Gaal Dornick is one of the main characters of the Apple TV+ series Foundation. Gaal is a brilliant mathematical prodigy from the repressed water planet of Synnax. Recruited by Hari Seldon, Gaal becomes an integral part of his plan to preserve civilization. She is portrayed by Lou Llobell, first appearing in the episode "The Emperor's Peace".
Biography
Gaal Dornick is the daughter of Bayla and Jarko, two algae farmers living on the planet Synnax. Her true talents lie in mathematics, which was considered heretical on Synnax. As a young woman, she became an acolyte of the Seer Church, though was unhappy with her position. After seeing Arren Sorn executed for breaking into the abandoned university, Gaal recovered the man's illegal materials after he had been drowned to death, and began to educate herself in mathematics, in which she expressed an extensive talent.[3]
Through her intense studies and impressive mathematical talent, Gaal was able to solve the Abraxas Conjecture using Kalle's Ninth Proof of Folding, even though none across the Galaxy had been able to solve it for five hundred years. The solution led to her winning a contest held by Doctor Hari Seldon. Removing her prayer stones and abandoning her position as an acolyte and the Seer Church, Gaal left Synnax for Trantor where she would be safer than on her homeworld.[3]
On Trantor, Gaal finds out that she will likely be arrested the following day; Hari's science of Psychohistory has predicted the fall of the Galactic Empire and Gaal is the only person who can understand the math to either confirm or debunk his claims. At the Tribunal, after having a chance to study Hari's Prime Radiant, Gaal confirms the prediction. Following the Tribunal, Gaal senses something is wrong on Trantor Station. Moments after, bombers sever the station from the Star Bridge, causing it to crash into the planet leaving millions dead. After deliberations from the Emperor, Brother Day, Gaal and Hari are exiled from Trantor to establish the Foundation on Terminus in an effort to safeguard civilization.[1]
Onboard the slow ship to Terminus, Gaal assists Hari in preparing the colonists for settling their new home, as well as training alongside the crew. She develops a relationship with Raych Foss, which they hide from Hari since Raych fears that Hari would disapprove of relationships since they were a distraction from the work. Gaal begins to develop into a leader among the colonists, and others look to her for advice and guidance.[4]
After witnessing Raych's apparent murder of Hari, Raych ejected Gaal from the ship in a pod containing stasis fluid.[4] After Gaal's disappearance, it was believed that she was complicit in Hari's murder. After spending thirty-four years in stasis, Gaal reached the Raven and awoke in the year 12,102 Era Imperial.[5] Though she had hardly any permissions to access the ship's information, she used her extensive knowledge of mathematics and a spacewalk to determine that the ship was on course to Helicon, though she feared arriving at Hari's homeworld, knowing that the Galaxy believed her to be his murderer.[3]
While en route to Helicon, Gaal finds a digitized Hari Seldon aboard the ship in pain after being stabbed by Raych Foss. This is fixed and later Gaal explains to Hari what happened to Raych, her, and the Foundation. Hari explains to Gaal why Raych killed him, and Gaal cannot believe it. Furthermore, Hari questions Gaal as to why she went to his apartment that night and it is there that Gaal has a revelation as to her abilities.[6] As their journey continues to Helicon, Gaal discusses her ability to see the future with Hari. Hari is cautious of how this may affect the Foundation and holds details back from Gaal which frustrates her. Hari does tell her more details of the Plan and she decides she does not want to be used any more and has to decide her next move. This is to leave the ship, and return to Synnax.[7]
On her return to Synnax, she sees the water has risen as she predicted it would before she left the planet. Making a boat out of a device, she moves away from the transport pod. Moving towards the village, she finds it mostly submerged in water. While processing what she is seeing, she spots a flashing light beneath the water. She dives in to investigate and finds a transport pod. She frees the person in it and they come to the surface. Placing the individual aboard the boat, Gaal discovers it is Salvor Hardin who had been looking for Gaal and has now found her. Salvor presents Gaal with the Prime Radiant, saying it belongs to her.[2]
In her first interaction with Salvor, she finds out that Salvor is her daughter and pieces together how that could happen. She struggles to accept this and has difficulties bonding with Salvor. That night, Gaal has visions of a dark future and awakens to find Salvor missing. Upon searching for her in the water, Salvor returns, having gone to get food. As they sit in the boat, Gaal lies to Salvor about the reasons for not opening the Prime Radiant, which Salvor calls out. Later, Gaal opens the Radiant and the pair can see the Second Crisis is approaching. They need to get off-world.[8]
They develop a plan to reach the Beggar at the bottom of the ocean and reboot it. Salvor needs Gaal’s help with this and they are successful, though Gaal goes unconscious aboard the ship. After Salvor hurriedly helps Gaal recover, the pair go to the bridge to find technical problems are preventing them from taking off. With a hurricane approaching, they need to move and Salvor wants Gaal to free Hari from the Radiant which Gaal is reluctant to do as they parted on bad terms. The decision is taken out of their hands as Hari escapes the Radiant and demands a conversation with Gaal.[8]
Gaal continues the argument with Hari's consciousness aboard the Beggar and Salvor interrupts them, saying they need Hari to fix the ship. Hari duly helps Salvor do this and they escape. With the ship safe, Gaal and Hari fill Salvor in on what happened a century ago, how Gaal set the plan off course by walking in on Raych killing Hari and disrupting the creation of a second Foundation. Gaal reveals to Hari the visions she's been having, of the Mule bringing destruction in the future. These are visions of Gaal’s future self, and Hari wants Gaal to recall these memories again.[9]
After an initial failed attempt, Gaal realises she can only have these visions when in distress so she gives Salvor a gas mask and removes the oxygen from the room. Within her vision, she sees a world in turmoil, and the Mule wanting the location of the Second Foundation which Gaal has in her head. In the present, Gaal tells Hari and Salvor what she saw and what planet the Second Foundation is on in her vision - Ignis - and the trio set course for there.[9]
Later, Gaal is worried they’re playing into the Mule’s hands by traveling to Ignis. She then reveals to Salvor another detail in her dream - Salvor’s death.[9]
Gaal and Salvor land on what they think is Ignis, only to find out from Hari that it is in fact Oona's World, an uninhabited planet used for mining. The pair berate Hari for this detour, and Gaal especially refuses to go along with Hari to the place he was instructed to go on the planet. Salvor takes this out of Gaal's hands however, by throwing the Radiant - what Hari needs to project himself - into the sand, forcing Gaal to go with him.[10]
The pair make their way to do a doorway in the mountains and Gaal is able to figure out the way in. In the room, Kalle is waiting and Gaal is shocked, thinking she died centuries ago. Hari asks Gaal to wait on the Beggar and if he is not back in six hours, she should leave. She is locked out of the room. On the way back to the ship, she realises how off Kalle felt and back with Salvor, they discuss her and Hari's relationship.[10]
With more than six hours passed, Gaal and Salvor attempt to leave but the Beggar falls through the thin crust of the planet. They find they are surrounded by autonomous mining machines and they are able to escape, but spot a life form on their scanners. This life form turns out to be Hari Seldon in an actual body.[10]
From the Foundation Books
Gaal Dornick was a mathematician from the planet Synnax born in the 13th Millennium GE. Shorted after gaining his doctorate, Gaal is invited to Trantor by Hari Seldon to work on his psychohistory project. However, his arrival is not without incident as he is under surveillance from the Committee of Public Safety. Gaal learns of Hari's predictions, that the Galactic Empire is fated to fall. After Hari's plan is enacted to engineer the exile of the Foundation to Terminus, Gaal carries the crisis tapes to planet and oversaw the construction of the Time Vault.
Behind the Scenes
In the original Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, Gaal Dornick was a male. The character's gender was changed to female for the Foundation series.
Appearances
External Links
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "The Emperor's Peace"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Leap"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Upon Awakening"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Preparing to Live"
- ↑ "Barbarians at the Gate"
- ↑ ”Mysteries and Martyrs”
- ↑ ”The Missing Piece”
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "In Seldon's Shadow"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "A Glimpse of Darkness"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "King and Commoner"