There have been many great science fiction series that have appeared in recent years, with sprawling stories and many characters who do everything in their power to keep the worst of civilizational collapse from coming to pass. Obviously, this central conflict governs the entire show, but Foundation is also a series that flourishes because of its attention to character detail.
Though many people appear, there are only a few that really stand out and demonstrate that they are the truly great characters in this epic story about the end of an old order and the birth of a new one.
Lewis Pirenne
When the series begins, Lewis is one of the more obstructionist characters, mostly because he has his own ideas about how Foundation should be run. This puts him in opposition to Salvor Hardin, who is more independently-minded.
As the series goes on, however, Pirenne shows that he is a man of many depths, that he truly does care about the functioning of the Foundation and its essential mission. And, just as importantly, he also shows how brave he is when he sacrifices his life to help Salvor.
Brother Dusk
The three genetic clones that rule over the Empire are obviously very similar, but they each have personalities of their own.
Of the three, the one that originally occupies the position of Brother Dusk is the most sympathetic, because he constantly cautions restraint and a more compassionate approach to ruling his subjects than his middle brother, Brother Day. He is a very complex character, for it becomes clear that the burdens of leadership weigh very heavily on him, forming his fundamental view of the world.
Brother Dawn
Even though Foundation is a story about the collapse of a vast civilization, it often succeeds in sketching characters that leap off of the screen. One of those whose story is the most fascinating is Brother Dawn, who has already shown that he has some important differences that put his very life at risk.
He repeatedly shows that he is willing to take his own path in terms of his imperial life and that, no matter what happens, he is determined to survive whatever challenges come his way.
Raych Foss
Even though he only appears in a few scenes throughout the first season of Foundation, Raych manages to cast a spell (due in no small part to Alfred Enoch, famous for playing Dean Thomas in Harry Potter).
He is one of the more complicated characters since he has to shoulder the burden of many of Hari’s designs, while he is also dealing with the unpleasant realities of his troubled upbringing. And, just as importantly, he clearly loves Gaal Hardin and really does seem to have her best interests at heart.
Salvor Hardin
When the series begins, Salvor Hardin is one of the most important people at Foundation, charged as she is with protecting the organization and its members.
Throughout the first season, she shows that she is a character with a great deal of moral fortitude, and that she is always going to do what is necessary to protect those who are weaker and more vulnerable than she is. She is especially praiseworthy for her efforts to save the imperial capital of Trantor from the brutal designs of Phara, who wants to wreak absolute havoc.
Demerzel
Like all of the great science fiction shows, Foundation has at least one resident mechanical character, the majordomo Demerzel, a sentient robot in service to the emperors.
What makes her so fascinating isn’t just that she’s a robot who has her own sense of self, but that she also engages in other, more human-like behaviors, including becoming a convert to a human religion. This demonstrates that there is far more to her than meets the eye, and that she may yet have an even bigger part to play in the affairs of the empire.
Phara
When one of the Brother Days decides to bomb a planet called Anacreon, he sets the stage for the emergence of Phara, an avenging angel determined to bring down the empire in payment for what was done to her.
She is utterly unforgiving, and while she is not always the most likable character, there’s no denying that she is still a powerful presence, someone who is so consumed with her desire to fulfill her mission that she will destroy anyone, even the innocent.
Brother Day
Lee Pace is a powerful screen presence with a number of great roles in his filmography, and he brings that to bear in his portrayal of Brother Day. Though the several iterations of the character differ somewhat in their motivations and their actions, Pace ensures that each of them is compelling and powerful to watch.
What’s more, each of them shows a certain brutal logic when it comes to the protection of the empire, willing to destroy anyone, even a charismatic religious leader, who poses a threat to the stability and existence of the empire that he rules.
Hari Seldon
Like Lee Pace, Jared Harris has played a number of high-profile roles, and his turn as Hari Seldon, the canny philosopher and mathematician, is one of those. Of all of the characters, he has the heaviest burden to bear, since he knows that the collapse of the empire is inevitable.
However, he is still determined to make it less bad than it could be, and this includes manufacturing his own supposed assassination. At the same time, he is also a deeply complex character, and whether he is truly moral or just convinced of his own omnipotence is one of the series’ most fascinating questions.
Gaal Dornick
There’s no doubt, though, that Gaal Dornick is the central hub of the entire show, the person around whom all of the action revolves (even when she’s not on the screen).
Unlike Hari who is convinced of his own rightness, Gaal is much more conflicted, and she grows and changes throughout the series' first season, demonstrating time and time again that she will not simply be a pawn in Hari Seldon’s schemes, no matter how right he thinks he is about the collapse of civilization itself.