‘Foundation‘ is a science fiction action drama based on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series of novels.
The series, which is produced by Apple TV+, chronicles Hari Seldon and his group’s centuries-long war against the galactic empire in the face of the galaxy’s inevitable doom.
The first episode lays the basis for an epic narrative of epic proportions, providing viewers with many key clues, including a hint as to what the show’s namesake, the Foundation, is.
However, a few details may be missed in the dense first episode, so let’s delve into ‘Foundation‘ episode 1 and make sure we’ve covered everything.
A complex saga of humans scattered on planets throughout the galaxy all living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.
Creators: Josh FriedmanDavid S. Goyer
Stars: Jared HarrisLee PaceLou Llobell
Foundations Season 1 Trailers / Promo
Recap of the first episode of Foundations
The episode begins on the faraway planet of Terminus, which lies at the galaxy’s edge. A group of children approach “the vault,” a mysterious floating monolith-like structure said to be guarded by spirits.
They try to approach it one by one but are overcome by debilitating hallucinations before they can get too close.
After that, we’re transported 35 years back in time to the aquatic planet of Synnax, where Gaal’s narrative begins.
Gaal is expelled from Synnax as a youngster after solving a 500-year-old equation. Synnax is an orthodox planet that punishes anyone caught studying mathematics or science.
Hari Seldon, a professor from Trantor, the galaxy’s capital planet, summons her. When she arrives, Hari informs her that he has found a means of foreseeing the future via mathematical calculations.
He describes how the galactic empire is doomed to collapse, resulting in the demolition of thousands of worlds.
He then informs Gaal that he will be apprehended by the galactic emperor’s armies for making traitorous allegations that will disrupt the peace.
Gaal barely has time to review Hari’s work before the two are apprehended, and she is summoned before a tribunal to refute his prediction.
Ending of Foundation Episode 1: What is the Foundation?
To everyone’s surprise, Gaal follows Hari’s prophecies and thereby sentences herself to death.
However, the planet is invaded as they are being transported to their detention centre, resulting in enormous damage and millions of deaths. As a result, the emperor changes his opinion and agrees to let Hari and Gaal live.
Hari is instructed to work on a plan to save humanity after the apocalypse occurs, and the two are banished to the enigmatic planet of Terminus.
The episode then returns to the present, with a grown-up Gaal approaching the Vault and touching it.
Gaal suggests that the Vault is linked to the Foundation towards the end of the first episode, implying that the monolithic edifice is part of Hari Seldon’s plot.
The Foundation is designed to be a repository of all human thought that will survive the apocalypse & pass on the aggregate learnings of one civilisation to the next, as Hari explains during his court proceedings on Trantor.
According to him, the galactic order, as well as all the worlds under it, will be destroyed within the next 500 years. Following that, a dark era of anarchy will reign for around thirty thousand years, after which civilization will re-establish itself.
Hari advocates establishing a “foundation”—a reservoir of knowledge that will aid future civilizations in regaining their footing more quickly—”so that they don’t have to rebuild the wheel.”
Hari believes that if everything goes according to plan and the Foundation is successfully founded, the dark era will be cut in half, from 30 thousand years to only 1000 years. Hari, as well as Gaal, are banished to Terminus by the galactic monarch to build this Foundation.
Is Hari Seldon a mastermind behind the attack on Trantor?
Trantor is devastated by a horrific onslaught that kills millions of people and ruins several layers of the multi-tiered planet.
Hari and Gaal’s timing is eerily coincidental. The two are on their way to their containment chambers, where they will be executed before the onslaught.
The two are freed as a result of the attacks, and Hari even gets his wish to found the Foundation granted. Furthermore, the mathematician did not appear stunned by the attack.
It may appear like his involvement in the attack is rational, but it is not. Hari has exhibited no destructive inclinations and has just maintained his claim to the demise of the empire.
Despite being called a peacebreaker, his ultimate purpose is to aid humanity’s survival. The attacks themselves appear to be the product of unknown tribes from the galaxy’s remote reaches.
In the first episode, we observe a peace summit taking place between two warring worlds tribes. With their darker skin and glimmering blue eyes, the assailants on the sky bridge resemble the two tribes that live there, according to a quick visual comparison.
This means that the attack has nothing to do with Hari or his strategy, and it is most likely retaliation for the summit.
Hari is unsurprised by these occurrences as his mathematical model anticipated that as the galactic empire devolves into anarchy, such incidents would become more frequent.
As a result, he knew that a massive attack on the empire was coming, even though he couldn’t have predicted this precise strike.
