Apple TV+ Foundation is not just the streamer’s response to different Star Wars shows, it’s also the best science fiction series on television. From The Mandalorian created in 2019, Star Wars released several live shows, from Ahsoka has The Acolyte and many more. Even with all of the franchise’s recent additions to the sci-fi television landscape, Star Wars I still can’t surpass Foundation as the best science fiction television franchise.
Actually, Foundation is the best science fiction show currently on television. That’s quite an accomplishment, considering the long list of the best sci-fi TV shows ever made, even excluding those that no longer release new episodes. Foundation even has strong competition from its own streaming service, as Apple TV+ has gained a reputation for its sci-fi shows. Always, Foundation beats them all.
Sci-fi TV is no better than the foundation
The simple fact is that Foundation handles all the science fiction elements almost perfectly. For example, the show obviously emphasizes math and science, and it is so cleverly written that even high-level theoretical proofs are acceptable to general audiences. Even Hari Seldon’s psychohistory makes sense and follows a discernible logic. Foundation puts science in science fiction, which is surprisingly rare in modern sci-fi television.
Even with a mind as heady and haughty as Foundation It often feels, however, that it still handles its tension, drama, and storylines better than most other shows. As the fall of the Galactic Empire is predicted and slowly unfolds through seasons and conflicts, Foundation slowly creates tension between the Foundation and the Empire and, ultimately, the Mule. For a show based on predicting the future, Foundation is anything but predictable.
SO, Foundation is clearly full of substance in both speculative fiction and political drama and intrigue, but it’s not lacking in style either. Each episode of Foundation has at least one breathtaking cinematic shot. The entire universe seems particularly futuristic and utopian, and the series has cultivated a very distinct visual language. Foundation is an extremely well-directed and choreographed show, and it’s a visual treat to watch.
Apple TV’s Foundation show transcended the source material
Anyone familiar with both the work of Isaac Asimov Foundation novels and the Apple TV+ show know that the TV adaptation is fundamentally different. Everything from the timeline of Foundation to the very genetic dynasty of the cloned Cleons is different, and the series has taken huge liberties with its source material. In a very rare situation, this isn’t really a bad thing for Foundation.
In fact, the Foundation the show transcended Isaac Asimov’s original story. It is not just a story of Foundation in a visual rather than literary medium, it is a complete overhaul of the story to perfect it for a new style of storytelling. Asimov’s books have a very slow pace and a very literary style that often drags out plot points. The books also tell a very broad generational story that can be difficult to follow in a linear fashion.
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THE Foundation The show essentially streamlined Asimov’s novels so that they would work better in a television environment. Plot points that take place years apart in the books are grouped together in the series for clarity and the sake of pacing. Foundation is simply simpler than books. Apple TV+ has somehow taken a classic like Isaac Asimov’s work and tweaked it in exactly the right way to make the adaptation both distinct and familiar.
It’s truly remarkable how Foundationchanges made to its source material work. Asimov’s books only work as books, but Apple TV+’s Foundation only works like a TV show. That’s really what more adaptations should aim for: an interesting reimagining of the subject matter that makes changes to tell a more effective story in a completely different medium. Foundation has succeeded in spades on this front.
What Star Wars shows can learn from the Foundation
As mentioned previously, Foundation is essentially Apple TV+’s answer to the various Disney+ Star Wars watch. Foundation is the definition of a space opera, that’s what Star Wars often strives to be. However, it is also better. Its political intrigue, galaxy-wide conflicts, and examination of science and the distant future are simply more complex and interesting than history. Star Wars shows were (except for Andor).
Even if they are not as good as Foundation, Star Wars shows can still learn from the Apple TV+ adaptation. The biggest lesson they could learn is how to move away from their source material in a meaningful way. Almost all live broadcasts except The Acolyteis liable to the principal Star Wars movies. They all take place in or around the Galactic Civil War, and so they all feel limited.
Foundation has an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% from critics and 73% from audiences.
Star Wars can do the same thing Foundation did: chart a new path for his shows. I don’t say Star Wars shows would have to rewrite the canon or change the timeline, but they can easily explore a new point in the history of the galaxy far, far away. Foundation has no problem jumping hundreds of years into the future, and Star Wars should have no problem doing a show set in, say, the Old Republic. Star Wars doesn’t have to be indebted to the Skywalker saga in the same way Foundation is not indebted to Asimov’s books.
Of course there are other things Star Wars can learn from Foundation. The former could easily copy the latter’s brilliant, suspenseful pacing, exquisite cinematography and visuals, and focus on the logistics of a galaxy-wide empire. Star Wars has always been a fusion of science fiction and fantasy, but a more grounded view of the galaxy worked wonderfully in Andorand it might as well work again. In short, Star Wars could learn a lot from Foundation.
- Release date
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September 23, 2021
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Showrunner
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David S. Goyer
- Directors
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Alex Graves, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Phang, Mark Tonderai, Andrew Bernstein
- Writers
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Jane Espenson, Leigh Dana Jackson, Liz Phang, Eric Carrasco, David Kob, Addie Manis, Marcus Gardley, Lauren Bello, Olivia Purnell
