Terminus

**Terminus** is a planet in the Outer Reach. Salvor Hardin serves as the protective warden of the world. Terminus is selected as the site that Hari Seldon's Foundation was exiled to by Cleon XII, unaware that Hari had accounted for this in his plans.

## General Information

Located 50,000 light years from the planet Trantor, Terminus is a planet orbiting a red dwarf star in the Periphery. It is so far away from the galactic Core that it is almost outside of the galaxy itself; as such, there are fewer stars visible in the sky. With a subarctic climate, Terminus was covered in ice but was geologically active. Terminus had four moons; two large and two small. They all orbited in the same direction, and were sometimes all visible in the sky at the same time from the surface. However, they never moved into alignment with each other or the planet. Terminus' seasons were extreme with short days and very long nights. The landscape was barren and it was poor in both metals and minerals. Terminus' only abundant natural resource for sulfur.Local megafauna include the bishop's claw, a cat like predator.

When looking for a location to establish his Foundation, Hari Seldon selected Terminus as the optimal location. Through a series of manipulated events, the Galactic Empire exiled Hari and his project to Terminus. The Foundation established a colony on the planet as part of Hari's plans to safeguard civilzation. It was the location of the Vault, a mysterious artifact that generated a null field that discouraged anything from approaching it.

## History

In 12,072 Era Imperial, the slow ship *Deliverance* arrived at Terminus with around seventeen hundred colonists from the Foundation. An initial landing party led by Lewis Pirenne discovered the Vault, and the colony of Terminus City was founded by detaching the Foundation Tower from the *Deliverance* and landing it on the surface. The colony began to be built using modules and materials from the *Deliverance*, and the ship itself was grounded on the planet. By 12,102 Era Imperial, Terminus City was a burgeoning settlement, watched over by Salvor Hardin as its Warden.

## From the Foundation Books

*Terminus is a planet in the Milky Way galaxy and is the world farthest from the Galactic Centre. Its closest neighbour is the planet Anacreaon, located 26 light years away. Situated on the fringe of the known galaxy, Terminus is the only planet orbiting its star and very few stars are seen from the surface of the planet. Thousands of islands dotted the planet, with the largest being home to Terminus City.*

*With the Galactic Empire in decline, Hari Seldon sought to shorten a predicted period of barbarism from thirty thousand years to only a thousand years. Seldon established a Foundation on the planet Terminus, founding a colony of 100,000 scientists whose public purpose was to publish the Encyclopedia Galactica. In truth, the Foundation was tasked with the mission to preserve science, technology and civilization and be the cornerstone of a new Galactic Empire.*

## Appearances

* Season One
	+ "The Emperor's Peace" (First appearance)
	+ "Preparing to Live" (Mentioned only)
	+ "The Mathematician's Ghost"
	+ "Barbarians at the Gate"
	+ "Upon Awakening"
* Season Two
	+ "In Seldon's Shadow"
	+ "A Glimpse of Darkness"
	+ "King and Commoner"
	+ "Where the Stars Are Scattered Thinly"
	+ "Why the Gods Made Wine" (Mentioned only)
	+ "A Necessary Death" (Mentioned only)
	+ "Long Ago, Not Far Away"

## Sources

* "Foundation: The Art and Making of Seasons 1 & 2"

## External Links

* Learn more about Terminus on the Isaac Asimov Wiki

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "The Emperor's Peace"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Foundation: The Art and Making of Seasons 1 & 2"
3. ↑ "The First Crisis"
4. ↑ "Preparing to Live"
5. ↑ "The Mathematician's Ghost"