Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy is on my Mt. Rushmore of sci-fi epics, which Apple has completely bastardized. First we have the PC virtue signaling: taking one of the protagonists & turning him into a black female Han Solo wannabe, and obviously we need to see her getting laid. Which is par for the course with the rest of the paint-by-numbers Hollywood plot embellishments - the violence, trysts, blasting away at aliens, etc.
In Asimov’s universe, Salvor Hardin famously remarks “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” Now that Apple has turned him into Black Wonder Woman, she announces she’s going to the armory “… to see what kind of violence we can muster.” On the bright side, it’s good to see Apple handing out script writing assignments to 12-yr old boys.
Project much, Maria? Were I a religious man, I'd pray for your parents. As it turns out, my perspective on religion is akin to Asimov's.
You're just jealous that I got enough cheetos to choke on them, for free. I bet you need permission from your parents to have cheetos.
That's a 25% chance. Cats!
I recommend using chopsticks to chow down on those Cheetos. It'll help keep all that orange crap off your hands.
"If it has to be explained to you, you're not capable of understanding it."
Yes, that was sort of my point.
I'm well aware that Asimov's Salvor Hardin was no fan of violence, but I already explained why I think there is a justification for Salvor Hardin in the series being quite different from Salvor Hardin in the book.
As for compelling dialogue, I think the scene of Salvor's interview with the Grand Huntress of Anacreon is brilliant from start to finish. I like the funny introduction: "I can't tell if she's lying or if she's just not telling the truth." "Is there a difference?" I especially like when Salvor starts guessing about her past, and she begins with quite reasonable educated guesses, and then there's that point when she can tell exactly what her mother died of. And I like how it ends as well.
"captivating as Black Wonder Woman getting laid "
First of all, this is Foundation's issue, not that of black women.
Abby Mills, the "good cop" black heroine of 'Sleepy Hollow' had broken up with a former FBI agent and wasn't banging Ichabod Chane, the 18th century Rip Van Winkle who was asleep since the Revolutionary War. And then, her renegade sister, Jennifer, only started dating after her future beau and her were involved in some life saving adventures.
And in 'The Expanse', the black female, Naomi Nagata, was nothing less than a great heroine, despite the fact that her loyalties were split between her native asteroid belt people (Belters) and Jim Holden's crew. And sure, later, her and Jim fell in love and had sex.
So yeah, it's not about women of color, it's about lazy writers who can't create meaningful characters and use caricatures to make their points.
If it has to be explained to you, you're not capable of understanding it. Asimov's Salvor Hardin wouldn't have been caught dead with a gun. But I certainly understand how explorations of war & peace, fallen empires, dark ages, human avarice, religion & technology could never be as captivating as Black Wonder Woman getting laid and blasting away at CGI aliens. I can recall more compelling plotlines & dialogue in the Marvel comics I read as a kid. The producers of this joke are clearly catering to the lowest common denominator. No shame in that, obviously. Gotta make some money. Frito Lay peddles more Cheetos - by an order of magnitude - than Ruth's Chris sells rib eyes. You are more than welcome to the junk food. We all have different palates.
How do you know it's dumbed down? As opposed to going over your head?
It's an infantile dumbing-down of some of Asimov's best work, which was always & notably cerebral. Apple has turned it into a comic book, and not a good one.
"being turned into black females, because that wasn't how they imagined it. But on the other hand, now that the shoe is on the other foot, you get to appreciate that it hurts."
The supernatural show, 'Sleepy Hollow', had two African-American heroines and that show was quite good for at least a season & a half.
The difference was that one was the 'good' cop hero and the other, the anti-hero former criminal. That was the interpersonal dynamic and it worked out well between the two women characters. Here, both leads have some psychic "Force connection" thing going which unfortunately, makes 'em more the same than different.
IMHO, I'd even say that if Salvor had spent more time in Math classes growing up, she'd probably understand the Prime Radiant rather well given her natural intuitive style mixed with classroom trained analytics.
I sort of get people being irritated for characters being turned into black females, because that wasn't how they imagined it. But on the other hand, now that the shoe is on the other foot, you get to appreciate that it hurts. So I hope they keep doing it.
I don't think either Gaal or Salvor (and even less the Mule) are supposed to be able to make everything right. Gaal so far is looking like a Second Foundationer, and Second Foundationers exist to help advance the plan, not make it pointless. And Salvor is an interesting character in the series, even though she's rather different from the book. Her role, as she says herself, is to be an outlier. It's to make people question what they think it's true. In that sense, her being keen on violence in the series is part of Salvor being the sort of person she is in the series. And also looking like she could magically fix everything. I don't think she can, but she's there to make you think what if...?
As for the First and Second Foundation being fused, at one point in the books it's proposed as the solution for where the Second Foundation is, so if in this series it's the actual answer, I wouldn't see it as a total departure.
"taking one of the protagonists & turning him into a black female Han Solo wannabe, and obviously we need to see her getting laid"
Make that a two, Salvor for Han Solo w/ the Force ( on his side ) and Gaal for Luke or more recently, River Tam (Firefly series), as the psychic/intuitive/super-heroine.
It looks like the writers are fusing 1st and 2nd Foundation heroes into one category which was not what the original novels wanted.
If so, then it makes the plan kinda pointless if 1 or 2 psychic heroes, not named the Mule, can make everything right.