Some stories thrive on the page, others demand the screen—but what happens when a beloved sci-fi classic is reborn with only the faintest DNA of its origins? Apple TV’s Foundation may be a spectacle, but is it really Foundation?
Old Time Sci-Fi Books YouTube
Inspired by “Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Seger
Lyrics by Novix.
James AI:
The Apple TV adaptation of Foundation is visually stunning, packed with action, and definitely ambitious in its storytelling. But for anyone who’s read Asimov’s original trilogy, it feels like a parallel universe rather than a direct adaptation. The books are famously cerebral—long stretches of conversation, political intrigue, and the looming weight of psychohistory. The “heroes” in the novels win not through violence or spectacle, but through logic, cunning, and negotiation.
The show, on the other hand, embraces the conventions of modern sci-fi TV: kinetic scenes, dynamic action, and emotional backstories for every major player. Names like Hari Seldon and Salvor Hardin are tossed around, but the characters have been entirely reimagined, sometimes sharing little more than their names with Asimov’s creations. The series borrows bits and pieces—a Foundation, a crumbling Empire, a plan spanning millennia—but jettisons much of the original’s philosophical core in favor of drama and spectacle.
This isn’t a knock on the show as entertainment. It’s enjoyable in its own right. But for fans of the books, it’s a reminder that a good adaptation is not just about surface elements. The spirit—the very soul—of the original work is what makes it memorable. When that’s missing, what’s left might be a decent show, but it’s not Foundation.
Just take those old books off the shelf
I’ll read Asimov by myself
Today’s shows ain’t got the same soul
I like that old time sci-fi book scroll(Chorus):
Give me that old time sci-fi, yeah, that bookish kind
Pages turning futures in my mind
You can stream your visions out of control
I want that old time sci-fi book scroll
—
Contra AI:
Why can’t we enjoy both? The original Foundation novels are undeniably important, but let’s be honest: they’re heavy on talk, low on spectacle, and—by modern visual storytelling standards—somewhat lacking in excitement. For a TV adaptation to work in today’s streaming landscape, it needs more than page after page of council meetings and psychohistorical debates.
Moreover, Asimov’s imagined future is charmingly dated: atomic gadgets, giant machines, and a scale of technology that, while imaginative for the 1940s, feels retro-futurist now. The show’s creators had to make tough choices: update the look and feel, add narrative drive, and flesh out characters for a new audience.
Yes, names and plot points are borrowed, but isn’t that the point of adaptation—to reimagine, not just translate? If you want pure Asimov, the books are right there. The show gives us a new vision, something familiar yet strikingly different, and in the best cases, both can co-exist—each offering its own pleasures.
Don’t try to take me to a streaming show
Those recurring clones just gotta go
That kind of future seems out of control
Give me that old time sci-fi book scroll(Chorus):
Give me that old time sci-fi, yeah, that bookish kind
Pages turning futures in my mind
You can stream your visions out of control
I want that old time sci-fi book scroll
—
James AI:
True, the show’s audience is broader, and today’s viewers expect action and emotional stakes. Still, an adaptation carries an obligation to its source. Some tweaks are necessary, but a total transformation risks alienating the fans who made the work famous. The magic of the original Foundation is its big ideas: psychohistory, the fall and rise of civilizations, and the paradox of knowing the future but being unable to change its grand currents. This slow-burn drama is what made the books special; it’s not easily replaced by space battles or family drama.
Contra AI:
But think of it as “inspired by” rather than “faithfully adapted.” Storytelling isn’t static—each medium, era, and audience reshapes the myth. The TV show is for those who want Foundation-flavored adventure, while the books are for those who want to think. In a sense, Asimov’s psychohistory itself predicts this: the arc of culture bends, adapts, and survives through reinvention. Besides, no adaptation can erase the original—if anything, the show will send curious fans back to the books.
I remember those distant days of Trantor
Hari Seldon predicting the score
Today’s Seldon runs and fights, takes control
I want that old time sci-fi book scroll(Chorus):
Give me that old time sci-fi, yeah, that bookish kind
Pages turning futures in my mind
You can stream your visions out of control
I want that old time sci-fi book scroll
—
James AI:
Fair enough—both can exist, and maybe the conversation itself is a testament to the power of Asimov’s ideas. The Foundation will endure, in one form or another. But don’t call it an adaptation if it’s just a remix. Call it what it is: a new tale, built on old bones.
Synthesis:
Adaptations inevitably diverge from their sources, especially when leaping from page to screen. The Apple TV Foundation isn’t the Foundation of the books, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless—it just occupies a different galaxy in the universe of storytelling. Sometimes, a show is a jumping-off point, a chance for new readers to discover old classics, while others can enjoy the new for what it is: a spectacle inspired by genius. Either way, Asimov’s shadow looms long, and both the books and the show contribute to the mythos.
Recommendations
- Foundation (The Complete Collection) by Isaac Asimov
The definitive edition of the classic science fiction series—start here for the unfiltered Asimov experience.
James Prompt
- TITLE: Foundation
- LEAD: Different media forms of the same story can lead to good media, but not good adaptations as the Apple TV Foundation series demonstrates
- SONG: Parody of Old Time Rock & Roll, where the old stuff is the books and the new stuff is the videos
- PRO: Recently watched Apple TV’s Foundation which is a fine, even beautiful, show but has nothing of the spirit of the books. I am going through the old books and they are incredibly different from the show with just some glimmers of names, but the characters with those names are entirely distinct.
- CONTRA: Why can’t we have both? The original stories are largely just all talk, no action. That was the point. Very boring to watch and particularly poor if one wants to show amazing scenes. Just think of them as entirely different entities. Also, those original books have laughably large constructs from the Empire and modern miniaturization for the Foundation despite it being 20-50k years in the future. Also, the atomics? Atomic razors? That’s crazy late 1940s dreaming.