In S5E03 we talk about chapters 9 through 12 of Foundation’s Edge.
“We Are Not Children to be Frightened with Tales of Grandmother Podcast”
Thanks to Avengers: Endgame lots of people know what the end of a chess game is called. This section of Foundation’s Edge which includes the chapters “Hyperspace,” “Table,” “Sayshell,” and “Agent” is much more like the beginning of a chess game, which is called the “opening.” That’s not nearly as evocative a title. It’s mainly about shifting the pieces around in hopes that something will happen.
And that’s what’s going on here; the players are still being shuffled about the board. Even the most eventful chapter, “Table” results in Gendibal and Novi moving toward the center of the board.
But just because exciting things aren’t happening doesn’t mean these chapters are boring! There’s stuff to be figured out, decisions to be made, and things to discuss! This is where the Great and Glorious Az is at his best! Don’t miss this one!
Plus we think about what the Milky Way Galaxy would look like from Terminus. Let’s go!!
Stars End: A Foundation Podcast 
I continue to love the podcast. It’s really my favorite. I only wish you issued new podcasts just a litt
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Hello
I’m just wondering why after three podcasts this season no mention of the 3rd season being renewed by Apple. Also, that Ebling Mis was cast (El Siddig). This was announced in December. I was wondering what you all thought about the news. Just curious….
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Perhaps their psychohistorical calculations had (correctly) predicted that filming would be put on “indefinite” hold due to budget problems caused by changes in the Czech Republic’s film incentive program; and didn’t want to create false hopes.
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Sayshell – Asimov does indeed describe the planet in the same-named chapter: “… and of course, the ocean.” Surely he’s talking about the Seychelles (as you noted the custom officers’ names sort of sound Indian). And deserts. I don’t think the islands are particularly dry, so that’s different. I know Asimov went on cruises occasionally – surely by the standards of the ’70’s he was well off and could go to the Seychelles or Antarctica or wherever he wanted – one cruise was to near the Canaries to watch an eclipse. I think the idea that he was shuttered in his room in NYC is a bit of personal mythmaking.
Speaking of names, whenever I read Hamish I can’t help thinking of straw hats and suspenders.
That leads to Trantor – I guess Terminusians or whatever they are don’t normally go to Trantor, but there was nothing particularly stopping them. Wouldn’t it be …. surprising to roll up to the great Imperial Library with all its technology and real estate, surrounded by and protected by more or less subsistence and anti-settlement farmers with a back-to-the-land basics culture? This made more sense in the “Second Foundation” or Palaver’s day. We didn’t have to face this, at least not yet.
Asimov thru Trevize does indeed explain the problem with hyperspace jumps, at least to my satisfaction, in “Hyperspace”. In the 1st part he describes the tech, & part 2 describes the problem – the results are TOO PERFECT. He does discover errors, but they are those he makes himself trying to check his work (man that brings me back to physics problem sets in college). The team then permits the entire sequence to go forward which provides part of Gendibals defense I think.
In fact this is perfect. Not only is this a recasting of the whole problem the characters in the book are facing – the “Seldon plan” is too perfect to be real – so is this technology. And not only that – Trevize talks about catastrophes and slight errors leading to big changes in endpoints – he’s hinting at the butterfly effect and suggesting to me that Asimov at the time of writing is aware of dynamic systems theory & maybe what part was hot in the early ’80’s, catastrophe theory. I don’t know if Asimov ever wrote about butterfly effect in his F&SF science articles (probably, just don’t remember or didn’t read) but it was well known at least as a philosophy problem – I learned about it as a kid from Bradbury’s time travel story. Anyway other forms of dynamic systems theory have been offered as criticisms of the idea of Seldon’s plan – was he aware of this?
Finally, I have just learned that the Romans had a god named Terminus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminus_(god)
which I think shows up in Gibbon somewhere.
I’m really enjoying this book and the podcast – so far this book is quite good from the get-go (compare Robots of Dawn). I’ll just finish it up while waiting for the next episodes.
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I almost forgot another gem. On Sayshell the ship computer is left with instructions to kill anyone who attempts to molest their ship while the gang of 2 is off picking up zip lining brochures at the tourist center. No 3-Laws for post-Imperial computers!
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