Foundation

“He sighed noisily, and realized finally that he was on Trantor at last; on the planet which was the center of all the Galaxy and the kernel of the human race. He saw none of its weaknesses. He saw no ships of food landing. He was not aware of a jugular vein delicately connecting the forty billion of Trantor with the rest of the Galaxy. He was conscious only of the mightiest deed of man; the complete and almost contemptuously final conquest of a world.”

Dornick, new to the capital planet, is unaware of the deeply entrenched problems of the ancient Galactic Empire and that will cause its doom. An empire whose greatest achievement is the complete smothering of a planet with a city of government officials is an empire focused on authority instead of innovation. Here, Asimov contrasts human obsession with domination with the tenuousness of civilization.

“Even if the Empire were admitted to be a bad thing (an admission I do not make), the state of anarchy which would follow its fall would be worse. It is that state of anarchy which my project is pledged to fight. The fall of Empire, gentlemen, is a massive thing, however, and not easily fought.”

Under questioning at his trial for treason, Hari Seldon declares that he cannot prevent the fall of the Empire but can reduce the period of anarchy that follows. Here, Asimov explicitly proposes that the continuity of human civilization is an innate good, while also proposing that the cyclical decline of empire is inevitable.

“‘I, as Mayor of Terminus City, have just enough power to blow my own nose and perhaps to sneeze if you countersign an order giving me permission. It’s up to you and your Board then. I’m asking you in the name of the City, whose prosperity depends upon uninterrupted commerce with the Galaxy, to call an emergency meeting—’

‘Stop! A campaign speech is out of order.’”

This quote exemplifies the power struggle between Mayor Hardin and the Foundation’s Board. The Board seeks to curtail any attempt by Hardin to influence their decisions and exhibit real power, even interrupting Hardin’s somewhat sarcastic beseeching. This moment also foreshadows the eventual reversal of this dynamic, when Hardin’s figurehead status transforms into real authority.