Apple TV+'s 'Foundation' Promises a Sci-Fi Epic Worth Waiting For

Apple TV+ has yet to truly stake its claim in the streaming wars by landing a tentpole hit, but judging by the early peeks at Foundation, that all may be about to change. Foundation is Apple TV+'s forthcoming blockbuster science fiction series based on the acclaimed novels of the same title by Isaac Asimov. With a distinguished sci-fi pedigree and a staggering budget, the series promises to be the streaming win that Apple TV+ has been chasing. Here’s everything we know so far.

What is Foundation About?

Foundation is adapted from the long-running series of the same title by science fiction titan Isaac Asmiov, who released seven installments over half a century. In 1966, the Foundation series, then just a trilogy, beat out The Lord of the Rings to earn the prestigious one-time Hugo Award for “Best All-Time Series.” The first installment centers on Hari Seldon, a mathematician who has spent his life developing the theory of psychohistory, a statistical process that can predict the future of large populations. Seldon is called to stand trial, where he predicts the imminent fall of the Galactic Empire, followed by a 30,000 year dark age before the rise of a Second Empire. Though the unfolding of events cannot be stopped, an alternative prediction promises a dark age of only one millennium, provided that Seldon is able to assemble a “Foundation of scientists and engineers, who together will create the Encyclopedia Galactica, a compendium of all human knowledge." Seldon’s request is granted, though he and his fellow “Encyclopedists,” seen as doomsayers by the ruling family, are exiled to the remote planet of Terminus.

Fifty years later, Seldon is dead and Terminus is in freefall. A hologram left by Seldon informs Encyclopedists that the Encyclopedia Galactica was merely a ruse to assemble a population on Terminus, which is instrumental to reducing the dark age. As the Foundation on Terminus grows in power, developing newer and greater technologies that outstrip the capabilities of the Galactic Empire, an interplanetary showdown plays out between the warring planets, all of which are vying for galactic dominance.

Who Is In the Cast?

Emmy winner Jared Harris leads the cast as Hari Seldon, while Lee Pace appears as the Galactic Emperor Brother Day. Lou Llobell stars as Gaal, Lea Harvey as Salvor Hardin (an early leader of Terminus), Laura Birn as Demerzel (the aide to Brother Day), and Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk (the eldest member of the ruling family).

Blockbuster screenwriter David Goyer (the co-writer of The Dark Knight and Batman Begins) is the driving force behind the adaptation, serving as executive producer and showrunner. Robyn Asimov, Asimov’s daughter, is also an executive producer. In a recent interview, Goyer said of the adaptation:

What Does the Trailer Reveal?

While previous teasers for the show have centered Hari Seldon, the full-length trailer introduces Gaal, a loyal follower and pupil of Seldon. We see Seldon explain psychohistory, describing it as, "The future of mankind expressed in numbers." Seldon goes on to say, "The Empire won't like the future I predict." Seldon is right: the trailer cuts to ominous footage of explosions and warfare, with Brother Day plotting to murder Seldon.

Then, the titular foundation comes into play, with Seldon addressing a crowd: "Many years from now, if humanity is to climb from the ashes, the coming generations will need the knowledge to build upon: a foundation." As war and violence rage, the characters debate what knowledge should be preserved, and what must be forgotten, teeing up an epic showdown between the Empire and the holdouts.

A previous trailer opened with an old man visiting a newborn suspended in a tank, saying, "I can't be the first one who wanted to see my younger self." This is Brother Dusk, the eldest member of the Cleon Genetic Dynasty, which rules the Galactic Empire. We cut to a throne room, where we see Brother Dusk, Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton), and Brother Day: three clones of Empire Cleon, who, as Brother Day reveals, "have reigned for almost four centuries."

"The might of the Imperium has brought peace to thousands of worlds, but the beliefs of one man now threaten the empire's very existence," Brother Day intones. That man is none other than Seldon, who warns while standing trial, "Order will vanish. Wars will be endless." The trailer goes on to tee up the epic conflict between Seldon and Brother Day, who seeks to destroy Seldon and his growing following as chaos reigns throughout the Galactic Empire.

In the final shot of this trailer, we glimpse Goyer's ambitious take on the Vault, a mysterious floating object on Terminus that holds the key to the Foundation's uprising. Salvor, the only character immune to the Vault's dangerous "null field," looks on.

"No one knows where it came from," Goyer told EW. "It was there on Terminus when the colonists arrived and it's one of the mystery boxes of the show. We'll definitely find out what's in the Vault in the season, although there are other mysteries to reveal about the Vault in later seasons. All we know is that Salvor has a very special relationship to the Vault."

How Will the Show Be Different Than the Book?

Though Asimov purported to be a feminist, he and his works have come under fire for their scarce or underwritten female characters. Goyer seems to be making a concerted effort to reimagine the series’ sexual politics, gender-bending three male characters (Demerzel, Salvor, and Gaal) by reimagining them with female or non-binary actors.

In a new featurette about the process of adapting the novels, Goyer spoke about the monumental task of adapting this seminal work that shaped the science fiction genre, but never received its own big-screen adaptation. "Foundation is the greatest science fiction work of all time, and it's never been brought to the screen before," Goyer said. "It was such a phenomenal influence on the Star Wars universe. Even things like Dune were influenced by Foundation."

Goyer went on to describe Foundation as "a story of ideas," involving Hari Seldon's "thousand-year chess game." Throughout the decades, many have described the series as un-adaptable, owing to its heavy emphasis on ideas and philosophy over character-driven story. Goyer claims to have found a way around the eternal problem, saying, "The trick was figuring out how to take these weighty ideas that span millennia and make them emotional."

When Will Foundation Come Out?

Foundation is set to land on September 24, 2021. Watch this space for updates as we continue to learn more.

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