Warning: Spoilers ahead forFoundationseaosn 3, episode 5, “Where Tyrants Spent Eternity.“Foundationhas had more than its fair share of character deaths since the show began, but I can’t help shake the feeling that season 3 just teased an unexpected resurrection. The sheer length ofFoundation’s timelinemeans that the show’s characters routinely make their respective exits for various reasons.
Isaac Asimov’sFoundationbooksare the origin of most of the figures in the Apple TV+ space opera, but most have been heavily altered to suit the saga’s new medium. While the changes have resulted in what has become one of thebest sci-fi shows on Apple TV+, they’ve also caused the adaptation to stray gradually further from the source material.
Gaal Dornick’s Salvor Hardin Zygote Sets Up A Comeback For The Daughter Of Lou Llobell’s Foundation Character
Salvor Died At The End Of Foundation Season 2
Leah Harvey’s Salvor Hardin is a heavily reworked version of an Isaac Asimov characterof the same name. Although the author’s iteration of Salvor was male and had a political career, Apple TV+’s version has been altered to be the daughter of Lou Llobell’s Gaal Dornick.
However, the show’s creative approach to the passage of time meansGaal and Salvor were roughly the same age when they met. The death of Harvey’s character was one of the biggest moments in theFoundationseason 2 finale, so I never expected to see her again. Then,Foundationseason 3, episode 5, “Where Tyrants Spent Eternity,” provided a glimmer of that very possibility.
While aboard Gaal’s ship, Cassian Bilton’s BrotherDawn is afforded a glimpse of what Llobell’s character refers to as Salvor’s “zygote,“which is one of the earliest stages of an ovum’s fertilization. The moment isn’t really explained beyond the emotional impact of the zygote’s presence on Gaal, but I think there’s more to the moment than meets the eye.
I’m convinced that Savlor’s zygote will, at some point inFoundation’s future, continue to develop and allow Leah Harvey to reprise her role. It’s unclear at this point exactly how that arc would unfold, and whether it would even be the same Salvor Hardin who died in season 2. Still, I’m willing to wait to find out if and when this will take place.
Bringing Back Salvor Wouldn’t Be The First Time Foundation Has Found Creative Ways To Resurrect Characters
Hari, Gaal, & Other Foundation Characters Have Been Afforded Similar Treatment By Apple TV+
Althoughit’s not yet confirmed whether Salvor will be coming back toFoundationat some point, the show’s trend of similar twists means it wouldn’t be all that surprising. The Apple TV+ show has already allowed several characters to remain actively involved in the story far beyond their original presence in Isaac Asimov’s source material.
If the books had been faithfully adapted, the show would be constantly rotating its cast with no constant characters. For instance,Foundation’s Genetic Dynastyis original to the show and allows for the three actors playing the various Cleons to remain part of the cast. Similarly, Jared Harris' Hari Seldon wouldn’t still be alive if the books had been directly translated to the screen.
Gaal Dornick - although male in the books - also dies pretty swiftly in Asimov’s original version of theFoundationtimeline. So, Savlor’s return would just be the latest in a long line of characters who Apple TV+ has heavily altered so that they can remain involved inFoundation’s new medium.
New episodes of Foundation season 3 release every Friday on Apple TV+ until the finale on September 12.
