Hari Seldon (Vault)

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Vault

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Hari Seldon
General information
Aliases	The Ghost The Prophet
Relatives	Kariel Seldon (mother) Nolan Seldon (father) Raych Foss (foster son)
Affiliation	Foundation
Biographical information
Marital status	Yanna Seldon (life mate)
Place of birth	Helicon
Physical description
Species	Digital consciousness
Gender	Male
Appearances
Portrayed by	Jared Harris
Debut	"The Leap"

"You came here hoping to save your world. I’m asking you to dream bigger. Why stop at one world? Why not save the galaxy?"

—Hari Seldon to Gaal Dornick^[src]

Hari Seldon is one of the main characters of the Apple TV+ series Foundation. An eccentric mathematical genius, Hari Seldon develops Psychohistory, an entirely new science that allows him to calculate the future with stunning accuracy. His predictions foresee the fall of the Galactic Empire within five hundred years, followed by a period of barbarism that would plunge the galaxy into darkness for thirty thousand years. Hari sets out to create a Foundation to soften the fall and preserve science and civilization for future generations. He is portrayed by Jared Harris, first appearing in the episode "The Emperor's Peace".

Biography

Early Life

See Hari Seldon#Biography

The Vault

A digitized version of Hari was committed to the Vault on Terminus to guide the Foundation. Unlike the version intended to go to the Raven, this version of Hari had been edited to hide parts of the Plan and the existence of the second version of Hari intended to form the Second Foundation.

The version of Hari in the Vault came to reveal himself on Terminus to members of the Foundation, Anacreons, and Thespis soldiers. Hari Seldon emerges from the Vault and reveals why Anacreon and Thespis have been in conflict for many centuries: a plot by Cleon II to keep the Outer Reach kingdoms in check known as "The First Betrayal". The legend goes that A Thespin King married an Anacreon Huntress, and the king murdered the Huntress on their wedding bed. Hari goes on to say it was Cleon II who orchestrated the plan to implicate the Thespin king and start the conflict to stop the clans uniting against the Empire. Hari urges the three groups, Anacreons, Thespins, and Termini, to band together to face the Galactic Empire using the Invictus. The group do not like this idea, arguing they are not revolutionaries. Hari admits he lied abaout the initial idea of gathering information. He argues in order for more stories to be told, the Genetic Dynasty must fall.

Hari reveals a plan to get the Empire away from the Foundation. The Foundation must fake its death by using the Invictus and activating the quantum drive on the other side of the star, to fake the planet - this the Foundation - being destroyed. This sets them free. Hari speaks to Poly Verisof who asks him how he got here. Hari explains How long before he died, he took a pill that coontains millions of self replicating molecular machines. When his casket was jettisoned into space, the machines broke down his body tissue into various elements, and the machines recycled those picking up more elements that formed the Vault's structure. Hari remained dormant in the Vault as remaining sentient for so long would put too much of a strain on his mind, and his awakening was triggered by the Anacreon attack. Hari explains the null field expansion meant he was regaining consciousness. As he walks away to leave the Foundation to build, Salvor stops Hari to ask about the messages she has been receiving. Hari says those messages have not come from him.

The Second Crisis

With the Second Crisis approaching, Seldon activated the Vault and began to withdraw the null field. The Vault opened, and instead of Seldon emerging, he disintegrated the current Warden, Jaegger Fount, and etched the name "Hober Mallow" on the outside of the Vault, a name that had been given to him by a "passing ghost."

Once Hober Mallow had been summoned, he entered the Vault alongside Brother Constant, Poly Verisof, and Director Sef Sermak. Seldon met with them, blessing Brother Constant and admiring Sermak's suit. He charged Poly and Constant with a mission; to journey to Trantor and act as peace envoys in order to delay the coming war as long as possible. For Hober Mallow, he assigned a different task, one that would require him to go alone and take the Spirit Rising.

During their interaction in the Vault, Seldon transferred a sliver of himself into Brother Constant, where she carried part of him to Trantor. After Constant was brought before the Genetic Dynasty, Seldon emerged to tell the Emperors that they were suing for peace not because they were afraid of losing, but because they were sure of winning. Cleon XVII has Constant electrocuted and the portion of Seldon contained within her excised.

Following the destruction of Terminus, Hari used the Vault to rescue the residents of Terminus, saving them from death. The Vault later picked up the external cleaning module carrying Brother Constant, who was the only survivor of the Shining Destiny.

Appearances

• Season One
  • "The First Crisis" (First appearance)
  • "The Leap"
• Season Two
  • "In Seldon's Shadow" (Mentioned only)
  • "A Glimpse of Darkness" (Mentioned only)
  • "King and Commoner" (Mentioned only)
  • "Where the Stars Are Scattered Thinly"
  • "Why the Gods Made Wine" (Mentioned only)
  • "A Necessary Death"
  • "Long Ago, Not Far Away"
  • "Creation Myths"
• Season Three
  • "A Song for the End of Everything"

References