Why Foundation Episode 3 Has Three Time Jumps (What Year Is It?)
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Foundation episode 3.
David Goyer's Foundation has three time-jumps in episode 3, but with good reason. Writer Isaac Asimov is rightly considered one of the founding fathers of science fiction, and so many of his ideas have become staples of the genre. The Foundation novels and short stories are the jewel in his crown, a much-loved narrative that spans a millennia and details the future of the entire galaxy. They include so many innovations that would go on to inspire basic tenets of science-fiction, from Galactic Empires to Foundation's Jump Drives inspiring Star Wars' hyperdrive.
Showrunner David Goyer has finally brought Foundation to life on the small screen, in a lavishly realized TV series made for Apple TV+. The first two episodes starred Jared Harris' Hari Seldon and Lou Llobdell's Gaal Dornick, the only two mathematicians able to penetrate the mysterious of psychohistory, a field of mathematics in that allows for the prediction of the future. The cliffhanger ending of Foundation episode 2 saw Hari Seldon murdered by his protégé Raych, with Gaal Dornick blasted away from the Foundation in a cryogenic escape pod. However, rather than pick up with that story, Foundation episode 3 begins to hop around the timeline.
Related: Foundation Episode 3 Ending Explained: The Vault & Salvor Hardin
Appropriately enough, Foundation episode 3 is set in three different time periods: (1) 400 years ago, when Cleon the First began construction of the Starbridge and set in motion the cloning projects that would maintain his Empire; and (2) 15 years after episodes 1 and 2, which saw the Starbridge struck in a terrorist attack, with the current Emperor choosing to destroy its remains because its orbit is unstable and it has become a threat to the galactic capital of Trantor -- this section also sees Brother Dusk pass, with a new Cleon clone created; and (3) another 17 years later, with Salvor Hardin sensing the arrival of the first so-called Seldon Crisis.
The time-jumps may feel surprising to many viewers, but in truth they're an inevitable part of adapting Isaac Asimov's Foundation. As David Goyer explained in one interview, "The first book is kind of anthological, and there are these enormous time-jumps that happen in between the stories, and a lot of the characters don't repeat from one story to the next." The first two episodes were essentially a prelude to the main story, and the focus of Foundation has now moved on to the time of Salvor Hardin.
Attentive viewers will notice that David Goyer has subtly changed Foundation to create a stronger sense of continuity. The Emperors are never actually seen in Asimov's stories, and the collapse of the Empire actually happens off the page. The Cleons are an attempt to put a human face on the Empire's fall, with the cloning meaning actors can stick around and viewers can see familiar faces. Meanwhile, Foundation episode 3 also reveals someone can be kept in cryogenic suspension for decades, meaning Gaal Dornick can be brought back in this later time-period as well - something that Asimov never even contemplated. These changes allow Foundation to honor Asimov's original concept while keeping recurring characters, although Gaal doesn't return in episode 3.