The perfect start to a Star Trek: TNG episode
Troi: Personal log. ...My mother is onboard.
Picard: *slowly stepping off a turbolift* I sense a disturbance in the force
It’s 3:59pm. The digital display shows the seconds ticking by. 35… 36… 37… 38… It’s almost time.
The digital display also shows the date: April 31, 2023. It’s a Monday.
53… 54… 55… Almost there!
Just as the display turns to 4:00pm, the calendar sirens blare all around your neighborhood. Your clock is in perfect sync with them!
Mia Thermopolis, singing in choir: Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, Never let it fade away
Howl and Calcifer: Absolutely not, do NOT do that
The Mule: Hey Seldon, that sure is a nice Plan you got there.
Hari Seldon: :)
The Mule: Sure would be a shame if someone came along and… royally fucked it up, wouldn’t it.
Hari Seldon: :(
The Mule: >:)
(The whole shebang is under the cut :3)
There are seven books overall, with The Foundation Trilogy, two Sequels, and two Prequels.
Foundation (1951)
Foundation and Empire (1952)
Second Foundation (1953)
Summary: The Galatic Empire has existed for over ten thousand years, and for its Emperor and citizens, there's every confidence it will continue forever. Only mathematician Hari Seldon and his associates know the dire reality: the Empire is dying. Using the advanced mathematics called “psychohistory,” Seldon predicts the Empire's fall and the era of devastating barbarism that will follow. In order to reduce that inevitable dark age from 30,000 years to just 1,000, Seldon establishes two Foundations, guided by psychohistory, at opposite ends of the galaxy.
Foundation’s Edge (1982)
Foundation and Earth (1986)
Summary: Former Naval officer and Terminus Council member Golan Trevize, along with his companions, search for the origins of humanity - the planet where humans evolved. (Spoiler/not spoiler - it's Earth)
Prelude to Foundation (1988)
Forward the Foundation (1993)
Summary: This is the history of Hari Seldon - leading up to the events of Foundation (1951). With unlikely and unlooked for help, Seldon develops psychohistory to the level needed to enact the Seldon Plan (as it would later be known) and establish the two Foundations.
As with many early SF works, Asimov wrote the content of Foundation as short stories that were published in SF magazines. In 1951, those short stories were compiled and published as the first book in the series, Foundation.
First, Asimov wrote The Foundation Trilogy, and it was hugely popular. About 30 years later, Asimov’s publishers persuaded him to answer the call from fans for more Foundation content (and their own call to make them more delicious money huehuehue). Asimov got to work and produced the two Sequels and then the two Prequels.
Okay so here’s what I recommend:
🔆 Remember, these are only my opinions! Take from them only what you will, and definitely don't take them as rules for how to read the Foundation series, please! 🚀
Read The Foundation Trilogy first. DO NOT start with the Prequels.
If you want to read all seven books, I recommend you read them in the order they were published, which is the order I’ve listed above. (Foundation Trilogy, then Sequels, then Prequels.)
Treat The Foundation Trilogy, the Sequels, and the Prequels as different series.
Technically, all seven books take place in the same universe, however, Asimov wrote the Sequels and Prequels decades after he wrote The Foundation Trilogy. He did a lot of ret-conning. A lot of it was to tie the Foundation series into his Robot and Empire universes and connect them all into one.
Personally, I found a lot of that ret-conning unsatisfying in a way that detracted from the spirit of the original three books.
That being said, I did enjoy them, especially the Sequels, but as separate stories from The Foundation Trilogy.
Again, this is just my view of things, others have found the Sequels and Prequels to be great additions to the original stories. So take this advice with a grain of salt.
The Prequels are optional.
The Prequels describe Hari Seldon’s life and how he developed psychohistory and planned the two Foundations. To me, going into all that detail “ruins the magic.” I really appreciated not knowing too much about Seldon in the original trilogy.
Knowing so much about Seldon clashes with the major theme of the Foundation series: that the course of history is influenced by masses of people, not individuals. (Don't worry, this is said right at the beginning of Foundation, so no spoilers.)
Knowing less about Seldon makes his character more impressive and mysterious, and I liked it that way. (Again, it fits with the overall theme.)
Revealing so much about him was like revealing too many details about the origins of the Xenomorph in the Alien movies - when we get to know too much about the alien, she becomes less scary.
This is a continuation of my recommendation above. Again, other readers have enjoyed the Prequels and maybe you will too! My advice is merely a reflection of my own experience with the books, and it’s up to you to weigh the opinions and info to make your own decision.
Overall, the Foundation series is wonderful. If you decide to read all or part of the series, I really hope you enjoy it!!!
Fun tidbit for anyone who’s starting to read Asimov’s Foundation series:
Hober Mallow is canonically gay. Asimov doesn’t come out and say it but HO BOY does he imply it. See the scene where Mallow and his “friend” Ankor Jael are hanging out naked in a sunroom.
In the Robin Williams movie Hook (1991), Rufio tells Peter Pan (Williams) that he wishes he had a dad like him.
And the actor who plays Rufio? DANTE BASCO. The actor who voices PRINCE ZUKO. WHO HAS A PRETTY GOOD REASON TO WISH FOR A BETTER FATHER.
SHIT.
Diancie: dan-ice. Dee-an-see? No wtf
Audino: arduino
Poochyena: poo-chee-na (I’m sorry)
Chimecho: actual pronunciation is chīm-eh-koh. Me? Chih-mee-cho
Whismur: s before m? No. Whim-sur
Spinda: same thing, even though SPINda makes perfect sense for this pokermon’s name. No again - it’s spid-na.
Cranidos: why read it correctly when I can add an “a” and make it “craniados”
Buizel: another one where the actual pronunciation makes SO MUCH SENSE because it’s buoy + weasel. But nooooooo I gotta read it as “bee-yu-zel”
Ambipom: there’s no m at the beginning of abipom
Ribombee: should be Riombee