] |
| 80 | ** ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'': After failing to find humanity's homeworld in the previous story, Trevize, Pelorat, and Bliss embark on TheQuest to discover Earth's location because someone went to a lot of trouble to deliberately obfuscate it. What they eventually find is [[SubvertedTrope a radioactive grave]]. Disappointed, they leave [[spoiler:until a child they picked up messes with the controls and they think to check the Moon, [[DoubleSubverted where R. Daneel Olivaw has hidden himself while manipulating the galaxy for multiple thousands of years]]]]. |
| 81 | * EarthThatWas: The setting takes place thousands of years into TheFuture, compared to ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'', leaving Earth [[TenThousandYears far in the past]]. By the time of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", archaeological-inclined scholars in the First [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] debate over which planet is the homeworld of humanity, and if there even was one. Centuries later, in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'', the name "Earth" now represents the "origin question". If they find the original homeworld of humanity, they've found Earth. |
| 82 | * EncyclopediaExposita: Terminus is founded based on the premise that they will be collecting all of history and science into a single reference volume, an ''Encyclopedia Galactica''. Said volume is used to illustrate certain setting details relevant to the story/chapter it prefaces as an {{Epigraph}}. More specifically, the 116th edition, published in [[AlternativeCalendar 1020 F.E.]] In "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", the colonists learn that Hari Seldon had tricked them, and that he never expected any volumes to be published. Despite this, they continue to collate information and publish revisions as InUniverse ScienceMarchesOn and TechnologyMarchesOn. In ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', Golan Trevize mentions the ''Encyclopedia Galactica'' is now a continually updated computer archive (an idea predating the establishment of ''Website/{{Wikipedia}}'', ''Microsoft Encarta'' or ''Encyclopedia Britannica Online''). |
| 83 | * TheEpic: A galactic-scale SpaceOpera, taking place over [[DashedPlotLine hundreds of years]], and CanonWelding causing the history of TheVerse to stretch over tens of thousands of years. Dr Asimov's ''[[Literature/RobotSeries Robot Novels]]'' depict humanity's mastery of Earth, creating FasterThanLightTravel, and spreading out into the galaxy. ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' depict the transformation of the galaxy into a single HegemonicEmpire. Then it ends with ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' describing the grand collapse of that galaxy-wide civilization, and transitioning to a second galactic empire. ''Foundation'' is essentially a [[RecycledInSpace science fiction remake]] of Creator/EdwardGibbon's ''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire''. |
| 84 | * EverybodySmokes: When he started writing the series, Dr Asimov had most of the characters smoke, since that was typical of TheForties, and it was even medically accepted to be a good thing. When "Literature/TheMule" appeared, [[KingBobTheNth Mayor Indbur the Third]], dictator of [[GalacticSuperpower the most powerful nation in the galaxy]], forbids smoking in his presence. However, this is one of many clues to show how ineffectual he is as a tyrant, since Ebling Mis does it anyway. Smoking suddenly stops being a part of the series at this point, and the ''Foundation'' characters no longer use it in their causal interactions. |
| 85 | * TheExactCenterOfEverything: In the original trilogy Trantor is simply at "the center of the Galaxy". In the later stories of the series this was Retconned a bit to say that Trantor is somewhat off to the side from the actual center—as close to the center as a human-habitable planet can be—as it was realized just how violent and inhospitable a place the center of a galaxy actually is. |
| 86 | * FantasyCounterpartReligion: The "Religion of Science" is a ScamReligion invented by Salvor Hardin between the events of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists" and "Literature/TheMayors". People from the Four Kingdoms are taught, as priests, "meaningless ritual" and "moral mummery" to operate the technology from the Foundation. Despite quickly expiring as a political device, it remains in the background for much of the series. Characters who speak of the Galactic Spirit or [[{{Seers}} his Prophet Hari Seldon]] are referencing this religion. |
| 87 | * FeudalFuture: The feudal structure of governments in this series comes from Dr Asimov's desire to write a RecycledInSpace version of Creator/EdwardGibbon's ''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire''. The provinces in the Periphery (the outer edges of UsefulNotes/TheMilkyWayGalaxy) declare themselves independent kingdoms. The ones nearest Terminus are known as the Four Kingdoms, because they are the first nations to be absorbed by the Foundation and they spend decades as independent nations (while the scientists of Terminus teach them a ScamReligion that included the DivineRightOfKings). The same changes that occurred after the collapse of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire are explored here, although it doesn't play out in the exact same way (Foundation begins as the Byzantine capital of UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, while ''Literature/FoundationAndEmpire'' has the Galactic Empire retake the role of Byzantium while the Foundation represents the Medieval Catholic Church). |
| 88 | * FictionalFieldOfScience: Psychohistory is the science of [[PrescienceByAnalysis predicting the behaviours of groups]], from countries to worlds to galaxies, developed by Hari Seldon. Few specifics are given about this science, but its ability to create [[TheProphecy prophecy]] drives the plot of every story. Psychohistory isn't designed to predict the actions of an individual, although the more advanced scientists of the field do so on a regular basis. The mathematics contain unique symbols that describes reactions and are often [[TranslationConvention rephrased for the audience as statements in English]]. The term Psychohistory was invented by Dr Asimov, but psychologists adopted it for use in their field, although its RealLife counterpart has a different meaning. |
| 89 | * FutureImperfect: The Empire's inhabitants don't even know what planet humans evolved on. Not only that, but there are those who scoff at the idea of humanity having come from a single planet at all, convergent evolution being the preferred model of Imperial philosophers. Amusingly, one of the few scholars who does believe in EarthThatWas, and has pieced together clues about the planet from fragments of myth and legend, includes brontosauruses and orcs on a reconstructed list of its dangerous wildlife. |
| 90 | * FutureSocietyPresentValues: The scope of this series is epic, but ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' uses gender roles practically identical to 1950s United States. When Dr Asimov revisited the series decades later, he included women more prominently, especially in the form of Mayor Harla Branno, his first female mayor. She is an IronLady ruler for Terminus and the Foundation, introduced in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' (1982) and wants to conquer the galaxy centuries earlier than the [[ThePlan Seldon Plan]] expects. However, Dr Asimov is clearly more comfortable writing male characters, despite continuing to add [[ActionGirl badass females]] like Dors Venabili and Bliss. |
| 91 | * GambitRoulette: Psychohistory [[PrescienceByAnalysis turns sociological events into math and can be used to calculate the future]]. Hari Seldon used this system of mathematics to construct the starting conditions, his Foundation, which would build a [[GalacticSuperpower Second Galactic Empire]] within the next [[ThousandYearReign 1,000 years]]. However, even assuming he was 99.9% accurate in predicting events across the '''entire''' Milky Way galaxy each year, the Plan would only have a one-in-three chance of succeeding. [[spoiler:He knew that it relied too much on chance, so he also created a [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture telepathic]] Second Foundation, which would [[XanatosSpeedChess adjust the plan]] to account for everything he had missed.]] It seems unrealistic that any plans could actually function at this level, but {{Telepathy}} and {{Seers}} makes it much easier to swallow. The appearances of Seldon in the Time Vault also {{Lampshade|Hanging}} the improbability, by giving a {{canon}} statement to how likely it was for the Seldon Plan to have been disrupted, such as the 87.2% chance that they would shift the capital of the Foundation in the year 498 F.E. |
| 92 | * GenericanEmpire: |
| 93 | ** The nation referred to (originally) as the "Encyclopedia Foundation", and sometimes as the "Foundation Federation", is more often called simply the "Foundation". It is [[MeaningfulName meaningful]] because of the [[{{Seers}} prediction by Hari Seldon]] that the original government would grow to encompass the entire galaxy within one thousand years. However, it doesn't identify much of the culture or political structure because both are expected to drastically change every few decades. |
| 94 | ** A [[AncientConspiracy secret organization/conspiracy]], established before 1 F.E., is only known as the "Second Foundation". They are the hidden half, compared to the public "First Foundation". Discovering their hidden location drives the StoryArc of the final half of ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy''. |
| 95 | ** During ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'', they were known as the Trantorian Empire, but by the time of the {{Prequel}} stories, the Empire (because it is the only nation in [[UsefulNotes/TheMilkyWayGalaxy the entire Milky Way Galaxy]]) is, at most, called the Imperial Empire. |
| 96 | ** Despite the more significant nations in this series having generic names that don't reflect their location/culture, many of the smaller states [[AvertedTrope do actually retain location-specific names]], such as the Four Kingdoms being known as Smyrno, Konom, Daribow, and Anacreon. |
| 97 | * GlobalCurrency: For the most part, [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture credits]] can be used across the galaxy, with no concern for who printed the currency. In the {{Prequel}} novels and in "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", this makes sense because the only government is the Empire, so it would want its currency accepted in every part of the empire. However, as it [[VestigialEmpire decays and collapses]], empire credits are accepted in fewer and fewer places. Intersystem trade moved to a barter system and each government had to mint their own money or function without a system of currency. By the time of "Literature/TheGeneralFoundation", the Privy Secretary is allowed to publish his own currency, separate from the Emperor's. By the time of "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation", Kalgan uses "Kalganids". When money is discussed in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', only Foundation credits are mentioned (Sayshell presumably uses a different currency, but the narration doesn’t mention what sort of currency they use). At this point, the Foundation is [[GalacticSuperpower so powerful]], refusing their money would effectively place your own government in a state of economic sanctions. |
| 98 | * GreyAndGrayMorality: Because the series is based on a work of NonFiction (''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'', by Creator/EdwardGibbon, RecycledInSpace), characters on both the protagonist and antagonist sides are written to be realistic, with greed and ambition driving them more often than a sense of ethics or honour. One of the earliest heroes of Terminus is often quoted for saying “[[AntiHero Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right.]]" Instead, conflict is driven by socio-political and economic causes. [[OrderVersusChaos People relying on fate and civilization against people trying to carve out their own independent corner of the galaxy]]. If the Foundation ever loses, psychohistory predicts [[TenThousandYears thirty thousand years]] of barbarism instead of only [[ThousandYearReign one thousand years of the Seldon Plan]]. |
| 99 | * HegemonicEmpire: |
| 100 | ** The Galactic Empire, based on UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire, contains [[GalacticSuperpower the entire galaxy]]. At least, that's how it starts, as the ''Foundation'' series is about its collapse, [[RecycledINSPACE recycling ideas]] from Creator/EdwardGibbon's ''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire''. The edges collapse first, as the distant local governments declare themselves independent from the empire. |
| 101 | ** This series tracks as the Encyclopedia Foundation becomes larger and absorbs nearby interstellar nations while the Galactic Empire decays and collapses. Dr Asimov's Empire is explicitly modeled on UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire, so the Foundation resembles the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, the Greek-centered "Eastern Roman Empire" that lasted a thousand years longer -- but not exactly, as the Foundation is set up specifically to reestablish the Empire within a single millennium. By preserving knowledge of advanced technology, they gain religious dominance over their nearest neighbors. Then by using trade and economics, they further spread their influence. Leaving aside a temporary [[OutsideContextProblem and extremely unlikely]] setback, it keeps evolving through multiple policies as the Foundation grows across the galaxy. |
| 102 | * HumansArePsychicInTheFuture: This ScienceFiction series, set in the far future, has several different sources of people with PsychicPowers. |
| 103 | ** Introduced in "Literature/TheMule", the [[AntagonistTitle titular antagonist]] as a {{mutant|s}} whose EmotionControl ability allows him to EmotionBomb his enemies and {{Brainwash|ed}} individual characters to serve him indefinitely. He's even used it to kill. His actions are a [[VillainousLegacy direct cause for each major conflict]] until ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth''. |
| 104 | ** While their [[PsychicPowers mental powers]] were assumed in "Literature/TheMule" ("Part Two"), the Second Foundationers weren't introduced on-screen until "Literature/SearchByTheMule". They gained their powers of {{telepathy}} and subtle {{Brainwash|ed}}ing from a deep understanding of human psychology on both the personal and societal levels, naturally developing the ability to screw with minds [[spoiler:and [[XanatosSpeedChess keep Seldon's plan in motion]]]]. |
| 105 | ** Introduced in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', Gaia is a HiveMind of humans, plants, bacteria, and even the non-biological systems of air and rock contribute to the gestalt. Individual parts (such as humans) have some psychic abilities, such as [[TheEmpath empathic senses]] and EmotionControl, but tend to avoid using their powers as much as possible. Working together gives them the ability to affect other people across astronomical distances. It also {{Ret Con}}s the origin of the Mule, claiming him to be an aberrant Gaian. |
| 106 | ** Introduced in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'', the Solarians are {{Transhuman}}s who have became {{Hermaphrodite}}s and [[BioAugmentation bio-engineered]] "Transducer Lobes" in their brains, which harnesses local thermal energy to give them MindOverMatter powers. |
| 107 | * HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: Traveling in hyperspace while being close to [[NoWarpingZone a big gravity source]] (like a planet) is harmful and possibly lethal. |
| 108 | * IdiosyncraticCoverArt: Creator/HarperCollins published purple and gold book covers for the first six books of the series. They also published seven of the ''Literature/RobotSeries'' novels with the same scheme. |
| 109 | * IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each of the ten {{Novel}}s were published with "Foundation" in their title. Two sets of three novels are considered a {{Trilogy}}; ''Literature/Foundation1951'', ''Literature/FoundationAndEmpire'', and ''Literature/SecondFoundation'' forms ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'', while ''Literature/FoundationsFear'', ''Literature/FoundationAndChaos'', and ''Literature/FoundationsTriumph'' forms ''Literature/TheSecondFoundationTrilogy''. In the first trilogy, "Second Foundation" refers to an organization mentioned in the first book that becomes relevant towards the end of the second book, and features prominently in the third. However, the second trilogy is named such because it is the second trilogy set in the ''Foundation'' [[TheVerse universe]], and it takes place during Hari Seldon's lifetime. |
| 110 | * InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: Except for one person, [[spoiler:R. Daneel Olivaw]], nobody even remembers where the Earth is until Trevize, Pelorat, and Bliss find it in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' (the original name of the planet was even lost, so they try several missteps, including Gaia, Aurora, and Alpha). The question of the "Origin Planet" is studied by historians as early as "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", where an amateur recites claims that "Earth" is from the Sirius sector of the galaxy, but is personally more invested in the claim that Arcturus is the origin of humanity. [[spoiler:Earth has actually been made [[EarthThatWas too radioactive to support life]].]] |
| 111 | * {{Interquel}}: Due to [[CanonWelding retroactive connections]] and [[SerialNovel serializing]] vs finalized {{novel}}s, a significant portion of Creator/IsaacAsimov's output are in an ambiguous relation to this classification, but the two ''Literature/FoundationSeries'' prequels, (''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'' and ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'') were written with the intent to be read chronologically after ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' and before ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy''. They focus on Hari Seldon's career, and the rise of psychohistory. |
| 112 | * InventedLinguisticDistinction: The planets of the Galaxy have different dialects, sometimes barely intelligible to one another. Magnifico, for example, speaks with the accent of the galactic core, conveniently rendered as FloweryElizabethanEnglish. |
| 113 | * ItIsBeyondSaving: By the time Hari Seldon created the science of psychohistory, it was realistically too late to save the Galactic Empire - at that point it was so decadent that its fall was inevitable. All he could do was to try to arrange conditions so a new galaxy-wide Empire would reign in 1,000 years instead of taking 30,000 years. When asked directly, he said the empire ''could'' enact policies that would save it, but that it would never actually do so because the empire ''seemed'' fine, so there was no driving force to push them to do so. |
| 114 | * JustTheFirstCitizen: |
| 115 | ** After the collapse of the Galactic Empire, the title of the most powerful ruler is simply "Mayor of Terminus". It [[ArtifactTitle remains from the time when the Foundation was but a single city on an undeveloped world]] ("Literature/TheEncyclopedists") and the title persists to at least ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', where the First Foundation is ruling a third of UsefulNotes/TheMilkyWayGalaxy. |
| 116 | ** The title of the Second Foundation's leader is the First Speaker, which is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a literal job-description]]: they're the one allowed to speak first at meetings. |
| 117 | --->In fact, the only ''official'' prerogative of the First Speaker was that which was explicit in his title--he always spoke first. (''Literature/FoundationsEdge'') |
| 118 | * LegendaryInTheSequel: Because each story tends to be placed [[DashedPlotLine decades to centuries apart]], the MainCharacters in one story may or may not end up being important {{Posthumous Character}}s in the following stories. |
| 119 | ** Hari Seldon, who first appears in "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", was famous for being the one who sponsored the Foundation (and becomes even more famous for his [[PosthumousCharacter recorded statements]] that [[AllAccordingToPlan all is going to his psychohistorical Plan]]). At the beginning of "Literature/TheMule", [[NumberedHomeworld Haven II]] is [[FictionalHoliday celebrating his birthday]]. The {{Prequel}} novels take place when he is still alive, and establish additional adventures, while the ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' entries show how these adventures are seen one thousand years in the future. |
| 120 | ** Salvor Hardin, who first appears in "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", becomes famous for being the first Mayor of Terminus and creating a [[ScamReligion pseudo-religious culture]] that forms the initial basis of their relationship with the Four Kingdoms. |
| 121 | ** Hober Mallow, first appearing in "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces", becomes famous for transforming the society of Foundation from [[ScamReligion pseudo-religious claptrap]] to [[IntrepidMerchant merchant explorers spreading the technology and culture of the Foundation]]. |
| 122 | ** Due to CanonWelding, both R. Daneel Olivaw and Detective Elijah Baley, who first appeared in ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'', are dimly remembered as cultural myths, and those myths appear in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' and in ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation''. [[spoiler:Olivaw is actually still around in both books, despite being [[TheAgeless over a dozen millennia old]].]] |
| 123 | * LogicalWeakness: Psychohistory has three of these. [[spoiler: Which is part of why the Second Foundation exists in the first place, to cover for the fact that Seldon couldn't plan for everything--but even its contribution has limits.]] |
| 124 | ** As the mathematical study of human populations over time, psychohistory cannot predict individual behavior with any accuracy. Normally, this isn't a problem because individual humans are still subject to historical forces which ''can'' be predicted, as General Bel Riose learned to his sorrow. But the Mule is a genuine Great Man, and is powerful enough that his actions make him an unplanned variable. This means that the Seldon Crisis that was supposed to happen around his time didn't happen, and the Second Foundation had to get involved directly. |
| 125 | ** Because telling people a prediction will inherently spoil the data, psychohistory [[ScryVsScry can't predict the actions of a population that has psychohistorians of its own]]. When the Foundation began the study of psychology, it was a near catastrophe for ThePlan. One of the First Speaker's students even said that all was lost once he learned of this. |
| 126 | ** Psychohistorians compare their theory to principles like the kinetic molecular theory of gases. This reveals the third and final weakness: its equations are built assuming ''human'' actors. It would fail against truly alien species. [[spoiler: Or, as demonstrated in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'', sufficiently altered humans: the Solarians, who have radically altered their bodies, minds, and social behaviors.]] |
| 127 | * LongGame: |
| 128 | ** ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'': |
| 129 | *** The first story in this {{Trilogy}}, "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", has Hari Seldon on trial, where he explains his belief that the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] will dissolve within the next few centuries, leading to [[TenThousandYears thirty thousand years of anarchy]]. The conclusion of the trial allows him to establish a project writing the ''[[GreatBigBookOfEverything Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' on Terminus, a planet at the furthest edge of the galaxy. Fifty years later, in "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", the [[PosthumousCharacter long-dead Hari Seldon]] appears as a [[DeadManWriting recording]] to announce that the project is a sham, concocted to establish them as [[RisingEmpire the nucleus of a second Galactic Empire]]. It will take nine hundred fifty more years until they reclaim the entire galaxy, but [[AllAccordingToPlan even now, they face the first of several Crises that will shape their destiny]]. Also, there's a second Foundation at the opposite end of the galaxy, which comes into play when someone tries to disrupt [[ThePlan his Plan]]. |
| 130 | *** "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation": The Speakers of the Second Foundation consider Seldon's plan to be incomplete. They spend their lives trying to perfect what Hari Seldon left them and to extend it far beyond the initial [[ThousandYearReign thousand years]]. |
| 131 | ** ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'': Golan Trevize discovers Gaia, a planet of [[HiveMind gestalt intelligence]], who (years ago) planned a GambitPileup where Trevize would be [[TheChosenOne the one to decide]] whose idea of galactic destiny was the right one. [[spoiler:The First Foundation wants to conquer the galaxy ''now'', the Second Foundation wants to stick to the Seldon Plan, and Gaia wants to create [[AssimilationPlot a galaxy-wide gestalt intelligence]] (which will take centuries to achieve at least).]] |
| 132 | ** ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'': At the climax, Golan Trevize discovers [[spoiler:R. Daneel Olivaw]], from Dr Asimov's ''Literature/RobotSeries''. Since ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'', [[spoiler:Daneel has been guiding human history, trying to preserve human ability to define their destiny, while preventing human foibles from destroying the race. He encouraged the creation of Gaia and hid the planet from the first galactic empire]]. He encouraged Hari Seldon to develop Psychohistory and establish the First and Second Foundations. He even manipulated Bliss and Golan to [[MacGuffinDeliveryService bring Fallom with them]]. |
| 133 | * LongRunningBookSeries: Dr Asimov began this series with "Literature/TheEncyclopedists" in 1942, and after collecting the original short fiction stories into a {{Trilogy}} in TheFifties, he ignored it for three decades [[PrintLongRunners while his publishers kept printing more and more copies]]. Once they convinced him to come back to this series, he wrote four more books, which included [[CanonWelding references to several other stories, making them all part of the same setting]]. This Robots/Empire/Foundation setting spans over a dozen books. During the late 90s, his estate approved of ''Literature/TheSecondFoundationTrilogy'', which added three more volumes to the ''Foundation'' part of the setting, finally making ten books within this series. |
| 134 | * ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway: This series is set so far into TheFuture that the Milky Way Galaxy has been fully colonized, but Earth has been lost to human knowledge, leading to a setting where at least two [[{{Transhuman}} subspecies of humanity have developed]]. Later in the series, the protagonists embark on a search to find the origin planet of humanity, and eventually succeed. |
| 135 | * MagicFromTechnology: When ''Foundation'' begins, the Galactic Empire's [[UsedFuture civilization and technology]] has already begun to crumble; local systems are losing the scientific expertise necessary for an interstellar society to function and control of the Periphery is quickly lost. Starting from the end of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", the people of Terminus begin educating people from the Four Kingdoms in technology, such as nuclear power, radioactive synthetics, and hyperwave relays. However, in order to explain the technology in a way they could understand, Terminus [[ScamReligion has to couch everything in religious terms]], effectively saying [[AWizardDidIt The Galactic Spirit Did It]] to convince the local barbarians that it was safe for human use. When a better educated man is trying to piece through the veil of mysticism created by the gulf of distance, he protests that [[DeflectorShields a personal shield]] is impossible. To which the person he's interrogating drolly points out that their status as "magicians" is not wholly unearned. |
| 136 | * MetalPoorPlanet: Terminus, in addition to being the farthest planet from the galactic core, has so few mineral resources that it was considered nearly worthless. It therefore became a useful place to exile Hari Seldon and those sympathetic to his cause. Fifty years after the Foundation was established, they are so starved for resources that their coins are made from steel. Salvor Hardin uses their lack of materials as an excuse to ask the envoy from Anacreon if they had any plutonium available for trade, since the reactors on Terminus could use more. It's a ruse to see [[SchizoTech how far their technology has regressed]] as Terminus doesn't use metals like plutonium in their nuclear reactors. Without the abundant resources of Trantor, they've had to push miniaturization to levels that scientists of the first Galactic Empire had believed impossible. |
| 137 | -->"The planet, Terminus, by itself cannot support a mechanized civilization. It lacks metals. You know that. It hasn't a trace of iron, copper, or aluminum in the surface rocks, and precious little of anything else." -- '''Salvor Hardin'''. |
| 138 | * Mohs/WorldOfPhlebotinum: It's got FTLTravel, DeflectorShields, [[AtomPunk "atomic"]] versions of just about everything, PsychicPowers, and an [[FictionalFieldOfScience invented statistical science]] called "psychohistory" which can [[PrescienceByAnalysis reliably predict the course of civilization]]. |
| 139 | * MythArc: ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' was initially conceived as ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'', but [[RecycledInSpace taking place on a galactic scale]], and from the perspective of [[RisingEmpire its replacement empire]]. Psychohistory, [[FictionalFieldOfScience a system of mathematics]] which can [[PrescienceByAnalysis predict human behaviour]], forms the basis of the series; the {{Prequel}} novels revolve around its creation, while the {{Sequel}} novels deal with the fundamental flaw in their design. |
| 140 | * NoEnding: Asimov couldn't come up with an ending to the series, so he wrote prequels instead. The story takes us only about halfway through the promised thousand years before the galactic empire is re-formed. [[spoiler:At which point, Seldon's thousand year plan has been rendered irrelevant by Gaia beginning to [[AssimilationPlot assimilate the galaxy]], forming Galaxia]]. |
| 141 | * {{Omnibus}}: ''Le declin de Trantor'' is a French translation, combining ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'', ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'', and ''Literature/Foundation1951'', ending up with a volume with [[{{Doorstopper}} a thousand pages]]. |
| 142 | * OneProductPlanet: |
| 143 | ** When the series begins, Trantor is a CityPlanet and the political capital of the entire Galactic Empire. However, as the empire [[VestigialEmpire decays into nothing]], Trantor is [[RapePillageAndBurn Sacked]] (see "Literature/TheMule" and "Literature/TrantorFalls" for details). To recover from their loss of wealth and infrastructure, the citizens of Trantor transform their world into a [[AgriWorld farming planet]] and export their crops and their incredible reserves of scrap metal. However, "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation" reveals that [[spoiler:a small group of these citizens are actually the Second Foundation, who is secretly controlling the Foundation from behind the scenes]]. |
| 144 | ** Terminus is initially established to produce an Encyclopedia, so their "one product" would be science. However, Seldon planned the location and timing to ensure that after only a few decades, the Foundation would be producing a ScamReligion to spread their science to the neighboring nations. This turns them into a HolyCity as well. They gradually transition from a fake religion that has [[NGOSuperpower suborned the political organization of their neighbors]] to a trader culture with Terminus as a real political capital in charge of their neighbors. |
| 145 | ** When Kalgan is introduced in "Literature/TheMule", it is as a [[PleasurePlanet "producer of pleasure" and "seller of leisure"]]. However, as the Mule [[GalacticConqueror begins his interstellar campaign of conquest]], it becomes his headquarters and political capital. The Mule's VillainousLegacy means Kalgan remains military-focused until "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation", when the Foundation is forced to conquer them. |
| 146 | * OneWordTitle: The name of the series is just ''Foundation''. |
| 147 | * OrderVersusChaos: The overarching conflict in the series is driven by the forces of decline and gluttony against the forces of civilization and progress. Psychohistory predicts [[TenThousandYears thirty thousand years]] of barbarism unless the Foundation follows the [[ThousandYearReign one thousand years outlined by the Seldon Plan]]. However, rather than the side of "order" winning due to inherent superiority, usually the side of "chaos" loses due to self-sabotage. |
| 148 | * OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope: The ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' books take care to point out that the [[EncyclopediaExposita quotations from the Encyclopedia Galactica]] are reproduced with the permission of the Encyclopedia's (fictional) publishing company. |
| 149 | * ThePlan: Hari Seldon invented psychohistory, a set of [[PrescienceByAnalysis mathematical formulas that can predict human behaviour]]. Using psychohistory, he observes that the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] is in [[VestigialEmpire decline and social forces will tear it apart]], resulting in [[TenThousandYears thirty thousand years of anarchy]] before a Second Galactic Empire is established throughout the galaxy. Unhappy with this, he creates a plan (the Seldon Plan) where a small colony at the extreme edge of the galaxy will [[RisingEmpire build a new empire]] within [[ThousandYearReign only 1,000 years]]. |
| 150 | -->''"When the Galactic Empire began to die at the edges, and when the ends of the Galaxy reverted to barbarism and dropped away, Hari Seldon and his band of psychologists planted a colony, the Foundation, out here in the middle of the mess, so that we could incubate art, science, and technology, and form the nucleus of the Second Empire. [...] The future course of the Foundation was plotted according to the science of psychohistory, then highly developed, and conditions arranged so as to bring about a series of crises that will force us most rapidly along the route to future Empire. Each crisis, each Seldon crisis, marks an epoch in our history."'' -- '''Hober Mallow''', "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces" |
| 151 | * PosthumousCharacter: After year 1 of the Foundation Era, Hari Seldon only appears from a holographic recording, but [[FictionalFieldOfScience the Psychohistory he developed]] drives the entire MythArc. The {{Prequel}} stories go back to when he was alive, and describe his adventures in creating Psychohistory. |
| 152 | * PrescienceByAnalysis: [[FictionalFieldOfScience Psychohistory]], a set of mathematical models developed by Hari Seldon, is used to predict the future. There are certain restrictions on its ability to work as a form of prophecy; (1) [[AbsurdlyHugePopulation Predictions can only be made for societies of a minimum size]], although experts in the field have successfully wielded it on a scale as small as individual people. (2) [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee The people whose actions are being predicted can't know what the prediction is.]] (3) That there would be no fundamental changes in human society over the next thousand years. Technology could advance, but not fundamentally alter the way human civilization functioned. (4) That human reaction to stimuli would remain constant. (This assumption was challenged in "Literature/TheMule", where the antagonist had a [[{{Mutants}} mutation]] giving him EmotionControl powers.) In addition, one more premise is deduced in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth''; [[spoiler:psychohistory only predicts human reactions, [[BizzareAlienPsychology alien, including transhuman creatures]] are not predictable]]. |
| 153 | * PrintLongRunners: While the series itself achieved LongRunningBookSeries status with the release of ''Literature/FoundationsTriumph'' in 1999, the original collections have been republished almost yearly since [[TheFifties the early 1950s]], and the {{novel}}s that succeeded them have been faithfully republished as well. |
| 154 | * PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: Before his death, Dr Hari Seldon records several messages prophesying about what will happen to the Foundation--and arranges for these messages to be played during the nearest [[FoundingDay anniversary of colonization]]. The main effect is to reassure the Foundation that everything is on track. |
| 155 | * PsychicBlockDefense: |
| 156 | ** In order to defeat the [[MindProbe Psychic Probe]] in "Literature/TheGeneralFoundation", Lanthan Devers wears an electrostatic field generator, invisibly blocking the machine from detecting his thoughts. |
| 157 | ** Developed during "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation", the "Mental Static" device is used to block [[PsychicPowers psychic abilities]], like those of the Second Foundationers. At [[TimTaylorTechnology full power]], the device would actually create a "feedback" effect, [[SensoryOverload hurting telepaths]] (for more-or-less the same reasons sound can be distracting and even painful to hearing people while deaf people are completely unaffected). |
| 158 | * PsychicRadar: One of the secondary powers of [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture psychics]] like the Mule and the Second Foundation ([[spoiler:and by extension, anyone taught by R. Daneel Olivaw, including Gaia]]), is the ability to detect the presence and "shape" of other minds. It develops from merely physical proximity to detection across, at minimum, interplanetary distances. In ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'', Bliss can tell the difference between humans, other life such as animals, and even robots. |
| 159 | * RayGun: In the ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' series, they use Atom Blasters (shortened to just "blasters" in the later books, after the age of RaygunGothic had passed). |
| 160 | * RisingEmpire: Hari Seldon [[ThePlan plans]] to have Terminus become the locus of a Second [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. The ''Foundation'' series chronicles the obstacles they face, all of which have been accounted for by Seldon. |
| 161 | * SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: The Second Foundation abandoned attempts at developing any new advances in mechanical technology or the physical sciences, or even preserving most of the existing ones, instead focusing exclusively on developing psychohistory. As a result, they have PsychicPowers and can [[PrescienceByAnalysis predict the future with mathematics]], but they can't defend themselves against physical attack--which is why they have to stay hidden. And which is why, every hundred years or so, they must scramble to mind-wipe yet another person who threatens to develop an [[PokeInTheThirdEye anti-psychic field]], which, in-universe, is slightly less complicated than [[ScienceMarchesOn a button-and-a-dial remote control]]. |
| 162 | * SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Asimov gives Trantor, the imperial capital, a population of 40 billion. Even employing modern city densities, an {{ecumenopolis}} like Trantor would have a population of ''5 trillion''. Given that much of Trantor is underground, the true number could easily be double that. |
| 163 | * {{Scienceville}}: The titular organization started as a group of scholars who were to prepare the Encyclopedia Galactica. While eventually, they became the core of a massive state spanning a third of the galaxy (and meant to eventually control the whole of it), their planet always relied on its technological superiority and had a considerable percentage of top-level scientists. |
| 164 | * SecondHandStorytelling: Most of the excitement tends to happen off-screen, especially during [[Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy the trilogy]], due to Dr Asimov’s style of [[BeigeProse clear]] and [[FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue simple]] descriptions. |
| 165 | * SensoryOverload: Developed during "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation", the "Mental Static" device is used to [[PsychicBlockDefense block]] the [[PsychicPowers psychic abilities]], like those of the Second Foundationers. At [[TimTaylorTechnology full power]], the device would actually create a "feedback" effect, hurting telepaths (for more-or-less the same reasons sound can be distracting and even painful to hearing people while deaf people are completely unaffected). |
| 166 | * SingleBiomePlanet: Virtually all the inhabited planets in the galaxy were colonized by humans and seeded with life that originated on Earth. Hence the worlds are described as having "simple" ecosystems and comparatively little biodiversity relative to what Earth once had. Comporellon, a very old colony, is also noted for its cold environment, while other planets are likewise sometimes favored by or suffer from better or worse climates. |
| 167 | * SpaceOpera: A galactic-scale [[TheEpic Epic Narrative]] taking place over [[DashedPlotLine hundreds of years]], and [[TropeCodifier influencing]] many of the successive works, such as ''Franchise/StarWars''. ''Foundation'' is a [[RecycledInSpace science fiction future history]] of Creator/EdwardGibbon's ''Literature/TheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'', depicting the collapse from the perspective of its replacement empire. |
| 168 | * SpaceSector: A sector is a spatial region that is one level of the elaborate administrative hierarchy of the Galactic Empire, including "prefects" (oddly enough not ''prefectures''), provinces, sectors, and quadrants, with sectors ("the Arcturus Sector", "the Normannic Sector", "the Sirius Sector") being probably the most often mentioned of these. (Later in the series the term "sector" is also used for local sub-planetary subdivisions of Trantor.) |
| 169 | * StandardSciFiHistory: The {{Prequel}} books take place [[PrequelInTheLostAge while the Galactic Empire is at its peak]]. The first story (in publication order) is "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", where the decay has allowed the territories at the edge of the empire to declare themselves independent nations. While the first Galactic Empire collapses, the focus is on the accelerated growth of the second galactic empire. This accelerated growth will minimize the Interregnum, reducing the "Long Night" to only about a thousand years. However, ThePlan is disrupted, and ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' decides that humanity's final fate is [[spoiler:to become a [[GeniusLoci galaxy-wide shared intelligence]] to protect against potential intergalactic alien threats]]. |
| 170 | * StandardTimeUnits: Throughout the series, time is still measured in seconds, minutes, hours, and days, and the Standard Galactic calendar is a slightly modified version of the Gregorian calendar. This becomes a major plot point ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth''; [[spoiler:the length of the standard day and year don't correspond to the day/year cycle of any known world, but might correspond to the original.]] |
| 171 | * StupidFuturePeople: This series attributes the fall of the Galactic Empire to [[WeHaveBecomeComplacent complacency]]; everyone believes that the system is perfect and needs no further innovation or adjustment so nobody does much in the way of scientific research anymore, particularly in the "soft" sciences like economics or sociology... or [[IgnoredExpert Hari Seldon]]'s newly invented discipline of "psychohistory". [[note]](Which was literally the art of predicting the future by extrapolation, so [[StrawmanHasAPoint perhaps the skeptical reception he got wasn't altogether unreasonable]].)[[/note]] [[HeadInTheSandManagement Nobody bothers listening to the few people who can see that this isn't sustainable in the long-term until it's too late.]] |
| 172 | * SubspaceOrHyperspace: The invention of the "hyper-atomic" jump drives, which allows ships to travel in hyperspace, predates the recorded history of the galactic empire. While one could theoretically travel across the entire galactic disk in one jump, you'd need to first determine your exact position in space and then carefully calculate the relative trajectory of your destination from astronomical observations and manuals. All speed and distance is nil in hyperspace, and the whole galaxy is nothing but a dimensionless point (hence the idea that one could cross it easily). Transit takes less than a second, and is described as a momentary, blink-and-you'll-miss-it feeling of weightlessness. A BlindJump causes problems because [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace gravity distorts the geometry of hyperspace]], so safely travelling from one end of the galaxy to another would take many dozens of jumps and months of calculations. Accidents are repeatedly denounced as "unheard of", so long as you properly calculate the jump. |
| 173 | * TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: (ZigZaggedTrope) The Time Vault contains [[DeadManWriting sealed messages]] from Hari Seldon, [[PosthumousCharacter who died decades to centuries ago]]. At a conversational level, he points out his inability to predict their reactions, but he's left these messages [[AllAccordingToPlan to brag about predicting events centuries after his death]]. Until the Mule comes along. The fact that another century or so down the road the messages are correct again is a plot point because a secret group of people have been making sure the recordings came true, and not the ones you think. |
| 174 | * TerraDeforming: |
| 175 | ** During the events of "Literature/ThePsychohistorians" and "Literature/TheGeneralFoundation", the protagonists visit Trantor, the capital CityPlanet of the Galactic Empire. It's [[DomedHometown covered in steel]], and the only plants allowed to grow are on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. Making them [[TerminallyDependentSociety dependent on other worlds for food]]. |
| 176 | ** "Literature/TheMule": Since the last time we saw the capital planet of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], it's been sacked. Now people are [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] the metal and plastic of [[CityPlanet Trantor]] back into an agrarian society in order to grow food. |
| 177 | * TheyCalledMeMad: Hari Seldon actually ends up more or less deliberately leaning into this. When he first announces the possibility of psychohistory it's not taken very seriously by almost anyone. When work on it progresses to the point where he can start making barebones predictions, one of the first he ends up coming up with is that the empire is doomed to collapse. Announcing this discovery is met with outright hostility as it sounds treasonous until he admits that the empire won't fall for a thousand years. At this point, the investigators just smile and nod and [[ReassignedToAntarctica send him off to the edge of the galaxy]] where he can set up this crazy "Foundation" he cares so much about. He's relieved about this: Being dismissed as crazy and effectively exiled means he won't be executed for rebellion. |
| 178 | * ThousandYearReign: Hari Seldon, creator of psychohistory, a set of [[PrescienceByAnalysis mathematical formulas that can predict human behaviour]], anticipates that the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] will collapse and leave the Milky Way in anarchy for [[TenThousandYears thirty thousand years]], an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of this trope's usual meaning. The [[ThePlan Seldon Plan]], developed through psychohistory, will shorten this interval to about one thousand years instead. It becomes popular knowledge in the galaxy that the Foundation of Terminus is undefeatable. The first book, ''Foundation'', has also been published under the title ''Literature/TheThousandYearPlan''. |
| 179 | * TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The European back cover blurbs for each book describes, in a fair amount of detail, events that only happen near or at the very end of that book, which leaves the reader very confused for a while ("This isn't about what the back cover said it would be about!") and then very annoyed as soon as it becomes obvious that the climax of the story has been spoiled. |
| 180 | * TrilogyCreep: In the [[TheFifties early 1950s]], all of the stories from [[TheVerse the setting]] were [[OrwellianRetcon re-edited]] for publication as ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy''. Dr Asimov's publishers would repeatedly ask him for more stories in the ''Foundation'' setting, until he finally caved in and published ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' in [[TheEighties 1982]]. At this point, he began consistently publishing {{Novel}}s in the setting every few years[[note]](his last, ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'', came out the year after his death)[[/note]]. Many of the newer stories also [[CanonWelding tie the original trilogy to other settings]], such as ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' and his ''Literature/RobotSeries''. Both he and his estate also [[OutlivedItsCreator authorized other authors to write additional works]] within the ''Foundation'' setting. The entire setting now covers over a dozen books, and ''The Foundation {{Trilogy}}'' now refers to only the original nine short works. |
| 181 | * UndergroundCity: During its peak, the (first) [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] made Trantor its capital planet. The city grew [[CityPlanet to encompass the world]], and developed [[LayeredMetropolis multiple layers]] as well. However, the topmost layer is [[DomedHometown domed over]], and ironically creating habitable areas; plant life has even managed to gain a foothold on the surfaces of the artificial structures. Everybody just chooses to live in enclosed sectors. This is inherented behaviour from their ancient ancestors on Earth, as depicted in ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel''. |
| 182 | * UngovernableGalaxy: Characters who speculate about [[ThePlan Seldon's Plan]] predict that part of Seldon's motivation wasn't just to create a second empire after the first HegemonicEmpire fell, but also to design a ''better'' empire, one that would never collapse again under the weight of its own bureaucracy. Different characters have different opinions on how to prevent it from becoming "ungovernable" again. People from Terminus (capital of the Foundation) believe that the future empire should be TheRepublic. People from the Second Foundation believe DemocracyIsFlawed, so the second empire should be an Oligarchy, publicly ruled by [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture powerful mentalists]], and also with [[TheFederation considerable decentralization]]. In ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'', an alternative is presented; [[spoiler:Galaxia, a HiveMind of the entire Milky Way, allowing for instant democratic voting by the entire population, which all have access to [[PsychicPowers psychic abilities]]]]. |
| 183 | * UnspokenPlanGuarantee: One of the rules of Psychohistory ([[PrescienceByAnalysis maths that allow you to predict the future]]) is that knowing the prediction would make you able to [[ScrewDestiny defy the prediction]]. Thus, it is vitally important not to reveal future events to the population affected by the prediction. When Hari Seldon and his team of psychohistorians set in motion [[LongGame a plan for the next 1000 years]], they make sure that nobody on Terminus knows enough to be able to recreate the science of Psychohistory. |
| 184 | * UsedFuture: |
| 185 | ** The {{Prequel}} novels demonstrate that it takes a critical eye analysing the infrastructure of Trantor to notice the signs of decay, but even without psychohistory, Seldon can observe the Empire’s corruption and deterioration. During "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", Gaal Dornick, [[NaiveNewcomer a mathematician from a small planet in the galaxy]], sees Trantor as a powerful and majestic capital for the Galactic Empire, but Seldon shows him how psychohistory predicts its imminent collapse. The illusion that the Empire is still strong comes from ignorance of the decay. As we [[DashedPlotLine leap ahead to each conflict]], various factions use the remnants of the Empire's technology to live as best they can. ''Literature/Foundation1951'' shows wealthy technicians maintaining machines by rote and ritual, while the Empire's territory shrinks in size over the centuries. ''Literature/FoundationAndEmpire'' shows the Empire [[TheRemenant reduced to only a few hundred worlds]], and then, to a few dozen, while their [[MileLongShip enormous ships]] are re-commissioned because their newer ships aren’t as good. ''Literature/SecondFoundation'' shows the Empire has collapsed entirely, leaving the capital of Trantor an AgriWorld that sells the ready-made steel from the vast abandoned cities to clear more land for crops. |
| 186 | ** {{Inverted|Trope}} by the Foundation, who Seldon predicts will form the core of a Second Galactic Empire. They are initially established on Terminus, where most of the metal they have was from their initial colonization and they rely on Imperial degree to protect them. While the Empire collapses, the Foundation is forced to improve their technology and defend themselves. Their ships are smaller, and faster. They've miniaturized DeflectorShields and [[ThisPageWillSelfDestruct self-destructing message capsules]]. Late in the series, they've begun to build [[PsychicBlockDefense Mind Static device]] and other machines to escape the [[PsychicPowers psychic control]] of the Second Foundation. |
| 187 | * UselessSuperpowers: Appearing in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' and ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'', the galactic {{Chessmaster}} and [[TheAgeless ageless robot]], [[spoiler:R. Daneel Olivaw]], has {{Telepathy}} and MindControl, which should virtually make him a PhysicalGod. However, despite following the [[ZerothLawRebellion Zeroth Law]], he still runs into the problem of [[ThreeLawsCompliant the First Law]] making it virtually impossible to justify his MindControl powers, since he cannot be entirely certain that the resulting harm would be balanced by the hypothetical benefit to humanity (per the Zeroth Law). Hence, even from his position as [[spoiler:Eto Demerzel, first minister to Emperor Cleon]], he cannot impose the necessary changes to people's minds in order to avert the collapse of the Galactic Empire. He is thus forced to pursue other options such as the Seldon Plan and Gaia. |
| 188 | * VestigialEmpire: When the planet Terminus is colonized, Trantor is the undisputed master of the galaxy. However, Hari Seldon has developed Psychohistory, [[PrescienceByAnalysis a system of probabilistic mathematical models that can predict group behaviour]]. Using this math, he's able to determine that corruption and planetary nationalism have passed the point where this empire can be saved. During "Literature/ThePsychohistorians", Trantor is at its peak power... and has begun to lose control over the Periphery by the very next chapter. It grows weaker and weaker, even [[TheRemnant losing their capital planet]] by the time of "Literature/TheMule". |
| 189 | * TheWarlord: After the Empire's fall, the galaxy splits into fiefdoms controlled by various warlords. Within a century most of the warlord states have settled down and their "kings" have established proper dynasties, which the Foundation manipulates into forming the nucleus of a new Empire using a ScamReligion. |
| 190 | * WeWillAllFlyInTheFuture: In the opening chapters of ''Foundation'' when Gaal Dornick catches a taxi it immediately lifts "straight up". (Gaal marvels a bit at "the sensation of airflight within an enclosed structure"--this is all happening ''within'' the enormous world-city that is Trantor.) Centuries later, in ''Second Foundation'', Arcadia Darell rides an "air-taxi" on Kalgan. |
| 191 | * WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture: The Imperial credit, found early in the ''Foundation'' timeline, was usable throughout the Galactic Empire, as well as Foundation credits later in the series. Characters use these credits as a standard currency (technically it's lenticular, not global -- it's used across the [[GlobalCurrency entire galaxy]], although during "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation" there's several competing currencies, including "dollars"). At one point, the Imperial Credit (used by the first Galactic Empire) is contrasted against the Foundation Credit (used by the second Galactic Empire), because the [[VestigialEmpire first Empire is falling apart]] and the [[RisingEmpire second Empire is expanding]] in their wake. |
| 192 | * WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture: In the ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' series, nuclear laser blasters are the end-all personal weapon, and ubiquitous among Foundation traders and soldiers. There are personal DeflectorShields, but Foundation-built nuclear blasters can penetrate them, whereas blasters built by the former Empire or post-Empire successor states cannot penetrate Foundation shields. |
| 193 | * {{Zeerust}}: The stories were initially written in TheForties, and popular understanding of computers and space travel make for some embarrassing predictions, mixed with some surprising guesses at miniaturization and synthetic music. The embarrassingly dated ideas include space travel with fossil fuels, microfilm and hard-copy newspapers as the peak of information storage/distribution, and human-performed calculation for all interstellar navigation. Revisiting the series thirty-plus years later allowed him to include [[SubvertedTrope more modern predictions]], such as an autopilot that performs course corrections independently, personalized data-mining algorithms, and factors to make a CityPlanet function, like [[FutureFoodIsArtificial yeast farms]], geothermal power/heat, and graviton-based propulsion. |
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