Hari Seldon

"*You came here hoping to save your world. I’m asking you to dream bigger. Why stop at one world? Why not save the galaxy?*"
—Hari Seldon to Gaal Dornick[src]
**Hariton "Hari" Seldon** is one of the main characters of the Apple TV+ series *Foundation*. An eccentric mathematical genius, Hari Seldon develops Psychohistory, an entirely new science that allows him to calculate the future with stunning accuracy. His predictions foresee the fall of the Galactic Empire within five hundred years, followed by a period of barbarism that would plunge the galaxy into darkness for thirty thousand years. Hari sets out to create a Foundation to soften the fall and preserve science and civilization for future generations. He is portrayed by Jared Harris, first appearing in the episode "The Emperor's Peace".

## Biography

### Early Life

Hari Seldon was born on the planet Helicon, to moonshrike ranchers Kariel and Nolan Seldon. At the age of seven, Hari tore a page out of a book and folded it into a three dimensional object. He realised that a three-dimensonal object could cast a two-dimensional shadow. While his mother praised his intelligence, his father was angry that he ruined a book that he had paid for, and slapped him. As he continued his studies, Hari began to see patterns and paths through the math. In one incident, he used this knowledge to stand in the middle of a moonshrikes stampede without being injured. Hari's mother was worried and shocked, while his father slapped him for his actions.

As a young man, Hari began working at Helicon University in 12,043 Era Imperial where he began to develop the science of Psychohistory. He came into conflict with the provost, Dr. Tadj about his predictions. She was worried that his work was undermining confidence in Empire, but Hari is incredulous that she is essentially saying that it is treason to say "all empires fall." They are interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Yanna Kine, transferring from the University of Calda. She ends up sharing an office with Hari and says his work is brilliant and they will do wonderful things together.

Hari and Yanna's relationship progresses as they work on psychohistory. Hari becomes more and more suspicious of Dr. Tadj after observing her talking to someone in the stairwell. In 12,047 Era Imperial, Hari manages to create a prototype of the Prime Radiant and presents it to Yanna. In return, she reveals she is pregnant with their daughter. Yanna gifts Hari a necklace that allows him to feel both Yanna's and their unborn child's heartbeat. At the university, Hari and Dr. Tadj argue over an offer for him and Yanna to go to Streeling University on Trantor to continue their work; if he refuses, Tadj has orders to terminate his research and confiscate his prototype. While Hari refuses to go, Yanna says they need to consider the decision for their own safety.

Tadj abducts Yanna at gunpoint, and offers Hari a deal: give her the prototype and Yanna will be released unharmed. At the meeting, Tadj has a car waiting to take Hari to Yanna once he gives her the protoype. Instead, Hari hacks the car and it takes them both to Macoda Mesa. Hari reveals he knows the truth - Yanna is dead, he felt her heatbeat stop through the necklace. Using sheepdogs, he calls the moonshrikes towards him. As he did in his youth, Hari stands in the stampede holding Tadj tight. As the moonshrikes surround them, Hari pushes Tadj into their midst. Hari arrives on Trantor, taking up the post at Streeling University. He talks with Jerril, who greets him and gives him a book by Gorik Tarka that he requested.

### The Foundation

Hari Seldon became one of the foremost mathematicians in the galaxy. He is the Professor of Probability Theory at Streeling University on Trantor, and the creator of the science known as Psychohistory. With Psychohistory's ability to predict the behaviour of large populations, Hari reaches the conclusion that the Galactic Empire is doomed and will fall within five hundred years. Following that event, a period of thirty thousand years of war and barbarism would follow. Knowing that the fall is inevitable, Hari sets out to soften the fall by creating a Foundation, an organization that would seek to safeguard civilization and science by creating the Encyclopedia Galactica to preserve human knowledge and experiences. He hopes that his actions will reduce the dark ages to a mere one thousand years before a new Empire can arise. Hari's predictions come to the attention of the Cleon Emperors, who worry that Hari is a revolutionary and seeking to undermine faith in the Empire.

Knowing the Empire is watching, Hari begins planning with his associate, Raych Foss. A mathematics contest is held to solve the Abraxas Conjecture to find someone with the same level of mathematical understanding as himself. The contest is won by Gaal Dornick from Synnax, who travels to Trantor to work with Hari. Hari welcomes her to Trantor and then reveals they are due to be arrested the following day. At the Tribunal, the Empire does exactly what Hari hopes; they try to debunk his findings by letting Gaal—the only other person in the galaxy capable of understanding his equations—examine the Prime Radiant. However, she agrees with Hari's findings. As the Emperors decide Hari's fate, careful not to make him a martyr, a terrorist attack on Trantor's Star Bridge brings attention to the notion that the Empire is beginning to crack. Brother Day exiles Hari and his Foundation to the planet Terminus; if the predictions are wrong, the Foundation would be left to wither. But if the predictions prove correct, then the Empire would be seen to be supportive and use the success to uphold their regime. Hari reveals to Gaal that this was his plan all along, and bringing her to Trantor was the key to it succeeding.

The slow ship *Deliverance* takes Hari and over seventeen hundred colonists to Terminus, a trip that would take several years without a jumpdrive. On the voyage, Hari oversees the training of the colonists and admits that while he planned for this exile, he never imagined himself among the crew of the ship heading to Terminus. He begins to rely more on Gaal, pushing her into a role of leadership. Several months into the voyage, he requested that Raych kill him, believing that it was for the good of the Foundation, telling him that his death at the hands of Raych was the only way that Gaal could be saved. Gaal witnessed Raych in the act of killing Hari, shocked at seeing her lover murder his own foster father and her mentor. Gaal was ejected from the ship in stasis fluid, while Raych was apprehended by the members of the Foundation and eventually executed for his apparent murder of Hari. It was also publicly believed that Gaal was responsible for Hari's death. In spite of his demise, the Foundation endured, and vowed to carry on Hari's principles once the Foundation reached Terminus.

Despite his death on the *Deliverance*, Hari Seldon lived on in the form of two digital consciousnesses; one in the Vault on Terminus, and one stored in the dagger used to kill him and transferred to the *Raven*.

### The *Raven*

*Main article: Hari Seldon (Raven)*
A digitized version of Hari is present on the *Raven*, as part of the Quantum Consciousness Protocol. His form is not complete and is writhing as he was after being stabbed by Raych Foss. The computer aboard the *Raven* states that this is due to an incomplete neural uplink, with the source being the Raych Foss Arrival Protocol.

### The Vault

*Main article: Hari Seldon (Vault)*
Later, another digitized version of Hari came to reveal himself on Terminus via the Vault to members of the Foundation, Anacreons, and Thespis soldiers.

## From the Foundation Books

*Hari Seldon is the hero of of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. Born on the planet Helicon, Seldon showed a prodigious talent for mathematics at an early age, leading him to become a mathematics professor teaching at Streeling University on the planet Trantor. He develops a new science known as Psychohistory combining history, psychology and mathematical probabilities and statistics to predict the future behaviour of societies.*

*Seldon’s use of Psychohistory predicted the collapse of the Galactic Empire, and an ensuing period of barbarism that would last for thirty thousand years before a new empire would arise. Using his new science, Seldon knows the collapse of the Empire can not be stopped, but events can be deflected just enough to limit the intervening dark age to only a thousand years. Seldon establishes the Foundations, two groups of scientists and engineers tasked with preserving science and civilization to become the basis of the new empire.*

## Appearances

* Season One
	+ "The Emperor's Peace" (First appearance)
	+ "Preparing to Live"
	+ "The Mathematician's Ghost" (Mentioned only)
	+ "Barbarians at the Gate" (Mentioned only)
	+ "Upon Awakening" (Mentioned only)
	+ "Death and the Maiden"
	+ "Mysteries and Martyrs"
	+ "The Missing Piece"
	+ "The First Crisis"
	+ "The Leap"
* Season Two
	+ "In Seldon's Shadow
	+ "Why the Gods Made Wine"
	+ "A Necessary Death"
	+ "Creation Myths"

## Sources

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

## External Links

* Learn more about Hari Seldon on the Isaac Asimov Wiki

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "The Emperor's Peace"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "In Seldon's Shadow"
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Upon Awakening"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Preparing to Live"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Why the Gods Made Wine"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Foundation: The Art and Making of Seasons 1 & 2"
7. ↑ "Death and the Maiden"
8. ↑ "The Leap"
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Mysteries and Martyrs"
10. ↑ "The First Crisis"