Warning: Spoilers ahead forFoundationseason 3, episode 1, “A Song For the End of Everything.“Foundationseason 3’s opener, “A Song For the End of Everything,” brings back Apple TV+’s epic space opera with some great scenes, but one of the most interesting moments isn’t directly shown. Instead, a member of the returningFoundationcastmentions something they did a long time ago, and I’m devastated the show kept it unseen.
It’s sometimes whatFoundationdoesn’t reveal that makes it one ofApple TV+’s best sci-fi shows. However, I can’t help but feel like the season 3 premiere would have been made even better if it had openly shown an event that was only discussed. If it had, it could easily have made the list ofFoundation’s best scenes so far.
I Loved Learning More About Lady Demerzel’s Origin Story In The Foundation Season 3 Opener
The Robot pulling Empire’s strings has a blood-soaked history
InFoundationseason 3, episode 1, Laura Birn’s Lady Demerzel speaks about the Robots' war with mankind that took place centuries before the show began.The conflict in question has been mentioned inFoundationbefore, but only in passing. Hearing Demerzel go into more detail was easily my favorite sequence in the episode, despite it happening off-screen.
That said,I understand whyFoundationopted not to show Demerzel’s time in the Robot War. It’s not directly related to season 3’s storyline, but is instead just tangentially relevant. Plus, withFoundationseason 3 being made on a reduced budget, it’s possible that shooting the scene was viewed as surplus to requirements. However, this is just a theory.
Lady Demerzel’s History Lesson Further Cements Another Isaac Asimov Story As Foundation Canon
The Robots Wars lurk in Foundation’s past
Foundationis the latest of manyIsaac Asimov live-action adaptationsof the author’s work, but none of them are set within the same universe. This is perhaps confusing whenAsimov penned theFoundationnovels as part of a shared canonwith his Robot book series, with Demerzel being a prominent character in both.
So, whilethe Robot Wars are already generally accepted to be part of Apple TV+‘sFoundationcanon, or at least some version of the conflict, Demerzel’s recollection of events in “A Song For the End of Everything” places the Robot books in a far stronger position at the heart of the canon of Apple TV+’s adaption of Asimov’s sprawling space opera.
Foundation’s Demerzel has been gender-swapped, as the character is a male Robot in the source material.
Perhaps the most solid piece of evidence to support this folding in of the Robot series to theFoundationshow is Demerzel’s mention of the Zeroth Law of Robotics. While Asimov’s Three Laws were intended to protect humanity from the Robots,the Zeroth Law was added in 1985’sRobots and Empire, which was the work that brought both universes together.
The Zeroth Law broadened the definition of what a human was to a Robot, and ultimately made the positronic lifeforms appraise humanity’s safety as a whole, which circumvented the original Laws and allowed Robots to kill individual humans if it meant the long-term survival of the species. Hopefully,Foundationrevisits the Robot Wars more comprehensively - and soon.
New episodes ofFoundationseason 3 release every Friday on Apple TV+ until the finale on September 12.
Foundation
Cast
Foundation is a science fiction film that follows a band of exiles on a crucial journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization as the Galactic Empire collapses.
