During the particular WWDC of Apple of 2020 -the first to be carried out entirely online-, the Cupertino firm took the opportunity to show us the first preview of Foundation, the big bet within its on-demand content platform. It was a TV series inspired by the novels of Isaac Asimov, whose existence has been known for quite some time when the purchase of the rights by those of Cupertino came to light. The first season came to the Apple TV + service, leaving many wanting more. This is all you need to know about her.
The Foundation series, Isaac Asimov's proposal
We cannot deny that Apple has had a very good eye. And it is that the story on which this series is based is one of the most complex and well-known science fiction sagas in literature -in fact, it has influenced numerous subsequent cinematographic stories such as the very Star Wars. We talk, of course, about the foundation series, a set of books written by Isaac Asimov between the 4s and the 90s, considered by some to be the standard of science fiction novels -along with Dunes.
En Fundación We know of a future world in which humans and machines will live practically together, united and barely distinguishable from each other. The series is made up of three sections or cycles differentiated that were initially developed independently and later linked masterfully by Asimov in the same "universe".
Each cycle focuses on a major theme: the first (baptized Robot Series or Earth Cycle), in which development of robotic science on earth and the first efforts to colonize our galaxy; the second (the Galactic Empire Trilogy), the initial and continuous of a galactic empire; and the third (called the Foundation Cycle or Trántor Cycle), the fall of that domain and the rise of a second empire with the help of the Foundation.
And in case you hadn't already guessed it from the title on Apple TV+, the fiction that has concluded its first season is actually based on the third cycle.
Foundation series books
If after watching it, the series arouses your curiosity about the great literary work of Isaac Asimov, we leave you below the three cycles and all the novels that are part of each of them (with their year of publication in parentheses):
Robot series (or Earth Cycle)
- I, robot (1950)
- The Steel Vaults (1954)
- The Naked Sun (1957)
- The Robots of Dawn (1983)
- Robots and Empire (1985)
Galactic Empire Trilogy
- In the star arena (1951)
- Space Currents (1952)
- A Pebble in the Sky (1950)
Foundation Cycle (or Trantor Cycle)
- Prelude to the Foundation (1988)
- Towards the Foundation (1993)
- Foundation (1951)
- Foundation and Empire (1952)
- Second Foundation) (1953)
- Foundation Limits (1982)
- Foundation and Earth (1986)
series synopsis Fundación
Summarizing a lot, because the novels are too deep and we will understand them with the arrival of new seasons, Fundación tells us the story of Dr. Hari Seldon and his loyal followers, who will try to preserve the culture of their civilization away from Trantor and the Genetic Dynasty of which the old scientist predicts his imminent fall from grace thanks to the psychohistory. Almost nothing.
The wrath of the emperors at such "revelations" will fall on Seldon and his followers, who they will have to leave for the confines of the outer rim of the galaxy to create your Foundation. At the same time, the figure of another protagonist appears, Gaal Dornick, who seems to be the only one (in the books he was a man, by the way) who really knows what the secrets of that psychohistory developed by Hari Seldon are and who is capable of predicting the future. future with overwhelming precision.
Along the way, new cracks will open up in the Universe and in the faith of certain characters who they will try to stamp out dissenting voices by acting harshly. The cycle of the Genetic Dynasty, too, will be altered practically from its foundations and the answer offered by the Empire could define the fate of all planets.
Cast and crew of Fundación
Some well-known faces appear in this series that, of course, has spared no budget in its staging, something that you will be able to verify from the first chapter.
Jared Harris
Winner of a SAG and nominated for an Emmy, Jared Harris (The Crown, Chernobyl) is who gives life to Hari seldon. During his stay at Streeling University in Trantor, this character was in charge of developing psychohistory. This consists of a series of equations that allowed him to predict the future in probabilistic terms. Due to his predictions of the decline and end of the Galactic Empire, his companions gave him the nickname 'Seldon Raven'.
In Asimov's work, this character has greater importance right in the first book of the Foundation Saga. Later, the character was developed in much more detail in his two proto-sequels: Prelude to the Foundation y Towards the Foundation. Hari Seldon is also the central character of the second Foundation trilogy, which was written after Asimov's death.
Lee Pace
Known for the extraordinary series Halt & Catch Fire, plays the role of Brother Day, Emperor of the Galaxy who resides on Trantor and who is torn between the tyrannical tradition of his other brothers who played the same role in previous generations, or cause a small revolution to appease the people who are beginning to view his absolute power with some mistrust.
Lou llobell
She is the mathematical genius Gaal Dornick, the only one that has been able to unravel the mysteries of Hari Seldon's psychohistory and that in the Apple TV+ series will star in a peculiar story in which space-time and the different phases of the Foundation are played with. Its narrative plane is one of the most interesting from the first season.
Leah harvey
His story will be decisive in the series with a role that is gaining importance as the episodes go by. She plays Salvor Hardin, guardian of the first Foundation and link to some key characters from the early years of the journey to the outer rim. from his hand we will know events after those experienced by Gaal Dornick and Hari Seldon.
Laura birn
Mysterious and faithful to the emperors of Trantor, Eto Demerzel manages the strings of everything that happens in the court and at times there will be those who come to think that his power of influence is above what tradition requires of him.
Terrence mann
Brother Descent is the veteran version of Brother Day and, therefore, the oldest member of the dynasty, the one who already sees his life escape and awaits his elimination to welcome a new Brother Descent.
Cassian bilton
Brother Despunte is the young heir to the dynasty that, over time, will end up becoming Brother Day. His appearance will be decisive in the series because it will mark the beginning of something that Hari Seldon himself had already seen happen thanks to his controversial psychohistory.
Production and script
The production of the series has been carried out by Skydance Television (responsible for fictions such as Altered Carbon o jack ryan) and the executive production has also had a good number of proper names: Robyn Asimov, David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Welsh, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross.
As for the scriptwriting, both David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, two industry veterans, were entrusted with the daunting job of doing it.
Foundation Trailer
During WWDC 2021, Apple finally showed the impressive production quality of this new proposal with the first two official trailers. We leave them here in case you want to remember them.
After these two videos came the first official trailer, with substance and some images that hinted at the scale of the production:
It was not the last. With the aim of continuing to whet your appetite, Apple published another later advance through its YouTube channel with a video of the calls First Look:
First season of Foundation
The first season was configured around 10 episodes that tell us, from the first problems of the Empire with Hari Seldon and his predictions about the end of the genetic dynasty, until the creation of the first Foundation on the planet Terminus.
Just say that the second consignment is on the way, at least in the production process and with our sights set for a premiere in 2023. There is no doubt that, except for an unexpected abrupt cancellation, Fundación It will reach eight seasons and a total of 80 chapters -yes, there is a lot to tell.
How many episodes does the first season have?
These are all of the first season, broadcast on Apple Tv+ in a dosed manner, episodes per week (except the first two that were released at the same time):
- The Emperor's Peace (released on September 24, 2021)
- Prepare to live (September 24, 2021)
- The mathematician's ghost (October 1, 2021)
- Barbarians at the gates (October 8, 2021)
- Upon awakening (October 15, 2021)
- Death and the Maiden (October 22, 2021)
- Mysteries and martyrs (October 29, 2021)
- The missing piece (November 5, 2021)
- The first crisis (November 12, 2021)
- The jump (November 19, 2021)
Second season of Foundation
As we have already told you, Apple plans that foundation will last eight seasons so a second batch is already under development. And where or when will it take place? Well, if we trust what was seen in the last of the chapters, we assume that we will continue to see this last time jump lived 138 years in the future to learn more about the meeting between Salvor Hardin and what seems to be his mother, Gaal Dornick. A twist that left us with our mouths open to those of us who follow fiction.
Obviously we look forward to seeing everything that happens with Terminus, the system where the first Foundation is established, as well as all the parallel plots that we could see in the series. There are many characters that we do not know exactly where they are, if they have simply died or if they will go into the background and, therefore, will not be relevant to the narrative. Including the members of the genetic dynasty that, we assume, will continue to succeed with the Day, Breakthrough and Twilight brothers at the hands of Trantor.
We will therefore see many of the protagonists already known in the first installment: Hari Seldon, Brother Day, Salvor Hardin and Gaal Dornick (as we have already mentioned), Brother Descent and Brother Rise, among others. And also to new faces confirmed by those of Cupertino (up to 10 new actors are incorporated, be careful) such as Isabella Laughland (Black Mirror, saga Harry Potter), Kulvinder Ghir (I want to be like Beckham), Sandra Yi Sencindiver (The wheel of time), Ella-Rae Smith (do not talk to strangers), Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), Dimitri Leonidas (Doctor Who, Centurion) or Ben Daniels (House of Cards, Rogue One), among others.
When it premieres?
The complexity of recording and especially production and post-production is great in this case so that although it is known that filming began in April 2022, it could still take a long time to see the second season on the air.
We imagine that at some point in 2023 will be chosen, hopefully in the first half of the year. Let's see if we're not wrong and we'll have it soon in the apple catalog. As for some kind of advance or trailer, we doubt that we will see anything at the end of this year, although the most optimistic maintain the hope that it will be so.
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