Foundation: They should make that into a movie

The original covers from the 1960s of the first three books in Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series.

Source: https://electricliterature.com/heres-a-bunch-of-awesome-book-covers-from-isaac-asimovs-foundation-series/

(May be subject to copyright)

At one point in my life I thought, “Wouldn’t that make a great movie?” However, back in the 1980s, it was not that common for Hollywood to make old books into movies, especially science fiction ones. Even when they did, they met with mixed box office success.

So, I was absolutely thrilled a few months ago when I saw an ad for something called, “Foundation.” My first thought was someone was using the same name as some books I read 40 years ago. It couldn’t possibly be the science fiction books I read. I intentionally stayed away from trailers, and instead read the description of a couple episodes. When I saw the names Hari Seldon and Salvor Hardin, I knew it was the same “Foundation”.

It really should not have surprised me because, with streaming services, on-demand programming and binge-watching, there is almost an insatiable appetite for TV shows and movies. Not only are filmmamkers mining old movies and TV shows to re-boot, but looking at everything ever written to see if they can make that into something.

The quality is as good or better than it’s ever been. Without the need to shoe horn a show into a television time slot, stories that would have been boiled down into their simplest elements, to fit in a two-hour movie, are now being given the attention they need and deserve. They are now five, six or even 10-episode series or more.

That is what appears to be happening with “Foundation”.

The originally trilogy is the only one I ever read, and I read it twice because it just resonated with me.

I haven’t started watching the “Foundation” TV series, which has now blossomed into 20 episodes, but I soon will.

Until then, I am going to think back on how I discovered “Foundation” and where I was at different points in time when it intersected with my life.

Con-version
It was my first real road trip, in the summer after Grade 10, so 1985. My friend David Perlich invited me and another friend named Craig to Calgary. There was going to be a science fiction and fantasy convention up there at the Carriage House Inn called “Con-version”.

The event ran from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, and was a weekend I will never forget. There were panel discussions, a fiction contest, demonstrations of knights in armour doing battle, a room that continuously played movies, a place to play games, and more.

There was also what they called “The Hucksters Room”. It was like a giant garage sale for science fiction and fantasy stuff. They sold everything from posters, toys and mugs to collectibles and books.

I bought my first trilogy – “Foundation”; “Foundation and Empire”; and “Second Foundation” by Isaac Asimov in “The Hucksters Room”. There was a fourth book, “Foundation’s Edge” that looked quite a bit newer, but I bought that too.

Reading time
It’s funny. Right when I got home from “Con-version”, I had two of my cousins from Brooks staying over for a week. It was a lot of fun, as it always was.

Yet, I wanted to read “Foundation”.

I think I started, after everyone turned in for bed at night. When it was my turn to go to Brooks for a couple weeks, I took those books with me to read. My stay started on the farm with my cousin Chris. Before I turned inI for the night I read for a few minutes. Then for the rest of the visit I went in to Brooks to visit my cousins Fred, Henry and Bobby and my Aunt Monica and Uncle Pete – and promptly forgot those books.

Chris had come to Brooks too, so he phoned his mom, my Aunt Sylvia, who was coming to town anyway. So she delivered the books when she came by.

Through all that, I didn’t finish reading the trilogy.

That actually occurred about five years later. It was the summer of 1988 and I had just come home after my first year of university. I was at Coles Books in the Lethbridge Centre Mall and noticed a book in the new section – “Prelude to Foundation”.

“What?” I thought.

That piqued my curiosity enough to dig out those books. This time I read them all, starting with “Foundation”, which I had read before; “Foundation and Empire”, which I think I may have just started; “Second Foundation”, which was new to me; and that add-on which I learned was written 30 years later called “Foundation’s Edge”.

After reading that, I discovered another thing. Isaac Asimov had written another book, a second sequel, called “Foundation and Earth”. I discovered that when I thumbed through “Prelude to Foundation” and saw it listed among the other books written by Isaac Asiumov.

It was quite exciting.

But I never pursued it.

I got busy thinking about my next year in university and just never got back to “Foundation”.

The story
What made “Foundation” so interesting for me was the way Asimov structured the first book. It tells the story of a decaying Empire and a scientist named Hari Seldon who comes up with his theory of psychohistory. He essentially can predict the future mathematically. Seldon then leaves a series of clues to be opened at points in the future, as the Empire continues to decay and the Foundation rises. The first book was divided into sections, based on these various points in history. I later discovered that was because Asimov initially published the story in a magazine in instalments. That makes sense because, although they are connected, they are also pretty self-contained stories.

It is the kind of story I really like. There is an underdog facing persecution, who rises up facing overwhelming odds, to fight against a large, domineering power. It’s what I liked about “V”, and “The Hunger Games”, and “Foundation”.

Parting thoughts
I still haven’t started watching “Foundation” after starting this post. I am sure I will, and I want to, but I think I may try and re-read the books. One of the strengths I find in Isaac Asimov’s writing is that it is so easy to read.

In any event, I always thought “Foundation” would make a good movie and now, here it is.

Let’s see how they did.