Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing film franchises in the world, but it might not exist without the influences of many other storytellers. While Star Wars creator George Lucas has cited Akira Kurosawa and Flash Gordon as some of his inspirations, there’s another strong influence that doesn’t get as much attention from fans: Foundation.
Foundation Season 3 recently premiered on Apple TV+, enamouring its fan base with its hard sci-fi premise and epic scale. Unfortunately, it remains one of the streamer’s more underrated series. Although it hasn’t received the attention it deserves, the story it adapts inspired a plethora of major space epics, including Star Wars.
Foundation's Influence On The Space Opera Subgenre
Over two decades before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope arrived on the big screen, Isaac Asimov published the first book in his Foundation series. Asimov initially planned the stories as a trilogy, consisting of Foundation (1951), Foundation and Empire (1952), and Second Foundation (1953); however, the series would later expand to include four more novels.
Foundation is often considered a cornerstone of sci-fi because it introduced so many groundbreaking sci-fi concepts that continue to influence the genre to this day. The series is a space epic centered on the final days of the Galactic Empire. As the ruling body of the galaxy, the Empire oversees numerous planets and trillions of people. When psychohistorian Hari Seldon predicts its fall, he also foresees the centuries of darkness its end will herald. Desperate to minimize the impact of the fall, Seldon creates the Foundation, an Institute dedicated to preserving civilization and paving the way for a new empire.
Asimov’s story was far from the first space opera. Still, its tale of a Galactic Empire reigning over the galaxy is something that has seeped into the DNA of the space operas that followed, including Dune, Star Wars, and Rebel Moon. However, it’s not just the concept of a Galactic Empire that sci-fi stories have borrowed from Asimov, but also the overarching themes of power, oppression, and the building blocks of civilization.
The Parallels Between Foundation And Star Wars
Upon reading Foundation, it’s not hard to notice the many ways in which it parallels Star Wars. There’s the most obvious similarity, which is that each story's premise revolves around a pre-established Galactic Empire and sets its demise as the primary conflict. Although the Star Wars prequel trilogy would later delve into the establishment of the Galactic Empire, it initially shared Foundation’s formula of a pre-existing empire. Both Foundation and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi also feature the collapse of the Empire.
Even as Star Wars expanded into its own, distinct franchise, its stories still mirror Foundation. For example, the Foundation faces challenges from remnants of the Empire after it falls, much like the Imperial Remnants that surface in Star Wars’ newer projects, including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.
Asimov’s Foundation is also credited with popularizing the concept of hyperspace for traveling at the speed of light, which figures prominently in Star Wars and most major space epic franchises. Star Wars’ Coruscant, introduced on-screen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, also parallels Trantor in Foundation, as both are the politically significant Capitals of the Empire that took the form of a planet-wide city. However, Timothy Zahn created Coruscant rather than Lucas, suggesting multiple creatives in the Star Wars franchise potentially drew inspiration from Foundation.
Meanwhile, it’s not just story elements that Star Wars and Foundation share, but also the heart of the story. Both are tales of how just one individual has the power to change the fate of an entire galaxy, and about the resilience and evolution of civilization in the face of oppression and dramatic changes.
Did Foundation Inspire Star Wars?
Interestingly, Lucas has never directly confirmed if Foundation served as his inspiration for Star Wars, although he has praised Asimov’s work, including his exploration of robots. Asimov, however, stated that he believed Foundation did inspire Star Wars. In one introduction from 1983, he noted how Star Wars “here and there, offered rather more than a whiff of the Foundation.” However, he conceded that he didn’t mind the similarities and even professed himself to be a fan of Star Wars, noting that he himself pulled extensively from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Ultimately, it’s likely that Foundation played some role in inspiring Star Wars, Dune, Star Trek, and practically every major sci-fi franchise that explores galactic empires and space travel. Foundation itself wasn’t without inspiration, as it's virtually a sci-fi rendering of a history book. Every story starts somewhere, and Star Wars did as well, drawing inspiration from an existing tale and evolving into something more original.
Where To Watch Star Wars And Foundation Online
To discover more about TV shows and movies currently streaming in the US, check out the JustWatch streaming guide! You can filter your search by streaming service, genre, price, age rating, and score. Be sure to build your watchlist and receive helpful notifications on what to watch next based on your preferences!
