Friday, October 22, 2021

Foundation: Death and the Maiden Betrays Asimov's Sci-Fi Books

"Isaac Asimov's Foundation books aren't Star Wars, or at least they're not supposed to be. They're not filled with burgeoning heroes, foreboding villains, laser swords, funky aliens, or even much action and adventure, really. They're about math and science and a 1,000-year attempt to save and rebuild civilization after its collapse. That is why Foundation has so often been referred to as unfilmable, and apparently why Apple's Foundation TV series has completely stopped trying.

There are a lot—a lot—of ways the TV series has differed from the books since it premiered, but I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt as showrunner David S. Goyer attempts to add the necessary amount of drama and coherence to keep modern audiences interested and invested in a story that was once dubbed the greatest science fiction series of all time. But this week's episode on Apple TV+, "Death and the Maiden," is a Star Destroyer too far.

Because that's what Foundation has suddenly introduced, really. A giant warship so powerful it will let the Anachreons defeat everything the Galactic Empire can throw at it. It's a sci-fi mega-weapon, just like the Death Star,"

I read the Foundation books so long ago that I barely remember them.  I think that they were more cerebral than they were cinematic.  So far the TV series barely resembles the books, but maybe that is a good thing.

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