Why Apple TV's Foundation Outshines Star Wars as the Top Sci-Fi Series

Foundation is the Best Sci-Fi Series on Television

Apple TV+'s Foundation isn't just the streamer's answer to the various Star Wars shows; it's also the best science fiction series on television. Since The Mandalorian premiered in 2019, Star Wars has come out with several live-action shows, from Ahsoka to The Acolyte and many more. Even with all the franchise's recent additions to the sci-fi TV landscape, Star Wars still can't surpass Foundation as the best sci-fi TV franchise.

In fact, Foundation is the best sci-fi show currently on television. That's quite an accomplishment, considering the long list of the best sci-fi television shows ever made, even discounting ones that are no longer releasing new episodes. Foundation even has some heavy competition from its own streaming service, as Apple TV+ has gained a reputation for its sci-fi shows. Still, Foundation beats them all.

Sci-Fi Television Doesn't Get Better Than Foundation

The simple fact of the matter is that Foundation handles every element of science fiction nearly flawlessly. For example, the show obviously has a huge focus on math and science, and it's so smartly written that even high-concept theoretical proofs are palatable to general audiences. Even Hari Seldon's psychohistory makes sense and follows discernable logic.

Foundation puts the science in sci-fi, which is startlingly rare in modern sci-fi TV. Even with as heady and high-brow as Foundation often feels, however, it still handles its tension, drama and intrigue better than most other shows. As the Galactic Empire's fall is predicted and slowly plays out across seasons and conflicts, Foundation slowly builds up the tensions between the Foundation and Empire and, eventually, the Mule.

For a show based on predicting the future, Foundation is anything but predictable.

So, Foundation is clearly full of substance in both speculative fiction and political drama and intrigue, but it's also not lacking in style. Every episode of Foundation has at least one shot that is breathtakingly cinematic. The entire universe feels uniquely futuristic and utopian, and the show has cultivated a very distinct visual language.

Foundation is an immensely well made and coreographed show, and it's a visual treat to watch.

Apple TV's Foundation Show Has Transcended The Source Material

Anyone who is familiar with both Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels and the Apple TV+ show knows that the TV adaptation is fundamentally different. Everything from the timeline of Foundation to the very genetic dynasty of cloned Cleons is different, and the show has taken huge liberties with its source material. That, in a very rare turn of events, isn't actually a bad thing for Foundation.

In fact, the Foundation show has transcended Isaac Asimov's original story. This isn't just a retelling of Foundation in a visual medium rather than a literary one, it's a complete overhaul of the story to perfect it for a new style of storytelling. Asimov's books have a very slow pace and have a very literary style that often drags out plot points. The books also tell a very sprawling, generational story that can be hard to follow in a linear fashion.

The Foundation show basically streamlined Asimov's novels so that it would work better in a TV setting. Plot points that take place years apart in the books are clumped together in the show for the sake of clarity, and the pacing of Foundation is simply more streamlined than the books. Apple TV+ somehow took a classic like Isaac Asimov's work and changed it in exactly the right way to make the adaptation both distinct and familiar.

It's really remarkable how well Foundation's changes to its source material work. Asimov's books only work as books, but Apple TV+'s Foundation only works as a television show. This is really what more adaptations should strive for: a worthwhile reimagining of the subject matter that makes changes to tell a more effective story in a completely different medium.

Foundation succeeded in spades on that front.

What Star Wars Shows Can Learn From Foundation

As previously mentioned, Foundation is essentially Apple TV+'s answer to the various Disney+ Star Wars shows. Foundation is the definition of a space opera, which is what Star Wars often strives to be. However, it's also better. Its political intrigue, galaxy-wide conflicts, and examination of both science and the far future are simply more complex and interesting than the Star Wars shows have been (except for Andor).

Even though they're not as good as Foundation, Star Wars shows can still learn from Apple TV+'s adaptation. The biggest lesson they could learn is how to move away from their source material in a meaningful way. Almost every live-action show, except for The Acolyte, has been beholden to the main Star Wars movies. They all take place in or around the Galactic Civil War, and they all feel limited as a result.

Foundation has an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% with critics and 73% with audiences. Star Wars can do the same thing Foundation did: carve a new path for its shows. I'm not saying Star Wars shows should rewrite canon or switch up the timeline, but they can easily explore a new point in the history of the galaxy far, far away.

Foundation has no problem jumping hundreds of years into the future, and Star Wars should have no problem making a show set in, say, the Old Republic. Star Wars doesn't have to be beholden to the Skywalker Saga in the same way Foundation isn't beholden to Asimov's books.

Of course, there are other things Star Wars can learn from Foundation. The former could easily copy the latter's brilliant, suspenseful pacing, its exquisite cinematography and visuals, and its focus on the logistics of a galaxy-wide empire.

Star Wars has always been a fusion of sci-fi and fantasy, but a more grounded take on the galaxy worked brilliantly in Andor, and it could work just as well again. In short, Star Wars could learn a lot from Foundation.