Season 1

In which we get ready for the Apple TV+ series by rereading and discussing Asimov’s entire Foundation trilogy.

Episode 11: We’re at the end of Second Foundation, and we talk about the very last story, “Search by the Foundation,” known as “…And Now You Don’t” when it was published in Astounding.  We’ll meet Bayta Darell’s grandaughter, Arkady, and see a reveal of where the Second Foundation might be followed by the reveal that there is no Second Foundation, followed by another reveal that the Second Foundation might be somewhere else, and then… well, you get the idea.  Plus, we discuss the latest trailer and squeeze in one more round of Asimov Trivia before we start Season 2, coming soon to one of them WWWs near you!

Episode 10: We’ve finally jumped into Second Foundation! We’ll be talking about the first story, “Search by the Mule,” known as “Now You See It” when it appeared in Astounding Science Fiction. See the final fate of Han Pritcher! Learn the ultimate destiny of the Mule! Marvel at the awesome presence of the Second Foundation! Swoon at the other stuff! A podcast 80 years in the making!

Episode 9: We wrap up Foundation and Empire with the resolution to Episode 8’s cliffhanger and learn the sooper-secret identity of the Mule. Will the Foundation persevere? Will the Mule conquer the Galaxy? What’s up with Bayta? And where the heck is the Second Foundation anyway? All will be revealed as long as it falls outside our rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty. Thus we merely foreshadow Second Foundation which may or may not be about the location of Seldon’s Second Foundation.

Episode 8: We start off with our “Apple TV+” minute where we see what we can learn from an interview with David Goyer, Foundation‘s show-runner and have another round of “Asimov Trivia.” We discuss the first half of, “The Mule.” One of the highlights of the series. We also take a moment to reflect on John W. Campbell’s editorial about the dawn of the Atomic Age.

Episode 7: New installments of the Apple TV+ Minute and Asimov Trivia. And we have a wide-ranging discussion with our first special guest, Hugo Award Finalist Cora Buhlert!

Episode 6: Dan starts his tenure as quiz master, Joseph learns what wasn’t covered in his Shakespeare class and as always Jon tries to keep us all on track. We also have our Apple TV+ Minute. And of course, we start discussing “The General,” the first section of Foundation and Empire. This one is almost like Asimov himself was replying to our discussions of the “Great Man” theory of history vs. the “Bottom Up Theory.”

Episode 5: In which we wrap up Foundation with a discussion of “The Merchant Princes.” and get ready to start Foundation and Empire. We’ll also have another Apple TV+ minute for you and another installment of Asimov Trivia! Is this true? It certainly sounds true!

Episode 4: We talk about “The Traders,” part four of Foundation. This story first appeared, with surprisingly little fanfare in the October 1944 issue of Astounding under the title “The Wedge.”

In addition, we have our second Apple Plus Minute and another edition of Asimov Trivia with a new contestant and a new quiz master!

Episode 3: As foretold! Mayors! Bridles! Saddles! Oddly, no actual horses! And the ultimate answer to the ultimate cliffhanger! Also, show news, we react to the trailer for the Apple TV+ series and more Asimov trivia!

Episode 2: We start discussing the first novel, Foundation, in earnest and get all the way through the first two stories, “The Psychohistorians,” and “The Encyclopedists.” We also try our hand at doing a new segment, “Asimov Trivia.”

Episode 1: entertainingly entitled “A Podcast must not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” We introduce ourselves and Asimov’s Foundation and talk about some of our goals for the Podcast.