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* ApocalypseAnarchy: Seldon tells Linge Chen that while Trantor won't fall for centuries more, should Chen execute him, the spreading rumors about the future demise will make the people tear the Empire apart in decades at most.
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While sightseeing, Gaal meets Jerril, and they discuss [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven Seldon]], and the way Trantor thinks of him as a doomsayer thumping about the collapse of the Empire. Bothered by the insults being lobbed at his future employer, Gaal goes back to his hotel room, [[TrespassingToTalk where he finds Dr Seldon waiting for him]]. They discuss Psychohistory, a [[FictionalFieldOfScience branch of mathematics]] that the two of them can use to [[PrescienceIsPredictable predict sociological events]], such as the future of Trantor. Dr Seldon demonstrates to Gaal that due to the current conditions of the Empire, Trantor will inevitably become more specialized, until it is destroyed by internal conflicts. Now that he has confirmed for Gaal tell reason why everything about "Raven Seldon" is being investigated, he departs, implying that he expects to see Gaal at the University of Trantor tomorrow.
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While sightseeing, Gaal meets Jerril, and they discuss [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven Seldon]], and the way Trantor thinks of him as a doomsayer thumping about the collapse of the Empire. Bothered by the insults being lobbed at his future employer, Gaal goes back to his hotel room, [[TrespassingToTalk where he finds Dr Seldon waiting for him]]. They discuss Psychohistory, a [[FictionalFieldOfScience branch of mathematics]] that the two of them can use to [[PrescienceIsPredictable predict sociological events]], such as the future of Trantor. Dr Seldon demonstrates to Gaal that due to the current conditions of the Empire, Trantor will inevitably become more specialized, until it is destroyed by internal conflicts. Now that he has confirmed for Gaal tell the reason why everything about "Raven Seldon" is being investigated, he departs, implying that he expects to see Gaal at the University of Trantor tomorrow.
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Terminus is where they are exiled TO
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* XanatosGambit: Hari Seldon deliberately causes the Imperial Empire to arrest him and banish his organization to the furthest planet from Terminus, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. Exactly as Seldon had wanted (although three or four other places were predicted with less confidence, his innermost circle were planning on using any of them).
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* XanatosGambit: Hari Seldon deliberately causes the Imperial Empire to arrest him and banish his organization to the furthest planet from Terminus, Trantor, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. Exactly as Seldon had wanted (although three or four other places were predicted with less confidence, his innermost circle were planning on using any of them).
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* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]] (500 in the earlier publications). Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 30,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
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* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]] (500 ([[OrwellianRetcon 500 in the earlier publications).publications]]). Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 30,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
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* OrwellianRetcon: In addition to replacing the first scene in ''Literature/Foundation1951'', small changes were made to the text after the 1970s printings; the most easily noticed is the five centuries before [[TheEndIsNigh the fall predicted by Seldon]] becoming only 300 years.
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* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]] (500 in the earlier publications). Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 10,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
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* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]] (500 in the earlier publications). Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 10,000 30,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
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* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]]. Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 10,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
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* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]].years]] (500 in the earlier publications). Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 10,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
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* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The Commission of Public Safety is run by Chief Commissioner Linge Chen. They effectively have control over the Emperor, and therefore, the Empire. In this story, they're TheAntagonist to Dr Seldon and his team, viewing them as a disruptive influence to the Empire. The conflict is resolved by the Commission [[ReassignedToAntarctica exiling Dr Seldon and his team from Trantor]], to the farthest known habitable planet in the galaxy.
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* KangarooCourt: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]]. Hari Seldon's trial is a media circus where the entire courtroom was packed with a hostile crowd, but the "kangaroo" part comes when the trial is interrupted midway through by the Committee of Public Safety. They weren't sure they'd get a favorable verdict even ''with'' the court rigged as it was, so they ended the trial and instead brought Seldon in to "discuss the safety of the state," and threatened him with extrajudicial execution to force him and his followers into exile.
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* StateSec: The Commission of Public Safety is run by Chief Commissioner Linge Chen. They effectively have control over the Emperor, and therefore, the Empire. In this story, they're TheAntagonist to Dr Seldon and his team, viewing them as a disruptive influence to the Empire. The conflict is resolved by the Commission [[ReassignedToAntarctica exiling Dr Seldon and his team from Trantor]], to the farthest known habitable planet in the galaxy.
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* ReassignedToAntarctica: Dr Seldon is coerced into accepting exile for his ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' project. They have six months before being shipped off to Terminus, a MetalPoor planet on the edge of the Milky Way.
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* ReassignedToAntarctica: Dr Seldon is coerced into accepting exile for his ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' project. They have six months before being shipped off to Terminus, a MetalPoor planet MetalPoorPlanet on the edge of the Milky Way.
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* CityPlanet: Trantor, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], has [[TerraDeforming converted every landmass into a single interconnected city]] (making it one of the first depictions of a planet-wide city). Because its population is in the tens of billions, it depended on outer worlds for food. Fleets of ships deliver produce from twenty different [[AgriWorld farm planets]].
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* CityPlanet: Trantor, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], has [[TerraDeforming converted every landmass into covered by a single interconnected city]] (making it one of the first depictions of a planet-wide city). Because its population is in the tens of billions, it depended depends on outer worlds for food. Fleets of ships deliver produce from twenty different [[AgriWorld farm planets]].
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* FlyingCar: The taxi Gaal uses to arrive at the Luxor hotel can fly vertically as well as accelerating in the air. It's used to indicate that events are taking place in the far future, when such [[ArtificialGravity antigravity]] transportation might be common.
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* FlyingCar: The taxi Gaal uses to arrive at the Luxor hotel can fly vertically as well as accelerating accelerate in the air. It's used to indicate that events are taking place in the far future, when such [[ArtificialGravity antigravity]] transportation might be common.
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* YourDaysAreNumbered: Seldon tells Gaal [[AudienceSurrogate and the audience]]) that the doctors believe he has less than two years before he will die of old age.
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* YourDaysAreNumbered: Seldon tells Gaal [[AudienceSurrogate ([[AudienceSurrogate and the audience]]) that the doctors believe he has less than two years before he will die of old age.
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->''HARI SELDON... born in the 11,988th year of the Galactic Era; died 12,069. The dates are more commonly given in terms of the current Foundational Era as -79 to the year 1 F.E. [...]''
->''... The best existing authority we have for the details of his life is the biography written by Gaal Dornick who, as a young man, met Seldon two years before the great mathematician's death. The story of the meeting ...''
-->-- [-''[[EncyclopediaExposita ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA]]''-], 116th edition, published in 1020 F.E.
First published in ''Literature/Foundation1951'', by Creator/IsaacAsimov. This ScienceFiction ShortStory is an expansion of the first scene in "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". It is the first story in ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' and the last chronologically. It introduces the audience to a still-living Hari Seldon and explains how he set the stage of Year 1 in the Foundation Era.
Gaal Dornick has completed his doctorate in mathematics from his home planet, Synnax, and received an invitation to join Dr. Hari Seldon's project at the University of Trantor. So [[NaiveNewcomer he travels]] to Trantor, the [[CityPlanet capital city/planet]] of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. Once there, he tries to see the sights, running into obstacles due to most Trantorians simply not caring about the world outside of the city. Eventually, he finds a tower designed for looking out across the [[DomedHometown vast expanse of metal domes]] that covers the world.
While sightseeing, Gaal meets Jerril, and they discuss [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven Seldon]], and the way Trantor thinks of him as a doomsayer thumping about the collapse of the Empire. Bothered by the insults being lobbed at his future employer, Gaal goes back to his hotel room, [[TrespassingToTalk where he finds Dr Seldon waiting for him]]. They discuss Psychohistory, a [[FictionalFieldOfScience branch of mathematics]] that the two of them can use to [[PrescienceIsPredictable predict sociological events]], such as the future of Trantor. Dr Seldon demonstrates to Gaal that due to the current conditions of the Empire, Trantor will inevitably become more specialized, until it is destroyed by internal conflicts. Now that he has confirmed for Gaal tell reason why everything about "Raven Seldon" is being investigated, he departs, implying that he expects to see Gaal at the University of Trantor tomorrow.
Gaal Dornick, however, is awoken by the hotel desk clerk calling to inform him that he is under arrest by the authority of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]]. They interrogate him about Dr Seldon and [[TheEndIsNigh predictions of the collapse of galactic civilization]]. He meets briefly with Lors Avakim, a lawyer, who explains that [[AllAccordingToPlan his current conditions had been anticipated, and even engineered]], by Dr Seldon and the psychohistorical project. Gaal is amazed, since Psychohistory is normally limited to things on the scale of AbsurdlyHugePopulation or more. Hari Seldon, however, is ''[[TheChessmaster very, very]]'' good at psychohistory.
Both Dr Seldon and Dornick are [[CourtroomEpisode on trial]], the results of which seem a crushing defeat to Gaal, as everyone associated with Seldon's project (including women and children who know nothing of psychohistory) face exile from Trantor within the next six months. They are sent to the most remote habitable planet in the entire Milky Way; Terminus. There, the project may continue to develop their ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]''.
In addition to adaptations of ''Literature/Foundation1951'', "The Psychohistorians" can be found as an AudioAdaptation in ''Literature/WilliamShatnerAndLeonardNimoyReadFourScienceFictionClassics'' (1979).
----
!!"The Psychohistorians" provides examples of:
* AbsurdlyHugePopulation: Based on the ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' entry on Trantor, the planet is the capital of the Galactic Empire and the population is in excess of 40 billion. It is also fed by the daily combined output of 20 [[AgriWorld farm planets]].
* CassandraDidIt: Hari Seldon is taken to court due to his claims that the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] is [[VestigialEmpire falling apart]] and will completely collapse within a few centuries. The charge is disloyalty and attempt to incite trouble. The punishment is exile to the farthest planet in the galaxy, [[XanatosGambit exactly what he wished]].
* CityPlanet: Trantor, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], has [[TerraDeforming converted every landmass into a single interconnected city]] (making it one of the first depictions of a planet-wide city). Because its population is in the tens of billions, it depended on outer worlds for food. Fleets of ships deliver produce from twenty different [[AgriWorld farm planets]].
-->''"Its urbanization, progressing steadily, had finally reached the ultimate. All the land surface of Trantor, 75,000,000 square miles in extent, was a single city. The population, at its height, was well in excess of forty billions."'' -- ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]''
* CourtroomEpisode: This ShortStory is broken into chapters with two dramatically different "trials", taking place one after the other.
** Chapter 6: For three days, the prosecution, represented by the Commission's Advocate, harshly questioned Dr Seldon. It's implied that other evidence was given (explicit that Gaal Dornick provides almost zero information as a witness), and for all three days the courtroom is restricted to a select group who would all be hostile to the famed psychohistorian. When Dr Seldon, through charisma alone, intimidates the Advocate into briefly believing [[PrescienceByAnalysis psychohistory's prediction of ruin]], a recess is called.
** Chapter 7: After yesterday's disruption of the courtroom, Dr Seldon and Gaal are in a room alone with the five judges from the trial. They insist that there is no trial, and [[EverybodySmokes offer cigarettes]] to demonstrate a friendly atmosphere. Make no mistake, though, Chief Commissioner Linge Chen is the one who dictates policy through a [[PuppetKing Puppet Emperor]]. Chen and Seldon come to a mutual understanding; Hari Seldon accepts [[ReassignedToAntarctica exile for himself and his project]], and they don't execute anyone.
* DistantSequel: A ShortStory added retroactively when ''Literature/Foundation1951'' was published, this [[{{Prequel}} begins]] the timeline of the Foundation Era at [[AlternativeCalendar -2 Foundation Era]], compared to 50 F.E. of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". Year 1 is when the planet Terminus [[FoundingDay is colonized by the Foundation]].
* DomedHometown: Trantor's [[LayeredMetropolis topmost layer]] is [[TerraDeforming completely domed over]], and ironically creating habitable areas; plant life has even managed to gain a foothold on the surfaces of the artificial structures. Everybody just chooses to live in enclosed sectors. This is inherited behaviour from their ancient ancestors on Earth, as depicted in ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel''.
* EncyclopediaExposita: This story expands the role that the ''Encyclopedia Galactica'' plays, providing excerpts from the entries for Hari Seldon, Trantor, Psychohistory, and The Commission of Public Safety. It also establishes the book as the objective pursued by everyone [[ReassignedToAntarctica sent to Terminus]].
* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]]. Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 10,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Dr Seldon convinces Chief Commissioner Linge Chen that the project his people are working on is to produce an encyclopedia and publish it across the galaxy before the fall of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], so that the collapse would not mean the loss of scientific knowledge, giving humanity a headstart on putting things back in order. During "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", however, Seldon [[TheReveal reveals]] that [[spoiler:it was a lie used to trick everyone into being moved to Terminus so that they can form [[RisingEmpire the core of a second galactic empire]]]].
* FlyingCar: The taxi Gaal uses to arrive at the Luxor hotel can fly vertically as well as accelerating in the air. It's used to indicate that events are taking place in the far future, when such [[ArtificialGravity antigravity]] transportation might be common.
* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The Commission of Public Safety is run by Chief Commissioner Linge Chen. They effectively have control over the Emperor, and therefore, the Empire. In this story, they're TheAntagonist to Dr Seldon and his team, viewing them as a disruptive influence to the Empire. The conflict is resolved by the Commission [[ReassignedToAntarctica exiling Dr Seldon and his team from Trantor]], to the farthest known habitable planet in the galaxy.
* IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect: Hari Seldon gives Gaal Dornick [[PrescienceByAnalysis a bunch of calculations that show events over the next three hundred years]]. His maths proves that the capital [[CityPlanet planet-city Trantor]], and by proxy, the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], will fall within that timeframe. Several mathematical terms are thrown around, but the details are left vague enough that Seldon's specific calculations unexplained. Dornick, [[TheWatson who normally needs things explained to him]], is capable of verifying the calculations for himself, and it turns out Seldon is right.
* IgnoredExpert: The [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]], led by Chief Commissioner Linge Chen, don't believe Hari Seldon's claim that the Empire is falling apart under its own bureaucracy and [[CourtroomEpisode puts him on trial for treason]]. They come to a compromise; the government won't prosecute Seldon for treason, and Seldon accepts [[ReassignedToAntarctica exile to the furthest habitable planet in the galaxy]], for himself and everyone in his project. [[spoiler:Later works RetCon this slightly; only his project is exiled, they don't want Seldon to leave their sight.]]
* InformedAttribute: Gaal Dornick supposedly has a backwoods accent, but it's not shown in the text. Other stories in ''Literature/FoundationSeries'' use a FunetikAksent to show characters speaking with unusual diction or speech patterns.
* LayeredMetropolis: Trantor, the capital of the Galactic Empire, is [[CityPlanet a planet so coated with layers and layers of city]] that most of its inhabitants live their entire lives without ever seeing sunlight.
-->''"Trantor is tunneled over a mile down. It's like an iceberg. Nine-tenths of it is out of sight. It even works itself out a few miles into the sub-ocean soil at the shorelines."'' -- '''Jerril'''
* MagpiesAsPortents: Raven is a type of corvid (the same family as magpies), and is also an (archaic) adjective for doom. This story is the first to [[MaliciousMisnaming nickname him Raven Seldon]] (first in publication order) because of his [[TheEndIsNigh prediction that the Galactic Empire will collapse]].
-->''"Hari's the one I mean. They call him Raven. Slang, you know. He keeps predicting disaster."'' -- '''Jerril''', agent of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]].
* MaliciousMisnaming: Hari Seldon's political opponents call him [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven Seldon]] because he [[TheEndIsNigh predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire]].
* MonsterOfTheWeek: Taking place when Seldon is still alive, he invites a mathematician to discuss his psychohistory and [[TrespassingToTalk sneaks in a private nocturnal meeting with the man]]. This prompts Chief Commissioner of Public Safety, Linge Cheng, to imprison, then [[ReassignedToAntarctica exile]], Seldon to stop his schemes.
* NaiveNewcomer: This story [[OrwellianRetcon replaces]] a part of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists" and introduces Gaal Dornick so that someone unfamiliar with Trantor politics can be used to [[TheWatson ask questions of the other characters]]. He's especially useful to introduce the audience to psychohistory, [[FictionalFieldOfScience a branch of mathematics]] whose broad strokes is pivotal to understanding the plot of the ''{{Literature/Foundation|Series}}'' series.
-->His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before.
* NowYouTellMe: Gaal Dornick gets [[DownplayedTrope mildly inconvenienced]] when the elevator he's in goes through such rapid deceleration that he lifts off of the floor. Everyone else read the sign which instructs you to tuck your feet under the railing to catch yourself from flying upwards.
* {{Prequel}}: This ShortStory was added [[OrwellianRetcon retroactively]] when ''Literature/Foundation1951'' was published, to begin the ''Foundation'' series at [[AlternativeCalendar -2 Foundation Era]], compared to 50 F.E. of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". Year 1 is when the planet Terminus [[FoundingDay is colonized]] by the Encyclopedia Foundation.
* PuppetKing: The Emperor isn't named, because they're unable to directly affect the plot. Chief Commissioner Linge Chen, of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]], is the true power behind the throne. This has to be explained to Gaal Dornick, because [[NaiveNewcomer he's from a backwater planet]], and initially assumed he could rely on a hearing with the Emperor to escape unjust political imprisonment.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Dr Seldon is coerced into accepting exile for his ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' project. They have six months before being shipped off to Terminus, a MetalPoor planet on the edge of the Milky Way.
* TerraDeforming: Trantor has converted every available landmass into a single interconnected city (making it one of the first depictions of a [[CityPlanet planet-wide city]]). Due to a lack of agrarian areas, Trantor depends on regular shipments of food.
* ThanatosGambit: Dr Seldon [[ImpliedTrope implies]] to the AudienceSurrogate, Gaal Dornick, that ''[[XanatosGambit everything]]'' has been taken into account, and he explicitly states that his death is not going to be disruptive to achieving his goals. He isn't executed, [[YourDaysAreNumbered but his doctors say he will only live for one-two more years]], and his [[ThePlan plan]] will take a thousand years.
-->''"There is probability of 1.7% that I will be executed, but of course that will not stop the project. We have taken that into account as well."'' -- '''Dr Hari Seldon'''
* TrespassingToTalk: Dr Seldon is waiting in Gaal's hotel room when the latter returns from sightseeing. The discussion serves a multilayered purpose; Dr Seldon is able to explain to Gaal about what [[FictionalFieldOfScience the maths of psychohistory]] says about [[PrescienceIsPredictable the future of Trantor]], and by extension, the Empire. It also instigates the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]] to arrest Hari Seldon because he's holding clandestine meetings with future employees. (It also lets Gaal [[TheWatson ask Dr Seldon to explain things so the audience gets exposition]].)
* UngovernableGalaxy: Dr Seldon has identified, through his psychohistory, that the current [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] is collapsing due to the accumulating unmanageable social pressures.
* UnwittingPawn: Dr Seldon invited Gaal Dornick to Trantor with the offer of a job, and [[TrespassingToTalk snuck into his hotel room to talk]] in order to trigger the actions of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]] and arrange to have his project [[ReassignedToAntarctica exiled to the remote planet Terminus]].
* TheWatson: Gaal Dornick gives plenty of {{Exposition}} for the audience, but because he's [[NaiveNewcomer recently arrived to Trantor]], the capital [[CityPlanet city/planet]] of the Galactic Empire, dozens of things has to be explained to him by the other characters, like why Trantorians don't like the outside, why the Emperor won't see a provincial citizen, or why Dr Seldon is known as [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven]] Seldon.
* WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture: A tenth-credit payment is mentioned when Gaal is dropped off at the Luxor Hotel.
* XanatosGambit: Hari Seldon deliberately causes the Imperial Empire to arrest him and banish his organization to the furthest planet from Terminus, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. Exactly as Seldon had wanted (although three or four other places were predicted with less confidence, his innermost circle were planning on using any of them).
* YourDaysAreNumbered: Seldon tells Gaal [[AudienceSurrogate and the audience]]) that the doctors believe he has less than two years before he will die of old age.
----
->''... The best existing authority we have for the details of his life is the biography written by Gaal Dornick who, as a young man, met Seldon two years before the great mathematician's death. The story of the meeting ...''
-->-- [-''[[EncyclopediaExposita ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA]]''-], 116th edition, published in 1020 F.E.
First published in ''Literature/Foundation1951'', by Creator/IsaacAsimov. This ScienceFiction ShortStory is an expansion of the first scene in "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". It is the first story in ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' and the last chronologically. It introduces the audience to a still-living Hari Seldon and explains how he set the stage of Year 1 in the Foundation Era.
Gaal Dornick has completed his doctorate in mathematics from his home planet, Synnax, and received an invitation to join Dr. Hari Seldon's project at the University of Trantor. So [[NaiveNewcomer he travels]] to Trantor, the [[CityPlanet capital city/planet]] of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. Once there, he tries to see the sights, running into obstacles due to most Trantorians simply not caring about the world outside of the city. Eventually, he finds a tower designed for looking out across the [[DomedHometown vast expanse of metal domes]] that covers the world.
While sightseeing, Gaal meets Jerril, and they discuss [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven Seldon]], and the way Trantor thinks of him as a doomsayer thumping about the collapse of the Empire. Bothered by the insults being lobbed at his future employer, Gaal goes back to his hotel room, [[TrespassingToTalk where he finds Dr Seldon waiting for him]]. They discuss Psychohistory, a [[FictionalFieldOfScience branch of mathematics]] that the two of them can use to [[PrescienceIsPredictable predict sociological events]], such as the future of Trantor. Dr Seldon demonstrates to Gaal that due to the current conditions of the Empire, Trantor will inevitably become more specialized, until it is destroyed by internal conflicts. Now that he has confirmed for Gaal tell reason why everything about "Raven Seldon" is being investigated, he departs, implying that he expects to see Gaal at the University of Trantor tomorrow.
Gaal Dornick, however, is awoken by the hotel desk clerk calling to inform him that he is under arrest by the authority of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]]. They interrogate him about Dr Seldon and [[TheEndIsNigh predictions of the collapse of galactic civilization]]. He meets briefly with Lors Avakim, a lawyer, who explains that [[AllAccordingToPlan his current conditions had been anticipated, and even engineered]], by Dr Seldon and the psychohistorical project. Gaal is amazed, since Psychohistory is normally limited to things on the scale of AbsurdlyHugePopulation or more. Hari Seldon, however, is ''[[TheChessmaster very, very]]'' good at psychohistory.
Both Dr Seldon and Dornick are [[CourtroomEpisode on trial]], the results of which seem a crushing defeat to Gaal, as everyone associated with Seldon's project (including women and children who know nothing of psychohistory) face exile from Trantor within the next six months. They are sent to the most remote habitable planet in the entire Milky Way; Terminus. There, the project may continue to develop their ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]''.
In addition to adaptations of ''Literature/Foundation1951'', "The Psychohistorians" can be found as an AudioAdaptation in ''Literature/WilliamShatnerAndLeonardNimoyReadFourScienceFictionClassics'' (1979).
----
!!"The Psychohistorians" provides examples of:
* AbsurdlyHugePopulation: Based on the ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' entry on Trantor, the planet is the capital of the Galactic Empire and the population is in excess of 40 billion. It is also fed by the daily combined output of 20 [[AgriWorld farm planets]].
* CassandraDidIt: Hari Seldon is taken to court due to his claims that the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] is [[VestigialEmpire falling apart]] and will completely collapse within a few centuries. The charge is disloyalty and attempt to incite trouble. The punishment is exile to the farthest planet in the galaxy, [[XanatosGambit exactly what he wished]].
* CityPlanet: Trantor, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], has [[TerraDeforming converted every landmass into a single interconnected city]] (making it one of the first depictions of a planet-wide city). Because its population is in the tens of billions, it depended on outer worlds for food. Fleets of ships deliver produce from twenty different [[AgriWorld farm planets]].
-->''"Its urbanization, progressing steadily, had finally reached the ultimate. All the land surface of Trantor, 75,000,000 square miles in extent, was a single city. The population, at its height, was well in excess of forty billions."'' -- ''[[EncyclopediaExposita Encyclopedia Galactica]]''
* CourtroomEpisode: This ShortStory is broken into chapters with two dramatically different "trials", taking place one after the other.
** Chapter 6: For three days, the prosecution, represented by the Commission's Advocate, harshly questioned Dr Seldon. It's implied that other evidence was given (explicit that Gaal Dornick provides almost zero information as a witness), and for all three days the courtroom is restricted to a select group who would all be hostile to the famed psychohistorian. When Dr Seldon, through charisma alone, intimidates the Advocate into briefly believing [[PrescienceByAnalysis psychohistory's prediction of ruin]], a recess is called.
** Chapter 7: After yesterday's disruption of the courtroom, Dr Seldon and Gaal are in a room alone with the five judges from the trial. They insist that there is no trial, and [[EverybodySmokes offer cigarettes]] to demonstrate a friendly atmosphere. Make no mistake, though, Chief Commissioner Linge Chen is the one who dictates policy through a [[PuppetKing Puppet Emperor]]. Chen and Seldon come to a mutual understanding; Hari Seldon accepts [[ReassignedToAntarctica exile for himself and his project]], and they don't execute anyone.
* DistantSequel: A ShortStory added retroactively when ''Literature/Foundation1951'' was published, this [[{{Prequel}} begins]] the timeline of the Foundation Era at [[AlternativeCalendar -2 Foundation Era]], compared to 50 F.E. of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". Year 1 is when the planet Terminus [[FoundingDay is colonized by the Foundation]].
* DomedHometown: Trantor's [[LayeredMetropolis topmost layer]] is [[TerraDeforming completely domed over]], and ironically creating habitable areas; plant life has even managed to gain a foothold on the surfaces of the artificial structures. Everybody just chooses to live in enclosed sectors. This is inherited behaviour from their ancient ancestors on Earth, as depicted in ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel''.
* EncyclopediaExposita: This story expands the role that the ''Encyclopedia Galactica'' plays, providing excerpts from the entries for Hari Seldon, Trantor, Psychohistory, and The Commission of Public Safety. It also establishes the book as the objective pursued by everyone [[ReassignedToAntarctica sent to Terminus]].
* TheEndIsNigh: Hari Seldon predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire, within [[DownplayedTrope 300 years]]. Despite the centuries between then and now, Seldon believes this is happening quickly, because after those 300 years will be 10,000 years where the galaxy is a feudal disaster.
* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Dr Seldon convinces Chief Commissioner Linge Chen that the project his people are working on is to produce an encyclopedia and publish it across the galaxy before the fall of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], so that the collapse would not mean the loss of scientific knowledge, giving humanity a headstart on putting things back in order. During "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", however, Seldon [[TheReveal reveals]] that [[spoiler:it was a lie used to trick everyone into being moved to Terminus so that they can form [[RisingEmpire the core of a second galactic empire]]]].
* FlyingCar: The taxi Gaal uses to arrive at the Luxor hotel can fly vertically as well as accelerating in the air. It's used to indicate that events are taking place in the far future, when such [[ArtificialGravity antigravity]] transportation might be common.
* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The Commission of Public Safety is run by Chief Commissioner Linge Chen. They effectively have control over the Emperor, and therefore, the Empire. In this story, they're TheAntagonist to Dr Seldon and his team, viewing them as a disruptive influence to the Empire. The conflict is resolved by the Commission [[ReassignedToAntarctica exiling Dr Seldon and his team from Trantor]], to the farthest known habitable planet in the galaxy.
* IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect: Hari Seldon gives Gaal Dornick [[PrescienceByAnalysis a bunch of calculations that show events over the next three hundred years]]. His maths proves that the capital [[CityPlanet planet-city Trantor]], and by proxy, the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], will fall within that timeframe. Several mathematical terms are thrown around, but the details are left vague enough that Seldon's specific calculations unexplained. Dornick, [[TheWatson who normally needs things explained to him]], is capable of verifying the calculations for himself, and it turns out Seldon is right.
* IgnoredExpert: The [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]], led by Chief Commissioner Linge Chen, don't believe Hari Seldon's claim that the Empire is falling apart under its own bureaucracy and [[CourtroomEpisode puts him on trial for treason]]. They come to a compromise; the government won't prosecute Seldon for treason, and Seldon accepts [[ReassignedToAntarctica exile to the furthest habitable planet in the galaxy]], for himself and everyone in his project. [[spoiler:Later works RetCon this slightly; only his project is exiled, they don't want Seldon to leave their sight.]]
* InformedAttribute: Gaal Dornick supposedly has a backwoods accent, but it's not shown in the text. Other stories in ''Literature/FoundationSeries'' use a FunetikAksent to show characters speaking with unusual diction or speech patterns.
* LayeredMetropolis: Trantor, the capital of the Galactic Empire, is [[CityPlanet a planet so coated with layers and layers of city]] that most of its inhabitants live their entire lives without ever seeing sunlight.
-->''"Trantor is tunneled over a mile down. It's like an iceberg. Nine-tenths of it is out of sight. It even works itself out a few miles into the sub-ocean soil at the shorelines."'' -- '''Jerril'''
* MagpiesAsPortents: Raven is a type of corvid (the same family as magpies), and is also an (archaic) adjective for doom. This story is the first to [[MaliciousMisnaming nickname him Raven Seldon]] (first in publication order) because of his [[TheEndIsNigh prediction that the Galactic Empire will collapse]].
-->''"Hari's the one I mean. They call him Raven. Slang, you know. He keeps predicting disaster."'' -- '''Jerril''', agent of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]].
* MaliciousMisnaming: Hari Seldon's political opponents call him [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven Seldon]] because he [[TheEndIsNigh predicts the collapse of the Galactic Empire]].
* MonsterOfTheWeek: Taking place when Seldon is still alive, he invites a mathematician to discuss his psychohistory and [[TrespassingToTalk sneaks in a private nocturnal meeting with the man]]. This prompts Chief Commissioner of Public Safety, Linge Cheng, to imprison, then [[ReassignedToAntarctica exile]], Seldon to stop his schemes.
* NaiveNewcomer: This story [[OrwellianRetcon replaces]] a part of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists" and introduces Gaal Dornick so that someone unfamiliar with Trantor politics can be used to [[TheWatson ask questions of the other characters]]. He's especially useful to introduce the audience to psychohistory, [[FictionalFieldOfScience a branch of mathematics]] whose broad strokes is pivotal to understanding the plot of the ''{{Literature/Foundation|Series}}'' series.
-->His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before.
* NowYouTellMe: Gaal Dornick gets [[DownplayedTrope mildly inconvenienced]] when the elevator he's in goes through such rapid deceleration that he lifts off of the floor. Everyone else read the sign which instructs you to tuck your feet under the railing to catch yourself from flying upwards.
* {{Prequel}}: This ShortStory was added [[OrwellianRetcon retroactively]] when ''Literature/Foundation1951'' was published, to begin the ''Foundation'' series at [[AlternativeCalendar -2 Foundation Era]], compared to 50 F.E. of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". Year 1 is when the planet Terminus [[FoundingDay is colonized]] by the Encyclopedia Foundation.
* PuppetKing: The Emperor isn't named, because they're unable to directly affect the plot. Chief Commissioner Linge Chen, of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]], is the true power behind the throne. This has to be explained to Gaal Dornick, because [[NaiveNewcomer he's from a backwater planet]], and initially assumed he could rely on a hearing with the Emperor to escape unjust political imprisonment.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Dr Seldon is coerced into accepting exile for his ''[[FictionalDocument Encyclopedia Galactica]]'' project. They have six months before being shipped off to Terminus, a MetalPoor planet on the edge of the Milky Way.
* TerraDeforming: Trantor has converted every available landmass into a single interconnected city (making it one of the first depictions of a [[CityPlanet planet-wide city]]). Due to a lack of agrarian areas, Trantor depends on regular shipments of food.
* ThanatosGambit: Dr Seldon [[ImpliedTrope implies]] to the AudienceSurrogate, Gaal Dornick, that ''[[XanatosGambit everything]]'' has been taken into account, and he explicitly states that his death is not going to be disruptive to achieving his goals. He isn't executed, [[YourDaysAreNumbered but his doctors say he will only live for one-two more years]], and his [[ThePlan plan]] will take a thousand years.
-->''"There is probability of 1.7% that I will be executed, but of course that will not stop the project. We have taken that into account as well."'' -- '''Dr Hari Seldon'''
* TrespassingToTalk: Dr Seldon is waiting in Gaal's hotel room when the latter returns from sightseeing. The discussion serves a multilayered purpose; Dr Seldon is able to explain to Gaal about what [[FictionalFieldOfScience the maths of psychohistory]] says about [[PrescienceIsPredictable the future of Trantor]], and by extension, the Empire. It also instigates the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]] to arrest Hari Seldon because he's holding clandestine meetings with future employees. (It also lets Gaal [[TheWatson ask Dr Seldon to explain things so the audience gets exposition]].)
* UngovernableGalaxy: Dr Seldon has identified, through his psychohistory, that the current [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]] is collapsing due to the accumulating unmanageable social pressures.
* UnwittingPawn: Dr Seldon invited Gaal Dornick to Trantor with the offer of a job, and [[TrespassingToTalk snuck into his hotel room to talk]] in order to trigger the actions of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]] and arrange to have his project [[ReassignedToAntarctica exiled to the remote planet Terminus]].
* TheWatson: Gaal Dornick gives plenty of {{Exposition}} for the audience, but because he's [[NaiveNewcomer recently arrived to Trantor]], the capital [[CityPlanet city/planet]] of the Galactic Empire, dozens of things has to be explained to him by the other characters, like why Trantorians don't like the outside, why the Emperor won't see a provincial citizen, or why Dr Seldon is known as [[MagpiesAsPortents Raven]] Seldon.
* WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture: A tenth-credit payment is mentioned when Gaal is dropped off at the Luxor Hotel.
* XanatosGambit: Hari Seldon deliberately causes the Imperial Empire to arrest him and banish his organization to the furthest planet from Terminus, capital of the [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]]. Exactly as Seldon had wanted (although three or four other places were predicted with less confidence, his innermost circle were planning on using any of them).
* YourDaysAreNumbered: Seldon tells Gaal [[AudienceSurrogate and the audience]]) that the doctors believe he has less than two years before he will die of old age.
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